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Photo by Ed Waters, Jr.
Traci Keyes, owner of The Moonlight Attic, shoots a
jewelry layout for a client. She turned what had been a hobby into a business creating bookmarks, postcards and more. |
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A former teacher who has always liked to take photos has turned her hobby into a business.Traci Keyes, now a stay-at-home mom, upgraded her camera a few years ago for a beach trip and began taking more than family keepsake shots. As a way to boost her church, Grace United Church of Christ, she used one of her photos, created a design and had a bookmark printed. She later made a postcard for the church. It was so popular, other groups, friends and clients soon came to her for work. That sparked her to launch The Moonlight Attic, producing photography, postcards and note cards from her Walkersville home, She's working for an antiques shop in New Oxford, Pa., and will exhibit her work at an art show and antiques event there. She also will participate in the October In The Street festival in Frederick . Most of her photographs, sold online, are taken on walks with her children. They help her find shots of flowers, birds, animals and scenery that she can turn into artful creations. Using her photos and a printer, she offers business cards, brochures, note cards and more. She also connects with Mom Packs, an online network of stay-at-home moms who are promoting their home-based businesses. For Christmas, Keyes' husband bought her an even better camera and editing equipment. She did some work for a local shop that has unique jewelry, which showed her work on its website, "and it just blossomed," she said. Keyes sets up a display of the jewelry with a colored background and lighting to give the best image for the client. She said it wasn't something she thought about in the past. "I have a degree in education and do home day care," she said. "I taught for several years at third grade at St. John's in Westminster." She keeps her photo education current with classes at Ritz Camera and is finishing a certificate program in computer graphics. "I've always loved doing something different, a little abstract," she said.
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