My love of photography didn’t actually start with photography…it started with a love of dance. From when I was little, pretending to tap dance with my church shoes in my front hallways, I have always loved dance. Learning it, watching it, and even today in my getting-so-close-to-30-I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it body, I still find myself choreographing in my kitchen while I’m cooking.
From my appreciation of dance, I started to appreciate dance photography even more – that singular moment where movement, expression, muscle, breath, and light can all be compressed down into a camera and then exploded out into an image that pulls while it pushes, and screams while it whispers.
And then…I became a mom. As I progressed through the magic (and stress) of my first pregnancy, I realized that really great children’s photography could do more than even the best dance images. Children, without choreography, without music, and without training, are effortlessly the embodiment of all that dance ever was to me - even in stillness.
I quickly became enveloped in capturing moments with my daughter, and then that passion spread to wanting to capture moments with every child I ever met, and then wanting to continue that journey. Whether with high school seniors who are about to leave the comfort of childhood and embark on great adventures, or with couples who are coming together to create the warmth of a new family, I know that there is a special spirit in all of it.
I believe the key to great people photography is creating an image that expresses what it is that makes someone who he or she IS. For a parent to look at my work and say “that is SO my child” is the compliment I strive for in all that I do.