HOTOGRAPHY has always been an important part of my life. My grandmother Lily always had her camera with her. She was constantly shooting pictures of me and my sister – so much so that when we were growing up, we couldn’t imagine that there were any kids in the world that were photographed as often as we were! She entered her photographs in numerous contests and won many prizes for her work. When we visited her house, she would sit us around the kitchen table and bring out piles of black and white photographs. She would then bring out her photo oils and spend hours with us, teaching us the technique of hand-coloring.

As I grew, so did my love for photography. Suddenly it was me who always had the camera. It was me shooting pictures of family events and vacations. However, it wasn’t until I rediscovered hand-colored photographs that my hobby became my art.

I try with my work to capture timeless moments – children and nature at play. Many of my images are taken with high-speed, black & white infrared film. I love using this film because the images tend to trick our minds as we try to figure out whether they are photographs or drawings. I love hand-coloring the images, as I can take the same print and create numerous looks just by changing the colors I use. The high contrast of infrared film, along with the variations in texture that it produces, makes each print in a roll unpredictable and surprising.

God has blessed us with a world full of beauty and, whether traveling abroad or just wandering around my hometown, I am grateful to have been able to capture some of that beauty in my images. In my portrait work, I try to go beyond the predictable, and simply portray the innocence and honesty of children at play.

I am so thankful to the Lord for blessing me with supportive family and wonderful friends who have encouraged me over the years. He is ever faithful to do "…exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that I could ever ask or think." I hope the images shown in these galleries serve to open your imagination to the wonders and drama of our world "At Play".

ccolades include:

Orange Open - Exhibited in 1998, 1999, 2000

Orange Open - Honorable Mention - 2000

Orange County Fair Exhibition - 1998, 1999, 2000

Orange County Fair - Third Place - 1998

Orange County Fair - First Place - 1999

Orange County Fair - Professional Honorable Mention - 2000

his site is designed to not only display my work, but to share with you what I do, how I do it and what others think about it.

The navigation buttons on the left will guide you through-out this site. Each page has a title at the top to let you know where you are. This page is the Person page and tells you a bit about myself and the passion that inspires my photography.

On the Process page, I show you the steps that I take to create the hand tinted photographs.

The Praise page is filled with comments of people who own my work or for whom I have done sittings.

In the Portfolio page you will find different galleries. Some give you examples of what you or your family's photos might look like after we do a sitting, and others display some of my work that is for sale.

The Prices page gives you an idea of what a sitting and a set of photos will cost.

The Purchase page is our on-line store and allows you to purchase online, by fax or mail.

The Site Map lays out everything in our site for easy navigation.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

At Play Photography
714.368.PLAY (7529)

Send inquiries via email to:
sharyn@atplayphotography.com

Or, by regular mail at:

At Play Photography
434 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
Attn: Sharyn Sakimoto