PHOTOGRAPHY HIGHLIGHTS
As a photographer, it's always a thrill to have my work published. Honestly, it never gets old. Whether I shoot an entire book, a standalone cover or a few interior images, or if I license a stock image of something shot a year ago, it's always gratifying to know my work is out there for the world to enjoy. With stock images, I rarely get to see where the image is used unless I stumble across it serendipitously, but just knowing others are appreciating it gives me a little jolt of glee.
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! After helping to research and select the heroes we were going to feature, 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! These books not only showcase my photography skills, but also my storytelling and editorial development chops as well.
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. There was a lot of collaboration and organization involved in this project, from the brainstorming of activities to the timing of what to shoot and when. I worked with a prop stylist, art director and editor to make images that were on-brand, married well with the food photography, and perfectly suited the allotted space.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, COVER AND INTERIORS
For book covers, sometimes the available stock images were just too stocky, so I would shoot a new, more authentic image, leaving the designer room for typography and branding. For interiors, I worked with the editor of the book and the art director and designer to pinpoint exactly what we were trying to show the reader. Whether it was a DIY or bringing history alive, my narrative photography style is accessible and vibrant, which resonated with the audience and kept them turning the pages.