Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa DiMenno.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a four-year-old, I mostly wanted to be outside. One spring afternoon, I found an area clear of shade away from the large pecan tree in the center of our front yard. Lying face-up on the dirt-packed driveway of our San Antonio home, I spent the afternoon looking upward to the sky. I closed my eyes, feeling the changing mood, temperature, and light as cumulus clouds passed through the atmosphere, often blocking the sun. I became certain the light would change like clockwork, as if a timer had been set, and I could count on this back-and-forth volley. I looked forward with anticipation to those moments when the sunlight would return, enfolding my little body in its warmth and brilliance. Reveling in the shifting flow of a new spring day was a life-changing experience. I’ve been watching clouds and light ever since those very early beginnings.
By fifth grade, I was taking countless photos with my Kodak Instamatic camera, mostly of friends and family, cats and dogs, and my schoolteachers on the last day before summer break. After high school, my curiosity deepened as I focused on capturing nature, the people around me, and rock ‘n roll concerts. I purchased my first entry-level professional camera in 1977 when my boyfriend and I quit our jobs and headed for Southern California, learning the camera basics on our drive out west. Returning home to Houston after three months and developing numerous rolls of film, I realized I had a pretty good eye. I opted out of college and dove headfirst into being a self-taught, freelance photographer. After many twists and turns, mistakes, serendipitous encounters, and hard work, I embarked on a long and rewarding journey devoted to my passion and career path of photography.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In the beginning, I took a basic darkroom technique class, where I learned to process and print black-and-white film and photographs. I explored the tools needed to produce strong images, asked questions, and learned through trial and error. While I experienced setbacks, I ultimately faced challenges and worked through them until I achieved success. Sometimes I struggled with confidence and comparison, but I recognized long ago that there’s space for everyone and that my perspective is unique. When I encounter moments of self-doubt or internal conflict, I reflect on my emotions and strive to regain balance.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I enjoy working on large-scale installation projects. Recently, panels of my nature imagery were installed in the newly renovated International Terminal at Intercontinental Airport Houston. Currently, United Airlines is installing my images of monarch butterflies and Texas landscapes on a large scale in their Houston IAH Terminal. I love collaborating with clients and helping them find the best images for their projects. I worked on an extensive wayfinding project for Houston Methodist Hospital a few years ago. My photographs of nature are installed throughout the hospital’s corridors and elevator banks. I’m known in Texas as a wildflower, music, and monarch butterfly photographer. I’m known regionally as a landscape photographer of the American Southwest. I collaborate with designers, architects, and private collectors.
Essentially, I’m a storyteller at heart, fascinated by what lies beneath the surface. I’ve lived various photographic lives and have continually reinvented myself, beginning my career as a music photographer, now photographing mostly nature. I would never have continued this path without perseverance. I learned to develop a thicker skin around setbacks and rejection. I learned to collaborate with my peers, sharing diverse perspectives and insights. I’ve taken risks, tried new things. Regardless of disappointment, rejection, failure, talent, and creativity, the single reason I’m still here doing what I do is that I stayed the course.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theresadimenno.com/index
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tdimenno/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theresa.dimenno/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-di-menno-b085833aa/
- Other: https://substack.com/@theresadimenno
