Retired Sault teacher turns hobby into second career

SAULT STE. MARIE -

What started out as a hobby is now a full-time second career for a Sault Ste. Marie woman. Having put in a number of years as a teacher, Sheri Minardi is now a professional photographer, whose work has been featured in national publications.

Minardi says she was approaching retirement when she discovered she had a gift for photography.

"I was teaching elementary school in Sault Ste. Marie, special-ed and itinerant teacher, and I've always taken pictures, and I enjoyed it. So I would go out and take pictures with my camera as a stress relief," says Minardi, who adds she didn't intend for her hobby to become a money-maker. She says friends encouraged her to display her pictures at art shows in the region, and to her amazement, they began to sell. Minardi says she grew up in the wilderness, which prepared her for some close encounters with nature.

"Walked into the back end of a bear eating berries," she says. "I didn't know it until the bush started to move. So you just back up quietly and just go on your way."

Minardi says a close call with a long-eared owl also stands out in her memory.

"It came right at me and we locked eyes. And it was maybe about five feet from me and swooped, and you know how their head just turns around? He's turning around, and I'm turning around watching him because I wasn't sure if he was going to attack me or not," she exclaims.

Minardi says a picture should evoke an emotion, or a memory – something she says any new photographer should keep in mind.

"People will say 'your picture tells a story,' or 'I love the emotion in that picture,' or 'that brings back memories for me.' So, whenever I get feedback like that, that's quite the compliment and I strive for that."