Photographing people is so personal, so up close and in your face. I think that everyone has the right to know the person photographing them on a personal basis as well. They know so much about you, they are witnessing such private, intimate details about your life and you're letting them in with open arms. Why should it not be the other way around? You can build a stronger bond with your photographer before that session even happens by knowing them as well, so thats what I'm going to do!
My life in a nutshell and what I'm about:
I grew up in the Spokane Valley and went to schools in the Central Valley School District. My parents have been married for 32 years and together for I think 36 years. My brother, Peter, just turned 18 and is my only sibling. I have a wondeful boyfriend, Brian, who I have been dating for almost two years and we have three wonderful doggy children named Tuff, Brandy and Remi. He lives in Chattaroy, WA, but I see him on a regular basis. I've been working at retirement homes for the last five years! I love the elderly and all the stories they share from when they were younger.
I started my passion for photography when I was a sophomore in high school. I didn't really think of myself as "artsy." I couldn't draw or paint very well. But once I got my hands on the camera and clicked the shutter I found something I was very good at and loved doing!
My senior year came and I did my senior project on Dentistry. I'm an oral hygiene freak!! I had this vision that I was going to go to EWU (Eastern Washington University) and be a dental hygientist. I got accepted to Eastern and had a scholarship. After two years at EWU and taking a biology/chemistry series, I decided it wasn't for me. I needed to change my major. Looking into many options of what I thought I would like to do, I came back to Photography. Something I knew I loved to do, had passion for and thought I would make it in the business. My mom was supportive, my dad has his doubts. (He eventually came around).
Two years later, after a total of four years in college, I'm finishing up my degree in Photography Fine Arts. Woah! I can't believe it, I've come a long way! There were times I have wanted to quit and give up but I didn't.
It's amazing to me how much passion I have for photography. It's amazing how much passion people can have for anything. That makes me smile, I want people to be passionate about the things they love to do and the people they love.
Some side details about me:
I met my boyfriend at a mud bog, yes a mud bog. Big lifted trucks driving in a mud pit. I love being outdoors. Mud bogging, 4-wheeling, fishing, camping, gold panning, huckleberry picking, spending time with my friends and family
Of course, most of all photography!
Above all else, I love being apart of the special moments in other people's lives. I love weddings. Pregnancy is a miracle and beautiful, newborns are a miracle.Engagments make my heart melt. Children are so fun and make me laugh and make for awesome and funny candid photographs. Familes are what this country is build upon and that should be documented (you took time to build your family, why not show people how awesome it is!). Graduating high school is an achievement in itself, show people how much you have grown since you were in kidergarten. Those things mean a lot to me and always will. Every part of every life is important and it should be captrued in a moment in time. You need to seize those moments before they're gone. I stand by that until the day I die.
