Photography
We all define it differently. We all see it differently. The beauty is that there is room in this world for all of it. The abstract, the pure and organic, the high fashion and the spontaneous. The whimsical and the intense. The edgy and the traditional.
Photographs are a legacy. Things take up space- mom’s favorite dishes, trunk, etc. I love those things too but photos don’t break when you move to a new house, they don’t take up half the living room, and they don’t rust. They can be treasured on a wall, on a phone, or in a wallet. Photographs are timeless and they are forever. Memories are meant to be captured and legacy lives on through our photographs.
I specialize in outdoor, natural portraits.
I use minimal props in order to focus on the person or people. Portrait photography is about connection. The most important aspect is to capture the person authentically. I never want a person to see a photo I took and think “that is not me” because it doesn’t feel true to them.
Photography is about seeing people on the other side of the lens. Truly seeing them. It is providing a safe place where they feel they can let their guard down and be in the moment- raw and vulnerable. The turning point in a photo shoot is when the shoulders relax and the eyes come alive. That is when it begins to happen.
Photo shoots should be fun and empowering.
They should build confidence and strength- not be stressful and forced. Small children, pets, the elderly- there is a way to capture the person or animal that does not involve stiff poses, perfect behavior and forced smiles. It just happens as a person or animal is comfortable and at ease. I bring that kind of environment to a photo shoot.
It takes time and intentionality on my part. In this world of cell phones, everyone has access all the time to taking pictures. Photography has to be different. If my photos don’t tell a story, I have not done my job. If a person is still guarded at the end of a photo shoot, I have only snapped pictures and not captured the true person in a photograph.
