For Garland mother and daughter Denise Toler and Lindsey Davis, having an eye for artistic pictures is something that comes naturally, a passion, they revealed, that won them second and first place, respectively, in the August edition of Our State magazine.

According to Toler, she has always enjoyed taking pictures, and she has found that taking spontaneous, candid shots typically come out better than staged ones, much like her second place photograph titled “Confederate.”

“It was a candid shot during the reenactment at the Sampson County History Museum,” Toler described about the photo she entered in the Our State Magazine contest, adding that her subject was rather shy.

“When he noticed that I was taking pictures he started to hide a little,” Toler shared.

Although her subject was a bit camera shy, Toler said after the magazine hit the shelves, she received a call from her subject.

“He called and told me that he had seen his picture in the magazine,” Toler recalled. “He told me that he was kind of shocked, but he sounded tickled.”

An appreciative Toler further shared that she sent the reenactment soldier a thank you note along with a hard copy of the photo.

“He had so much character in his face. It was perfect for a war picture,” Toler voiced.

Along with the “Confederate” picture, Toler also submitted shots in the black and white and landscape categories.

She also revealed that she and her daughter submitted pictures last year from Moore’s Creek Battlefield, which were used to compliment an article titled “Great Walks.”

For Davis, who follows in her mother’s footsteps, she said that she has been “obsessed” with photography her entire life; however, she has only spent the last four to five years trying to get her work published.

Davis, who is almost 22 years old, said she received her first camera when she was 5, and from there her passion has grown.

“It just comes naturally,” Davis said of her photography. “It really is what inspires me. Sometimes I may have to edit it to make one detail stand out, but I prefer to keep it close to reality. When I edit it, I like to make it black and white or tweak the color.”

“I don’t like to change photos drastically in Photoshop either,” Toler agreed. “I like the basic roots of photography.”

For Davis, changing a picture to black and white is specifically used when she wants to highlight one object, much like a picture she took of a water drop.

According to a description, Davis changed the picture to black and white, but kept the faucet red, bringing focus to the drop of water.

It was from this example Toler commented, “It is amazing that we can be at the same place and take the same picture, but they come out different.”

As for the Our State magazine, Davis submitted photos in the black and white category; animals; landscape; and places, but it was the people category that earned her the first place prize.

“Being that it was taken in Old Salem, I wanted it to look old,” Davis explained. “I wanted to give people a sense of how it used to be; so I took a picture of a blacksmith doing something with his hands.”

As for Toler’s accolade, she said that it felt good to be awarded second place behind her daughter’s first place shot.

“It made me feel good that out of 2,300 entries, I had been chosen. It encouraged me to keep on trying,” Toler explained.

Even though they are currently amateur photographers, both Toler and Davis said they hope to become professionals one day, and to do so, they will continue to submit photographs to local magazines and publications, which they suggested all amateurs do.

“Go out, drive around and find whatever inspires you. Take the photo and submit it to a local magazine. You have to start from the bottom and work your way up,” Davis expounded.

Jessica Wagner can be contacted at 910-592-8137 ext.122 or reached by e-mail at siphoto@myclintonnc.com