DKG Art Gallery Spotlight - Bring out the camera

Marilyn Gregory - EPSILON Kappa Chapter - Texas

Marilyn Gregory, past Texas State President, is an avid photographer. She and her husband, “Spark” travel on adventures for fun and photography. She is a member of Epsilon Kappa Chapter, Texas.

Marilyn was a kindergarten teacher in the Austin, Texas area for 36 years then observed first year teachers for certification for 13 years, totaling 49 years in education. When asked how she got into photography, Marilyn stated, “During my time as a classroom teacher, I enjoyed documenting special events that were happening in my classroom as well as school events. I wanted the students to have something to remember their school year so for over 20 years, I made a Keepsake Memory Book for each student with photos of them involved in the activities. Most years the books were about 30 pages and were my gift to the students at the end of the school year. When I first joined Epsilon Kappa Chapter in 1984, our chapter had over 80 members. It was difficult for me to remember everyone’s name, so I made a Pictorial Directory with their photo and information about them for each chapter member.”

Marilyn followed her father’s footsteps in her love of photography. She recalled him taking photos of family with a simple box camera and later purchasing a Cannon to start her on the photography journey, all part of her inspiration. She has shared the photography bug for years with her husband. Now she has several cameras.

Marilyn and Spark have attended Photography Road Scholars to learn more about quality, lighting, spacing of photos as well as parts of our cameras. Marilyn and Spark has been to Yosemite National Park, Canada, Pickens South Carolina, and Ashville North Carolina. “We always take our cameras on our trips.” explained Marilyn. They have also been to the Panama Canal, up the west coast, Niagara Falls, Colorado, Northern California, Key West Florida, the east coast for fall foliage, to Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire for covered bridges, Fairbanks, Alaska for the northern lights, and several Hawaiian Islands and many more trips.

On a recent trip to Alaska, the cameras were hard at work. Marilyn found a large brown bear from a safe distance.

What camera equipment do you use? I use a Nikon D7100 with an 18-140mm lens and a Lumix by Panasonic DC-FZ80 with 20-1200 lens. (This Lumix was a replacement to the Nikon that I have been using after it broke last year, and the Nikon was not available.)

What advice would you offer someone interested in photography? Learn about your camera and what it can do from an expert or someone that knows your camera, read the manual and try different settings, then practice, practice and practice. We love looking back over different trips with our photos and I even like to submit photos for others to enjoy.

How does the value of the arts impact education? Often, I used photos in my classroom when I explained different parts of the lesson like when studying specific animals. I also had old cameras in the classroom for students to enjoy taking photos of their classmates. Many students and adults find that the arts are their time to relax and express themselves. How do you know if you like painting, doing crafts or even photography unless you try.

Do you have anything else you’d like to share about yourself or your DKG Journey? I hope to enjoy photography as well as other forms of art for years to come. It is relaxing and rewarding for me to share my talents with others. For the past 23 years I have enjoyed making over 250 angels each year to give to DKG members and friends and each year I design a different angel. Texas DKG has a retreat called STAR, Spectacular Texas Art Retreat, and I often teach to other members how to make my angels.