Hi! My name is Carol Gautreau Bent and I was fortunate to have been born into an artistic family. My father was a professional artist (www.normangautreau.net) and my mother was always working with fiber arts. My siblings are also very artistic, including my brother, a published author (www.normanggautreau.com). From the very beginning, I have always wanted to do something creative. In college, I received a degree in Cartography (map making) and worked for many years utilizing this skill, first at Geographic Systems, Inc. in Andover, Massachusetts, and then at the Central Transportation Planning Staff in Boston, Massachusetts, where I was the Manager of the Cartography/Graphic Arts Department for almost 20 years. After an early retirement from CTPS, I become a care-giver for my aging parents and my mother-in-law for the next few years. After I lost my parents, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do in this “next chapter” of my life. I have always loved photography...to me, taking photos, is a wonderful way to record a scene or event that would last forever. When I was young and had my first "brownie" camera, my Dad used to take me and my siblings on great adventures in our area, to see the wonders of the world, the power of waves crashing on the shore, the fury of a hurricane, the soft beauty of a winter scene or a peaceful pasture. He taught me about light and the best times to take photos. He also taught me composition, how to use objects to complete a scene. He was a valuable teacher and I will always keep his lessons in my heart and in my photography.