I’m sure you’re interested to find out a few more details about me…

Provenance: Toledo, OH

Now: The Woodlands, TX (since 2010)

Bona Fides: BS in Biology, Marymount University, Washington DC

Favorite things: travel, collecting jewelry, techie gear, beach volleyball, and snowboarding.

Formative years: My family was quite nomadic growing up. No witness protection or anything like that. My father’s job moved us around the country about every three years. Once I was out of the house I seemed to keep to that schedule. I have moved 11 times in my life with several short stops in between that I don’t count. My addresses have included OH, PA, IN, VA, NC, DC, NJ, NY, Germany and TX. I have even lived in Syracuse in both Indiana and New York. 

Finding my way: My early work was in the field of Molecular Biology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. I was married at 24 and my husband and I moved to Europe for 6 years of uninterrupted fun. While I was in Germany I worked in Quality Assurance for an environmental chemistry lab learning all about the wonderful world ISO standards. I have an exacting nature and was perfectly suited to this work. It was during this time however that photography really began shaping my life. My husband and I used every opportunity to travel Europe and soak in its many cultures. My photography went digital in 1998 when I purchased my first fully manual camera. I loved the freedom that digital photography allowed. I was able to explore my creative side and learn the mechanics of the camera without piles of unusable prints on my floor. After our first child was born and we moved back to the US, my focus shifted. The subject of my photography was no longer cathedrals, landscapes, and village life but rather the miraculous evolution of the tiny life we brought into our world. Shortly thereafter God brought people into my life who were also photographers and in collaborating with them, I honed my craft further. I found myself having the distinct pleasure and responsibility of photographing weddings, expecting parents, babies fresh in this world, families and special events.  During this time I was able to see how important my role in managing the tone of the photography session was. I love building new relationships with my subjects while quietly documenting the interactions of loved ones. Every session has its own dynamic determined by the unique subjects that are a part of it. It is just as important for me to understand and positively use this dynamic as it is for me to know which settings to use on my camera and when to click the shutter. 

Cultivating my style: I continue to learn something new from every photographic session and spend many hours staying current with the ever-advancing hardware and software of my profession. I find it endlessly fascinating to pore over pictures from classic portraitists and war correspondents as well as contemporary artists. What I find through all of this is that you need to have a connection to your subject and a true love of what you do. In order to create images that resonate for people you yourself need to be captivated by the subject. 

My Influences: Who makes my day? I have to point to my husband, our two kids and two rescue pups. While we are rooted in our American nationality, we want them to embrace their diverse ethnic backgrounds. I bring the German-Irish-English while my husband’s family is Hawaiian-Chinese-Filipino-Portuguese-Spanish. This means that our year is filled with interesting cultural traditions and wonderful food. We are blessed in abundance with wonderful family and friends who also continuously broaden our horizons. We will certainly wander to explore, but we have found a home here in the land of Texas that will inspire us for years to come.