Photography has always been a memorable part of my life.
My youngest memory of photos was spending the night at grandma's looking through the large collection of old black and whites she kept loose in a hat box under the bed.
A few of the photos had hand written notes on the back identifying the subjects, but most were just people unknown to me.
My mom documented our growing up years with a camera she called the "Brownie clicker". It was a simple brown plastic Kodak camera with no settings that almost every family
owned in the 60's. 
It was always kept in the original yellow box and retrieved on special occasions. This camera was used for family snapshots, but every year my parents would
take us downtown for a studio portrait. A few times mom even made coordinated outfits for my brother and me. These pictures were framed and proudly displayed in a stair step
pattern on our walls for years.
When I was in highschool, I saved enough babysitting money to buy my first camera. It was a 35 mm Fujica from the local camera store. I was a real photographer now and family
and friends were my unwilling subjects. At college, I majored in communications which allowed me to experience all of the photography courses the school offered without technically
getting into the forbidden art-related degree. My dad refused to finance any art related majors based on his theory that 'you can never make any money in the arts'.
After my boys were born, I decided to pursue my hobby as a career. That was pre-digital and almost fifteen years ago. My work has evolved and developed, and I continue to expand my knowledge through workshops, classes and a mentoring program (www.gailnoglephoto.com). Computers and digital technology have permanently changed the world of photography, and today there are more people than ever using the title 'photographer'.
My photographs relate a sense of place and a connection to what is important to the people being photographed. I work hard to capture a natural look with my subjects in environments
where they are comfortable. Throughout my career, my favorite subject has always been children. They are natural, spontaneous and remind us all what life is really about.