Dolores Root examines a few of the notecards she’s created featuring some of her award-winning photographs.
LaVerne Kyriss
Dolores Root has been taking photographs since she was 20. “I love landscapes, animals, churches and architectural features. Sunsets, the moon rising, botanical gardens are all attractive places. I love to explore beautiful places and enjoy the challenge of photographing them in a way that others will appreciate,” she explained.
Root got her first camera from her mom while she was still a teenager. “It was a Kodak Brownie and had a light meter. I took it on vacation with my girlfriends. I took snapshots of the places we went and the things we saw,” she remembered. “I got my film developed and shared the pictures with them. I was hooked.”
For many years, photography was a hobby for the Pennsylvania native. She took photos at family events and chronicled vacations. “I’ve always liked to take photos and share them, but buying film, getting it processed and getting prints made was quite an expense. Often, it was frustrating. But the good shots made up for the ones that ended up in the trash,” she said.
Another challenge was the technical aspect of photography. “You’d have a roll of film in your camera and you’d move to a location that required a different film speed. You’d note the number of exposures you’d already made, rewind the film mid-roll, mark it and load a new roll with the correct film speed. And when you were done, you still were at the mercy of the lab processing your film and making your prints.”
“I moved to southern California when I was 30. I met Ron Morris, my husband, in 1977. We traveled and I practiced taking pictures. I honed my skills in Death Valley and numerous National Parks and, of course, at home in Redondo Beach. I never grew tired of photographing the beautiful sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. We captured some stunning views—and memories,” she reflected.
Along with practicing her art over the years Root also took some classes, most notably in digital photography skills including spending a year taking classes in post-production using Photoshop. The classes were small and hands-on. “Our instructor worked with us individually as we learned how to make adjustments to our photos. We learned about color correction, adjusting exposures and how to use the many filters and special effects that are available in the software. For me, digital photography was a game changer. It opened the way for much more creativity—and the immediate feedback of seeing the image can’t be beat,” she said. “I love enhancing images to make them really special. I’ve got more than 4,000 photographs in my computer and I still find new things to record,” she smiled.
Root said her favorite aspect is still sharing her photos with others. “When someone buys one of my photos—whether an enlargement or a notecard—I’m honored that they’re going to have something I created in their home.”