Capturing moments in time

RETIRED pharmacist technician Dorothea Heath sees the world from a different angle now.

Dorothea Heath’s photographs have scored highly in photographic competitions in Hervey Bay, Sydney and overseas this year.

RETIRED pharmacist technician Dorothea Heath sees the world from a different angle now.

Where most of us might pass a butterfly, an old rocking chair or a decaying flower, Dorothea gets up close and with patience and skill, captures the subject in a frame of time.

This is why Dorothea's pictures are being recognised in local, national and international photographic competitions.

Dorothea and her husband Bob moved from Flaxton to Southside, Gympie to retire three years ago. An avid gardener, Dorothea says she joined The Gympie Camera Club for something extra to do.

Starting with a small Nikon "point and shoot", Dorothea says she used to photograph anything, but over time learnt about light and tone and upgraded her camera. Now she loves taking close-ups of flowers and insects from her garden.

Old Rose

"I like the learning of it because it keeps your mind active; it opens your eyes," Dorothea said.

"I wish I'd started years ago because you see the world from a different angle - you see things you'd never see normally." As her garden has grown from the "clean slate" that it was when Dorothea moved to Gympie, so have her photography accolades.

Standing Tall

On entering her first photographic national competition, Hervey Bay's National Digital Salon, Dorothea gained two acceptances for "Mother Plover" and "Dying for a Photograph", depicting a hibiscus beginning to dry out. Dorothea's macro photograph of fungi, "Standing Tall" gained an honourable mention in the nature section.

Following this, Dorothea gained three acceptances for her photographs at the Sydney International Exhibition of Photography and an acceptance at the 2012 Ocean State International Exhibition of Photography in America. An "acceptance" is awarded when a picture receives a high mark total, which has been added together from individual judges' marks on a panel.

Dorothea is still digesting the recognition she has received in the past 12 months.

"I've been over the moon; I'd never thought I'd be doing what I'm doing today. My 99-year-old mother can't believe I'm doing this kind of thing at my age," she joked.

When asked what she thinks sets her aside from other photographers, Dorothea can't say. But the word persistence comes to mind.

"One day I chased a butterfly for about two hours around the garden. And I wore him down, and I sat there and I got some really nice photos.

"I love doing what I'm doing, I think when you love what you're doing you put your heart and soul into it."

And for Dorothea Heath, it's that heart and soul that is captured in a frame of time.