The journey begins: Plano photographer's work makes it to Times Square

Janelle Twyford-Silvis grew up in Dallas with a camera in her hand. Now, thanks to her budding business and passion for photography, the Plano resident is taking a little slice of Texas to Times Square.

"The more you're there, the more you want to be a part of it somehow," she said. "You may not want to live there, but there's something there that you just want to be a part of."

Several of Twyford-Silvis' photos were selected to be displayed on the big screen through an online art contest she won recently. She and her husband will travel to NYC on June 17 to witness the unveiling when "Art Takes Times Square" on the 18th. The two will also attend a VIP party in New York City, where her photos will be on display for viewing throughout the evening.

"How many people get to say, 'my photos were shown on the big screen in Times Square'" Twyford-Silvis said. " And while it may not sell anything, to me it's huge. And I will be there, taking photos of my photos."

Having started her photography career in the corporate sector, Twyford-Silvis' business took a slight turn in 2006 when she began to incorporate more creative projects into AlleeOops Photography. She said she came up with the name for her company because that's exactly what she wanted to do in people's lives -- lift them up.

"I look forward to getting up. It may be two or three in the morning, it's just whenever the ideas hit. And sometimes I'll work until two or three in the morning" she said. "Before, it was because I was understaffed [or] under budget. It wasn't appreciated, it didn't really have any meaning [and] it didn't change anybody's lives. This pulls emotion out of people and gives them something to talk about. So it makes it fun for me."

Twyford-Silvis' most popular iconic montage is the one that helped get her artwork to the Big Apple. The Plano collage, which includes key landmarks, hot air balloons and wildflowers, can be seen in the State Capital building. Twyford-Silvis hopes to have it on display in the White House someday, as well.

Other pieces of hers to be shown in Times Square were taken during her most recent trip to New York, and include a Statue of Liberty rendition made of 9/11 memorabilia, a motorcycle rally through the city and the naked cowgirl of Times Square.

Thanks in part to the popularity surrounding her Plano montage, Twyford-Silvis has started a service through AlleeOops called "Own a Piece of Texas," which consists of a series of collages for various towns and cities throughout the state. So far, she has projects lined up for McKinney, Allen, The Woodlands and Austin. The framed artwork would serve as creative representation of that town's personality for local businesses to use for greeting customers and employees who visit their place of business.

"When I left corporate America, I did stop and think, 'what is it that I've always wanted to do,' not 'what can I do to supplement my income until I find something else,'" she said. "I've spent my life building other people's businesses, let's launch Janelle. It may not be a big corporation, but it comes from the heart."

Twyford-Silvis credited the Plano Chamber of Commerce, as well as many other supporters from within the community, for helping her reach this pinnacle. A Leadership Plano alum and winner of a chamber art contest in 2010, the chamber actually triggered a more aggressive approach to getting her personal projects into the spotlight. Because every photo should tell a story, she said she could not wait to share hers with Plano when she returns.

"It's not really real, it'll probably be real when I get there. It's very hard to comprehend," she said. "To me there are no words because it's always something I've wanted to be a piece of."

For information about AlleeOops Photography, visit www.AlleeOops.com.

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