my story
I love people.
My Grandpa didn't give me his treasured Brownie when I was 12- he was a mechanic in the middle of the Sierra's. My dad wasn't a photographer- he was a Marine. They both taught me more than anyone ever will and it had nothing and everything to do with photography. They gave me confidence and my curiosity, while my mom made sure I could still laugh and cry.
After "trying" college and wandering around lost for awhile, I decided to join the Coast Guard. The people that I spent those four years with, gave me memories that I will have forever. I experienced the high of saving someone from the frigid waters off the Oregon coast, to the low of witnessing someone's last hours on earth. Heavy stuff indeed. It didn't take me long to realize that although a rewarding job, the Coast Guard was not for me.
Moving back home put me in the same place as before, no direction. I passed the time working in an outdoor store and rock climbing in my free time. I still didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. Everyone else knew, but I couldn't see that part of the future. An introduction to a customer who happened to be photographer, Andy Anderson, changed all that. We hit it off and soon, I was traveling the world as his 1st assistant. Every new job was a chance to meet someone new and spend time inside their world. My address book was filling up with people far and near that I could call friends. At the same time, I was immersed in photography on a level I could never have imagined. Learning the in's and out's on the job was the only way it was going to happen for me.
I love this job that invites me into people's worlds–even if for just a moment in time. It's the moments between the moments that are the best. The same in life as in photography–if I genuinely get to know someone–the rest takes care of itself.
Well, that's my story. Maybe someday we can chat about the moments in between.
What's Your Story?