how i grew up to be a photographer

It all started when...

I was just 5 years old with a camera that had a flip flash (remember those?).  I took my very first photograph of a family....my family.  At a young age, I realized the power of photography....capturing time, preserving moments, relaying history from one person to another, from one generation to another.  I vividly remember spending hours of my childhood immersed in my family's many photo albums.   How wonderful to see my parents as children, as high school seniors, and as a young married couple.....to see my grandparents as babies, growing up during WWII, and starting a family!   What better gift, besides having them present in my life, than to be able to look back and almost travel back in time with them!  Simply priceless. There is a reason that people hold their photographs so dear to their heart.  In a very real way, they are holding onto life itself, holding onto time and the bridge from the past into the future.   Let me help you to create bridges for your own family by inviting me into your life to capture who you are today.

It seems I did have a few real-life "bridges" of my own.  There were two photographers in my large, extended family....a great uncle and an aunt that always seemed to possess a kind of magic.  They waved their "magic wands" and beautiful images appeared.  I wanted to be able to create the wonderful things that they did.  One sweet day when I was 11 , that ability was given to me when I was gifted my very own camera: a disc camera (wow! did i just give away my age?).  How amazing to be able to choose which events, moments, and people that would be a part of my nostalgia for generations!  Fast forward a few years to my early college life when my formal study of photography began with a fully manual 35mm Nikon film camera (everybody say, "Yea!").   This was an exciting time when I learned the art and technique of photography. My BFA from Loyola University Chicago, as well as advanced studies at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago gave me the ability to not only capture a beautiful photograph, but to create works of art using photography as my medium.  Upon graduating, I was fortunate enough to work in many aspects of the photographic world, from darkroom to studio, from stock photography to assisting at a world-class art museum.  When I became a mom and digital photography exploded,  my focus turned towards creating heirloom, custom portraiture.   I use all of my experiences from the past 20+ years of being a fine art photographer to crafting each photograph into a work of art, giving my clients individual attention, and creating one-of-a kind images for you to love and share for generations.  So what are you waiting for?  There is no better time than now to book your very own portrait session with me!  Let's get busy creating breath-taking images to share and display on the walls of your home.