my inspiration …

For me photography has always been about remembering – the feeling, the light, the expressions, the texture & color, the design of a moment. I am so visual, that photographs ARE my memories. They trigger so much for me, and without them the past would be a foggy haze of vague feelings. The photos – they take me back to a time and place with some clarity. They are my tangible reminders of feelings I cherish, even the hard ones. Some of the feelings I cherish are the magic of their adoration, and the feelings of frustration and stupid crazy love I feel for my kids.  How a good old fashioned Portlandia meal with the love of my life can not only feed my body but also my soul.  The smell of coffee early in the morning and that sweet caffeine buzz it leaves me with.  Spontaneous kitchen dance parties. That crazy face she makes.  Laughing until my cheeks ache. The way his little hand feels in mine. The way the light streams in my living room window.  The ocean mist on my face.  It might sound silly but the way these moments feel to me are the exact same feelings I want to capture in you.

And this might sound even sillier, but my Super Human Power happens to be capturing those raw, beautiful, messy feelings with my camera and showing them back to you.

Bringing you back to your moments every time you flip through a book we created and walk past that print in your hall way.  Helping you remember just how good the sun felt on your face, and how tiny her hand felt in yours as you snuggled together on your couch.  Even if the carpet hadn’t been vacuumed, or if there were dishes in the sink.  It’s my job to find your moments among the chaos and help you hold on to them for the rest of time.

my heart …

These wrinkly fingers are more than just bath hands though. My autistic boy, Sam, completely freaks out when he gets wrinkled fingers in the water. We have mediated hundreds of wrinkled finger meltdowns. 20 years from now this picture will still bring me back to the drama, the emotion, the beautiful chaos that is our lives.

I don’t know about you, but that’s what life is for me.  A balance of extremes.  The highest highs and the lowest lows.  The laughter and the tears, the joy and the screams, the beauty and the challenges that can hit us when we are least expecting it. All of the parts are worth remembering.

a few quirky facts

[ezcol_1quarter]I am a homebody with wanderlust.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]I hate the word “hubby”, and love the word “serendipity”.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]I am madly & deeply in love with Joni Mitchell.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter_end]Bad movies, long flights & dull conversations make me fidgety & grumbly.[/ezcol_1quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]I am a friendly introvert & feel extremely shy in large groups. I thrive on one on one and very small group connections.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]I generally prefer the company of children over adults. They’re just so real with no pretenses. And fun![/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]I have a deep appreciation of chocolate, but no matter what it always ends up all over my face.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter_end]I have an intense fear of heights and get the heeby jeebies when someone on tv or movies stands close to an edge.[/ezcol_1quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]I do not like having balls thrown or kicked in my general direction.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]I’m giggly more often than not.[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter]I cannot parallel park a minivan to save my life![/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_1quarter_end]I have a OCD about locking my front door.[/ezcol_1quarter_end]