DAWN ROYALL

Mt. Jackson Confederate Memorial
Old House Mill Creek

Mating Dragonflies
Spider Web Fall

Passage Creek
Serpentine Bridge StoryBook No.2

You and I have only moments to live. 
And, oh, I've certainly had my moments.
My art captures a moment: one that I want to remember and share. 

My enterprise, Photograph By Dawn, is a triple entendre as I, Dawn, take the photos mostly by the light of the dawning day whilst ever mindful of making the most of this moment, to embrace and celebrate the life giving light anew. 

To me, light is a dynamic element of nature; you and I will never see the exact same light falling on a subject from day to day or even minute to minute.  Sometimes I wait ten minutes, an hour, or even a year before I find the perfect light to capture my subject.

I return to the same spot time and time again in search of the perfect light; sometimes I find it, often I do not.  But, nonetheless, I enjoy the moments, the photographic journey.

Most of the time when I head out into a field in the pre-dawn darkness, I have a particular subject in mind.  But, I often find that I forget my original plan because I'm sidetracked by some other intriguing facet of nature, of the dawning light.  And, in those mindful moments, I simply shoot scenes that capture my interest and attention.   

If I could do it all over again, I'd have many more such moments.  I'd strive for nothing else.  Just moments.  I'd live mindfully, one present moment after another, instead of living so many years absorbed in my past, alternating between reverie and regret, or, fantasizing about some fantastic or fearsome future.

As progressive, incurable, chronic illness laid me low, I sought solace in my past successes, in the bright future I believed I should have had in a failed effort to escape the loss of accomplishments and accumulations that I worked hard for half my lifetime to accrue.

I put myself through years of college working full-time as a waitress, a tutor, and a lab technician while enrolled full-time in classes. I graduated with honor and distinction, earning both a BA in Psychology and a BS in Biology. I went on to earn advanced degrees in those areas.

And, for a time, I taught molecular cell biology, learning and memory, statistics and other advanced college courses at George Mason University while publishing scholarly papers on teratology, the study of causes, mechanisms, and manifestations of birth defects.

I went on to law school and made my mark competing nationally in moot court. For a time, I represented the poor accused of crimes in Washington D.C.'s Superior Court.

But, when incapacitating illness struck, my life, as I knew it, ended. 
However, with every ending, a new beginning emerges too.
And, I revisited mine in a search to find myself again.

Born to a Virginia gentleman whose ancestors sailed into Jamestown in 1619, who served as an aerial reconnaissance photographer/pilot in World War II and then graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in engineering, and a Mississippi Delta Debutante, who graduated from Randolph Macon Woman's College with a degree in history, I grew up listening to true tales of American history and seeing tremendous beauty in historical landmarks and the natural world.

Early on, my mother, a former tour guide in the District of Columbia, introduced me to our Capitol's many historic monuments, to the myriad museums of our Smithsonian Institute, and to the amazing art in our National Gallery of Art.  And, I spent much of my childhood outdoors, happily exploring the countless facets of nature: collecting insects and snakes, and watching an abundance of creatures interact with their environment.

My father documented many of my childhood adventures with his 35 mm Leica and his 8 mm Kodak movie camera.  And, at age 8, once I beheld my new boxy Kodak Brownie, I too embarked upon a lifetime's love of taking photographs.

And, under my new circumstances, I found myself with plenty of time to pursue my passion.  With camera in hand, I returned to my happy childhood haunt, my beloved Shenandoah Valley.  At first, I mainly photographed the old iron furnace ruins that I research and study.  But soon, I branched out and began photographing everything in this beautiful valley that caught my eye.

Through these photographic forays, I've regained my sense of self, my joy of living, the light in my life.

My primary goal as a photographer is to capture and to share those moments of joy and beauty.  I also wish to introduce as many people as possible to the nature and history of Shenandoah County.  I find that the more people see and understand both nature and history, the more likely they are to help preserve it.

I hope my photos inspire others to conserve and protect America's remaining historic landmarks and natural habitats.