Paula Xavier Photography: About Me

I am a New England photographer who has been photographing the New England area for over forty years. My first professional camera was the Pentax K1000. This camera was fully manual which allowed me to be as creative as I could be with the exposure settings. A lot of what I know about photography I owe to the Pentax K1000. Unlike the digital cameras of today you actually had to do the work yourself to get just the right exposure you were looking for.

Back in the film days you didn't have any post processing programs or computers to help you create that unique image, back then all you had was a darkroom for developing your black and white film. In a darkroom you could dodge and burn but not much else. Things have certainly improved over the years. Today I use Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop CC. I also use numerous plug-in programs such as Topaz Studio, On1 software, MacPhun software, and Nik software just to name a few. These programs allow me to create a certain vision for each image that I create. Every photographer has their own vision for what they shoot. It is up to you as a photographer to embrace your own vision because what is right for one photographer's image may not be right for another. Once you find and embrace your own vision the possibilities of what you can create are truly endless!

With photography I believe you have to be willing to step out of that box and be willing to challenge yourself with your images. What may appeal to you may not appeal to someone else. This is in no way a reflection of your image, it simply means that photography is subjective. As long as you are happy with your final image that should be all that matters. Before you start trying to please others you first and foremost have to please yourself! This is a philosophy that I try to live by as a photographer.

I hope you enjoy my images as much as I have enjoyed creating them! Please feel free to leave me any comments! I love getting input from other photographers and people in general about my work. Happy shooting! Paula