Vision Statement:

To foster a diverse clientele by consistently producing quality images of All People during All Phases of Real Life.

Mission Statement:

By believing that All People are beautiful, I will work to capture my clients best selves and commit to making them as comfortable in front of the lens as possible, regardless of age, gender, or situation.

Real life is messy, expensive, and complicated. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. And it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t document it. Sometimes getting everyone together – haircuts, clean clothes, makeup, accessories – is a total ordeal and feels like too much. Maybe it’s the history major in me, but I feel passionate about images past and present. And not to sound too morbid, but someday all our ancestors may have to remember us by is a photograph and a piece of jewelry.

Even in the digital age where everything online will live forever there’s still something about having photos of our grandparents and great grandparents hanging in our homes to give a sense of gravitas to this non-stop pace of our 24/7 modern world. Who knows 100 years from now how even more crazy things will be for the average family? And when you look at those portraits of your great grandparents, do you picture them complaining about the motor-cars crowding horses off the streets? Complaining that her corset is getting too tight? Wondering what they’ll feed the kids for dinner when the milkman didn’t deliver enough that morning? No, we see their faces, we see our own history, we see part of ourselves. Photographs today can still hold that power. Let me capture you, your family, or your special event for this one nugget of time, this one little part of your whole big picture of life.

Real life is beautiful not just despite all it’s chaos but because of it. There’s an ability to “roll with it” that many photographers I’ve found don’t seem to have. For instance, I’ve found some are terrified of working with the toddler and preschool set and it’s that challenge I absolutely love. Those kids often come with no filter and will be my best friend for life as soon as I start slipping them some M&Ms. The photos might not be “perfect” in a Pottery Barn catalogue kind of way but their honest snippet of real life surpasses that standard with a depth and truth I adore. 

Likewise, I get that life happens. I’ve never ever had a client abuse my generous no cancelation fee policy. People wake up sick, work schedules change at the last minute, the weather ends up being absolute crap. No problem. Similarly, I’ve shown up for newborn shoots where someone just needs to nurse for a half hour before we get started. Again, no problem. You may have scheduled an hour for newborn pics but I plan two just in case. It’s that kind of flexibility that I offer my clients that you won’t always find elsewhere.

Finally, if we’re going to extoll the beauties of real life, we have to talk about photoshop. I will not make you skinnier, shorter, less bald, or anything else that changes too much of who you are. I will edit out that zit that popped up the morning of your shoot (always happens, I swear), the scratch on your kids forehead, the schmutz you didn’t realize was on your spouses shirt. I will warm your skin tone up if you err on the pale side if only to give you a healthy glow (Side note: they had to do this with all the pale British kids in the Harry Potter movies). Similarly I will shoot you from the most flattering angle I can manage in order to get your best side. As a plus sized woman myself, I get it. I know I’m chubby but it doesn’t mean I don’t want the world to see the best version of me. But that’s my job: to make YOU, no matter who you are or what you look like or how adorable and coordinated your family may or may not be, to look your most fantastic.