I grew up in a family of photographers. At every holiday, family reunion or get together, cameras were passed around and conversations were had about a photo taken and images shown for critique. To no one’s surprise, after high school, my love for the medium brought me to Chicago to major in photography at Columbia College. I began shooting weddings and family portraits prior to my move to Chicago
. Since I grew up in my father’s darkroom, I made a good fit as his photo assistant. With him, I learned the art of posing bridal parties, fitting 100+ family members into one photo, ensuring that the photo subjects have fun while doing it and that everyone looks natural…trust me, this is an art! My concentration in school was documentary and that enabled me to add this focus to the traditional style of shooting that I learned from my father. I know, first-hand, that each wedding evokes a unique feeling and emotion for the bride and groom but also the bridal party and the guests. My role is to capture these distinct moments and archive these once in a lifetime experiences. I apply a similar philosophy to family, newborn and maternity photography. I capture the interactions of family members to document their distinct relationships with each other but I also expand on the documentary approach with informally posed photographs that work for a family portrait or holiday card. One of the most gratifying things about being a photographer is the idea that, years down the road, someone will dust off the family album and open it to see an exceptional documentation of their family or their wedding day. My purpose when photographing is to ensure that the photos in that album capture a moment that tells the story of a family and experience and those photographs can be cherished for many years to come.
