CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Photography * Photo Directing * Photo Editing * Video

People always ask, "What's your favorite book?" and "What's the coolest shoot you've directed?" and "Do you also shoot video?"

Scroll down to see the answers!

FAVORITE PUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHY

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, DOGGY DEFENDERS BOOKS

Over the course of two years, I photographed a series of seven adorable, pre-school books called Doggy Defenders. Each book features a working dog that has a really cool job helping their community, from police dogs to therapy dogs, each Doggy Defender was a true hero!

I spent an average of 6 days with each dog and handler to get them comfortable with me and my cameras. I did ride-alongs and home visits and got down in the dirt to capture their talents and personalities. My photography drove the narrative for each book and I'm so proud of how they turned out. I fell in love with each dog and didn't want the shooting to end!

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, COOKBOOK

I was responsible for photographing the lifestyle images for a kids seasonal cookbook. After casting eight diverse children and tweens, I had two days on location to achieve Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall images. I worked with a prop stylist, art director and editor to make images that were on-brand, married well with the food photography and and perfectly suited the allotted space.

FAVORITE PHOTO DIRECTING PROJECTS

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, ANIMAL SCIENCE BOOKS

Dogs, cats and teens on set simultaneously? How hard could that be?? I produced and directed this awesome pair of books that required exactly that . I did the casting for the people and pets, and scouted the locations. I sourced all the props and materials for a total of 44 science activities (22 per book) and hired and directed the photographer. Each book required five+ days of shooting, lots of patience and even more treats! All told, there were 14 locations, 28 diverse teenagers, 15 dogs and 13 cats. And believe it or not, nobody got bitten or scratched!

Behind the Scenes at the Cat Science shoot

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS BOOKS

I produced and directed a set of three hands-on science experiments books. I did the casting, location scouting, and handled the styling props and materials for 141 experiments. I also hired and directed the photographer. Each book required a minimum of 5 days days of shooting on location. One book was weather related and required shoots scheduled throughout the year to include spring showers, summer heat, fall foliage and winter snow. Across the three books, there were 13 kids, 9 locations, and countless fails.

FAVORITE PHOTO EDITING PROJECTS

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, so many BOOKS!

I have photo edited hundreds of non-fiction books for kids ranging from babies to teens on topics as diverse as the solar system, haunted places, African animals, the human body and so much more. I've learned that an image that resonates with a six-year-old may fall flat with a 12-year-old. I've worked with some of the world's best photographers, gaining their trust and learning from them. And I've learned from the authors, editors and designers that I collaborate with on each project. I've also figured out how to make magic on a shoestring budget and clear rights for the most complex of projects.

Photo editing every new book is an exciting adventure and a welcome challenge because it taps into all parts of my brain. There's research and sleuthing that goes into finding images that appropriately cover the content. And creativity that's needed to think outside the box for conceptual solutions. And organization and curation that goes into pacing and sequencing the images. And then there's the technical side of color-correcting and file handling. And the legal aspect of licensing and copyright. And, of course, effective communication with the team. Photo editing truly covers it all and I'm here for it!