A New Personal Photo Project

Some of you may not know this, but before I became a professional wedding and family photographer, I went to art school!  I received my BFA from The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and my MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, my photos were obviously more art focused then.  When I began photographing weddings, I felt that this fulfilled the artistic side of me and I stepped away from my personal work for quite some time.  Like 10 years!

Last summer I felt a driving desire to make personal artwork again!

Much of my personal work has revolved around my childhood memories.  This particular series that I began involving my niece (and eventually my nephew) is mostly from specific memories but some are more metaphorical.

I’m interested in the mysteries of life that make childhood so exciting and the games that children play, often acting out what they think adult life is like, as well as the passage of childhood innocence into adulthood.

I’ve been struggling with putting this new series out into the world of social media as I feel like we see soooooooo many photos in our lives, on our phones and computers and we just fly through them and “Like” them and then we are on to the next thing.  However, I want people to see them… I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

These two images are actually hanging in a gallery right now in print form at the Hatch Art Gallery in Hamtramck, Michigan!  The first show that I entered my new work into they were accepted so that is super exciting for me!

I plan on creating more images this summer and I feel like I have to act fast because their childhood is disappearing quickly!

1. The Beginning
   Planting a Rose Garden