I bought my first camera in 1987. I had saved every penny from lost teeth, birthdays, and odd jobs to buy the hot pink le clic of my dreams. I finished my first roll of film within hours of my triumphant purchase and turned it in for developing that same day. For the next week, I waited impatiently for my amazing images sure to change the face of photography forever. When I finally opened the envelope, I was horrified – the pictures were awful and the worst part was that somehow each photo was printed half on one paper and half on the next paper! In an epic fit of rage that can only come from a 9-year-old girl, I threw both camera and offending pictures in the trash can.

I didn’t consider photography again until my first child was born in 2005 and I realized the truth of all of the cliché’s. I was given a front-row seat to how quickly time passes. As I watched my son grow before my eyes, I knew that if I wanted to document his every roll, step, word, and experience, I would have to act fast. I picked up my first DSLR and committed to learning all that I could. At the time, I had no idea how much I would fall in love with photography itself. Four cameras, many classes, countless books, and two more boys later I decided it was time to turn my passion into a career.