To view article, click here. 

My biggest takeaway:

What unique perspectives do women bring to photography?

​Something I hear from editors recently is that generally speaking, women tend to be a little more sensitive, a little more dedicated to long-form personal narrative and really getting into a story. A lot of slower social documentary work is done by women. They form close bonds with subjects and they’re let in. But it doesn’t just fall along the lines of men and women. There are incredible male social documentary photographers and incredible female war photographers. So I hesitate to make generalizations about what women are stronger at.
But we also just have different access. If we’re talking about stories in the Middle East, a woman is going to get very different access than a man would be able to. There are certain communities where you cannot work if you are male.

Why is this subject so important right now?

There’s a growing empathy gap. Looking at America specifically, I think we’re having a harder and harder time understanding people who are different from us and who have had different experiences. We have these two deeply divided populations who don’t listen to each other and don’t seem to want to listen to each other. We have to figure out how to fix that. We have a liberal media and conservative media and the overlap between those is very slight. People pick the one that reinforces their worldview, and that’s really scary and dangerous.

Here's a little story about Jessica.
Jessica suffered from obesity.
One day, Jessica decided to take control of her life and get healthy
400 lbs lighter & feeling empowered, Jessica wanted to do something to celebrate her new self
Jessica booked a shoot with me and as a result, can reflect on her stunning transformation, for many years to come. 

Jessica, your story is nothing short of amazing and you deserve to look and feel good in your own skin. Everyone does. You are an inspiration....and a total babe! Jessica's story is just one of many that I've had the privilege  to document. It's stories like Jessica's that motivate me to keep shooting & keep sharing.

Whenever I embark upon a new painting, I always document my progression. Why? Well, for starters, I think it's cool to see the evolution of a new piece and secondly, I'm a firm believer in taking my time. That said, I never finish a painting in one-sitting. It's important to take a step back every so often, and view artwork with fresh eyes.