As sure as a hammer hits a nail, there's more to this lady than meets the eye.
Lyn Thibault is a carpenter first but photography is her true passion, she said.
"If somebody tells me I can't bring a camera with me, I almost can't go," said Thibault, who always has a camera with her. "If someone said let's go on a holiday but leave your camera at home, I couldn't go. I would spend all my time going - I could've taken a photo of that, I could've taken a picture of that and I just wouldn't enjoy myself."
The Prince George & District Community Arts Council presents Up Close and Personal, Thibault's photography exhibit at Studio 2880's Feature Gallery, 2880-15th Ave., until May 5. The opening reception is Thursday night at 7 p.m.
Thibault said she was about 17 when she first discovered photography, getting a summer job to pay for her first camera.
"I worked at Woodward's in 1975 and bought a Pentax and I've had a camera ever since," said Thibault, who recalls the camera had screw-mount lenses. "Back then I would carry 20 pounds of gear with me. Nowadays, you can put a camera in your pocket and pull it out take a picture and the quality is phenomenal."
Thibault's focus is nature.
"For some reason I just freak out when I take pictures of people," she said. "They're always hyper-critical but nature just lets you get closer and closer and it's just beautiful."
Her exhibit is, of course, nature oriented.
"I'm trying to put so many pictures on the wall that when you walk in you just go 'whoa!'," said Thibault. "I want it to be a nature sensation. We've got everything from animals to eagles, sea urchins to star fish."
She discovered the Queen Charlotte Islands and fell in love.
"I'm not a spiritual person but that's almost how you feel when you're on the island," said Thibault, who bought a fixer upper and, as a renovation carpenter, made it her own. "When you're on a beach there, you're the only person on it. On the Queen Charlotte Islands, you have it to yourself."
It's the perfect place to indulge her nature photography passion, she added. Thibault wants people to take a message away from her exhibit.
"Appreciate the beauty of nature that is out there," said Thibault. "People see my pictures and they are amazed that I take a lot of them in Prince George. You just have to stop and take a look at the fantastic, beautiful things in Prince George -- but you gotta look!"
Everyone is welcome to attend Thursday night's reception at 7 p.m. It's a free event with refreshments, entertainment, and as a bonus, guests can get 10 per cent off all merchandise at the gift shop.
