Valerie

Full Name: Valerie Wallace-Camp

Birthplace: Decatur, Illinois (DMH 1976)

Immediate Family: Husband-Neil Camp, Son-Noah Camp, Daughter-Maia Camp

Occupation: Professional Photographer/Graphic Designer ~ VWC Photography

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? An artist.

Best way to spend a weekend night in Decatur:
Dinner @ my favorite restaurant, Robbies, followed by martinis at Katz and then a gyro at The Lincoln Lounge (but all of that is if/when I am without children and that’s a rarity!)

How has your life been different than what you had imagined?
I never in a million years thought I would suddenly be saying to myself “I can do this and do it better!” and then 6 years later, be succeeding. I never ever saw myself as a photography business-owner and I especially never thought I could thrive at it. But I realized that success is where your passion and heart lie. My passion explodes when I hold a camera. I’ve been incredibly blessed.

What are you proudest of in your life? After losing 3 babies, I definitely know my proudest moment was when I first met both my children, especially Noah, my first born. We had given up on the thought of being biological parents so having Noah in our life was a true miracle. Going through what we did most definitely made us better people and parents. Since then we’ve realized that nothing is to be taken for granted. Ever. It was a wake-up call and has helped us become better people and has helped me become better at what I do.

How would you like to be remembered? As a selfless loving and caring person first. And as a creative photographer with a lot of passion second.

Most important lesson learned: Always back up your hard drive! (Because of a bad experience, I now have 3 back-up external hard drives!)

What movie do you never get tired of watching? Napoleon Dynamite or The Sound of Music (both extremely cheesy, I know, but well, it’s the truth.)

Favorite book of all time: The Bible

Favorite local restaurant: Robbies by a landslide!

Someone who is making a difference in Decatur: Heather Thompson -- who is a zookeeper at the Scovill Zoo and is currently the highest zookeeper on the totem pole with the most years behind her at the zoo. She’s had opportunities to leave and join other bigger zoos but she keeps on working hard here in Decatur. Her heart is definitely with her animals @ Scovill. I don’t think most people realize just how hard zookeepers work. They risk their lives every single day. It’s not always fun and games. One of her “areas” are the cheetahs, among many many others.

Any other information you would like to share:
website: www.vwcphotography.com,
blog: www.vwcphotography.typepad.com