Photographer Cheryl Marshall.

Photographer Cheryl Marshall has had a long passion for photography.

The 49-year-old McHenry County native’s work is on display in a digital portrait series “Facing Legacy: Portraits of Long Lives,” which runs through June 30 at the Woodstock Opera House Community Gallery, 121 Van Buren St., Woodstock.

The series is sponsored by Hearthstone Communities.

Marshall, a native of McHenry County, graduated from Calvin College, majoring in French with a photography minor. She gained a master’s degree in education from University of Illinois, Chicago.

Marshall’s passion for photography started in high school. She followed that passion to Alaska, where she did documentary photography of fishermen, and on to France where she photographed oyster farmers and ducklings. She has also participated in street art where groups of artists worked together to create atmospheres – forests, ships, deserts – as backdrops for portraits, and projected giant portraits against the city’s night.

One of Cheryl Marshall’s portraits on display is of Paul Wilson, 83.

“I chose the older demographic for this series,” said Marshall. “because of they have an interesting perspective that only comes with age and experience.”

Marshall began the series with little structure. Her friend, Danielle Gibbs, provided the connection to Hearthstone through her grandmother who is a resident there. Hearthstone Community is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization dedicated to providing the highest and most meaningful level of care for senior citizens, according to their website.

Although the technical aspects, such as lighting, angle, and background, are important, “never lose sight of your subject,” Marshall advises. “There’s a story to be told by the subject you’re photographing.”

Marshall said that she’s always dreamed of doing a targeted photography series that included text about the person’s life. She took many photographs of her subjects as she recorded their stories.

“There’s always at least one photograph that captures the essence of that person,” she said.

Her sister, Connie Henschel, helped her edit the text that accompanies each portrait.

Marshall lives in Woodstock with her husband Steve Marshall. She works at Snap-On Tools so she can feed her passion for photography, and painting in acrylics, and mixed media art.

The Woodstock Opera House Community Gallery is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. -6 p.m. Friday-Saturday and closed Sunday. To find out more about Marshall and her art, visit www.firehorseimages.com.