“My aspirations are to ennoble Photography and to secure for it the character and uses of High Art by combining the Real and Ideal and sacrificing nothing of the Truth by all possible devotion to Poetry and Beauty. ” - Julia Margaret Cameron
Photographer, Artist & Storyteller
While I have a strong foundation in fine arts with a photography degree from Savannah College of Art and Design, along with over 25 years of photography experience, it has been those unsummoned moments in time that had a profound impact on how I approach photography.
I had the great honor of working in New York City for Magnum Photos, a renowned editorial agency, during a historic and traumatic time in America’s history, the attacks of September 11th 2001. What I witnessed in the immediate aftermath of the towers falling, I quickly realized that I did not want to be a front-line photographer, rather, I preferred to tell the human interest stories.
I was fortunate to be mentored by some of the giants of photography, like Paul Fusco. Paul challenged me to think about why I make photographs. He said that photography is subjective. He challenged me to be intentional in capturing the emotion of a moment. He said, “when you look at an image, can you reimagine that moment? Does it evoke the feelings you experienced that day? If not, you did not get it.”
While in college, I learned of a National Geographic photographer, James Stansfield. His first assignment was to cover a native Indian tribal dance in Banff, Canada. Upon sending his work back to the magazine, the editor remarked that he captured great images of the dance but questioned why he didn’t “get into the teepee,” because people and the intimate details of their lives count most.
The photographs I capture and the stories I tell through my lens have been shaped by intimate lessons like these, along with so many more. My style of photography revolves around storytelling and conveying the emotion and the beauty of a moment. In a world where we are inundated with images, what photographs makes you stop? What images stay with you? Those are the images that connect to some part of us, resonating with us. It is my desire to create such images that evoke a feeling that lingers with you above all the other noise.
Art & Beauty.. and why it matters
"We need Art. We need Beauty. We need Art to tell the Truth because the Truth itself, in its own fragmention, needs images.. scenes.. scenarios. The Truth compelling us to create." Dan Allender on creating art as a way to redeem and reclaim your story in the aftermath of trauma.
This comment deeply resonates with me, with my story and the story of my family and why I am compelled to create art that captures this. We are a family that has risen from the ashes of trauma. So many themes are woven into the fabic of our family's history. Adoption, blended family, suicide, motherloss are just a few topics that are close to my heart. ads.txt
If this is a part of your story - your family's story - I'd love to work with you in creating images that bear truth and reclaim beauty.
"to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:3
"There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment" Robert Frank
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Be A Traveler, Not A Tourist
When not photographing the English Countryside and not enduring a global pandemic, I run a bespoke travel company that curates European travel experiences for individuals, families and small groups. To learn when new tour dates are released, click on the button below.
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