Photographer and fine artist Stephanie Roberts is well-known to the Blogher community for her unique perspective as an audio journalist. She's spent the last few Blogher conferences making sure you hear the deeper stories from speakers and attendees alike. What you might not know is that Stephanie is making deep forays into the world of art, a place she knows well from her family ties as well as her own journey. Take a minute to learn how Stephanie came to make this turn back to her roots as a fine arts photographer and storyteller.

I know you've been thinking about narrowing the focus of your blog for awhile now. What prompted your decision to change the format?

I started my first blog, "Cool People I Know," more than two years ago. I created that space initially to shine a light on cool people doing interesting things in the form of short essays and audio interviews. As the blog evolved, I began to enjoy the creative process of asking questions and playing with words so much that I began to turn my focus inwardly – exploring and sharing my own life observations. Writing became a near daily (late night) practice and getting reconnected to the artist side of myself became a critical creative outlet for me.

During the past two years, I've loved connecting with creative bloggers (many through BlogHer)... artists, photographers and creative writers... and those relationships continued to inspire and really fuel my creativity. I found that my focus expanded into poetry, the creation of a collaborative life list wiki and digital video vignettes, and ultimately on my return to photography with the purchase of a digital SLR one year ago. Just as a traditional artist likes to try different forms of media to continue to grow and evolve, I explored different methods of digital media to express myself creatively.

As I spent more and time looking through life with my new lens, I found that the process of crafting my posts was shifting. Initially, I'd craft my post using words and then select an image to support my concept. But the more I shot, the more my images began to lead the thought process behind my posts. I found that the words began to take a supportive role and that "Cool People I Know" as a canvas actually limited my ability to really focus on photography. So on July 9th, I retired that blog and launched LittlePurpleCow Photography (using Squarespace) – a photoblog and online portfolio of my images.

Your photographs are so exquisite which should not surprise me one bit, but I was really taken back in your bio by what a strong background you have in art--both in your family history and your personal experience. Is this focus on photography a continuing thread for you or do you feel like you are in the process of reclaiming a part of yourself that got lost along the way?

Thank you so much. Photography (and art that straddles left- and right-brain thought) has indeed been a continuing thread, and yes, I am finally reclaiming a part of myself that got lost along the way.

Photography first clicked for me at the age of seven when Santa Claus left a Kodak point-and-shoot under the tree for me. It was the best gift I had ever received and I took it with me everywhere. I'd create compositions with my friends at school during recess and remember getting swept up in my own world as I studied the Statue of Liberty through my tiny viewfinder. Years later, I convinced my mother to share her Polaroid and saved up my allowance to purchase my own film cartridges. At that time, though, I was primarily focused on traditional art – drawing, painting, pastels and pen & ink.

My love of photography renewed when I received a 35mm Minolta SLR during my senior year in high school. I had planned to attend the University of Georgia as a Scientific Illustration major, but kept up with photography as a hobby. Thanks to a photography class with Dr. Robert Nix at UGA, I discovered that photography was in fact a form of fine art. I continued to shoot and develop black and white prints from my SLR and a pinhole camera made of balsa wood, while I carefully illustrated insects and animals with painstaking detail. Following graduation, I took a left turn and became submerged in a career of interactive design and development (first CD-Roms and then the Web beginning in 1996). Fast forward twelve years, and here I am rediscovering my love of photography with a digital SLR and a vow to migrate my career to full-time photographer status.

What are your favorite photoblogs at the moment? Who do you look to as a guide or mentor as you grow and develop as a photographer?

I must confess, my favorite photoblog is Shutter Sisters and not because I'm contributor. I continuously learn and get inspiration from my sisters, Tracey Clark, Kate Inglis, Karen Walrond, Maile Wilson, Andrea Scher, Paige Balcer, Irene Nam, Sarah-Ji and you, Jen. I'm also a fan of Anna Kuperberg, Gayla Trail, Ree of Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, and my recent find thanks BlogHer08, Me Ra Koh.

Beyond the photoblogs, flickr is my second home. I've discovered so many talented photographers in that space and follow my flickr groups and photostreams for Kimberly Brimhall, Jennifer König, Danisoul, Jeneyepher... the list is long. I seek out photographers who shoot the unexpected. I'm looking for a perspective different from my own.

Nikon or Canon? Any advice for the novice looking to buy her first digital SLR?

"Buy the best Nikon you can afford." I remember my photography professor making that statement and it sticking in the back of my mind. For the past couple of years, I had been shooting snapshots with a digital Canon Powershot – a camera I could fit in my purse and use to snap quick pics of my family – but was often frustrated with the results. The shutter speed delay and auto settings just didn't give me enough control over the images.

So, when I set out to purchase a digital SLR last year, I first looked at the images from photographers I came to follow online and then sought their advice. And when I found out that Josh Hallet and Karen Walrond both shot with Nikons, that sealed the deal for me. So I ordered my Nikon D80 with the 18-55mm kit lens online at B&H, and have since purchased two lenses, a 50-200mm and a 50mm f/1.4 to expand with my creative needs.

As for advice:
1. Buy the best Nikon you can afford. If you are buying an SLR primarily to shoot quality images of your family and friends, skip the kit lens and purchase a 50mm lens - the f/1.8 or f/1.4 to start. (Yes, I know there are Canon fans out there that shoot unbelievable pics, but Nikon is the one for me.)
2. Seek out a local photography group or take a digital photography class at a local art center/school to learn the basics of photography and how to use the manual settings of your camera. Try one manual setting at a time, then build on what you learn.
3. Purchase and install a photo editing software application on your PC that fits your budget and creative needs. I use iPhoto or Adobe Photoshop Elements on my Mac. I've heard good things about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Picnik for online photo editing.
4. Sign up for a free flickr account so you can archive and share your images online with family, friends and other photographers. You can easily upgrade to an inexpensive Professional flickr account if you find that you need more storage space.
5. Join some flickr groups such as ShutterSisters, NikonSisters, Project365, or specific image groups that relate to your interest such as Italy in Black & White or Flowers with Insects. Image sharing and exploring will keep you inspired.

Where's the learning curve for you right now in your photography--that one shot you're dying to master? What particular skill do you wish for your toolbox at the moment?

I tend to shoot a lot of nature and found objects in natural light. I seek out interesting compositions found in everyday life and often find myself creeping in close to capture interesting or abstract shapes and textures. People challenge me most. As much as truly love talking with people and sinking into deep soul-searching conversations about life and aspirations with fascinating people, I get really nervous behind my camera when I'm face-to-face with someone other than a family member. But I want to master that technique...that ability to really capture the soul of a person, regardless of the setting.

I've enjoyed watching your passion for photography really soar this past year. What's fueled your creative drive?

Since the loss of my mother several years ago, I'm realizing more and more that life is short and that we don't have much time to really leave a significant mark on this earth... to live up to our potential... and to exploit the talents that have been given to us. A few months ago, I shared a link to a set of my flickr Project 365 images with a creative friend of mine. We were exchanging IMs and during that exchange he asked me why I wasn't pursuing photography as a career. I paused before responding and typed back "the timing isn't right" or something like that. He replied with "what are you waiting for?!" I had no response, but decided on that day to pursue photography with a passion.

I've been truly grateful for each and every visitor to my blog and to my photostream in flickr. Connecting with creative souls online continues to challenge and inspire me each day.