I am so glad you wanted to get to know me better! Let’s start from the beginning. I was born and raised in Petaluma, CA (ex-chicken capital of the world), yes you read that right, there are parades and everything. I grew up obsessing over animals and bowling in leagues. Honestly most of my childhood/adolescent memories happened at the bowling alley. It was my first job, and is actually where I met my now-husband Ryan.
In 2008, Ryan became my first and only boyfriend. We moved to Washington State in 2011 for Ryan’s career. After a couple of years we ended up living on Whidbey Island, where I started working for the local animal shelter. Since my first job at the bowling alley, every job I have had involved animals in one capacity or another, from grooming horses at a ranch, bathing animals at a grooming salon, to starting my own dog walking and pet sitting business, to finally ending up as an animal care technician at the shelter. Working at the shelter was the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had. It taught me incredible life lessons that I don’t think I would have experienced anywhere else. The people I met there have become my family, and the animals have touched my soul in a way I never thought possible. I really loved photographing the animals at the shelter, and working with so many new animals everyday, I was really able to develop my skills with posing, and getting the magical shots. I bittersweetly left the shelter when I became pregnant with my daughter Ellie in 2018.
I was very fortunate to be able to be a stay-at-home mom with Ellie. I very quickly found I loved photographing Ellie, maybe more than I had loved photographing animals. My husband bought me my first DSLR camera when Ellie was born, and it was so rewarding learning to use it. I have a terrible fear of forgetting everyday (and not so everyday) memories, so I always have a camera in my hand and take way too many pictures. I am a notorious cell phone storage killer.
Now that Ellie is a little older, I felt like it was time for me to do something for myself. I have always thought in the back of my head, for years that I wanted to be a photographer, and do this professionally. I always held myself back, thinking I wasn’t good enough, or I didn’t have the proper skill set. Watching Ellie fearlessly trying everything she sets her mind to, I knew I had to do the same. I have the equipment, the natural talent, and the desire to always learn and better myself and my business. I am a creative perfectionist, lover of snow, admirer of goats & cows, and always on board for a spontaneous adventure.
If you have made it this far in my story, I appreciate it, and I hope you have gotten to know a little bit about who I am, and where I come from. I would be honored to get to know you and your family, and help you create long lasting memories to be cherished forever.