<p>"Ullswater Barn," by Jody Miller.</p>

Born in Indianapolis and raised in Indiana, with a bachelors degree from Ball State University, this photographer has worked in the television industry as an artist and animator for over 40 years. Having purchased a second home in Astoria in 2005, Jody Miller and her husband split their time between the North Coast and Los Angeles.

How does photography speak to you?

Ive tried other media and had the most success finding my voice with my photographs. I consider photography to be painting with light.

What artist do you most admire and why?

I believe Ive been most influenced by Arthur Ollman and his night photography, and the early works of Brassai and Anne Brigman.

How did you get started and where do you show?

My parents were fine artists, and I was raised drawing and painting and have been photographing since the age of 9. I became a passionate photographer in my late teens. I have shown my work in small venues in Los Angeles, and I just completed a solo show of Salton Sea images at Astorias LightBox Photographic Gallery, which represents my portfolio. RiverSea Gallery and Old Town Framing have also shown my work since 2008. I had a 2011 solo show at Camerawork Gallery in Portland, several group shows around the U.S., and had one image selected by the Tate Gallery in London and put into their permanent collection in 2007.

I understand you participated in the Ansel Adams workshop in Carmel, Calif., in 1982, the last year Adams was able to teach before his death. How did that experience affect you?

It affected me profoundly and was a life-changing experience. Meeting and learning with Ansel and five other world-class photographers made me take my own work much more seriously and pushed me to improve with every click of the shutter. After the 82 workshop, I studied privately with one of the instructors, Arthur Ollman, for another two years and learned about finding my own voice. Arthur still pushes and prods me to this day. Ansel Adams, though he was an iconic figure by that time, refused to be idolized, had a great sense of humor and was incredibly generous with everything he knew and believed. I will be forever indebted to him.

Tell me about your work at ABC. What does that involve?

Ive been at ABC for 18 years now, in the promotion department, animating the graphic elements of the promos for their primetime network dramas and comedies.

Most recent book you really loved: The Hummingbirds Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea.

What subjects or themes do you focus on in your photography?

I love the shadowy places of life, the abandoned and forgotten, and the places that make you stop and wonder about their stories. I love shooting at night, when every image brings a surprise out of the darkness. I love the majesty and desolation of the Salton Sea in southern California, where I have been making images for the last 10 years. Ive been a landscape artist primarily, but have ventured more and more into portraiture in the last couple of years.

What do you find beneficial about being a member of LightBox Photographic Gallery?

LightBox is a gift to the Northwest, the creation of two dedicated and talented people, Michael and Chelsea Granger, with a mission to bring a world-class photography gallery to the North Coast of Oregon. They have succeeded, and in five short years have established their reputation firmly in the national arena. I am proud to be their first associate member and to have them represent my work. The benefits of having this kind of resource at hand in Astoria are too many to list. My life has been enriched profoundly. Having gathered together a group of like-minded artists as members, I have met many new friends and had opportunities open up for me that never would have happened otherwise.

Is there anything youre currently working on or have recently finished?

I am always building on several series of work that interest me. I recently finished a series of photographs of old-fashioned 20th century phone booths, shot at night, and finished a series of an abandoned farmhouse in rural Indiana. Im currently doing a lot of storm-chasing, building a large body of work featuring spectacular weather.

Your guilty pleasure: Any meal created by Uriah Hulsey, the owner of the Columbian Cafe, followed by ice cream at Custard King.