About Me

How I started

Nostalgia…

It can take us all to different places, things, even help us remember certain fragrances…..Maybe a walk through town on a quite summers eve , a mothers pancakes every saturday morning or a fathers conversation….

On calm days this is the feeling I have. It brings me to a place to make me trace back the steps that helped create who I am today; a wife and a photographer.

Artistic expression runs in the family. My Grandfathers photography, my mothers writing awards and brothers dreams of a stained glass studio..although some how my sister took a different direction towards accounting. She’s the book smart gal we’re all jealous of.

My photography started when I was 11 or 12 during the summer we found my fathers old manual camera. Growing up in a small town meant laid back evenings so during those times I would snap the shutter thinking “Wow, I did this!”. A feeling of taking over the world had happened. My first photo. Of course those were the film days and with my family concentrating on other things I set the camera down not knowing it meant something. I explored other areas, drawing, painting, ceramics but nothing seemed to bring that same feeling back, my pride freezing a moment in time.

Years later I moved to other schools filled with the opportunity for photography courses and dark rooms. The excitement started over again as I watched those papers turn to images in that black tray. It was so exciting I felt as if I were in a candy store for the first time again. So many choices and possibilities! It was then I knew I had talent seeing my work displayed out of hundreds, however I kept that my little secret.

Fast forwarding to several years ago I came across a small vivatar point and shoot camera with a whopping 3 megapixels. This was it. It just took that one person to grab my fascination again with settings, lighting, posing. And for that I am grateful.

Shortly after my husband bought me my first Digital SLR. I took photos of everyone and everything from carpet fibers to chasing the animals around the house all day. Now when they see the camera they avoid me like the plague.

Then came portraits and weddings. Some were great, others not so much. The important thing was continuing to push through the self defeat seeing an image turn out differently than was hoped for to learning how I would do so. Again, for that I am very grateful to those who helped me learn and still do. Research was and still is the key. I am always looking up to bigger and better portraits, new lighting, new faces…

In August of ’09 I decided I am starting my business. Nothing is stopping me from my passion because failure isn’t an option. It has been a steep learning curve but has been very rewarding. My business is part time, and hopefully one day I will be full time. For now this gives me the extra time to focus on my clients to provide exactly what they want so I can help them tell their story.

Despite writing and art abilities photography feels like home. The portraits captured may not seem much at first however they do tell a story over time. Those stories are worth remembering and recording so days like today we can go back to see the record of the journey and smile knowing whatever has had happened it is all worth it.