Born in 1951, Donna has called Long Island, NY home for all of her life and has seen the island in all of its many moods. With her first Brownie Starflex, Donna has been taking pictures since she was 10 years old. Her earliest objects were her pets and family. All family gatherings were well documented photographically despite the camera shy. Protests were ignored and all events were dutifully recorded.

In the early 70’s she got her first Canon 35mm SLR, which launched a whole new range of imagery opportunities. Through this period she was active with friends and family in horseback riding and trips to Colorado, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Florida.

Married in 1979, her two girls provided the typical young parent photo ops. As the girls grew older there were trips to Disneyworld, Thousand Islands, Niagara Falls, Bay of Fundy, Acadia National Park, Smoky Mountains, Pocono Mountains and frequent forays to West Point. All of these provided interesting photographic opportunities.

After every family vacation, the first trip once home was to the photography shop to have the vacation pictures developed. This usually turned into a homecoming of sorts as the photos were gone over by the shop’s proprietor.

The same family members that protested pictures being shot of them; were now pushing for Donna to publish her work. She didn’t believe it at first, but has now relented and is offering her work to a much wider audience. Computers and digital cameras have vastly aided the artistic process and Donna is now embracing this technology.

Donna is continuing to look for new sights and angles in her travels that will make good photographic art. Her camera is always ready and she finds the opportunities everywhere. Nature and outdoor photography are her favorite subjects, and the majority have been inspired by her Long Island home. This area is blessed with some of the world’s most beautiful beaches creating many opportunities for seascapes. While most of her subjects are relatively local, with her children now grown, she does take pictures of other areas. These trips have taken her as far as Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

Donna finds much of the beauty of the outdoors in the details. The beach and the outdoors in general are ever-changing with the weather, seasons and time of day. She strives to capture the many variations of color, feeling and ambiance that these changes provide. Donna likes to examine subjects from unusual angles. New angles on familiar objects tend to call our attention to them and heighten our appreciation.

Now with an empty nest, Images by Donna Rae is looking toward an exciting future examining the world around us.