I became interested in photography growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area.  When my second grade teacher told me that I could take time in school to develop and print my own pictures I asked my mother for her Kodak Instamatic.  I was fascinated by the whole process and enjoyed sharing my creations with my family. 
When I went to high school in New Hampshire I had an instructor who liked my work enough to encourage me to enter some of my work in a local juried show.  I submitted 4 entries and two were accepted, this was a great thrill for me.  While I didn’t win any awards it gave me a feeling of confidence that I carried into college. 
 When I arrived at Oklahoma State University I was a fire protection major and on the sailing team so I didn’t spend much time behind the camera.  One day I was lucky enough to meet one of the schools staff photographers who said that she was looking for a part time assistant to help out at events and print pictures for faculty and staff.  I enjoyed the excitement of being of the field or court and getting to photograph lots of famous people but my new passion was aviation.
 Upon graduation from OSU I was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Coast Guard and my life took a new turn.  I didn’t get the chance to fly but enjoyed life at sea and our maritime law enforcement mission.  After leaving active duty I worked in federal law enforcement until returning to flying in 1999.  I made lots of pictures during this time but it had turned into taking snapshots so my serious work was just a stack of boxes.
 In 2005 I was diagnosed with cancer and had to take a year off from my flying carrier to fight that battle.  During this period I had much time for introspection about what I was doing with my life and where I wanted to go.  Flying had put a huge strain on my home life and moving every few years didn’t make it any easier.  After I was cleared to fly I found that I was unhappy in the cockpit because so little of my job was flying.  To help me stay excited I picked up my camera, because now with digital, I could do that on the road.  In 2009 I decided that it was time for me to come home and work on my life for a while.  While I missed flying, I was growing as a person because of the support that had allowed me to be away so much was still invaluable.  Because of this energy I decided to work in photography as a business.  I have enjoyed the challenge of finding my voice as an adult and seeing things new again.  One thing that I enjoy the most is the interaction with the people that I am photographing and bringing that energy and excitement to the images that we make together.