In “Dusk”, we see a dark silhouette of a person against a bright shoreline. There is a feeling of solitude and of hopefulness in this piece. Can you speak to its composition? 

I was poking around an artsy beach town not far from my home. The sun seemed to be in cahoots with a concrete overpass where the ocean spills into a small estuary—a man beachcombing on the far side of the overpass appeared as a dark shape. The shot was random, in the moment, and accidental.

In your biography, you also mention being nominated for Pushcart Prizes in Short Fiction and Poetry. Do you see your photography coming from the same creative place as your writing? 

I’ve been writing and publishing fiction and nonfiction for decades—beginning with erotic short stories for men’s magazines. I pivoted to writing children’s books when my daughters were young readers. Later, I entered a period of travel writing: Riding in a sled for the first part of the famed 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, an offbeat horseback safari in Kenya, snorkeling with penguins in the Galapagos. (Yes, penguins live at the equator!)  

Selling articles to magazines and newspapers helped cover my travel expenses. I’m often paid twice as much for my photos as a story. To be clear, I don’t have photography training. I’m merely an amateur who gets paid.

For you, is photography an intentional act or an incidental one? – Do you set out for a shoot, or let the photos reveal themselves to you?   

I’m pretty focused on any type of assignment, whether an article or a photo-illustrated book. FEEDING TIME AT THE ZOO (Random House, Young Readers) required coordinating with zoo personnel and animal activity. I had access to behind-the-scene activities, such as zookeepers in the kitchen preparing meals for exotic animals.

For those who enjoy your work, whose work would you recommend for further viewing/reading?

The Newseum in Washington, D.C., is the first place that comes to mind. (newseumed.org) The Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery houses images from every Pulitzer Prize-winning photo dating back to 1942. No matter what city or town I’m in, I always ask about museums with photo galleries or exhibits.

View Sherry’s photograph, “Dusk” in dulcet Literary magazine, vol. One, Issue No. 2, coming this february.