When I first started to learn as much as I could about photography, I was teaching photojournalism and advising the yearbook at Kirkwood High School right after graduating from Mizzou with a journalism degree.
I loved the idea that a story was being told on the other side of the camera. Soon I found my way into photographing portraits from newborns to four-generation families. Eventually, I made it my full-time career and life’s work. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago... In that time, it was important to me to never lose the Art of Storytelling. I always wanted to go beyond just taking the photo—what does the image make the viewer feel? One rule in journalism is “show, don’t tell”—and that is the beauty of adding storytelling to photography and connecting the viewer to the people being photographed. I hope when people see my work they can see not only a beautiful portrait but also the “something more” that comes from the subject being able to be authentic because they trusted me to see the very best in them through my lens.