BEHIND THE LENS
BEHIND THE LENS
Behold, the photographer:
WHAT FUELS MY PASSION
As much as I love being informal, it feels strange writing about myself as a way for you to get to know me. My passion is rooted in the creativity and uniqueness I get to explore, but it really lies in developing a real and raw connection with each person in front of the camera. The idea of being able to sculpt art out of each person I get to work with fills me with so much happiness. Whether we’re running through mountains, valleys, or forests to capture some peaceful moments between you and your person, all the way to third-wheeling it at your dream wedding, I want to be there to make those special moments into something unique to YOU.
MY HOBBIES
Aside from photography, I juggle a few other hobbies and am a full time forester. What currently takes up most of my free time is that I’m a competitive natural bodybuilder in the women’s figure division and I also spent the better half of the past two years powerlifting and set NYS WNPF federation records in squat, bench, and deadlift.
Music is what I believe serves as the foundation of my being, fortunately being brought up in a family with a bit of a legacy to live up to (my grandmother played violin for Elvis Presley and Ella Fitzgerald, fun fact)! I’ve played various instruments throughout my life, been in several types of performing bands and I still write music, play the guitar and piano. Without it, I’d not have harnessed passion in it’s purest form, learned what it truly takes to work endlessly for something, or push through the trials that created a better version of myself as both a musician and a person.
And of course, perhaps the largest and most impactful part of my being, I’m a forester for a premier hardwood sawmill in Southern NY, Wagner Hardwoods, LLC. So of course, I love being outdoors, in and out of the woods. As a forester, it is my responsibility to help landowners with forested land make management decisions regarding their forestlands that ethically balance care to the land and the future forest generations, while economically benefitting the landowner. On an average day, I hike around, value trees and listen to podcasts in peace. It truly is such an amazing job, it doesn’t feel like one.
MY HOME
I’ve lived a few places throughout my life. Oldest sister of three, I was born in Syracuse, NY and we stayed there until my family and I moved to Utica where we stayed in my mother’s family home until I had hit middle school. We then moved to Ballston Spa, NY, outside of Saratoga (as mentioned in Carly Simon’s You’re so Vain) and that’s where I graduated high school. Upon graduation, I went back to Syracuse for Forestry School (SUNY-ESF), got my bachelors and headed down to King of Prussia, PA, north of Philadelphia to do tree work. It was amazing. Got to do work for the Eagles (go birds) and a lot of other big names outside of Philly.
But finally! I had gotten my dream job and landed a forester position with Wagner Hardwoods so I could finally move back to NY! I loved PA, but home is upstate New York. Fortunately, I get to travel all around NE PA and Southern NY for my job.
I am now a happy, 23 year old forester/cat mom living in Elmira, NY. pictured are Nellie and Merle Haggard :)
MY WHY
We all have a cup that fills with family, friends, good music, you name it. My cup fills from being able to help my friends and family, and the freedom of self expression.
Taking self portraits really struck me in middle school. The ability to express myself through art as a musician made me feel more whole. Like, yeah! That’s me! And this photo says “___". I loved how you could say so much with a single image. A story, a mood, who you are… and during that time, we change a lot. “It’s not a phase mom!”
And then, I fell in love with being able to do the same for my friends and family. I take a lot of pride in being able to successfully make my little sister at her soccer tournaments look bad*ss, and preserving my friends’ shining moments in photos that scream both who they are and how much they’ve accomplished. I love being able to adjust the way I shoot and edit to an individual person. It’s fulfilling being able to give this to somebody because that means I got to learn enough about them to do such a thing.
Developing meaningful connections makes for more unique photos that I love making just as much as I love sending out a gallery.