Years ago, a friend of Lydia Strange let her in on a little secret.

“She asked me if I knew what the sign of a true photographer was,” Strange said. “It’s when that person can go from their front door to the mailbox and shoot a roll of film and not shoot the same pic twice. Most people look at the big picture, they miss the little things that are a part of that picture.”

Strange, 59 and a resident of Enumclaw, doesn’t miss the little things. For the past 11 years, Strange has shared her love of photography with her husband and fellow photographer, Ken Strange, as well as with the public.

In addition to entering several local photography contests, such as the Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation Department’s Small Works, Big Presents exhibit. Strange was awarded the People’s Choice Award for her photograph, “Through The Fog.”

Strange has been dabbling in photography her whole life.

“I think most people do point-and-shoot kinds of things, but I actually got more seriously involved about 11 years ago,” she said.

Strange was moved by a seminar she attended.

“The first thing that impressed me was a specific slide show on nature,” she said. “And with the landscapes and still life flowers, the images were absolutely phenomenal. And I wished I could take pictures like that. So I’ve been striving to do that ever since.”

After graduating from Eastern Washington State College (now Eastern Washington University) with a degree in speech pathology and special education, Strange worked briefly at a Spokane elementary school before accepting a job with the State of Washington. It was while she lived in Spokane that she met fellow photographer Ken Strange, who was working for the Army Corps of Engineers with the Rails to Trails program in the Silver Valley

“He joined a camera club that I belonged to,” Strange said.

Since then, the couple have retired, and spend a good deal of their time collecting images.

“I’m into architecture and perspective, as well as nature and abstracts,” Strange said. “I’m leaning more toward in that direction because of a new Photoshop process we’re doing called Light Fusion Imagery.”

According to Strange, the process involves modifying the angles of light in pictures, rendering the images as an abstract version of their original selves.

Although she initially started with film and slides, Strange said she soon was “dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age.

“I’m not techy enough to feel comfortable,” she said. “I have to work at it. The final product makes it worthwhile, but I have to think through what I’m asking the camera to do.”

Although the technical side of shooting digital might be confusing, Strange said she loves the advantage of being able to edit her work.

“The computer has become the darkroom,” she said.

For her winning entry in the Auburn Small Works, Big Presents exhibit, Strange said she used a little editing magic to improve on what was already a strong composition.

“‘Through The Fog’ is basically a lone tree that stood out in the fog. Then I put it through a process where it is in sepia tone. And that was it,” she said. “The simplicity of that, the single image, you don’t need anything more in there.”

Strange said that her photographs currently are on display at the Enumclaw City Hall, adding that she and her husband will have a joint show at Auburn City Hall in June.