Have you ever had something light up your soul, and bring peace to your heart at the same time? Maybe it’s playing sports, reading a good book, planting an amazing garden, or taking care of animals. That is what photography is to me. It’s not just a hobby it is my passion.
I have been taking pictures since I was 16. I would dress up my little cousins during summers at my grandmas house. I would put them in different poses around her yard and have them make different expressions to get different looks. Then I would go to Rite Aid and drop off the film. It was so exciting to open that envelope to see what we captured.
Once I was in my junior year I took Graphic Arts at BOCES. We learned how to use a manual camera and process our own black and white images.
I’ve had a deep amazement of newborn babies my entire life. When I thought what would be the most dependable career I decided nursing school was probably the way to go. My goal being to work on a Birth Center caring for newborn babies. I graduated with my LPN at 18 and started my dream job at 19. I worked at Strong Memorial Hospital on the Birth Center for 8 years. I took care of babies in the nursery, and also seconds after they were born. I attended births and was the “baby catcher”. I would take the babies after birth and clean them off, warm them up, give them their shots, take their vital signs, and weight/measure them. It was an amazing job but I knew I had to make more money to help support a family someday so I went back to school to get my RN.
When I graduated they weren’t hiring RN’s on the Birth Center so I went on to get experience in the Operating Room as a Circulating Nurse. Caring for patients before and during surgery. I missed the babies so much and had my first baby 5 months after starting in the Operating Room. When he was born I was taking more pictures than ever. Trying my best to freeze these moments because I knew they would be gone before I knew it.
When he was about 6 months old, I took the plunge and decided to start booking sessions for money. I could believe people were really believing in me to capture such special times for their families. I soon was overwhelmed with sessions. I was booking every type of session to build my portfolio, but it was too much. I was working a full-time job, a first time mom, and now booking session after session.
I took a break to spend more time with my son and just relax for a bit. After long I realized I couldn’t not do photography. Its part of me and something I truly enjoy. I did a one on one mentorship in Buffalo with an amazing newborn photographer. I learned so much about safety, posing, lighting, camera settings and more. I started booking again, but this time I limited it to what I loved the most, maternity, newborn, and baby’s first year. It was the best decision for me and my family. It limited the number of sessions I was booking and I thoroughly enjoyed every single one.
Since honing in on my speciality, I take every opportunity I can to learn and grow as a photographer. I want to provide the highest quality, beautiful images that my clients will cherish for generations. Images that won’t go out of style, that capture tiny details that will be different in a matter of days. I also strive to provide warm inviting environment and experience at one of the most vulnerable times in your life. The early days after giving birth.
I recently had a client say she was so happy for me seeing my studio space, and mentioned it was a long time coming. It has been a long road to get to where I am. I appreciate every single client that has invested in my dream.
I hope you pursue your light up your soul, peace bringing passion. For me-you can put me in my warm studio, wrapping, soothing, and capturing sweet little miracles-and it feels like home to me.
Share this story
