Intros

I wanted to let you know a little bit about me, and then... if you'd like, you can let everyone in the class know a little bit about you too! Comment on this page to introduce yourself. You can tell us whatever you'd like... and you can do it all in a comment, or link us to your website or blog. (If you don't want to introduce yourself, that's okay too. :)

Sooo... the photo above is me and my husband, Brandon. I have to put him first, because he is my biggest fan and supporter. He lets me bounce ideas off him endlessly, and he listens to my freak outs with more patience than I deserve. He bought me my first dslr... and believed in me before I believed in myself. (And he's still doing that... he knows I can do just about everything that I end up accomplishing before I even believe I can do it.) I love him.

 I grew up surrounded by the arts (and I had nice feathered hair too... bonus!). I played the violin from the time I was 6, and my mom is an amazing artist. She would teach us art classes in the summer, and we'd learn to use the messy soft pastel chalk and the treasured prismacolor pencils. She taught us how to see the colors in the skin (it's not just "peach"), how to notice every single detail in the human eye, and to see exactly what made a person look the way they look. She taught us to love classical music, and to use the violin to express our emotions.

 So, fast forward to now... I think all of that background made photography resonate for me in a consuming way. I love seeing things in people that other people might not see, and capturing that with my camera. Photoshop is kind of like those fun soft pastels and magical prismacolors... I can use the tools to make something even more beautiful than what I started with. It's a little less messy than that kind of art, but for me, there's an even greater connection with people, and that's what makes photography my art medium of choice.

 Sometimes my life gets a little crazy (whose doesn't??) between all the stuff I'm involved in (photography (of course), taking care of a home and 3 kiddos, running, teaching fitness classes, biking, swimming, and before photography took over my life, I used to teach violin lessons too.

 The other day I was talking to my mom on the phone, and we were discussing some of my siblings' different "dreams", for example, I have a brother who is an amazing musician who would love to own a recording studio. My mom said, "What would your dream be? What would you be doing now if you could do anything?"

 I thought for a few seconds, but my reply was easy. I'm living my dream. I would be a photographer. I can't think of anything I'd want to do more. It hit me in that moment that I am so truly and amazingly blessed... how many people are living their dream? And teaching what I absolutely love... that makes it all the sweeter, because I know, for a lot of you, photography is your dream too.

Thank you for helping to make my dreams come true, and I'm hoping that this class brings you closer to your biggest dreams!


I can't wait to hear more about all of you!