Friday, July 19, 2013

My apologies for being the biggest slacker on the planet. This summer has been insanely busy, leaving me little time to play around with my photos. But I took these a few weeks ago with the lovely and talented Brittany Bruyea, so I figured it's about time I shared them. Enjoy!





Thursday, July 11, 2013

A wonderful video made by the oh-so-amazing Mike Zakreszewski!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfo1vs-u5Us

Friday, June 14, 2013

Mother Moon


As a pagan, I pay pretty close attention to the lunar phases and I wanted to do a photo shoot to represent my love for the moon. 

The waxing moon is known to pagans as the maiden moon, the full moon as the mother, and the waning moon as the crone. Each representing different stages in life, and each useful in casting for different purposes. 

I think the beauty of the moon is that it is born, it lives, it dies, and is reborn over and over again. It represents life and death. It's rise and fall is a constant reminder to me that while there are things that I want to gain and collect in life, there are also things that I need to let go of and rid myself of. There is a time to be brave and strong, and a time to heal and be at rest. The moon is somewhat of a living, breathing force to me. It's is known as being a feminine energy, whereas the sun is known as masculine. And while I love the sun and it's bold persistence and strength, I will always feel a connection to the nurturing kindness of the maiden, the mother, and the crone.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

And in these costumes pretending, we find ourselves.





Finally another shoot. And this one was worth the wait. A while back I took a photograph of Britt dressed as a circus performer smoking a cigarette in front of some elephants and since then I've been slowly putting together ideas for more odd circus photos. So here's the next one of the series. 

There's something about the circus that I just love... The strangeness and impossibility of things is captivating. It's a place where misfits are welcome and peculiar things are the norm. It sounds like home to me. I can't imagine my life without a bit of smoke and mirrors. What would I do? Get up each morning, robotically shower and get dressed, go to work for a company that only cares about reality. Come home, have some dinner, maybe watch some tv or go for a walk. And then sleep again. Instead I let myself sleep in when I can and wake up from strange dreams that lead to strange inspirations. I have several part time jobs that I love and that pay the bills, but I'm forever grateful for the flexibility that they offer so that I can spend my time with my imagination, and make moments of reality out of it.

In a sense, I guess my life is like a circus. I live and breath the make-believe. It's who I am. But sometimes I'm just a person looking silly in a costume.. Drinking tea and reading books.

Yesterday I was talking to someone about my photography and she asked if I get many people wanting creative photos from me. And the truth is that I don't. People see my creative work and love it, which I'm happy for. But then they ask me to shoot some family portraits or if I will do weddings. Don't get my wrong. I'm happy to be behind the camera for just about any reason. But sometimes I wonder why people fall in love with my work and then shy away from it. Maybe they don't know how to imagine like I do.

Hopefully coming soon is a video of this photo shoot, thanks to my dear friend Mike. Although I'm honestly a little nervous that his film will be better than my photos. He's that good.

Thursday, February 21, 2013





Sometimes there are a million reasons for us to be miserable and feel badly about ourselves. And sometimes we choose to find ways to feel good anyway.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

My Roots

Today I went into my old high school to talk to the media arts class about photography. I've done this quite a few times over the past couple years and I always love doing it. I'm discovering a new-found love for teaching photography. 

It always gets me thinking about where I started out. My first "studio" setup was in my bedroom. I had a track light fixture and a big canvas backdrop across one wall. And that was about it. Eventually my Mom and Dad (being the incredible people that they are) helped me figure out a concept for a better studio and slowly it was built. We took the body of a transport truck, insulated it, put in some windows and a door, I bought some cheap studio lights and backdrops, and I was in business.



It's really tiny and definitely challenging to work in but I've done some pretty great stuff in this studio that I call "The Circus"

These are some of my earliest shots taken in The Circus, which I still love. Maybe it's because they were some of my first shots in my new home or maybe they are actually kind of good. Either way, they have a special place in my heart. 



We never forget our roots. Where we come from plays a big part in how hard we might have to work to get where we want to go. I'm really proud to have the home that I do. Maybe my parents couldn't give me everything and maybe I can't afford the fancy equipment. But we did a damn good job of making the best of what we had. Sometimes I forget how much support I've had over the years, and how hard I've worked to gain the skill that I have now. But I always come back to it. I'm a maker of things impossible. I always have been. 


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Can't take anything too seriously.




These photos are from my latest job. I don't do a lot of maternity photos but I was super excited for these ones. I went to high school with the mom-to-be and when she contacted me she said she wanted some traditional photos but also something with a bit of an edge. I love the look of maternity photos that showcase the couple's personality so when she said they both had some pretty awesome tattoos and a pet python.. well if you know me I'm sure you can guess what my reaction was. 

Thursday, January 17, 2013


So I know this is primarily a photography blog but every once in a while I like to share random things that I'm doing on the side. So here's one for ya!

I've liked singing since the Spice Girls hit it big (Girl Power!) and when I was in high school I took a vocals class and I actually did pretty well. But that was 7 years ago so most of that talent has long since faded away.

Anyway, I saw a video on youtube of the band Lulu and the Lampshades performing this and I thought it was pretty cool so I taught myself how to do it. Enjoy.

P.S. If you're a musician, please be kind for I am not one.

Friday, January 4, 2013

It's amazing, the things we'll do for art. It seems that I'm constantly coming up with harsh environments to shoot in. And apparently I either have the most amazing friends and family in the world... or the dumbest. Cold water, rain, snow, heat, wind, let's climb these rocks, swim to that island, sit on this cliff, balance on this tree branch in a giant dress, ride this crazy horse, I'm going to swim in rough waters while wearing this mermaid tail.. And sure, there are complaints. From other models, assistants AND myself. It's obviously not always an easy and fun experience. But somehow that never matters. We always just conveniently forget how miserable we once were and do it all again later. Because to us, this is important. 


People say not to dwell on the past and I think that's valid. But I think that our memories are truly precious things. Especially in the form of a photograph. Capable of bringing us back to a certain time.. a feeling.. a thought. And in the case of my whimsy photographs it isn't so much that I live in my memories, but rather that I create new realities.


If I think back to the process of shooting these images in particular I remember passing some hikers that surely thought our attire was a little strange for walking the trails. I remember Britt trying to carry those antlers so carefully so that they wouldn't fall apart before we got a chance to shoot them. I remember feeling rushed because we were running low on daylight and of course I was making Britt sit in a tree with very little clothing on. I remember trying not to fall off that tree branch and trying to hide jackets, sweaters, scarves, and boots in the hollow of the tree trunk with one foot.

But when I look at the photographs all I see are stories. Incredible, magical, amazing stories. All of reality disappears and I'm left with "make believe." That's where my photos take me.