26/02/2026
9 years ago I woke up with a start, adrenaline already pumping for the afternoon’s activity: I was going to photograph someone.
On paper, it was no different than what I’d been doing with my friends. The someone was a 5th grader, and my mom would drop us both off at the neighborhood stormwater pond. But this time there was something on the line — $10 and a proof of concept: that I, at 12, could make my hobby a business.
By the end of that year, I had photographed my first wedding, first high school senior, and was booked to the brim with holiday sessions for classmates’ families. I giggle when I look at photos on my first website; it was really 2017 — side parts, skinny jeans and all — and I was just a teenager, finding my voice as I drafted Instagram captions, tinkering around with my style, and figuring out what version of myself I wanted to be.
The 5th grader is a sophomore in college now and I’m graduating in two months.
With some time and distance I’ve come to appreciate the passion I had to build what I have here, and how natural it felt. I wasn’t strategic when I was 12 — I had Google, YouTube, teachers who let me answer emails in class, and parents who drove me to photoshoots. Having had many coffee chats these past few years, I know how much anyone’s trajectory is shaped by luck. I have that and much more to thank.
This — business, art practice, community — is so special to me. Thank you for being here.
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As I mentioned, I’ll bid goodbye to the great state of Texas — home for me, in both Austin and Dallas — a week after I graduate, on a bike. Three months after that, after I finish a 4000-mile charity ride in Anchorage, Alaska, I’ll move to New York City.
New York folks, please don’t be shy! I’ll be booking weddings and portraits in New York and beyond starting in August. I’m beyond excited to get to know the city, and get to know you.
A few photos, professional and personal, from this year^
