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I am very passionate BUT I decided a while ago that I needed to choose carefully where I expend my energy. I could do a lot halfheartedly but I am an ALL-IN type of person so that would not work.

I choose what brings me life. I especially choose what brings life to others.

I need to find purpose in what I do or to me it is hollow. What could seem mundane I seek the meaning. A simple photo shoot is not simple at all. People are complicated. Life is complicated. Photography is definitely complicated. I don’t mean in the way of lighting, editing, and shooting. Those are the easiest parts. It is challenging because people and life are complicated and capturing those moments takes thinking, processing, and quick decisions.

I always walk very quickly at a photo shoot way in front of the person or people I am photographing. It may appear I am being anti-social but I am actually running so many scenarios through my mind that sometimes I get confused.

How do I capture the personality of the shy one in the family? The awkward one? Is the dad’s bad mood sabotaging the whole shoot? How do I change that? How can I make these photos different than all the rest? Am I capturing the true personalities?

I never want to be a picture taker. I don’t even want to really be a photographer in the simplest of terms. I want to be a person who takes photographs and they tell a story. They breathe life. They honor the people who are in them. I want people to be SEEN by me and know that I am not there to make them into someone they are not.

I love families. The dynamics, the messiness, the beauty- all of it. And I see all of it from behind the camera. Because I am imperfect and my family is part mess and part awesome… I get it. Pulling off photos is not easy. The outfits, the weather, the personalities. It is A LOT but it is worth it. Time taken to capture a moment in history matters. It may seem like “just a few shots of the kids” but it bigger than that.

I encourage you to fight the voice that says that you want to lose weight and grow out your hair before you schedule photos. Capture your family as they are right now. You will not regret it.

The truth is I may not be your person. That is ok! My photos require you to step over cow patties and ant hills. I am loud and sometimes weird and I own that. I don’t do big backgrounds and props. I like serious faces as much as I like smiley ones. I don’t do events like weddings because they stress me out.

There are a few promises I will keep:

I am just as concerned that your family has a great experience together and we will grab some good photos along the way.

You and your family are central to the photos- not

Photography is not a profession. It is not a hobby. It is a way of looking at the world. Walking downtown, I see the texture of the chippy paint and the colors of the aged brick and I begin to decide on the angle and the light the photo will need….and I don’t even have my camera. It becomes a way of life. I see interesting people and want to approach them and ask if I could do a photo shoot sometime but then the rational part of my brain kicks in and I realize it sounds creepy and crosses all kinds of lines….

When I go to nature preserves or state parks, many photographers are crowded around a rare species of birds while I can barely tell a cardinal from a blue jay. I can be found laying down in the middle of a path photographing a weed because I also see photos as stories or word pictures. People will often come by and stop to see where I am looking and I often say quietly, “It is really just a weed.” That gets a lot of nods and perplexed looks and a whole lot of silence. Then I go on my merry way to the next fungus or tree bark…..

Photography is complex and yet simple. It is deep and it is basic. It is all in how you look at it.