Photographer Terry Lee Cafferty
My name is Terry Lee Cafferty and I am a fine art photographer and greeting card designer.
With my photography, I’ve specialized in natural light photography of children and families for 30+ years. Working with children has always been something near and dear to my heart. I believe we can learn so much from children; they hold an inherent spark of joy and embrace ordinary moments with awe and wonder, reminding us of what’s important—and that is the present moment. My photography encapsulates this, so these small moments can become masterpieces that live forever. I also love creating multi-layered images of flowers and water elements with my macro lens, using mixed media to bring them to life in a whole new way. Looking deeply into a flower is a visual ride similar to that evoked by an intuitive abstract painting; there are so many layers, shapes, colors, and textures.
Making greeting cards has been a goal of mine since the 1980s. Raising a family and owning a portrait business meant that idea remained a daydream for many years. But then, 2020 happened and the whole country went into lockdown. The pandemic put many things on pause, and I felt that it was the time to make something that would connect people. Out of this desire, my greeting card business, Sending Love, was born. I always knew that I wanted to give back in some way through my greeting cards. I chose to partner with the Jesse Lewis Choose Love movement—after becoming the Rhode Island Ambassador for them in 2017—to donate a portion of the proceeds made from my cards. The Choose Love movement is a social and emotional (SEL) classroom program teaching children how to choose love in any circumstance. The program focuses on four important character values—courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion—which cultivate optimism, resilience, and personal responsibility.
I have always been involved with art to some degree throughout my whole life. I grew up in a big family with four sisters and we were always making things, whether it was drawing, painting, ceramics, crafts, knitting, etc. My mother was a seamstress and my father was a mechanic; they both were artistic and helpful to others in their own ways. But coming from a blue-collar family, art was not entertained as a career path. After high school, I went to college to become a legal assistant with the plan to one day become a lawyer. When I graduated and went to work in a law firm, however, I quickly realized that it was not the career path for me.
When I one day saw a professional photographer in New York City, I was instantly drawn to the art of photography. I waitressed at night to save money to buy my first $300 35mm camera. Then I went on to apprentice in a dark room in New Haven, Connecticut where I learned how to develop film, create prints through an enlarger, and master the art of printmaking. I attended a Creative Arts Workshop, landed a job as a photojournalist at a local music magazine, and eventually became the manager of a black and white darkroom in a prestigious photography lab.
A co-worker of mine was moving to Santa Barbara, California to open a photo lab and I decided to embark on that adventure with her. I eventually studied photography at Santa Monica College. I later went on to work as a fashion photographer's assistant and a national commercial photography studio assistant in Hollywood. Though this time in my life led to incredible experiences in which I met fascinating people and learned so much about photography, I knew the lifestyle in this particular world of photography was ‘no bueno’ for me. I took a step back at one point to refocus and took a temporary job photographing children with the Easter Bunny at the mall. I know, I know—it was a complete 180, but this was the experience that led to specializing in black and white, hand-colored portraits of children, resulting in a signature style of my own.
One obstacle to my photographic journey was the arrival of digital photography. I had to learn photography in a new way, all over again. Creating a website, learning graphics, and designing a logo all while raising my two sons, came along with this experience. Despite this challenge, I felt that it was important to learn the world of digital photography, so my skills wouldn’t become antiquated. I did not abandon my work with film—I still work with it occasionally—and I hope to teach photography tips online in the future.
The two greatest influences on my career are my husband and my mentor, Jana Taylor. My husband was the first person who looked at my work and sincerely told me it was great work. It gave me confidence because I wasn’t sure what was in store for me at the time; he made me believe in myself. My friend and mentor Jana Taylor also influenced my career. I met her while living in Los Angeles; she was a natural light photographer who specialized in children’s portraiture. She also founded the American Child Foundation in Los Angeles teaching the arts to underresourced children. On Friday afternoons, we jumped in her jeep and taught photography classes to children on Skid Row. She taught me how to put my heart and my own vision into my images. Jana forever influenced the combination of my art and philanthropy.
My work is ultimately inspired by relationships, nature, ordinary moments, and life’s adventures. I want my art to tell a story and help people connect with their loved ones in a special way. Love, humor, connection, visual surprises, and abstract shapes all emerge as themes in my art and turn my work into a place where all things are possible. My social responsibility is at the heart of my operations, for both my photography and greeting cards. Both mediums take me out into the community and help me connect, uplift, and make a difference. My goal for my work is to capture the small, beautiful, in-between moments of life. I hope to expand my Sending Love greeting card collection into a worldwide business eventually. My greeting cards and fine art prints are meant to make all the good things in life better. I cherish everyone who chooses me to make their moments tangible through my art.
Sending so much love,
Terry Lee Cafferty