I was born in Tucson and lived in 7 different
Southwestern states by the time I was 6. My dad
is a petroleum geologist, and the oil companies
moved him around. My parents had the foresight to
live near the countryside, as I recall living by
bayous, swamps and cotton fields during my early
years. When it became logistically difficult to
move 7 children from school to school, he took
a job as a geology professor and we settled in
Wichita, Kansas during my elementary school years.
Our house was on the edge of town, on Chisholm
Creek, and I grew up playing in the nearby woods
and fields. I had an old tub that I filled with
baby catfish, minnows, and any critter that I
could catch in the creek, and I was pretty good at
that-many creatures lived in the dark waters of
my tub. I loved nature. I began studying natural
history and marine biology. My dream was to be a
conchologist- a shell scientist, and yes, I knew
that word in 4th grade. I recall my excitement
when my first shell collection came in the mail. I
had ordered it from the back of a Life cereal box.
Alas, I lived in Kansas, so there were no marine
expeditions.
Eventually, my dad took a teaching job in
upstate New York, where we lived until I was in
college. My dad would shoot slides and we often
had slide shows at home. We would see shows of
his summers spent doing exploration work in the
Yukon or Alaska. My father would always end with a
beautiful sunset slide and the words "as the
sun sets slowly in the West." He was my first photo
influence, and he has subsequently given me his
old cameras. My Mom has a Master's in History,
and was a teacher and real estate agent. I was an
exchange student to Melbourne, Australia during my
junior year of high school, when I finally got to
spend time by my beloved ocean.
I was an Art major in college, my right-brained
artist side having taken over. I majored in painting,
but took some photography classes, too. Life took me
here and there for many years. I raised 3 wonderful
left brained children, for a decade as a single mom.
My path has had many ups and downs, which led to some
spiritual seeking. My photography is intentionally
uplifting, because it feels better to focus on the
positive.
Some years ago, I reunited with my lost
Some years ago, I reunited with my lost
high school love, and have been living happily ever
after with him here in LA.I took classes at Valley College, then
joined a local gallery, and most recently have
found a home at Julia Dean Photographic Workshops,
assisting workshops and continuing my photographic
journey.