“When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I’d like to know them.”
-Annie Leibovitz
“It all started when a grown-up handed me a camera…”
No, for real, though. My Papa was always taking pictures of his family and travels. Family photo albums always seemed like such a cherished object in my grandparents’ home. I loved traveling back in my family’s history and was just in awe of how we could look back at the past through a moment frozen in time.
How did I get here? Great question. Let me tell you all about it.
One of many photographs my Papa saved of his family photos over the years, circa 1940s, Bayview, Milwaukee, WI.
Picture this, it’s Christmas Day in 2009. My parents gave me a small digital camera. I don’t remember any other present given to me that year - just the camera. My mom picked out a camera that was the color mauve because it was supposed to be 2010’s “color of the year”. (I’m not sure where she got that from, because it was, in fact, NOT that color 🤣).
Anyways, I found myself feeling this incredible joy capturing my friends in my little Lutheran grade school, my siblings, dogs, and extended family. My mom helped me print the pictures and I handed copies out to everyone, and they loved them. This experience made me realize that I had this super power of making others feel beautiful.
Fast forward to 2012. My Nikon CoolPix camera and iPhone4 couldn’t capture at the level I wanted. So one of my mom’s good friends lent me her entry-level Canon Rebel for a small deposit of $200.00. If I returned the camera to her within the next 2 years and it was in good condition, she’d give the deposit back to me in full. But I needed to use those 2 years to learn, practice, save money, and build up a resume.
So I asked all my high school friends to “model” for me (refer to the collage below) and I connected with other photographers and aspiring models in the Milwaukee area on Instagram. My photography friends and I traveled all around the Greater-Milwaukee area chasing sunsets and beautiful landscapes. I captured 2 weddings, a restaurant grand opening, my former cheerleading team’s competition performance, and my immediate family’s Christmas card photos.
my beautiful friends “modeling” for me, circa 2012
selfie from photographing my first wedding, circa 2012
When the 2 years were up I upgraded my camera, took on my more weddings and senior pictures, enrolled in college level photography courses, and studied under other experienced photographers. I rebranded like 3 times (ridiculous, and inconsistent, I know) and took on any photography job I could find all while completing college, traveling, growing in faith, playing music at church, and working for my parents’ paint-your-own-pottery studio.
photo by the talented Alex Michaelsen, circa 2019
Suddenly, COVID shut the world down and BAM I found myself married to my best friend, we made 2 little boys, and bought a cute little home in Milwaukee.
images by the amazing Devon Rose Photography, circa 2020 & 2022
In some ways my life has generally calmed down, but in other ways it’s only gotten crazier (fellow parents, you know what I’m talking about 😉). The calm has given me the capacity to ponder which talents I should focus on in order to
a) contribute to my family’s future
b) serve others well, &
c) give God the glory
Pursuing photography full time seemed to fit the bill and be the best answer to my family’s prayers. And that’s also in great part to YOU. You’re not just my amazing clients, many of you have become my friends. Your support of me and my family is unbelievable and extremely humbling. The fact that I get to call this my job is the coolest thing EVER! 🤍
thank you to the wonderful Rachel Hyer for the family photos 🖤
MY PHILOSOPHY
So after reading a little bit of my story as to how I got here, you may be wondering “Why should I hire or trust you to take my photos?”
Here’s why:
I believe my years of learning and experience speaks for itself. You can see some of my favorite work here and ask any of my past clients what they have to say about their experience — and I know they will say good things. Beautifully good and kind words that I will never forget or take for granted.
I love people. I love hearing their stories and capturing their beauty. And I especially love when others see the images I take of them and they feel just as beautiful. God created all of us in His image, beautifully and purposefully knit together in our mother’s womb. With all of the voices out there in the world telling you to need to be more of this and less of that, I aim to capture you in a way that allows you to see how beautiful God made you just as you are.
Life is HARD, and it goes by WAY too fast. Trust me, I know that first hand. We have to take a moment and be grateful for every blessing God has given us. So let’s celebrate how beautiful this gift of life is, and allow me capture all of the love & smiles.
Let’s chat, I’d love to get to know you 🤍
Follow my instagram to see editing videos and behind the scenes fun.
