My obsession with photography began in 1988, when my grandma gave me a 110 film point-and-shoot Mickey Mouse camera. She was my first and favorite muse, patiently letting me photograph her again and again.

Soon I was directing the neighborhood kids in dress-up shoots on the street, acting like I had a deadline at age eight. That grew into a love for 35mm, 120mm, and hours lost in the darkroom glow.

In 2004, I left my Oregon hometown for San Francisco to study at the Academy of Art University, right as digital photography was taking over. I clung to film, learning every analog process I could before graduating in 2008 with a BFA.

Since then, I’ve built a freelance career crafting visual stories from the ground up—scouting locations, selecting wardrobe, sourcing light, and uncovering forgotten spaces that feel like time capsules. Photography has taken me places I never imagined and introduced me to a community I couldn’t live without.