I typically hate the “tell me about yourself” types of conversations because I’ve never quite known how to respond to that correctly. That being said, I’ve always been quite a writer and I believe getting to know me, even if only a little, is an important step in deciding on whether or not we’ll be a good fit so here goes…

Lemme begin with a bit of my photo experience…that part is easy. I’ve had a camera of some kind in my hand as long as I can remember. The earliest recollection I have was kindergarten or first grade when I took a 110 film camera on a field trip to Japanese Gardens, China Town and the Oregon Zoo. Sadly I lost those prints ages ago but my memory of them is vivid. 

My next major photography memory came at 16 when I took pictures filling 30 something rolls of film in total while in Washington DC for a week. Most of my classmates spent money on snacks and souvenirs and me…film. Lots and lots of film.

After the birth of my 4th child, I snapped the best photo of him and his big sister (which you see below) and entered it on photography.com or something like that where it won an award. 

Fast forward 20 years and my film camera days were traded for digital cameras but I continued to shoot and shoot and shoot some more. 

In 2011 or 2012 I finally purchased my first DSLR. I took it everywhere and shot everything every chance I got. My nephews, my children and their friends developed a case “photographer’s kids syndrome” early on. The more I practiced though, the better I got. And then something life-changing happened….

My images were received well and one year I entered some in the Clark County Fair amateur division…two long exposure night photos, a shot of my nephew eating watermelon and a Black and white photo I took of a dilapidated barn. All four earned 1st and 2nd place ribbons and the event chair, a professional with decades of experience under his belt, was entirely wowed by the long exposures and didn’t believe they were my first attempts. The following year I entered as a professional and walked away with four 2nd place images…not a bad debut if you ask me. 

These “wins” gave me some confidence I hadn’t had previously and I continued to practice and learn and eventually started the first of several photography businesses and eventually found myself employed as a staff photographer for a small town paper. Why several businesses…because I’ve switched states a few times and given up on myself a few more times than that. 

Despite quitting on myself multiple times, I continue to be drawn to photography. I’m happiest with a camera  in my hand shooting something or someone. If not my DSLR my cell phones are never far from me. In fact, I have nearly 75k photos on my camera roll currently actually. 

That’s the basic run down as to my photography journey but photographer is just one hat I wear. 

I’m a Portland native, I’ve been in 38 of our 50 states, I’ve been to Canada briefly when I went on Maid of the Mist, Mexico briefly when moving from Portland to Arkansas and most recently to the Bahamas where I shot this red sunrise. The photo simply doesn’t do it justice either. 

I’ve been called a lot of things but among the best are Mom/Nana and I have recently become quite accustomed to being called Baby by a handsome fella that tells me he loves me more on a regular basis. 

I believe Black lives matter and matter is the minimum. I believe in leaving people better than you find them and that love is love. I also believe that connection is the real universal language. 

Connection transcends race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability and disability, age, gender and pretty much everything else. I believe connection is how we fix this broken world we live in and I strive to create images that reflect genuine connections. 

For me personally, it’s almost always the “off-guard” shot  between poses that I wind up loving most in every session. It’s there in those informal moments that I think people are most authentic. 

While completing my bachelors degree in graphic design, an instructor told me I had command knowledge of the rules of good design which enables me to also know when breaking the rules creates a more compelling image. 

Finally, as someone who is neurodivergent, I see the world a little differently and it’s reflected in my work. Images where someone has their eyes closed or is looking off camera seemingly “spacing out”  don’t always wind up on the chopping block and I won’t force you to smile either. I believe magic is real because I make it every time I shoot and I look forward to making some with you!