When asked as a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, I don't recall photographer being the first occupation to roll off my tongue. I have always had a deep connection to it though. I do remember a Christmas when I was 8 and I received 2 disposable cameras. Within an hour they were all used up from me running around taking photos of everything in the house. That moment set the basis for my future.
I love to keep memorabilia from just about anything I do. I don't want to forget a single thing. I want to preserve the aspect of a life well-lived, hard-worked, ups and downs, and every emotion in between. Whether it is an emotion, object, or landscape, I believe it is the little things in life that are overlooked that can end up being the most beautiful.
I always keep this I'm mind when photographing for others. What will they look back on? How will I preserve time for them? What is going to revive more memories for both them and their families later in life? Photographs help us not to forget the sweet times we have together. They create stories. They create moments. They activate emotions that carry us through life.
I graduated from Miami University with a BFA in Studio Art concentrating in photography in 2014. After graduation, I returned to Miami as an instructor. This made me crave to pursue my own work even more. I was accepted back to Miami for my MFA in 2018 as the first and only student in photography's inaugural year in the program. During graduate school, I got married and gave birth to our first son before graduating in 2021. This wild adventure has only driven me further in my goals to create art for myself and others. I continue to teach and share my passion for this art form with others, discussing the basics of camera functions and creating the most out of their own work.