Ten years ago, I left a steady job I loved to become a full-time photographer. It was exciting, and it was terrifying! I had no idea whether it would work. As a Pittsburgh photographer, I’ve now spent a decade photographing families, seniors, babies, and couples in this city, and I wanted to share what it has taught me.
I grew up mesmerized by National Geographic
Long before I owned a serious camera, I was a kid with a stack of National Geographic magazines, completely mesmerized. I could sit for hours with a single photograph, wondering about the person in it, the light, the place, and what happened one second before the shutter clicked.
I didn’t know it then, but I was learning to see.
It started with one photograph in Galway
About twenty-five years ago, I was studying in Ireland at the Burren College of Art, which is housed in a castle. Our days were spent exploring the Irish countryside with classmates who became friends, cameras in hand. Then we’d come back to the castle and disappear into the darkroom.
One photograph from that time changed everything: a black-and-white image of a toddler looking out a window. I developed the film and printed it myself. I remember watching it appear in the tray, and something shifted. For the first time, I thought photography might be more than a dream. Maybe it could be a real career.
I never had a roadmap
I had a camera, a lot of curiosity, and a quiet feeling that I wanted to see where this could go. In 2001, I started building a small photography business on the side, tucked in alongside teaching and raising three kids.
I had to learn far more than photography: how to find clients, price my work, and make it all hold together. Mostly I learned by trying, getting it wrong, and trying again.
Stepping Out in Faith
My marketing eventually improved thanks to an unexpected twist. An Australian photographer turned marketing mentor found me on Facebook and offered to coach me over Skype. Her insights transformed my business. Suddenly, I had more bookings than I could fit into my calendar, and I could no longer juggle it all. To find the time to actually schedule all these new photoshoots, I had to make a choice, so I stepped away from teaching.
I was standing right at the edge of a major life decision, and I took the leap.
What I think about now is how quietly change happens. There was no single moment where everything flipped. It was one small step after another, until one day I looked back and saw they’d added up to something much bigger than I’d imagined.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
Photography teaches us to see
I’ve found that photography teaches us to look deeper. The longer I create, the more visual the world becomes: a stream of light through a window, the way shadows fall, a quiet gesture. Photography has taught me to slow down and pay attention, and ultimately, that has changed the way I see life.
Learning to trust my own eye
I built my business on a promise that still guides me today: Capturing Joy & Documenting Life. Right from the start, I wanted to create images that felt intentional, real, and full of life.
Over the last ten years, my core mission hasn’t changed, but the way I approach it has matured. I learned to simply trust my own eye. I stepped away from the standard industry molds and trends to focus entirely on what makes each session unique.
Today, I’m not looking for a manufactured version of perfection; I’m looking for true authenticity. That doesn’t mean the details don’t matter. I absolutely love meeting clients in beautiful locations, dressed in thoughtful outfits that make the photos feel elevated. My goal is to create a space where you feel completely safe, taking a breath, dropping the stiff poses, and being yourself. A genuinely beautiful portrait happens when those gorgeous details meet your unscripted reality. When you stop worrying about what a photo should look like, you open the door to capture real joy and document your life.
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The people are the best part
I’ve watched clients look at their portrait and discover confidence, strength, or beauty they hadn’t seen in themselves before. I will never take that lightly.
Some of the messages I treasure most come from moms of seniors, who reach out after a session to tell me the photos were transformative for their kids. The experience, and seeing themselves in those images, boosted their self-esteem and confidence. I think about those notes often. I picked up a camera because I loved making pictures, but I never imagined they could do that.
I’ve photographed new babies, growing families, seniors ready for what’s next, and two people choosing each other. People who arrive as strangers sometimes leave feeling like old friends.
An afternoon in a studio
Every once in a while, a photograph finds its way farther than I expected. A first place. A second place. A finalist. A few honorable mentions. I’m still a little surprised by all of it.
One of my favorites began with an afternoon above a popular coffee shop. My daughter Anna, a talented writer, was interviewing John Del Monte, a 99-year-old painter and longtime art teacher, for a story in our local paper. His grandson, Antonio, a photographer himself, was there too, and I came along with my camera. Anna asked the questions, and we listened to Del Monte talk about teaching and creating art. I photographed him in his studio, paying attention to the details of a life’s work.
One of those photographs won first place in the Hidden Details category of the Click VOICE Competition, in 2024. While another photo, a Positano landscape, “Peach Fuzz,” placed second that same year. I’m grateful that photographs I made simply because something caught my eye have connected with people.
What I’d tell anyone building something creative
- Never stop creating. The medium may change and the seasons of life will too, but the habit of making things doesn’t have to end.
- Let your own story shape your work. You don’t need to look like everyone else.
- Make time to create without an agenda. My favorite photographs often came from following my curiosity.
- Keep looking ahead. It’s easy to do things the way you’ve always done them, but there’s always room to grow.
Why photographs matter
A photograph is more than a record of what happened. It can carry you back to a place, a person, a version of your life you didn’t know you’d miss. It doesn’t just remind us what something looked like. It reminds us how it felt to be there.
Here’s to what’s next
I don’t know exactly what the next ten years will hold, and I like that. I’m still learning, still experimenting, still noticing, and still leaving room for a little serendipity.
Thank you for being part of this, whether you were in front of my camera, shared a story, or have followed along.
Thinking about how fast time moves makes me wonder: what is a memory from your own life you wish you had a tangible photograph of? I’d love it if you shared it in the comments below.
Let’s capture this season of your story
If you are ready to slow down and preserve the quiet, beautiful moments of your own family’s life right now, I would love to help you tell that story. As a Pittsburgh photographer specializing in family, senior, newborn, and couples portraits, my goal is always to make you feel completely like yourself in front of the camera.
