Specializing in capturing emotions and preserving them for eternity!
Joan is a lifetime resident of Colorado and is married to Robert Selvage, a retired Pueblo Firefighter. They celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary July 28, 2008. She and her husband have three children: daughter Colette & husband Pete, daughter Colleen, son Bill and wife Gina, six grandchildren: Colby, Megan, Felicia, Shantisa (husband Paul) Cotie, and Erica, four great grandchildren: Pasha, Isaac, Gage & Adriana.
Back by popular demand from an early retirement she is once again creating those innovative wedding albums and capturing the emotions of those she photographs. Joan makes each photo session an enjoyable experience. She helps you relax so your expressions are very natural.
Joan's talents are numerous as shown, not only in her photographs, but her paintings, drawings, printmaking, and pottery. Joan does not only create, she also teaches art and photography classes at the Sangre de Cristo Art Center in Pueblo Colorado and gives private lessons from her home. She serves as a judge for many art shows and is available for educational as well as entertaining photographic presentations. Many of her students have captured top awards at local, state, and regional art shows while others have started successful photography businesses.
In 1998 Joan began studying at the University of Southern Colorado and by 2000 she had earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (majoring in Art and minoring in Computer Science). Because of her expertise in photography she was asked to teach several classes in photography and multi media while completing her educational requirements.
Joan has won many honors including being accepted in two prestigious International Photography Shows. She was voted most creative photographer in Colorado in 1992 by the Professional Photographers of Colorado. Joan was the winner of the 1999 University National College Honor Society art and presentation competition. In 2001 she received an award for Best Digital photography at the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts competition. She has received many Best of Show Awards from Colorado Art Exhibits. Joan was an invited guest artist for the first Manitou Business Art Contemporary Show in 1989, as well as being an invited guest artist for the Sangre de Cristo Art Center's Pueblo by Pueblo artists show in 1988. Recently she was an invited guest artist in the Pueblo Community College Living Artists Series. In 2008 she decided to enter the world of competition again and entered in four art shows and received 3 Best of Shows and one The Best Shot. In 2008 and 2009 she was published in Rangefinder (a magazine for professional photographers). February 2009 competing with professional photographers from 35 countries at WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) she received two Accolades of Excellence awards and will be published in their annual book on award winning professional photography.
The awards go on and on but the proof is the happiness she gives her clients when she delivers their portraits.
Joan firmly believes in education. Not only did she never give up on her college degree dreams but through the years she has studied at the Mid America Institute of Professional Photographers, the Winona International School of Professional Photographers, and numerous seminars throughout the United States. She once again is taking classes during the month of February to keep abreast of all the changes going on in digital photography.
She recently completed classes in the ever-changing world of digital photography as well as classes in modern day portrait and wedding photography. She hopes to bring the world of fashion into her portrait and wedding photography.
Her photography and art work are displayed in many private collections as well as several Universities which have purchased her work for their art collections.
