Corey Lynn Tucker Takes A Photographic Journey

As a long-time resident and owner of , Corey Lynn Tucker is a familiar sight in Collinsville.

But with an increased passion for photography and a spot in LaSalle Market’s latest art display, area residents can now see Tucker’s take on natural beauty, whether it be the intricacies of a flower or the majestic trot of horses in the snow.

While Tucker has taken some portraits, nature and animals currently make up the bulk of her work. She’s been inspired by local places, area artists and Roberto Dutesco’s images of “The wild horses of Sable Island."

“Horses are my number one muse,” Tucker said.

The LaSalle display is her first time with a public exhibit and some of her images can be seen and purchased at www.etsy.com/shop/eyeseabeauty.

Tucker finds subjects to photograph nearly everywhere.  She and a friend have taken weekend photo journeys to various parts of New England but  she also finds much to work with right at home, and keeps a camera with her wherever she goes.

“My camera travels with me all the time,” she said. “You never know when you are going to have a moment.”

So passionate is Tucker about photography that she would like to make a living at it. She doesn’t plan to give up massage but possibly sees herself doing less of it or even combining the professions with destination massage excursions.

Tucker’s work is completely digital and her current images were taken with a relatively simple point and shoot camera – something she hopes eventually to upgrade.  Like most photographers, Tucker finds editing takes the most time.  

“I think it’s the most time-consuming process to pick out images that resonate with you,” Tucker said.

Tucker has also felt the increasing pull of photography in the past 10 years, coincidentally – or maybe not – about the time she’s been in Collinsville.

“It’s a community that feeds off of each other,” she said.

Friend and fellow photographer Paul Talbot, owner of New England RealEstate Photography, said Tucker has “an eye that's led by a compassionate heart and a creative soul.”

"Corey is a very talented massage therapist, which flows from her creative life and spirit,” Talbot said. "Getting a glimpse of Miss Tucker’s work allows you to delve into her creative world.”

And while Tucker may be serious about marketing the photography, it’s certainly not the only creative outlet she has managed to find. Creative ventures include knitting scarves, drawing, sculpting and even crafting a bench from old cross-country skies.

Her display at LaSalle Market also includes some collages with strips of National Geographic Photographs adhered to frames around small mirrors.

And Tucker believes in the power of sharing art. Computers, e-mail and Facebook offer great ways to do that, but printing a photograph allows the moment to live in should something go wrong with your computer, she said.

In fact, many of her massage clients saw her photographs at her studio and encouraged Tucker to share them with a wider audience.

“People kept saying you should do more with these,” she said.

And it all comes down to sharing moments.

“Photography is just like capturing images in time,” she said.