I don’t know when it happened, but along the way, my work stopped being about pretty pictures. Maybe it was when I became a mother and my heart cracked wide open. Maybe it was walking through my own highs and lows, or maybe it was simply from listening to people’s stories and wanting them to feel seen.
As the photography industry has evolved over the past two decades, so has my purpose. When I was nine months pregnant with our fourth child, my husband became gravely ill, went septic, and spent weeks in the hospital. For the next 18 months, surgeries consumed our lives. In those dark moments, I learned what it meant to be held by the kindness of others.
Giving is what connects us, heals us, and gives life its deepest meaning.
I use my photography platform to bring people together for good. Each year, my followers and I support families in crisis—families battling cancer, single moms struggling to make Christmas happen, and others facing impossible odds. We film the deliveries—complete with costumes, props, themes—so donors (often reaching 150 individual donors per giveaway) can share in the joy. When we give, we’re not just offering money—we’re giving time, relief, and hope. For every $10 donation, supporters enter into a raffle for the chance to win a photo session.
Some of the people we’ve helped are no longer here. Their absence anchors me in the brevity of life, and their stories remind me to treasure time with my children. I’m walking through life with one hand on my camera and the other hand reaching toward purpose.
As the photography industry has evolved over the past two decades, so has my purpose. When I was nine months pregnant with our fourth child, my husband became gravely ill, went septic, and spent weeks in the hospital. For the next 18 months, surgeries consumed our lives. In those dark moments, I learned what it meant to be held by the kindness of others.
Giving is what connects us, heals us, and gives life its deepest meaning.
I use my photography platform to bring people together for good. Each year, my followers and I support families in crisis—families battling cancer, single moms struggling to make Christmas happen, and others facing impossible odds. We film the deliveries—complete with costumes, props, themes—so donors (often reaching 150 individual donors per giveaway) can share in the joy. When we give, we’re not just offering money—we’re giving time, relief, and hope. For every $10 donation, supporters enter into a raffle for the chance to win a photo session.
Some of the people we’ve helped are no longer here. Their absence anchors me in the brevity of life, and their stories remind me to treasure time with my children. I’m walking through life with one hand on my camera and the other hand reaching toward purpose.