I'm a film photographer, an artist, and most importantly, a wife and a mom. I can't remember when I knew I was going to be a photographer, but I do remember the day I fell in love with photographs.
I was ten years old, and I was visiting my Memaw in West Texas. She brought out a huge box full of family photos. There were so many gorgeous old black and white prints from film, hundreds of them. Of my great great grandparents, distant relatives and candids from family trips. I was in total awe. I stared at them for hours. I loved the way the people in the photographs were dressed, the way their hair was styled, the details in the background, and the expressions on their faces. It was like something out of an old movie, but better! They were my family!
At that moment I knew how powerful photography truly was. It had the ability to encapsulate a moment so that it could be cherished for years and years to come. The importance of it to me was unexplainable, and sometimes still is. Something tangible like that was able to show me what my parents were like when they were little, and now I can share that with my children..and eventually my grandchildren. Photography became a medium to where I could not only create beauty and emotion, but I could capture time.
Why do I still shoot film? Film to me is not only beautiful, but it's real. It's not information floating around on a chip. You can touch it and hold it. You can trust it. It also forces me to slow down and enjoy the process of creating a beautiful image. Every shot I take is delicately thought out. I am always directing my subjects, so that they look their best and that the lighting is just right. I can't make a mistake or just shoot hoping it comes out okay, praying I can fix it later. I have to get it right before I hit the shutter release. But above all, the beautiful rich grain of film keeps me hooked. I love the way it compliments the texture of soft skin. The way it picks up and shows the detail in the light and the shadows. I'm addicted to film. There is nothing else like it.
I have a passion for capturing emotion as it happens and turning those moments into beautiful, timeless photographs. I approach every shoot differently, they are all treated like a unique project all their own. I make it my personal goal to build a relationship with everyone I photograph. It's so important to me to know who they are, their values, where they came from, and their passions in life so that the photographs I take show their unique individual qualities. I LOVE photographing people in their homes or place they love to be the most. I want to create something that's not only beautiful but also something that has to mean something. To be able to take what the client has, what they tell me, and turn it all into beautiful images that tell a story and that they can pass down to their children one day. Because to me, those are the photographs that are priceless!
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