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Vickie Holt |
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My
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When I was a little girl and people asked me what I
wanted to do when I grew up, the only thing I could ever
think to say was that I wanted to work with animals.
Later on, in high school, the question about what I
wanted to be when I grew up became even more urgent.
“When I grew up” was nearly upon me. I still wanted to
work with animals, but my options were limited. All the
great jobs required some serious college:
oceanographer, conservation researcher, documentary
maker, veterinary medicine. In those days, living in a
broken home with government assistance, college just
wasn’t a reality. Like many others in my small town of
Vinton, I got whatever local job I could find and was
soon swept up in keeping a paycheck, instead of creating
a fulfilling career for |
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myself.
I didn’t even become a clerk at the local pet store. I
spent many years in pizza restaurant work and finally
ended up with a decent job in technology support.
In all that time, however, I never lost my desire to
work with animals. I never stopped getting out into
nature and getting as close to all forms of wildlife as
I possibly could. The best I could do, however, was to
make it a hobby. Using a camcorder borrowed from my
mother, I played at filming wildlife, catching on VHS
tape any creature I encountered. I also continued to
indulge myself in hand capturing members of the local
eco system. It was a much loved childhood pastime I
never grew out of. The late Steve Irwin was my personal
hero, and many of my friends and family began comparing
my adventures to those of that great man. Hardly. The
scale difference is immense. He had all of Australia
and the world. I had the City of Roanoke, Virginia.
Still, the comparison made me feel very good. |
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Eventually, this all led to an opportunity to help out
with the local chapter of wildlife rescue workers. I
would transport rescued animals to rehabilitation
locations and even back to the wild once they had
recovered. Once they learned of my knack for capturing
animals, however, I was even sent on a few wildlife
rescue pick-ups, which required capturing the animal.
The most memorable of these was when I folded my arms
around a red tailed hawk that had gotten herself caught
on barbed wire. She cooperated so well, not even
inclined to fight. She merely supervised my actions
with great interest. My activities with wildlife rescue
were curtailed, however, when gas prices began to soar.
I could no longer afford to drive the long distances
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But it didn’t stop me from interacting with wildlife
whenever and wherever I could! I’ve always had what
people call a “way” with animals. My friend Anita calls
it the “Snow White gene”. This term is reserved for
those people that animals seem to naturally trust and
want to interact with. The stories I could tell!
In February of 2007, I got my very first digital
camera. Anita and I were taking a trip to Florida, and
had booked seats on an Everglades Safari. Encouraged by
the results I’d gotten from filming wildlife with the
camcorder, I wanted to make sure I could take lots and
lots of photographs. Ten minutes into the safari, I was
hooked on animal photography! With the amazing results
I’d gotten from my refurbished Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7,
I was inspired to continue photographing animals. Back
in Virginia, I obtained a couple lens attachments and
began shooting insects, birds and other small animals.
I visited wildlife parks and photographed bigger game.
Eventually, I found I was a good hand at photographing
domestic animals, as well. The cats, dogs and other
beasties seemed to really work with me, giving
themselves to me like professional models to a seasoned
magazine photographer. |
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I decided I wanted to try and have a go at making pet
photography a side business, and hopefully, my long
overdue full time career working with animals! To
promote myself, I offered my services on a volunteer
basis to Angels of Assisi Animal Shelter. They needed
photos of the animals for their adoption website. Not
only would it allow me to promote my pet photography
business, it would also provide me with samples to show
potential clients. I began setting aside every Saturday
morning to visit the shelter to photograph any new
arrivals that didn’t already have a picture. Very soon,
to my surprise, praise for my work began pouring into
the shelter. Adoption rates rose higher than they’d
ever been and I found myself playing a very real part in
helping to save animals and find them homes. |
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As month after month passed my skills grew sharper and
sharper. I didn’t take any classes and had no formal
education, but with the internet at my fingertips, and
trial and error as my professor, I soon outgrew the
capabilities of my Panasonic. I set my heart on a new
Olympus E-3, and in January of 2009, I made it happen.
With a new, top of the line Digital SLR, I was finally
in a position to begin making my dreams of becoming a
professional photographer a reality. |
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I’m
still waiting. In addition to animal photography, I do
artistic work that I display and sell in art shows. I
keep an inventory of stock photos and take any photo gig
I can to promote myself and make money. The ultimate
goal, however, remains one of working exclusively with
animals. Wildlife and domestic, I hope one day to be
able to wake up and face no job other than wondering
what beautiful vision my camera will capture next.
But it all starts with a humble animal shelter in
Roanoke, Virginia. With each new shot, I’m amazed anew
at how well many of the kitties and doggies understand
what it is I’m trying to do, and work with me to make
the final product one that beams with their inner
spirit. In fact, I’ve heard that phrase so many times.
“Vickie just has a way of capturing their spirit!” If
that’s so, I’m grateful that it has inspired so many
people to fall in love and find their way to the shelter
to adopt. Each new photo session provides me with
reasons to laugh, to cry, to feel respect and pride…and
to fall in love again and again. |
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