Cristin Atria received her first camera when she was 12 years old. From that day forward, photography has always been a part of her life. While her career took her in a different direction, she would return to photography again and again as an escape from the business world. "I always I loved photography, I just never thought of it as anything but a hobby. After all, how many of us can actually earn any money taking pictures?" she asks with a shrug.
"I was home visiting my parents one weekend," Cristin remembers, "when I came across hand-painted photographs of my great grandparents. The hand-painted coloring is what really caught my eye. And, I wondered if I could create a similar effect with some of my favorite photos." Adding color to photographs requires special photographic paper that any good photography store can provide. There are brands of paints specifically made for photo coloring, however, the tools that Cristin uses are as common as a toothpick. "I use all sorts of little things to get color in small places. I use toothpicks (figure A), cotton swabs and color pencils and brushes of all sizes and shapes. The important thing to remember is to use the paint sparingly. You want to give just a sense of color," Cristin advises. Cristin also enjoys framing her photographs herself. She favors old tin ceiling tiles to frame her work. "I found wonderful old ceiling tin in scrap yards, and would cut them to fit my photographs. It's really hard to cut those tiles, so I've found people who know how to do it a lot easier than I ever did." "The thing about creating something that you love, and others are willing to pay good money for, is to be open-minded. You never know unless you try. I found a much more rewarding life for myself, simply because I tried something new."
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