Candid • Classic • Cherishe

Capturing the Speed of Life

My mission statement for life and work ~

To view the world with child-like curiosity and joyful abandon.
To fuel my soul with creative energy from mentors, amazing family & friends and lots and lots of crazy, fun, spontaneous experiences.

What's the most important thing to consider about the person you entrust to take your photographs? Whether it is family, engagement or high school senior photos, what matters most is the care of execution and the attention to detail. It's about capturing a moment you want to freeze in time.   It's about capturing the speed of life.

My passion has always been art and writing. At the age of 4 my mom plopped me in front of a cast iron typewriter to keep me out of her hair.  She still has a full head of hair, and I learned to type! Typing encouraged me to compose long letters to my favorite Aunt May in Philadelphia. In the process I discovered how much I loved to write. Aunt May gave me my first Kodak camera. That's where my passion for photography began. I love you Aunt May!

In 2007 I took a leap of faith and said "buh bye" to my life in high tech to pursue photography and writing. My husband was the one who planted the seed. He met a fellow at a work event.  This guy owned a school portrait company. My husband told me about the idea of starting a school portrait business and that's how my passion with photography began.  Sometimes it's the random things that matter.

While these life changes were happening with me, my husband began a job with a start-up. We both took a GIANT leap of faith and I'm here to tell anyone with a passion that it can all work out, even when everything is in flux.

My B.A. in art has been instrumental in photography as it is the study of light, shadows and composition. My degree in Computer Science gives me a technical edge. I'm not afraid to try new technology (it's an expensive addiction).

How I Work: I'm a memory maker. An historian. I snap the spontaneous and candid moments that you will cherish for a lifetime. I love to work with clients in their environment to capture the way they live. I go on location - indoors or out. I work with small and large businesses and entrepreneurs to create corporate head shots, social media, event and product photography.

What I Photograph: I enjoy photographing people, places and things - that's a broad range but I love it all. I enjoy photographing people of all ages in their natural, candid style. That's when their true personality comes through. Ever since my first train trip at 4 years old I have loved exploring places. I even became a flight attendant for Pan Am World Airways way back when because of my travel addiction. I also have a passion for photographing things. Inanimate objects take on a life of their own depending on the light, the angle and the focus. I do lots of product photography and it has taught me so much about being a better photographer.

My Writing: I see-saw between writing and photography. I co-manage two blogs including Parent Grapevine and Moms Who Click, plus I freelance for Yahoo! where I am a Featured Contributor for Lifestyle, Finance and Entertainment. In 2011 I won a Rising Star award on Yahoo! I am 1 of 20 parents from across the county who has the distinction of being a Yahoo! Parenting Guru where our articles on featured on Yahoo! Shine. In 2013 I was selected to be an AdoramaPix Ambassador, where I write about photography tips and tricks. [Update: Yahoo! Shine, Yahoo! Guru faded after a few years and they removed the content.]

Philanthropy: I donate my time to Housing 1000 where I take portraits of the homeless people. I started teaching photography to homeless and recovering addicts at the Recovery Cafe in San Jose. I donate my time to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network taking photos of events, meetings and fundraisers. In 2011 I lost my big brother to pancreatic cancer so I am passionate about finding a cure. In 2012 I was approved as a "Shoots for a Cure" photographer and A Little Rae of Hope. I am on the Board of Trustees for the PMD Foundation, an organization that was a big part of my brother's life work. I wanted to be sure a member of our family continued to be part of this team.

Five Facts About Me:

1. I served coffee, tea but not me as a Pan Am Flight Attendant (I know this dates me) and traveled the world. My favorite places include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kenya, Monrovia and Japan. I LOVE LERVE to travel.
2. I speak Mandarin - I studied it in college and in Taiwan. My formative years were in Texas and Maryland where I studied Spanish for many years. Currently I'm learning French.
3. I worked at Hewlett-Packard for a LONG time. I was fortunate to have the support of my family, especially my husband, to take a leap and pursue my passion.
4. I have two Bachelor degrees, one that paid (Comp Sci) and one for play (Art History). Today I feel like I'm playing everyday. I tell my three girls to find a way to make a living doing what they love - and get paid to play.
5. I lived in Taiwan for a year during my sophomore year in college. I studied Chinese calligraphy, brush painting under the guidance of a famous Chinese artist and also took Chinese folk dance. I learned to play Mah-Jong and loved watching Kung Fu movies every week. After I was married and had my first child I lived in Europe (Amsterdam).  We had an English au pair and I continued working at HP. My husband and I look forward to living abroad again.  It's in our master plan :)