About Me

 

Welcome to my site.

I am a photographer currently focused on nature and travel. Why nature and travel?  My life came to a crossroads two years ago when I decided to move beyond my nursing career and to follow and explore my dream for photography. It was indeed a terrifying decision to move forward with this plan without having everything in place before I actually jumped off the proverbial cliff. 

” Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.”

— Ray Bradbury, science fiction author.

Nature for me has always been a place to “center” myself. This is also where I often witness people to be the happiest. Whether on a hike, run, kayaking, camping, or just out on a picnic; people seem to love to be outside. Being out in nature truly does something magnificent to the mind & spirit. In turn, we all go back to our everyday life more relaxed, refocused and rejuevenated.

The travel introduces me to different cultures and allows me to experience how others live in thier own environment. Yes, there are many things about culture and people that are universal, but when you participate in another’s customs, eat thier traditional food, listen to their stories that is when appreciation for all of us begins to happen. There are times when the reality of these places is difficult to witness; however, I do believe that this is precisely the reason why if you are able to travel, then it is a must do.  

My goal with photography is to continue to develop my skills and style and share my visual stories with you. My intention is to develop the art of storytelling through photography so that I may respectfully give voice to the people I meet by celebrating them in their communities. The places and landscapes I travel to inspire me to caputure a fragment of their essence so that I can share my experience with you. 

If you would like to know more, I invite you to read My Story below.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or stories of your own. I would love to hear from you!

Thank you for visiting,

 

My Story

 

“ The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”-Lao Tzu

I received this quote from a friend of mine, Jim, many years ago now, as I was leaving to start a new job in a new city. It was not until writing this bio that I realized just how wise 11 words could be.

Like many of us, I followed the well intentioned advice to attain and pursue a “stable and secure” career path. I obtained a degree in social work first but whilst working in the hospital, I decided to switch to a nursing career and continued on to nurse practitioner.  All very honorable fields and I was moving along nicely… but something always felt amiss. 

I realized one day, that it was finally time to do the hardest thing I could imagine. That is, leave the safety and security of a respectable career in order to follow my passion – photography.

The first step I took on this new path was a basic photography class, to learn to use my camera other than in ‘auto’ mode. My desire to follow this creative path snowballed into more photography training including workshops, conferences, books and online courses. I have also had the most incredible opportunity to work with a phenomenal mentor. He inspires and challenges me to pursue my passion for photography.

I am also fortunate to have an amazing spouse who encouraged me to put down my stethoscope, pick up my camera, and create the life I envision for myself. Oftentimes, life finds a way to nudge and allow for reflection of one’s journey. It is up to us to recognize this nudge and change our course, if we dare to take the challenge.

I will take a moment now to let all my family and friends who have supported me along the way, to know how much I love and appreciate each of you. I truly could not do this without you – thank you!

There are moments when I struggle with this decision, but the minute I am out with my camera, return from a workshop or when someone expresses an emotive response to one of my images, I get that “feeling” that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing with my life. 

What inspires me?  My very wonderful spouse who reminds me everyday that one must follow her/his heart always. My wonderful mentor, who is so knowing and patient with me. The people and places from all my travel adventures must be included here too, because it is that kinship I esteem and want to share with you through my photographs.

Again, my goal is to increase my knowledge and skills in the art of photography. In the end, I just hope that I can express a visual story that can advocate for the environment and people in someway. Thus, I hope that my images allow you to feel, connect, or reconnect with nature as well as bring the awareness that we are all an integral part of life. 

“ Follow what you are genuinely passionate about and let that guide you to your destination” – Diane Sawyer

Thank you for reading ~