I enjoy and create a diverse collection of images that please my eye. I will try just about any style of photography and never wish to be placed in a specific genre; I photograph what I want to, when I want to. I LOVE to travel and get to go somewhere cool often. I am NEVER without a camera! I am self taught and have never have taken a photography class or attended a work shop, though I would like to someday. I am motivated to photograph the things around me with the two cheap, beginner Canon SLRs I have to gain as much experience as possible to try new things. I like to have a variety of lenses, would love to upgrade the bodies, but the glass is what makes an image BADASS. Rules are out the window; Art has no rules in my opinion. Anything the eye looks upon can be art so it is too subjective to be confined by meaningless rules. I enjoy different views/perspectives of composition, exposure, light, processing etc. My mind is always taking mental pictures when I am unable to stop and take a picture of something as I drive or stroll by...Sometimes I become fixated on a certain subject or place for a while as I "study" the world.

I appreciate kind words and favorites from other photographers and want to say thank you in advance because my work schedule can be demanding, it can be a challenge to keep up with replies. If I add you as a contact or follow you on any other social networking platform, I enjoy your work. If I comment or fav your images I am not stroking your ego or trying to get you to pay attention to my work to get attention, if you happen to look at my work and enjoy it, great! However, it's likely that I am inspired or amazed by your images, if I think your work is awesome, I will add it to my favorites and sometimes comment.

I work full time as a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner (breaking out in a field that is NONEXISTANT in the Midwest). I am married and have two boys aged 20 and 17. My family ALWAYS comes first, but I make time to do what I love (at my own pace...SLOW) because it makes me happy to create. I am a product of the "School of Life" + nursing school. I have 20 years of experience in Forensic & Civil Psychiatric, Med-Surg, Long-Term Care, Long-Term Acute Care (LTACH), ICU and Palliative Care to name a few. I am certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C). I have seen happiness, strength, sadness, weakness, vitality, frailty, life, death, peace and violence. I believe this knowledge and experience enhances "the creative drive" that has been my best life lesson. My career has helped me form my identity and I am driven by the human connections I develop by caring for and advocating for people I may or may not know; All human life is equally important. I have had some triumph. A lot of pain too. When you give so much of yourself to others and have a high stress job, chances are you are just like me; using photography/art/craft as a creative outlet. Photography is my therapy, it prevents or helps with burnout. I have had work relationships with other nurses that do the same and find that creating SOMETHING redirects the mind and puts the scattered pieces back together so we are able to think more clearly again. Once I figured out that photographing and processing images made me feel better after a stressful week, it became beneficial to my mental health which in turn benefits my physical health. This is a journey for me, I am not in a hurry. I am nowhere near perfect at my craft and that is not the goal. I am a true nerd and love to learn in my spare time, just so I can take some cool pictures along the way that tell my story long after I am gone.

Photography has helped me connect with the world and people in many ways and continues to allow me to grow into a better human. I cannot stop the creative drive and wish to share some of what I feel is my best work here on Flickr in hopes to inspire or help someone, in some way. There are many images I never post here, I pull from the archives frequently. I hope to learn from others willing to teach and teach those willing to learn with my free time to find beauty and share beauty. I never hide my EXIF data because it is one way I learned from other photographers and I thank everyone that takes the time to teach others this wonderful art.

I post more frequently on Flickr but if you would like to contact me by email or would like to license or buy any of my images, a link to my email and other ways to contact me below.

cvphotography2011@hotmail.com

christinavanmeter@gmail.com (preferred)