Linda Stroud

In addition to photography, my other interests are music and gardening.  Loving music was easy because it was a “family thing.”   My Mom, her sisters and brother-in-law were in a family choir who loved to sing and travel to area churches near our home in Catawba County, N.C.  Even though this family choir does not exist now, family involvement in music continues.  My husband Robert and I both sing in choirs, direct choirs and play the piano.

When I was very young, every year delicious vegetables and fruits were plentiful in our family garden.   We had enough produce to store for winter months as well as give to others.  Beautiful perennial and annual plants, as well as manicured shrubbery and expansive trees surrounded our family home back then. This love of gardening was passed down to me as well as my siblings. We all try to replicate, in a small way, this scenery around our individual homes today.  

Now, my husband and I are concentrating on eating more healthy foods and exercising. We are making better choices. It was my husband’s idea to begin a family exercise day once a week.  This will add an extra day of exercise for our family.  Plus, weekly fellowship with family members is great.

My love of photography began at an early age.  Posing in front of the camera was so much fun.  Usually, my parents and older siblings took photos of our family events.  Also, I remember my great uncle and aunts from Michigan would visit us every other year.  My great uncle, the amateur photographer, had a new camera one year and took so many photos during this visit. We all hoped that the photos would turn out well and they did.

During my elementary school years, my parents gifted my younger sister and I with small Kodak Instamatic cameras.  More black and white photos of special events were added to our family albums.  You name the event and there was a photo in the album. The look of our photos changed in the 1960s.  My mother purchased a Polaroid instant color camera during this time.  It was exciting to watch our colored photos develop almost instantly. I loved using my mother’s camera.

While attending the University of Delaware and then later getting my first job in Washington, D.C., the Polaroid Instant Camera was my choice for taking photos.  I traveled throughout the U.S. attending job-related conferences and conventions.  Also, photos of vacation spots were added to my repertoire.  My focus changed from family events to capturing the beauty of landscapes and landmarks in each place I visited.    

Later in the mid 1990’s, my husband gave me a Minolta Freedom Zoom 140Ex camera. The zoom was new for me and I used it very hesitantly in the beginning.  After traveling throughout the U.S. attending the National Senior Olympics with my husband, where he played basketball with a senior group, I used my zoom feature on the camera at many different sites.

In 2013, I finally purchased my first digital camera.  During the start of my retirement in 2014, I wanted to become proficient in using the camera, so I took a few photo classes with the Maryland Department of Recreation.  My teachers encouraged me to enter some juried photo competitions. I listened and entered photos in the annual Laurel Art Guild juried exhibition.  

A few years later, I upgraded my digital camera.  Just before the pandemic, I took another photo class and later joined a photo club.  Fortunately, I was able to complete the class but the photo club disbanded due to the pandemic. After that, my husband encouraged me to join another photo club.  I was disinterested at first.  After searching, I found information on the Maryland Photography Alliance (MPA) as well as the Silver Spring Camera Club (SSCC).  I enjoy reading the informative Cable Release newsletter and listening to guest speakers who share their knowledge and experiences.  I have only been a member for one year at SSCC and it has been good.

Thank you Silver Spring Camera Club, I am still learning.