I grew up in a small, rural town in the desert of Eastern Utah. At fourteen I picked up a camera and started shooting as much as I could. I was instantly drawn to photography and it was all I could think about.
After a year of shooting self-portraits with a timer (remember Flickr days editing with Picnik?), I started photographing families, seniors, and newborns. At 16 I started my business and began shooting couples shortly after. I quickly realized shooting couples and weddings was what I was most drawn to, and at 19 I dropped out of college to do that full time. That first year of business I shot 70 weddings, my business grew quickly, and I burned out — and that burn out taught me so much about not only my business but myself and what I could handle. After that, I mostly focused on chasing what I had seen other photographers do, which consisted of shooting dozens of high-end destination weddings for couples who looked like professional models for tens of thousands of dollars. And guess what? I got there, but I was not happy.
I realized it was not MY version of success. My mental and physical health was put on the back burner and I missed out on quality time with friends, family, and the pups. I was an unhappy workaholic.
I got rid of the pieces of my business that were toxic to my happiness and set boundaries for my business. I prioritized honesty and connection rather than what the industry’s idea of success was. From one extreme to the next, take it from me, you already have the power to create the life you want — I’m just here to provide the tools to bring that power to light. I wish I had this source of knowledge available to me before I went through years of feeling miserable in my business.
I want to help save you from working out of a place of confusion, exhaustion, and scarcity. You deserve abundance, passion, and happiness and if even one of my guides can help you take a little step towards that, then I’ve done my job.
Thanks for trusting me with your education and most importantly, your passion.