My name is Cheryl Harris and I am a freelance photographer based in Derry, NH. I am originally from Massachusetts and moved to New Hampshire in 1991 where I live with my husband Jay and our two cats Eddy and Denny. I have been interested in photography since I was a young girl-as evidenced by a short clip on a Super 8 movie reel, with me at age five with an Instamatic camera at the beach. In high school I took a photography class where I learned darkroom and printing techniques and was really hooked. I attended Endicott College in Beverly, MA where I earned an Associate’s degree in Photography. My interest at that time was to try to make a living as commercial photographer shooting product and fashion photography in medium and large format. I shared a studio in Boston with a fellow fashion photographer, worked in several professional photo labs, and was a photographer’s assistant and studio manager to some of the top photographers in Boston.
After making photography my career path for more than 10 years, I decided the commercial photography field was not for me-after all I was shooting the inspiration and design of others and not my vision. So I left photography as a 9-5 (or whatever hours the art director wanted us to work until) job, and pursued a regular office job, where it was easier to earn a living, and where I have been now for more than 28 years. On my own time, now, I pursue what I want to take pictures of.
My idol was Ansel Adams. How wonderful to travel from place to place capturing the natural light and wonders of nature. Arizona is my favorite place as the colors, quality of light and big sky are unlike anywhere else. Most of my trips there were when I was still shooting film, so my goal is to return to those fabulous places to capture them on digital media. Currently I am rediscovering New England, capturing the seasons from familiar places and my pursuing new interest of Astrophotography. The night sky is wonderful and from a dark location, it’s amazing what you can see.
My second favorite subject to shoot is NASCAR. NASCAR you say…believe me, it’s much more than left turns. The excitement of the racing action, the speed, the sounds, the smells and the pageantry of race day is second to done. It’s the only sport where you can get up close to the competitors and actually interact with them. We travel across the county to attend multiple races each year and while camped at the track have met people from all over the country and Canada. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, and it’s a blast to photograph. As far as NASCAR photos, I have only posted here more current images from the last few seasons. I have images from as far back as 2002,in all three of the top tier series. So if you are looking for images of retired drivers or old paint schemes chances are I may have them. Often top musical acts will perform at NASCAR events, so there will be periodic postings from those events as well as other concerts I attend, when and if, I can sneak my camera in.
Thank you for your interest in my work. I have thousands of images I have shot over the last 40 or so years, obviously not all will be posted here. But if you are looking for something specific please contact me.