My deep, constant drive to create photographs is fueled by two deeper motivations: 1) a lifelong desire to document the world around me, and 2)  the need to connect and communicate with the people around me, to discover their stories, to honor them, and to lift them up.

I grew up in an environment where I was always the odd one out. To find my place in childhood, I turned to reading. One particular book, “Harriet The Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh introduced me to three main things–journaling, and observing the people around me, and swearing. I started journaling thanks to that banned-in-some-places book, and even ended up creating a cheese blog later in life, which I still maintain. One of the last things my dad said to my teenage self before he passed away was, “Don’t stop writing.” I listened.

Since then, that desire to write and document has evolved to include photography in a huge way. It happened almost by accident. As a classically-trained opera singer, I have performed in opera and operetta productions for a long time. During one show, I decided to bring my camera backstage to document the flurry of activity and flounce of costumes around me. A new career was thus born!

Whenever I photograph a subject– be it a person, landscape, object, animal, or plant–I consider it a great honor. It is a gift to me to photograph something or someone, and I approach every image with respect and curiosity. The act of taking a photo creates an instant relationship, and I want every click of the shutter to have a positive impact. Every instance I take out my camera is an opportunity for me to discover something important and beautiful, and to create bonds with the community.

Particularly in portraiture, my adherence to these beliefs is doubly important because another person is involved, and the crucial element of trust is added. So often, people mask and alter parts of themselves to conform to outside forces. I strive to create portraits where those constraints do not exist. My portraits speak to each person’s unique inner strength and potential.

Aesthetically, I think I align myself more with classical painters than contemporary photographers. From the portraits of John Singer Sargent, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt, to the sweeping landscapes of Thomas Cole and JMW Turner, art history is what I turn to when I’m feeling lost. Referring to the history and past great art allows me to play with the lines between classical and contemporary, staged and unstaged. The result is as novel as it is traditional. I do this to align the great art of photography with the great artwork of the past, and to elevate my subjects to the level of what we see on gallery and museum walls.

That feeling of connection to ancient, great traditions like opera and art history has given me a solid foundation as an artist, and a springboard to create new, novel, meaningful work. Knowing that I will always be able to hear and tell new stories, to discover more places, and to meet new people keeps me motivated to keep exploring. The future holds so many opportunities to create and collaborate, and I look forward to them all.