About Me
“If my life weren’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.”
Carrie Fisher, Wishful Drinking
I am a freelance Fine Art/Branding/Headshot Photographer who is currently based in Los Angeles, CA. Over the years I have had the opportunity to hold exhibits for my work, shoot for a prominent magazine in Oklahoma City, be featured as one of the Inspiring Artists of the Month for Voyage LA Magazine, and held an art program at a Juvenile Detention Center to give kids an opportunity to learn more about the different mediums they can create with and discover more about influential artists, both past and present.
When I embarked on this journey with my photography in 2014 it never once crossed my mind that I would want to make a career out of this. As I pined for opportunities to use my camera I realized that family photos and wedding events never satisfied me artistically. I eventually shifted my focus to create more Salvador Dali-esque styled photographs, ones that resembled classical paintings with an atmosphere that embodies the romanticism of nineteenth-century artists.
During this period of self-discovery, I developed a keen interest in beauty/fashion photography. I realized that I could still tell a story within my pictures while creating something that would challenge me technically and artistically. And while my style has been heavily influenced by my idols in this field, I still pride myself on retaining a unique and individual look to my overall work.
As artists, we are creating from a place of pain, love, joy, of every emotion that is possible for us to feel. That is where we draw inspiration from. We create from stories that are passed down throughout generations, from the experiences erected from tragedies, down to the actions that have defined our very own character.
Personal experiences really drive my creative process. I also take inspiration from smaller things, like quotes that resonate with me or even a book that I had just read. I have a unique fascination with life, that with all the terrible and awful things that are handed to us, I am in awe with how people who are suffering can make something so moving and so beautiful.
I have always loved the idea of taking the pain and turning it into something beautiful, and these photos are the culmination of not only a major shift in my work but a major shift in my life. With each photo, I am challenging myself in different ways, whether it be emotionally or technically.
Creating work was never about what I could get out of it, but rather what I could give to others. As people, we need institutions for structure, we may need religion to give us faith, but we need artists to give us hope. My goal is not only to tell a story within a photograph but to continue to look into myself and discover something new.
“You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discovered it happened one hundred years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important. Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important.” ~ James Baldwin.
Awards & Exhibitions
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Territory Magazine
Full-page spread in Winter Issue, 2015
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Picasso Cafe: Artist of the Month Spotlight
March 1, 2018 to April 4, 2018
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Vintage Coffee Cafe: Artist Exhibition
December 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018
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Voyage LA Magazine Interview: Inspiring Artists
Issue: July 2019
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Neutral Density Awards
Fine Art: Photo Manipulation ~ Third Place, 2020
People: Fashion/Beauty ~ Honorable Mention, 2019
Fine Art: Photomanipulation ~ Honorable Mention, 2019
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Fine Art Photo Awards
Photomanipulation ~ Nominee 2020/2021
Photomanipulation ~ Nominee 2019/2020
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Canvas Rebel Interview
Issue: April 2023