This is me capturing a sunset in Greece. I love using my phone as a remote shutter release when I'm using the tripod.
I'm an Appalachian Farm Girl
Yes, you read that right. I was lucky enough to grow up on a family farm in the Blue Ridge mountains of southwestern Virginia. I grew up in a place called Laurel Fork, current population 944. We farmed cows and cabbage on a 1000 acres. Today most people would call my childhood unorthodox. But I never knew any different. I worked in the fields or the barn when they told me to. The rest of the time I was a free range child wandering the hillsides and exploring the forrest and streams around our property. I still prefer looking for crayfish over a day in the city. The closest town was Hillsville, VA--recently declared the poorest town in the state of Virginia. A 20 minute drive got us into town and let us buy groceries and eventually eat at Pizza Hut! 40 minutes got you as far as a Walmart and movie theatre. An hour and a half in the car would get you down the mountain and into a city large enough to support a proper shopping mall.
Why Photography?
My love of photography initially came from my mom. She picked up photography while she was earning a degree in journalism. I wanted so badly to play with her SLR as a kid. Instead I had to settle for browsing the 100s of photos she took. I got my first chance to take photos when I was 9. I had a 4-H project book on photography and a hand-me-down Kodak 110 Instamatic. I learned a few perspective tricks and thought I could set the world on fire. Then life happened and my camera spent lots of time in the closet. The passion stayed dormant while I built a career and explored other interests. Then I moved to Europe. Few things inspire my own photography as strongly as exploring new locations. My photos were pretty lackluster at first. Then I found some mentors and learned how to use my camera and post-processing tools. The results are all over this site. I love to create photos that can help others share the wonder I feel when I discover a hidden church or new stream.