A little about me...

When it comes to my art, emotions are my inspiration. And when I capture a wedding in pictures, I’m inspired by every single moment. The drama and power of photography has captivated me all my life. From the first moment I explored Portland’s monthly gallery exhibits to the first time I developed prints myself, I knew my future was carving its space: I would be a professional photographer.

In 2007, I began shooting weddings. The excitement and energy of each event is intoxicating—and when I know I’ve captured the emotion of the moment, there’s no better feeling in the world. To get to that point, I start my journey with the bride and groom before I even pick up the camera. I’m inquisitive by nature, and understanding the details, design and style of a couple’s wedding can transform the tone of my images from beautiful to breathtaking.

I shoot a full range of photos, but “portraits” hold a special place in my heart. Portraits are intensely personal and can be incredibly rewarding for a photographer. When a mother looks at a portrait of her daughter and says “oh, that’s so her” with the slightest smile on her face, I know I’ve given them something special. When I shoot portraits of family and guests, I hope that they’ll feel amazing when they see themselves in print. To deliver such emotion is a gift for me, and if I’m doing my job right, it’s a gift to my clients, as well.

What I want for my clients is to bring every moment to life, to shape the story of their special day through my lens. I hope I can do exactly that for you.

New Orleans Personal Photos

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Posted in Personal Posts

This year’s Partner Conference was the first one I wasn’t really able to attend. I didn’t get to hear many of the presentations or photographers lounge lessons so I didn’t walk away thinking, there is this one thing I am going to do to change my business.

What I did walk away with is inspiration, inspiration beyond explanation. It’s being surrounded by friends from across the country and learning how they have become so successful. It’s about seeing the work of photographers I have never met and realizing the amazing talent that is out there. It about meeting local New Orleanians and hearing their stories about the storm, stories that bring big ol’ tears to your eyes. Being inspired by the smile on their face as they explain their new life and their new hope.

I guess hope is what I walked away with. Hope that my work at the conference in some way helped someone. Hope that my business will someday influence and inspire people. Hope that New Orleans will continue to re-build and shine.

My favorite photos barely describe my trip, but they are a brief depiction of what I saw.

And for the lower ninth ward photos…
This woman is the only one that lives in her neighborhood. They are building new houses all around her so she sits on her porch all day and watches. I guess I would too. This is my favorite photo. During the storm, he lost his wife and baby for two days!

There were a couple locals that I will never forget, one being our bus driver Lionel. He made my trip in so many ways – meeting his adorable grandson, him telling us about his 4′10” wife and how she is the love of his life, and the best thing he ever could have said, “y’all come back now, ya hear?” I think I hugged him a bit longer than I should have for that. Anyway, he is speaking on this video and that’s why it’s here.