My first photographs were of small birds perched on the branches of newly budded trees in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. On a vacation with my family, I was seven or eight years old when I took these pictures.
The camera was a 35mm Instamatic, loaded with grainy black and white Kodak film. Once back in Kansas City, my father had the film processed into glossy 3” x 5” prints for me. Every time I looked at those first-roll-of-film prints, (which was often), I was happy and intrigued by every detail.
During my teenage years, I explored many career possibilities, from the sciences to the arts. Then, in college, a special gift was a compass that guided me back to photography. For my 20th birthday, my father visited me at school and bought me a new Canon SLR 35mm camera. As he had when I was a child, my father shined a light on my truth.
A few years after graduating from college, I became a photographer. My work has included commercial projects, editorial assignments and fine art. Over the years, one theme has endured — a passion for earth’s botanical life.
Much of this can be attributed to the fact that I was born into botany.
I come from generations dedicated to nurturing nature. Throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded by trees, plants and flowers. From an extended family of florists and growers, I inherited wonder and gratitude for nature’s immeasurable value.
Each time I look through the lens, I see more of nature’s infinite beauty and fierce resilience. Discoveries happen with every opportunity to take pictures.
