Whether it’s the crystal blue waters of Bermuda, koalas of Australia or ruins in Mexico, Michell Delmonte-Synnott loves photographing them all. The Westbury resident has traveled all around the world to capture the sights, colors and feelings of other places through her lens.
The potential for great photographs plays a major role in where Delmonte-Synnott goes on vacation. She often choses places that are colorful and have different landscapes than you’d find in New York.
“I choose travel destinations in other countries by focusing on places I would like to photograph,” says Delmonte-Synnott.
Throughout the years, that has translated into vacations to places such as Bermuda, Mexico, Australia, Europe and most recently, Maine.
“I try to capture a feeling of actually being at the locale,” aid Delmonte-Synnott. “In Maine I had an opportunity to photograph some of the most beautiful landscapes. I really tried to draw the person’s attention into the photo so they feel they are experiencing it as I did.”
Being a photographer seems innate for Delmonte-Synnott, who looks at all of life as a potential photo.
“Wherever I am, I’m always looking at the world through a photographer’s vision. I’m always looking to figure out how I can capture what I’m looking at in a photograph. There’s so much out there in the world to see and to capture things through photographs for people who may not necessarily have access to these things is amazing,” she said.
Though Delmonte-Synnott has been taking photos since childhood, she just started exhibiting her work this past year. Her works were recently at the Endless Summer exhibit at LIU and at the Fire Island Lighthouse exhibit.
“It occurred to me, kind of by accident, that I might want to show some of my work because I’ve accumulated thousands of photos,” she says. “Exhibiting is exhilarating. It’s a fun experience. It’s interesting to attend the reception and see people viewing your work and hear their responses.”
At the Fire Island Lighthouse, she also sold her first piece of work.
“It was amazing. It was so gratifying to know someone was interested in purchasing my work,” she says.
Delmonte-Synnott says that she’s developed her style by a combination of photography classes and taking her own photos.
“It’s helpful to learn from others and I make a photograph as creative as possible by combining different techniques,” she says.
She advises aspiring photographers to do research and join a photo club. But the most important thing is to just go out there and shoot.
“Try different techniques and see how they work for you. As you go along, you learn a lot after you see the end results and how you want to change,” she notes.
