You made it!
Welcome to the Blog! I figured that it would be fun to give you guys a little taste of my own personal life including a little bit about myself, what I do when I am not photographing families and weddings (which still includes a lot of taking photographs), and some fun shoots that I have been enjoying lately!
A little bit of background info for you all – I am originally from Chicago and moved out to California almost 4 years ago. I always felt drawn to California after visiting here at a young age and found so much love for everything that makes up that wonderful California atmosphere. The ocean breeze, the vibrant people, the glorious rolling mountains, the awareness of the world around us, delicious food, palm trees!!! The list goes on and on. I have never felt fully at home until I moved to California. As I like to say, the city life is great for some people – just not for me.
Through my journey to California, I attended Brooks Institute based in Santa Barbara/Ventura and graduated with my Bachelors in Fine Art Photography. I didn’t really know what exactly I wanted to do going into the program at Brooks, but I did know that I wanted to be a photographer. Ever since I was a kid at 10 years old, I had an interest in photography. I asked my parents – or Santa I suppose – for my first camera and played around with a little camcorder that could shoot photos and videos. (This was absolute perfection for my creativity driven right-brain mind) I would take it with me everywhere. Taking pictures and videos of all of my friends just being kids and photos on all of my family vacations. I was in love… with a camera. I decided then and there that this is what I want to do with my life. Capture memories of those around me and share those memories with others. I even remember filling out my career simulation in middle school and dreaming of what a career as a photographer would be. As others chose “doctor” or “lawyer” or jobs that would make them lots of money, with a big house and cool cars. All I wanted was to be a photographer, that was simply enough for me.
When I was finishing up my last few semesters at Brooks, something dawned upon me. Something that makes complete sense, but something I never necessarily processed fully when starting. I spent my entire high-school years working with kids, being a counselor for after school programs, teaching t-ball in the summers, babysitting – almost every job I’ve ever had was working with families and children. Why in the world would I not become a family, children, and wedding photographer!? It all made sense! I had always found the perspective of children to be absolutely refreshing. It is a perspective that us adults can’t necessarily grasp fully when we are focused on adult things like paying bills, putting food on the table, balancing work with activities that energize us. Children, on the other hand, have this curiosity and unadulterated wonder in the world that some of us have lost throughout the years. This makes me think that just as much as children can learn from parents and the adults that are in their lives, we can also learn just as much from their vastly inspiring perspective of the world. This is the same feeling that fills MY cup past the “half-full” mark and ends up pouring over the brim of the cup whenever I get the pleasure of working with them and their families. It truly is always a worthwhile, unique, and irreplaceable experience every single session I have with a family and I absolutely LOVE that!
Other than doing photo sessions, I have fully adapted to the California lifestyle out here and love to spend my free time going on road-trips, backpacking, camping, surfing, meeting amazing smiling personalities everywhere I go, indulging in countless local restaurants, bonfires on the beach – this is the life for me! I wouldn’t rather have it any other way. I am excited to share with you all some of my favorite memories that I have had lately (I have a lot of catching up to do, there are SO many), along with some recent shoots that I have been doing! I’ll try to fill in some gaps along the way about myself, because now I feel like I am ranting about myself and my ego needs to get back in it’s little box – this is my first blog after all so bear with me through this journey.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the little details about my own life and some of my own memories that I have to share with you all!
Stay Tuned!
