My “Why” and why this matters…

My love of photography comes from a few places:

A desire to stop time – It’s kinda my superpower. Time is the only non-renewable resource and each time my camera clicks it freezes that moment. Your child is forever 7 or 17. You and your friends are forever besties. Think about your favorite memories as a child: Road trips, building sandcastles, fishing at the lake, little league. If you have pictures to go with those memories are you standing still and looking straight ahead? Perhaps, but I’ll bet your favorites are the ones where you’re engaged with each other. My goal is for your images to feel the same as those important memories and freeze that emotion in time forever.

A deep motivation to help build confidence in young people – Growing up I was not the confident kid. I did not feel pretty. I wasn’t sure where I belonged. In today’s screen culture, that feeling in young people is multiplied by a million. I know it personally. But, one thing you will hear my seniors say is that working with me makes them feel empowered, confident, strong and beautiful. Boy, that’s my rocket fuel. Every. Day.

You also make a difference. This year, $50 from every session goes to Empowered Girls of North Carolina, an organization whose mission is to build integrity, respect and self-worth in girls 6-18 years old. I encourage you to check them out. I’ve served on their Board and most recently moved to their Advisory Board.

A desire to build community and connection – A basic human need for connection drives us all. Moving around a lot as a young couple/family, finding friends and feeling connected to the people and towns I lived in was hard. But, photography grounds me in this community. It’s helped me discover its history, traditions, people, parks and downtown cityscapes. It connects me to each family I photograph, each mom ready to start her own family and each high school senior ready to take on the world – and connects them to each other. It allows me to share my gifts to benefit others and receive their gift of community in return. You’re family.

Well there’s more, but let’s chat on the phone or meet in person. Make sure you take a look at my portfolio, and when you’re ready to move forward use the Contact link to get started.