Girls just wanna have fun!

Sometimes I like to sit and think of what I’d like to be
I know I like to sing and dance, so what is best for me?
I couldn’t be a doctor, because doctor’s never sing
And nurses aren’t allowed to dance
And I couldn’t be a king
So I guess there’s only one thing left
I guess I’ll be a star
Where I can sing and dance all day
Be rich and buy a car.
~The first poem I ever wrote in 2nd grade

Before I was behind a camera, I was in front of one. Many moons ago, I was that little girl who dreamed of being a supermodel. Cindy Crawford was my idol in the ‘80s and I would walk around the house in my mom’s high heels as if life were my personal run way.

In middle school, my mom signed up me for up local modeling classes, but other than a few portfolio pieces, nothing ever came of it and I buried my dream of becoming a supermodel. It wasn’t until last year when a group of photographer friends asked me to model for a photoshoot that it really sparked my interest in photography. I had always had a passion for observing great photography and documenting life through my little point and shoot cameras, but I never took it seriously until I was put in front of the camera again all these years later and suddenly, I realized, I didn’t want to be in front of a camera, I wanted to be behind it and learn how to create amazing photography too.

I definitely still love to have fun in front of the camera, but more so how it reminds me of the fear and vulnerability that my clients go through when suddenly being put on the spot to perform. And I think that’s why I like to model, because deep down, it scares me to death, and I love the challenge of overcoming that fear. But it also helps me to relate to each new person that comes in front of my camera and be a better director now as a photographer.

And one of my greatest passions now as a photographer is helping other girls, women and brides realize how truly beautiful they are through my camera. I love being able to help others embrace their inner diva and give them permission to be that supermodel for a day that I know deep down they used to dream of as a little girl too.

I had the honor of having the beautiful Amy Wenzel come down from Michigan to also take some photos of me for my new branding as you can see in my blog header above of the rockstar job she did. Though this was the first time we had met, we had bonded over email earlier this year when we discovered each other’s work and our obsession with popping colors in our photography. We had so much fun just being girly experimenting with our new 5Ds and transitioning from supermodel to photographer with each other. Below is a fun behind the scenes video I put together of my photoshoot.

Enjoy the video! (It might take a minute to load...)




And lastly, a fun old school Polaroid of Amy and I from her vintage camera she brought along!