As long as I can remember, I have loved being connected  to kids. I always knew that I would have a life working  with children in some form.  Since my other big interest  has been human behavior, I ended up with a formal education in Child Development / Family Relations and a master’s  degree in clinical social work. As a school therapist  for children with emotional and behavioral special needs, it was still possible for me to see beauty in even the most  difficult and disturbed child. Luckily right  around the time I was doing this work, I was  also exploring my other favorite interest, photography.

 One day I decided to bring a camera into work. The results were amazing. The children loved to see themselves in photographs and I LOVED to take pictures of them. With the help of my photography teacher and best friend, photographer Andrew Xenios, I ended up having an exhibition of the kids I worked with. The pictures seemed to capture the essence of each person; even the most troubled child was still beautiful. From there, it was just a natural progression to become a portrait photographer.

The fact that I am just a big kid myself has helped me gain a wonderful perspective on children and their families. Photographing children provides me with the opportunity to show others the joy I see inside every one of them. When I was asked to be a godmother to a great friend’s daughter, she said the reason was because of the “child that I will have forever inside of me”. It was the biggest compliment I have ever received. This is what I want for my clients, to capture the moments when they feel most childlike, most at ease; as these are the moments when our true beauty is revealed.

andrew xenios