I fell in love with photography in 2013, when my husband gifted me my first camera. From the moment I picked it up, I was hooked—snapping endless photos of our sweet Great Dane puppy, Cohen. He was the most goodest boy, and a stunning model who patiently let me practice and play behind the lens. From there, I began photographing friends—people who believed in me long before I fully believed in myself. In those early years, photography was a joyful hobby. But life, as it does, shifted.
While I was quietly growing this passion, my dad was battling cancer. After he passed, something changed in me. Grief has a way of cracking you open, and through that space, photography became more than just a pastime—it became purpose. I realized that the photos I had of him were now some of the most precious things I owned. Pictures of him making chili in the kitchen he built, smiling in the home he created for his family—those images are treasures that bring both tears and gratitude.