About me ~ In Depth

Well, where do I start?! I’m married to my best friend, Paul. We had an amazing wedding and a perfect honeymoon in Mexico! We live in the suburbs of Metro Detroit and live pretty much within 45 minutes of everything around here. We have a cat named Maya as well as Cooper, our troublemaker pug that keep us on our toes. We also have a slight addiction to our Xbox One, WiiU and 3DS…

I am a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person by what they like. So here goes!

Things I love:

(in no particular order except to put Paul at the top of the list because this will make him happy…)

• Paul – I married the guy at the video game store. Yup. That’s how we met. I was looking for a used copy of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and he was the store manager. We’ve been through so much and yet we are always there to support each other. He’s my other half and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

• Maya and Cooper – Maya looked at me from behind the bars of the cage she was stuffed into at the Detroit Michigan Humane Society. She kept meowing at me and wouldn’t stop. It was kind of annoying. I knew it was love. She picked me and she has been such a love ever since…and anyone who has met her knows she still meows for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Cooper on the other hand just wants to be your friend and love you and kiss you. He’s a terrible watchdog, as most pugs are, but he’s truly my little buddy. I’ve tried to kill him with cheese (…not really, long story) but the surgery took and you wouldn’t even know that he was almost a tripod! Yeah. I love them 🙂

• Our friends & family – One of the things that I loved about Paul when I first met him was the fact that he was such an amazing friend and that he HAD such wonderful friends. He’s from Pennsylvania, so I didn’t meet his parents until later. Anyways, I’m totally getting off topic. We have such amazing friends and family and we seriously wouldn’t be where we are without them. I could go on and on, but you get the point…

• Shooting weddings – The speeches always get me. I love when I get to listen to a Best Man or a Maid/Matron of Honor speech that just has me in tears. Do you know how difficult it is to photograph speeches with tears in your eyes?! Seriously though…I love that my brides and grooms are in love and on their way to their happy ever after. I cannot get enough of that. But I expect that on their wedding day! That’s what drives me and that’s why my clients rock. Their love for each other is just so amazingly apparent…but those speeches. Every so often I have the privilege of hearing a speech made by a loved one that really signifies how utterly amazing those two people are. Not only are they in love and committed to each other for the rest of their lives, but their love and how they are, both as individuals and as a couple has had such a positive influence on those around them that such a dynamic, heartfelt speech comes out without any effort. Yeah, those get me.

• My photo gear – I knew that one day if I kept going towards my goals I would be able to afford those “L” lenses, the professional (otherwise known as uber expensive) lenses that Canon makes. I started small, with consumer grade camera bodies and lenses. After countless trials and errors, lots of schooling and tons of hard work, I was finally able to upgrade my gear to what I have now. It’s all a part of me now. I used to look at my gear in awe because of it’s pure awesomeness and now it’s just there. As it’s supposed to be. I rely on it, trust it and don’t even have to think twice about what I’m doing.

• Video Games – The ending of Bioshock Infinite blew my mind. Dom dying in Gears of War 3? Tragic. Multiplayer in some Call of Duty? I’m in. Whay can I say? I’m in the arts field. I love video games! I’m mostly on the Xbox. Jstep7262 if you want to follow me!

• Movies – What do photographers do the other half of the time when they aren’t shooting? Editing. Some people like music, some like silence. Me? I like my movies. Whether it’s some rom-com or Full Metal Jacket, I love my movies. Don’t believe me? Download the QuizUp app and challenge me. I’ll whoop ya! (At least I’ll try)

• Sleeping in -It’s funny-As you get older, you appreciate sleep more. I remember when I was younger I used to fight taking naps and now I cherish my sleepy and relaxing time!

• Asian cooking – The taste of freshly made Kung Pao Chicken or fresh sushi hitting your taste buds fir the first time after slaving in the kitchen for what seemed like hours on end, all while having the immense satisfaction of having prepared such a delectable meal on your own at a fraction of what it would cost at a restaurant? Priceless!

• Okay, any kind of cooking – Yeah, I’m a foodie. I love cooking almost as much as I love eating!

• Traveling – Relaxing on the beach, the surf slowly lapping at your toes, the sun shining down on you, warming you to the core…I work a lot. But I also know that when I DO take a break, I’m going to enjoy all that life has to offer. Nothing beats cutting loose with your loved ones someplace warm and sunny. I absolutely love Mexico and the Caribbean, but I really want to travel the US sooner than later and see some of the awesome things that our own country has to offer.

• A good book – …can take you away to another world. Someplace that you’ll only ever experience in your imagination. A good book can make you think of things in a different perspective and open your mind to new ways of thinking. A good book can be one of the least expensive but most rewarding gifts out there…A few of my favorites? I’m a suspense/dystopian/fiction junkie, and love anything James Patterson as well as Influence by Robert Cialdini and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Seriously awesome stuff.

• Getting lost with just my camera…even if only for an hour or two – Life can pass you by so quickly. We get busy with jobs and family, getting the laundry done and making lunches. Take even twenty minutes, grab your camera and go out into your yard. Or go for a walk. Take the kids or the dog. Make a conscious effort to spend that time taking pictures. Capture those memories because it’s so easy to let them come and go, without having any way of looking back through them other than in your memories. I know that I even have to make a conscious effort to take photographs for myself. It’s so easy to overlook when life gets busy!