Grandmother of five travels to France for the love of photography

The road of life is often hard to anticipate, and sometimes the farther one travels from the beaten path, the more rewarding the journey. That is the attitude embraced by Bellmore's Lorraine Piskin.

The grandmother of five traveled alone to one of the most rural regions of southern France, the French Camargue, in October last year to photograph the famous white horses that make the marshes and countryside their home. She returned with a portfolio of photographs that is now on display at the Bellmore Memorial Library.

"She's always been a go-getter," Piskin's son, Ray, of Merrick, said of his mother. "She's somebody who's never been afraid of challenges."

Both Ray and his brother Wayne grew up in Bellmore with Lorraine and moved to neighboring Merrick, where they are now raising families of their own. While the Piskin family keeps home base close, Lorraine spent many years traveling the world in the name of photography and adventure.

"I fall in love with something, and it takes about a year," she said of her many past trips, including excursions to China and South America. But her passage to the Camargue, she said, was different.

"I traveled all my life, but when I thought of going, I had a million questions," she said. For Piskin, it was a truly a labor of love for her art and her newest muse –– the white horses. She first got wind of an organized trip to the Camargue through a photography newsletter. When the trip fell through because of low attendance, her interest only grew.

Piskin began researching the horses, immersing herself in the images she discovered in European photography books. Eventually she reached out to French photographer Patrice Aguilar, and arranged for him to guide her through the pastoral landscape. She set out on her own, with $8,000 worth of equipment, to the small town that only had electricity during certain hours, and where she didn't speak a word of the native language. There she fell in love with the horses.

The physical work of following her equine inspiration through woods, water and grass was intense. But for the former personal trainer and longtime fitness enthusiast, it was proof that her lifelong efforts to follow her many passions were paying off.

"It was no surprise to me that she could handle this," Wayne said. And though he said he's always been a fan of his mother's photography, he calls the series taken in Camargue "a work of genius."

Lorraine's art is on display at the Bellmore Memorial Library Mondays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5.p.m. through March 21, with a Meet the Photographer reception on Sunday, March 21, from to 2 to 4 p.m.

"It's all about learning, learning, learning, exploring, adventure and being passionate," she said.

Comments about this story? SZeidler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.