Christina Trapani

Christina Trapani grew up in Westerly, Rhode Island and after graduating from Western Carolina University in 1995, she moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 1997, Christina volunteered for the Virginia Aquarium on whale watching tours and then with the marine animal Stranding Response Team. She was soon hired as a staff person at the Aquarium. Her job at the Aquarium not only provided opportunities to learn about these fascinating animals, but also brought Christina all over the state of Virginia as well as northeast North Carolina as part of the response team for stranded marine animals. The photography that was part of the job – such as capturing an image of a live dolphin to identify its dorsal fin, or catching the detail of a human-caused injury on a sea turtle – was a challenge and became the catalyst for another passion.

Having used Canon digital SLRs at work, Christina bought her own camera, a Canon 20D, in September, 2005 and began to take it with her whenever possible. She also enrolled in the New York Institute of Photography classes and began assisting a local professional photographer to learn the "tricks of the trade."

Her favorite places to capture images are Virginia's eastern shore and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most images are taken on or near the water and include birds, beaches and other scenic environments using natural light whenever possible. Recent trips to Costa Rica, London, Texas, Florida and the mountains of Virginia have also provided opportunities to photograph the diverse landscapes, flora and fauna, creating a desire to travel more and capture the images of places outside of Hampton Roads.

Christina is looking forward to further exploring photography and expanding her subjects to people, outdoor sports and anything else that may cross her path.

You can see some of Christina's images at www.CarettaCreations.com.