It’s me!

My parents got me a black and white camcorder for Christmas one year when I was very young. It was one of those camcorders that had a special VHS tape that it was plugged into and had to run in the VCR the whole time. My cousin and I did almost nothing else but record weird, meandering stories about pirates, adventurers, and the occasional Public Service Announcement. While my it was my sister that did most of the recording, I gradually moved from in front of the camera to behind it when I upgraded to using my mom's digital camcorder. It was around this point that I started learning that I loved pictures, and ended up picking up a small Lumix (also my mom's) to start taking still photos as well.

I spent all of high-school convincing my friends to let me record them so I could make as many projects as I could. I'm not sure if they really enjoyed it or if they just wanted me to stop asking. Then, I picked up my grandpa's old AE-1 Program for my photography class, and I never stopped. I used every possible free moment to be in the dark room. I was starting to get quite busy with all of my projects, and eventually had to make a very difficult choice. Motion, or still? As much as I tried, I couldn't record a project and photograph it at the same time. This became very clear when I shot and recorded my first wedding. I think in the end, I decided that I could capture more content with stills. Recording often requires action and movement, but with stills, I felt like I had more flexibility and opportunities to make pretty things.

I didn't intend to go to college to study photography. I started out wanting to write fiction. I went through most of my liberal arts, and took the one creative writing class that was available. I remember feeling quite lost. Where I was headed just wasn't right. Speaking to my advisor was just discouraging. I ended up in the Communications program for a while, searching desperately for a creative and visual outlet, but I kept circling what I really wanted. I don't remember if there was an exact "eureka" moment, but I did eventually realize that I still had my camera on me at all times. It's like I didn't know that Photography was a real field of study.

My husband, who at the time was a nice, cute boy I knew, encouraged me to transfer to a school with a respectable photo program, instead of what I wanted to do, which was just drop out. I never had any confidence in myself, so I didn't expect to get in anywhere, but somehow I got into both the art school I applied to, and the tech school.

This changed everything. As much as I loved the idea of being a weird art student, I went to the tech school instead. I felt like that was where I really struggled, with technical things. The artistic part I could gather on my own. So, I attended the Rochester Institute of Technology for the next three years, and with my liberal arts mostly out of the way I could solely focus on photography.

It's been a few years since I've graduated, and now I live with my cute, nice boy husband in Pittsburgh, PA. I've worked with a handful of photographers in the area that have all helped me find my footing in the wedding industry. One photographer in particular picked me up as soon as I set foot in Pittsburgh and has been a mentor and partner ever since. When I'm not shooting weddings, I practice my recipe development and food photography skills. I have been taking a lot of online classes and workshops so I can someday feel satisfied with my work (never going to happen). I think my idea of being "successful" looks different than a lot of people's interpretation, but I'm gradually embracing that. I think in my quiet, calm, comforting way, I'm right where I should be.