What turns Delaware's coastal beauty and farm-fresh ingredients into gallery-worthy art?

RED RIVER PAPER'S EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

Second Chances and Shutter Clicks

After surviving ovarian cancer in 2013, Carol Bell discovered that life's second chances sometimes come with unexpected gifts. Her long-held dream to explore photography has blossomed into a thriving artistic practice that celebrates the natural world she's always loved.

Carol's journey started with photography classes and her first Canon camera, a brand loyalty that continues today. Her initial work photographing cancer patients and their families evolved into event and portrait photography before gravitating toward her current passion: nature and the environment. From her home in Delaware, where the ocean meets the bay, Carol has found her creative voice through landscapes, still life, and locally sourced produce.

Enter Red River Paper

Carol's expanding focus on garden-to-table still-life photography demands prints that showcase every detail and texture. Through her images, she's building relationships with local farms, markets, cafes, and interior designers.

"Red River has super customer service and even assisted me with my recent Canon printer purchase," Carol shares. This support has been crucial as she transitions from outsourcing prints to handling production in her own studio. "[Red River Paper] produces beautiful prints," she notes, particularly for her greeting card line and 8x10 prints. Whether you're looking for a high-gloss, non-reflective matte, or a textured linen surface, we have the variety and quality you're looking for in greeting card papers and art print papers.

See More of Carol's Work

You can explore Carol's captivating world of coastal landscapes and still life across multiple platforms. Browse her curated collections at Bright Spot Photo Shop; follow her latest captures on Instagram and Facebook; or discover unique pieces on Etsy. For an in-person experience, visit her permanent exhibit at Sean Kelley Art Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where nature's bounty comes to life on gallery walls.

Enjoy our Q&A with Carol Bell

What year was your business founded and how did you get started?
I am an ovarian cancer survivor. When I healed in 2013, I wanted to pursue my love of photography. I began with classes and continued to practice and experiment. And here I am years later. I concentrate on landscape, nature, and still life.

Tell us a little about what product or service your business offers.
I offer photography in the form of canvases, prints, greeting cards, metal prints, other items as requested.

What makes your business unique?
I'm expanding my still life work with farm-to-table items, starting with mushrooms from a local farm and adding more seasonal offerings. I'm also experimenting with backgrounds and close-ups.

Where do you source your raw materials from?
Canon, Red River Paper, ProPrints, and Nations Photo Lab.

In what ways does the business reflect your own personality?
I love food — cooking, eating, gardening, you name it — and have a degree in nutrition and food science. I had intended to work in food research but ended up in public health. Now that I'm retired, my photography has taken off due to the time I can spend on it.

Who are your typical customers?
My customers include people who work with food, such as markets, cafes, farms, and interior designers, as well as those renovating or updating their homes. I also serve businesses that focus on farm-to-table.

What is the most interesting project you've encountered in the course of your work?
I started with event and portrait photography and remain fascinated by people's expressions and emotions. But I have shifted to nature and still life. My first project in this new direction was photographing farm-fresh mushrooms. They hooked me with their beauty.

What has Red River Paper done for your business? Is there a particular challenge Red River Paper has helped you overcome or a goal they helped you meet?
Red River has super customer service and even assisted me with my recent Canon printer purchase, which I'll use for greeting cards and 8X10s. I'm still testing paper types before making a larger purchase. Currently, I outsource printing but want to handle it in my studio.

Which Red River Paper products do you use, and what do you appreciate most about them?
I started greeting cards about a year ago and discovered Red River Paper. Their greeting card paper produces beautiful prints. I'm also now using Red River Paper for my 8x10 art prints with my new Canon Pixma printer.

How can people purchase your products/service?
I sell via my Bright Spot Photo Shop website, word of mouth, art guilds, stock photography, markets, businesses that display my work, and commissions. I have about 1,000 sales this year, both small and large purchases.

Do you have any future growth plans?
I would like to put my images on totes, wooden boxes, and other items to see how it goes. 

Is there a special story or testimonial from one of your customers you'd like to share?
When I first started in photography, I volunteered to photograph cancer patients and their families. This was done through a wonderful legal group called CancerLink in Richmond, Virginia. My clients would be so grateful that I created a memory for them. I hear similar gratitude with my landscapes, which evoke joyful memories. My still-life photos make people laugh. Who knew mushrooms could be so compelling?

Original Publication Date: September 15, 2025

Article Last updated: September 15, 2025

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