Most photographers start this part by saying how they LOVED photography from an early age.  I really can't say that.  I did have a little blue Fisher Price camera, but the most distinctive picture I ever remember taking with it was a picture of my nose.

I didn't get into photography much until my parents bought me a digital camera at the end of high school.  Even then, it was entirely due to their encouragement and inspiration that I made a business out of it.  To me, it was hard work to take good pictures.  It still is, because my expectations for myself are always rising. 

I like photography.  But what I really love are relationships. 

Photography allows me the opportunity to forge new relationships while documenting people’s lives.  And it has an extraordinary ability to connect people. THAT is what I love. From showing a toddler their face on the back of the camera to teaching teenagers in Myanmar how to express themselves through imagery, I have seen the power of photography to connect one life to another, even if their life experiences look nothing alike.

It’s magic.

You know what else is magic? Helping a teenage girl see herself as pretty. Watching families enjoy one another. Seeing a bride tear up when receiving her pictures. Capturing a baby’s first steps. Getting the senior guy who’s doing pictures solely for his mom to grin.

We all live pretty normal lives, right? Or do we?

I have learned to love photography because I love people. 

You have a story, whether you think you do or not, and I want to tell it.