Like many aspiring artists, Theresa Tahara found herself too distracted by life and raising her children to focus on her passion for photography.

Now that she's retired, Tahara has been able to take up her camera and capture the region with her own photographic perspective.

An exhibit of her photography celebrates a grand opening at the Wilson House Gallery on Tranquille Road Thursday night at 6 p.m. Called Decadence, the 10 portraits of Tahara's work are photographs on canvas that look more like paintings than something captured mechanically.

She chose Decadence because her work falls somewhere between Romanticism and Modernism, Tahara said Wednesday. By using props and lighting, she turns a simple picture into something reminiscent of paintings by the Old Dutch masters.

Tahara doesn't shoot landscapes or portraits. She takes pictures of a variety of topics, from snowplows to pets with plants and people thrown in for variety.

"I can't settle on any one subject," she said. "I love it."

Decadence runs until June 20 and all the photographs are for sale. This is the first showing of Tahara's work.

The gallery is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.