An early love of playing percussion instruments from Christine Garceau's years in band are still pronounced on her fingers. A large dent from constantly using drumsticks is still visible after more than 50 years without picking up a pair. She had wanted to become a musician and band teacher heading into her college years. But then she fell in love with photography.

Early in her collegiate music career — while simultaneously taking her first photography class — Garceau watched a storm roll in and thought, “I am not teaching marching band and being out in this weather every Friday night.”

She immediately changed her major and never looked back.

“I haven't picked up a drumstick since,” she said.

It wasn't really that rash of a decision. Garceau had first fallen for photography when she was given a Kodak Instamatic for her 10th birthday. She loved taking photos, dropping off the entire camera at the drugstore and opening the envelope of photos after they were processed.

“My friends were all getting Barbie dolls and Barbie clothes. I was buying film and getting processing,” she said.

It's not like she was just looking for an easier way to make a living by avoiding the pain of a life in the marching band. In the mid-70s men dominated the photographic industry, especially in photojournalism.

“When I started out in photography, I was always the only woman in the class,” she remembered. “I don't know if it was the chemical part of it or the technical part of it, but it just kept women away so much that when I graduated, even with my masters, I was the only woman in my class that graduated.”

There were very few women in the profession and Garceau was hardly an imposing figure to compete with the men. Yet, the pint-sized firebrand refused to be pushed around.

“I just ignored [the gold ol' boy system] and kept on keeping on,” she said.

Despite giving up music, lessons she learned while in the band gave her the strength to compete.

“I think being involved in the band gave me the confidence I needed to succeed,” she said, adding some of her strength comes from the “Irish in me.”

Fifty years later, after careers in photojournalism, running a studio, teaching and continuing education has led Garceau to what will be her last few years as a teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in photography before heading to grad school for a master’s degree. She then began teaching at Northern Michigan University — near her hometown of Marquette on the southern shore of Lake Superior. At the same time she commuted to Michigan Tech to earn her doctoral degree in philosophy.

In 2012 she applied for a position as associate professor in photographic communications at Northwest College. It was a last minute decision, one that meant she would have to leave Michigan and head to the Big Horn Basin.

“I applied on the last day you could apply,” she said. “I applied because my husband didn't want to go anywhere where there's snow. He was like, ‘yeah, fly fishing. Go for it!’”

She quickly became a favorite in the popular program.

“Her toughness and competitiveness has been good for our students to see over the years here at Northwest College, particularly since many of the young people who go through our program don’t have much direction or knowledge about what it takes to have a career as a commercial photographer,” said the college's coordinator of photography and fellow associate professor Anthony M. Polvere. “Christine brings a breadth of experience from many areas of the industry both artistically and in her business knowledge.”

Her new show

In November, Garceau was honored with an exhibition in the college's SinClair Gallery entitled “50 Years Behind the Lens.” The show, which runs through Jan. 17, follows the evolution of Garceau's work, from hand-colored portraiture on fine art photographic paper to travel photography taken earlier this year using sophisticated digital cameras. Her photographs of people and landscapes force you to immerse yourself in the images.

One of her early black and white photos shows a tender moment alone with Rosa Parks. Garceau didn't take many frames, but the one she chose shows the civil rights activist’s strength and beauty lit perfectly by an upstairs window covered in a sheer curtain.

Her photos take you to exotic places documented during her world travels, beautiful landscapes, including some taken in Yellowstone National Park — her happy place. And her portraits offer more than just a face. The images take you to the eyes of the subjects, revealing their souls even if the people are a mystery to the viewer.

One particularly poignant portrait is of her husband Phillip and son Peter. Phillip died in 2016 after a fight with lung cancer. Yet, the photo shows the loves of her life in a rare moment standing still for a traditional portrait.

“[Phillip] was probably thinking, when will this be over,” she said.

The exhibit demonstrates how practice and content came together for Garceau. She is a perfectionist in the craft, has an eye for “the moment” and a love for the people and landscapes of her Wyoming home away from home.

“You need the right photographic tools to create the message you want to send,” she said.

The longtime teacher plans to retire in the next few years. But she isn't considering putting down her camera like she did her drumsticks. She would love to continue with a project highlighting disappearing wild spaces and more fully develop a bucket list project diving into the cowboy spirit of the local population.

Though her story is far from over — Garceau is celebrating her 71st birthday Sunday — the professor hopes to guide yet another class of dedicated students, keep track of all the success stories, and spend the rest of her time with a camera in her hands working magic with her little dogs Annabelle and Luna by her side.