Artist Bio: Shara K Johnson

My interest in photography began in 2005 with my first trip to China. I traveled without my husband (who had always been the “official” trip photographer) on a volunteer vacation, and spent two additional weeks sightseeing completely on my own. I saw so many amazing things I wanted to share with my family and friends, that I ended up spending a lot of time composing my shots in an effort to do the sights as much justice as possible within the confines of a photograph. I found that I very much enjoyed this process.

My goal in my travel photography is to make the viewer feel that they want to walk into the scene and explore it. Perhaps this is why I have a particular fondness for photographing doors and locks—for the sense of mystery of what might lie behind them. I tend to shy away from natural landscapes. I focus more on cultural images and architectural features of a given location. I like to work with the hard lines and shapes of architecture, to appreciate how each culture manipulates them to express their perceptions of the world and their ideas of what is beauty and what is function. Though I like to hit many of the major tourist sights within a country, as they are usually popular for a good reason, I prefer to spend the majority of a vacation off the beaten track. Not only does this lead to the best adventures, but also usually to the best photography.

I have also begun photographing flowers and using kaleidoscopes to capture images. In this endeavor, I often look for the whimsical, and I find that it’s a bit like looking for shapes in clouds—my favorite photos are ones in which the flower looks like something else.

My passion for traveling lies at the heart of everything I do in my life. I’m constantly scheming new trips, and now I hope not only to see the world for myself but to share the nooks and crannies of the world with others.