First and foremost, I’m blessed!! God is so good, and I thank Him for His saving grace, along with the many talents and opportunities He has blessed me with!

I’m originally from Roanoke, where I grew up until I started my education at Virginia Tech. I currently live in Christiansburg, Virginia where not only am I a photographer, but I’m also a Technology Education teacher at Blacksburg Middle School.

Photography is my passion. I got my start in photography in high school through competitions in Technology Students Association (TSA). My teachers saw something special about my work and helped me develop my talents. I had the opportunity to win several photography awards, including a National award in 2001, which gave me the confidence to develop my talents further. My love of photography has grown into a passion I still enjoy today. I went to college to be a photography teacher, which lead me to a Technology Education degree. I was able to learn so much more than just photography, and I’ve been teaching middle school ever since graduating in 2004. I’ve been taking photographs ever since I got my first camera, and I’m still very involved in TSA with my students because of my experiences in high school. A special thanks to my Technology Education teachers, Jerry Salyor and Julie Norris for believing in me.

It’s hard to believe how much photographic technologies have advanced since I started taking pictures with my parent’s 35mm camera and a black and white darkroom to develop my photographs. I took several photography classes in high school, and even started taking night classes at the local community college while I was still in high school to further pursue my passion in photography. I converted my childhood playhouse into a fully functional darkroom and I bought my first 35mm Canon Rebel in 1999. As technology advanced, the digital camera was starting to become popular. After working for a entire summer and saving money, I finally bought my first DSLR- a Canon Digital Rebel! I have had several cameras throughout the years, and currently shoot with a Nikon D5 and several favorite lenses. I love continuing to grow as a photographer and learning new things.