In Her Father's Light
by asanta brooks
FEATURED IN VOL 6, ISSUE 2: home and garden
Life can be compared to taking a beautiful photograph. One may not understand the highs and lows in the beginning, but life becomes more fulfilling when one recognizes and obtains the perfect image, at that perfect moment.
Born and raised in Jackson, Willette DuPree discovered the love of photography from her father, Willie DuPree, Jr.
Over the years, she watched him capture the most memorable photographs from family functions and weddings. She was fascinated by how talented her father was with the camera; he had a good eye for it.
"I vividly remember [being] on a family outing and seeing a dilapidated barn with a dead tree with two vultures resting atop of [it]," Willette said. "Dad got my attention and said that's your picture, right there."
At that moment, Willette didn't particularly understand her father's vision, but she pondered and continued to gaze at the scenery. She took a mental picture of it and felt discouraged because she knew she couldn’t have captured it like her father.
"By then I had stopped trying because my images looked nothing like my Dad's photos or like the magazines, so I just snapped photos without intent or feeling."
With that image still embedded in her head including her father's words, Willette gave photography another chance. By this time, she had studied different images and focused on how to produce intriguing images by the use of her cell phone.
As she used her cell phone as a guide to capture pictures, she was excited to share them with her father.
"Dad was very encouraging and interested in what I was doing, and I started looking into getting a real camera," Willette said. "But on May 4, 2011, my dad passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack."
Saddened by the loss of her father, Willette secluded herself and became withdrawn.
"I would go on walks in the woods to be alone and think to clear my head and started taking photos with my cell as an outlet and as a way to connect with my Dad," Willette said. -
Scrolling through the images she had taken on one of her walks, a co-worker of Willette glanced and saw her photos and was amazed.
"The images she saw [were] the result of me being in my solitude, not for the public," Willette added. "She said my work was worth sharing and encouraged me to step out of my safety zone and share my work."
Willette was elated that her co-worker both loved her photos and encouraged her to continue to be expressive and creative.
"For a while I felt like an imposter photographer because I didn't know what exactly I was doing; I just captured images that felt right," Willette said.
Her name circulated around Jackson and Nashville, and people wanted her to take individual or family photos regardless of her not operating with a "real" camera. Until one day, a close friend asked Willette to do a photo session, and she had a camera that Willette could use.
"My good friend said her Mom had a camera that I could use to do it," Willette said.
“After the work was done, she said I could keep the camera because [she would never be able to use it like Willette]. I now had a camera with removable lenses, not a point and shoot, not a cell phone but I had a camera."
Although Willette held a camera in her hands and her work was proven to be astonishing, she still rejected the title of photographer.
Willette needed a push, reassurance that she was worthy and her talent was beyond what she thought. She chose to attend a gallery opening at Chromatics in Nashville. There she felt inspired and wanted her images to be displayed and showcased there in the future.
"Two years later, I was in that gallery with two images that were selected and supported by family and friends opening night," Willette said. "I learned earlier that night that one of my images had sold. It was the only image to sell opening night. I stood in the gallery looking at my images amongst these great photographers."
With that being said, Willette finally acknowledged herself as what others have been claiming her to be all those years, including her father, who introduced her to a different world of art.
"I realized then what I had been told for years: I had a good eye," Willette said. "I researched and studied the technical stuff, but the ability to see something and allow someone else to see life as you do and feel it is not something you are taught. It's something that develops within you."
That night at the gallery, Willette reflected on where her mindset was at the beginning to where it is currently.
"In losing my Dad, I lost my way in searching for something to hang on to; I wasn't looking for photography, it found me and refused to let me run from it," Willette said. "Photography is defined as the art of capturing light with a camera. It's what pulled me through a very dark place and literally saved my life."•
Follow Willette on Instagram: @WYDuPree
ASANTA BROOKS is an author and freelance writer. Her passion for writing stemmed from creating and illustrating comic strips as a child, which lead to her becoming involved with the high school paper and excelling as a feature writer for her college paper. She resides in Jackson with her adorably energetic three-year-old son, Alex.