FOLEY, Ala. — “Have camera…will travel”.

All over Baldwin County on any given weekend, that is.

By day, Angela Monarch is a Physical Therapist Aide Supervisor for Performance Rehab in Foley but on the weekends she has camera in hand ready to shoot.

Monarch stated her own photography business, Southern Style Images, about two years ago and it grew out of a hobby for talking family photos and pictures of ATV (All-Terrain vehicles) races in Mississippi.

“I have always been interested in photography but it wasn’t until I did public relations work for Full Throttle Racing (ATV racing team) in Mississippi that I really got into it. I did 300-400 head shots per race and the racers really thought I did a good job and used them for their websites,” Monarch said.

Labeling herself as an “adrenaline junkie”, Monarch said she has had some pretty scary moments on the race circuit. “I would have to hang off of a tiny island in the middle of a mud pit sometimes and those atv’s would be coming pretty fast but I got some good shots that way.”

She would also stand in the middle of a drag racing track in 100 degree heat during the summer with ATV’s coming at her at 65 m.p.h. to get her shots. And sometimes she would get sprayed with water as they passed by. “That only happened a few times and they would always be apologetic. I would have to be careful though because my camera would get wet.”

But those scary moments paid off when her photos and articles were published in “Mudder’s Magazine” out of Franklin, Ga. She would travel all over the country taking pictures for them but after a while it got to be too much and she had to quit.

“I loved doing it but it was talking me away from my family (husband Jeff and 13 year old daughter Shelby) and I had some health issues I was dealing with so I quit. I still keep up with them though and made so many good friends,:” Monarch said.

When Monarch quit taking race photos, she started concentrating on getting her own business underway and created a website that has really helped people know what she does.

“I was not prepared for the attention I got from the website. It really took off but I had to be careful about not copying other photographer’s styles. I had to create my own,” Monarch said

A Fairhope native and 1990 graduate of Fairhope High School, Monarch specializes in outdoor photos and charges $75 for a one hour session. “I do weddings, team sports, reunions, graduations, family and individual photos, racing and birthday parties. I will go wherever the customer wants or sometimes I choose the location, depending on the situation. I want to go to their favorite places.”

Working on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monarch stays pretty busy but loves what she does, “I like to get candid shots, people acting natural, not posed. I want them to feel comfortable with me. I may tell them some things but I let them do what they want. I only take pictures of people I know and that makes it easier to get good shots.”

Learning as she goes, Monarch said the key to good photography is a good camera. “I have a Nikon D40 and I have a really good zoom lens I received as a gift from a racing family. That makes all the difference in the world.”

With about $1,000 invested in her camera, Monarch takes about 300 shots in a session and then she takes them home and downloads them onto Photoscape, an internet program she uses. “It takes me about an hour to edit, watermark and download them onto a CD for the customer. I give them the CD and they can view and print out what they want. It has worked really well for me so far.”

Black and white photos seem to be the best sellers and kids seem to be the best subjects, Monarch said. “Black and white just seems to give the picture a whole new meaning, a different feel. I love black and white pictures.”

People aren’t the only subjects Monarch photographs. She also does animals as well. “I take my camera everywhere I go and there are so many places in Baldwin County to take pictures. I love Bellingrath Gardens too. It is so beautiful there. I just love being outside. I guess that’s why I prefer outdoor photos.”

Right now, Monarch is looking for old antique items to use in her pictures and also wants to enter some photo contests as well. “I have so many pictures. I am curious to see what other people think of them.”

In addition to photography, Monarch and her ATV racing friends sponsor a benefit ride for two special people, Brooklyn Davison from Stapleton and Morgan Pierce from Plant City, Florida. Both girls have Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer developing from nerve tissue that affects the sympathetic nervous system. It affects bodily functions and the cause is unknown. It is most commonly diagnosed in children under five and one in 100,000 are affected, according to the Neuroblastoma website.

Davison is three years old and Monarch’s second cousin. They go regularly to the Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Center in New York for two week treatments of 3F8, an antibody drug that is administered intravenously, Monarch said.

“They have already maxed out their million dollar lifetime maximum on their insurance policy and the have to pay about $1,200 out of pocket everytime they travel for plane tickets and expenses. They stay at the Ronald McDonald house but it gets very expensive very quickly,:” Monarch said.

“We have raised about $20,000 for them in two years but we need to raise a lot more. That’s why we need to have these benefit races. They are usually held in the summer and we hope to have at least 15 to 20 teams participating,” Monarch said.

To find out more about Monarch’s photography business, visit southernstyleimages.com or call (251) 978-5297. For information about Brooklyn and Neuroblastoma, visit bandofparents.com.