Alison Meyer captures the beauty of the Palouse in her photographs
I was walking down Moscow’s Farmers Market one Saturday with my 12-year-old little sister, yanking on our hot matching braids. Grumbling about something or other, we stopped by a tent full of beautiful photographs of the Palouse.
The pictures were of the rolling wheat hills, the Arboretum in full bloom and clouds hovering over grass fields. Alison Meyer, the maker of the prints, photos and note cards asked if she could take a picture of us. My sister was reluctant, but I was eager to kiss her on the cheek as Meyer laughed and snapped a picture.
I was instantly drawn to Meyer’s spirited personality and incredible talent, as most of the people at the Farmers Market seemed to be. And after 24 years selling her art at the Moscow Farmers Market, it’s no wonder why she gets a parade of smiling people at her tent each Saturday.
David Betts | Argonaut
Allison Meyer goes over some of her photography with customers in her booth at the Farmers Market on Saturday July 4. The Farmers Market runs through October.
Meyer was raised in Long Island, New York. With her mother as a collector and growing up in what is known as an artsy area of the United States, she said she was exposed to different ways to show off her creativity. That, and she has always had a fascination with cameras and nature, she said.
“I remember being a little kid and always being like, ‘The photographer is cool,'” Meyer said. “My mom had a bunch of old cameras in the garage, and instead of playing with dolls, I’d play photographer.”
After 18 years of living in Long Island, Meyer went to college in upstate New York and eventually moved to Boston. But with her love of nature, she felt as if the West was a better fit, she said.
“I grew up in very urban and suburban environments and I really liked nature,” Meyer said. “So I had taken an internship job that was outdoors in Oregon my junior year.”
During her internship she met her husband, Jim Spohn. Not knowing too much about nature, she said she had Spohn show her the Palouse and all it had to offer.
When Meyer and Spohn aren’t at the Farmers Market selling their items, they take in older kids who need a little boost to lead them to success and a healthy life.
“In the last couple of years we’ve been helping young people who have difficult lives one way or another and helping mentor them,” Meyer said. “Also helping them find services and therapy.”
With that, Meyer and her husband have had the job of putting smiles on people’s faces and helping others out. Whether that be by helping older kids get back on their feet or giving someone an opportunity to have some of the most beautiful pictures of the Palouse hang on their walls, Meyer works constantly to make others happy.
Jessy Forsmo-Shadid can be reached at [email protected]