by Valerie Taylor
Birmingham is home to some true artistic genius. Even with all the local talent in the Magic City, photographer Madelyn Bonnett still manages to stand out and shine. Copy editor by day and photographer by night, Madelyn is a true artist. They say home is where the heart is, and that is certainly true in Madelyn’s case. She has lived in the Birmingham area her entire life. For someone who is typically a country girl, she sure does have a love for Birmingham and its endless festivals, events, and various city happenings. Of course, those involving art such as Artwalk and Shelby County Art Association’s exhibitions are her favorite.
Madelyn has had a passion for nature and all of God’s creations her entire life. Her mission in photography is sharing that natural beauty and the truth that the Lord is the creator of it all. Her tagline is, “Sharing the beauty of God’s Creation,” and sharing that beauty is exactly what she does. She is thankful for the talents that God has given her and wants to use those talents to glorify him. When she started her business MadArtz Photo in 2004, it was the perfect marriage between her favorite thing to do and her favorite things to see. As an artist, she can see the beauty in everything, but her favorite things to photograph are America’s awe-inspiring national parks, trees and forests, country scenes, flowers, and skies. Madelyn is not only inspired by nature, but also by glass artisans, painters and other photographers such as Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Marc Bondarenko, and Hank Siegel. Even the most famous of artists can’t outrank her biggest influence, her husband Don, who is a fellow nature lover and has been with her through every walk, hike, and photography filled vacation. It’s a good thing Don is along for ride, since traveling and photography are Madelyn’s two favorite things! She is hoping to do even more traveling and competing in shows and exhibitions in the upcoming years and has been quite successful in these competitions so far. Madelyn has even represented our city by winning an international competition. To say that she is talented would be an understatement, as she is truly taking the world by storm.
Madelyn would advise others to seek out their passion, and do it, even if it can’t be a profession. Not being able to profit from doing what you love is no reason to slack off. Doing something you love less often may make you love it even more. To stay on task when projects get tedious, She rewards herself with “play time” which, you guessed it, involves photography! This “play time” consists of going outside to shoot or assessing images that she has shot recently and has not had a chance to review or edit. She also loves to experiment when shooting. She creates motion blurs using a slow speed setting, long exposure, and panning the camera. She also manipulates images using Adobe Photoshop Elements to create photo paintings and other fascinating effects. All that we know is, whatever she is doing is definitely working for her; this artist has Birmingham buzzing.
