Today we’d like to introduce you to Vernetta Thomas.
Hi Vernetta, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
My name is Vernetta Thomas, I was born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas.
I fell in love with photography while living in Europe, the images of Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Josef Koudelka, just to name a few. These photographers created images that tell a story, images that if you never experienced much, you lived the experience thru the eyes of great photographers, who were visual storytellers.
Currently, I instruct Digital Photography at Collin College, while I require my students use a DSLR, I find I have drifted back to film; I missed the pure quality, the rawness of both street, and documentary photography shot with film.
I started to re-evaluate what was missing in b&w images shot digitally, and they simply cannot replace film. I recognize the best photographers do not need a plethora of gadgetry to get the image right. It’s all about what you know, and how you utilize composition, lighting, and exposure.
The simplicity of most film cameras allows you to concentrate on those things like composition, lighting, and exposure.
On my professional projects I still shoot digital with full frame, and crop sensor cameras since that’s what’s required by my clients. I will continue to shoot film on my personal projects, and I can best say that I am working with the best of both worlds.
In my leisure time I cycle, hike, and camp, before covid I spent a fair amount of time in San Diego, Montreal, Vancouver Canada, Paris, and Nice.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My obstacles have mostly been my making the time to cultivate new ideas, sometimes this can be near impossible given my schedule.
My greatest challenge was moving out of my comfort zone, at Collin College to Las Vegas to instruct c.e. photography at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the College of Southern Nevada, I knew what to expect here, however, I was concerned as to weather I would be received out there as I was here as a photography instructor.
To my surprise I was overwhelmed with acceptance, my students out there are/were amazing!!! The students comfortably accepted my quirkiness, and unconventional instruction style, and all was right with the world!! (LOL)
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work, well I most certainly consider myself a creative in the extreme sense of the word. I strive to put my own spin on everyday subjects.
Many of my images are not sharply in focus, but my consensus is such, that my surroundings are not in sharply in focus, the world isn’t in focus, people aren’t in focus, In my headspace, imperfection is perfection. I feel like people are always striving for perfection. I challenge them as to what that is, I do not know perfection, however subjective as it is.
I am irritated with the person that says I want to take the perfect picture, I have no idea what that means. So in my work, I shoot for keeping it real, I take a more documentary approach. I enjoy capturing motion, chronicling movement. In my street photography, people are ever moving, while others are standing still, hence the pace in which people I find people moving. I know the technical aspect of photography, but I simply love breaking the rules in my personal work.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best is the infrastructure in Plano, Texas, the fact that there is so much opportunity. What do I like least, I would say the weather, humidity, is a bit much, and people that use the word perfect excessively!!
Contact Info:
- Website: capturethis2.com
- Instagram: @vernettam100
- Twitter: @vt_photographer
Image Credits
Vernetta Thomas
