I am the mom of a cute 2-year-old little girl named June and the wife of the best dad and husband, Wiley. We are both originally from New Bern, N.C., but we made our way to the Raleigh area after graduating from college and we haven’t looked back since. 

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My mom was the unofficial lifestyle photographer of our family (as most moms are) and she recorded our most precious moments together. I call her a “lifestyle” photographer because most of our family photographs show just that - our lifestyle in the most unrehearsed and organic way. There are blurred lines, uncombed morning bedheads, and many intentional sibling “photo bombs." I believe these family portraits are the reason why I gravitate towards trying to capture people and families in the most natural way that I can. 

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This passion escalated after I spent a summer in Paris studying photography. Most of my days were spent roaming the streets and photographing strangers interacting with others while trying to mimic the style of photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau (two photographers that I idolize still to this day). I captured the usually unnoticed, simple, and  beautiful moments between family and friends and produced the most raw photographs that I have ever taken. By stepping out of my comfort zone and taking photographs of complete strangers, I was able to learn and understand the true essence of lifestyle photography through the unedited compositions I shot, like: a mother helping button her daughter’s coat just as the wind lifts the leaves around them; two children learning how to share a new motorized sailboat toy while leaning over a large water fountain; and a brother teaching his younger sister how to balance and walk the ledge around a pond. My studies in Paris also taught me the technical aspects of photography and how applying the appropriate balance of light, composition, and camera settings will produce more visually appealing images. 

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Using the inspirations from my mother, the time spent studying street photography in Paris, and the never-ending lessons that I learn every day as a professional photographer, I believe I have cultivated a skill that allows me to have an eye for those sometimes unnoticed, fleeting moments and produce images that exemplify a balance between my style and my client's vision.