1. Tell us about yourself...
I am the mom to three rowdy boys who never
seem to run out of energy! I am wife to a really wonderful man that brings out the best in
me. I love coffee, old movies, and the mountains. We love being outside and
taking hikes as a family whenever we can.
2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels
it now?
I was exposed to photography, well really
documenting, when I was very young. My dad was really great about documenting
our lives; he always had a video camera in hand. And it wasn’t just for
birthdays and Christmas, it was just the everyday. My parent’s house is filled
with VHS and beta tapes (ha, anyone remember those?!). There are also photo
albums filled with the same kind of everyday moments. Even as a kid, I would love
to page through them again and again. In high school my dad let me use his
Canon AE-1 (film). I didn’t know anything about the camera except how to load
the film and click the shutter and record my days, my family and friends. But that
moment ignited something that has evolved over the years. I’ve always needed a
creative outlet of some kind. I used to sketch, paint, and charcoal. But three
kids in, I just wasn’t making time to bring out all of my supplies any
longer. But I did have a camera in my
hand every day. I realized a couple of years ago that I could merge my love of
documenting and I could make art at the same time. Now I’m fueled to
find where documenting and creating can lead me.
3. What’s in your camera bag right now, what do use the
most? the least?
I shoot with a Nikon D7000. I have Nikkor 35mm
1.8, Nikkor 50mm 1.8, Sigma 17-50mm 2.8. I have the Lensbaby Composer Pro with
the Sweet 35, Sweet 50, and Edge 80. I also have an old Pentax 50mm lens that I
modified for freelensing.
I tend to gravitate towards my 17-50mm the
most, I really love wide angle shots. I’ve also really been loving my Sweet 35
Lensbaby optics a lot. My 50mm doesn’t get as action as it used it, mostly
because I just don’t feel like it gives me enough room to work with on my crop
compared to my other lenses. But I do still love it, but she tends to have to
wait for her turn longer than the others.
4. What’s your dream project or shoot?
We love being outside as a family and we also like to take
trips to places we have never seen. Even if they are only an hour away, just to
explore. I would love to be able to take a few weeks, load up my family into an
air stream, and go find some adventure and beauty all over the country. To be
able to shoot all while sharing that
experience with my guys would be incredible.
5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?
I struggle with finding the balance between
what I am creating for me as art; the shots I set up or shoot moody and
creative in contrast to what I am documenting for my family; the straight
forward story-telling of what our life is like. Finding where they collide and then
where they each have their own moment to shine but still finding that common ground
that makes my work cohesive and very me. I’ve kind of given up on being so
mindful about this and worrying about it as much as I used to. I figure if I am
shooting what I love, the fact that I saw beauty is the only common thread I
need
6. If you had $500 to spend on photography...
How should you spend it? How do you wish you could spend it? How would you
really spend it?
Oh my, I have a wish list that is a mile long; lenses,
workshops, camera bags. If I suddenly had $500 to spend I would turn into my
children like when they get to pick something out at the store. They go there
with a plan, but as soon as we get there they change their mind about 100
times. But ultimately I would want to
put it towards upgrading to a full frame. I would love to play with the extra
room and ISO it would give me.
7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at
the very beginning of your photography journey?
Follow your instinct; shoot whatever taps into your inner
voice even if it seems odd or you’re unsure about how it will turn out or be
received. Try it all; new light, new perspective, new editing. You’ll never
know until you try. When you find something that makes your heart leap hold
onto it, follow it, and see where it leads you….and please do not let social
media define the worth of your vision. The amount of likes you receive have no
correlation to your voice as an artist or your talent. You are the only one who sees the world and
can interpret it the way you do, there is something incredible about that!
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