My favorite photos, both to admire and photograph, are photos that tell a story just by looking at them. I also love to shoot photos that are more toward the fashion side of things, such as editorial. I'm a very eclectic person and artist, so I don't have one particular genre or style I stick with. I like to bounce around according to my mood at the time. I love editing, and experimenting in photoshop, with different styles, learning new techniques and so on. I have done some composited images/photo manipulations/digital art, here and there, but they aren't really my favorite. What I really like is trying to create every aspect of my work in real life.
I get such a feeling of accomplishment knowing and being able to say, "Yes, I did do the makeup for this shoot." and "Yes, I made that jewelry." or "I spent days finding the perfect location, or hours setting up a scene for a photo, weeks shopping for the perfect props, etc." If I want fire, I'll have fire. If I want a certain location, I will search and search until I find one, and in some cases, create one! If I want bone jewelry, I will pull a deer carcass off the side of the road and make that bone jewelry!! (and yes, I really did do that, haha!) It's all an adventure and I love it.
Ever since I can remember, I have always loved to create things. Whether that means, drawing, sewing handmade cat toys, making origami, practicing makeup on my little sister, etc. I use to carve sidewalk chalk into creatures and I even made 'paper dolls' out of magnolia leaves from my favorite tree. My sister and I always had really wild imaginations, and we would make toys or games out of whatever we could find or come up with! When we played Barbies, I always loved to do all the Barbies hair and outfits, set up their Barbie castle, house, horses, etc. into the perfect scene and then I didn't want to even play the game because of how beautiful it all looked haha! I used to go outside and pick flowers to make into a bouquet, dress my sister up from head to toe, do her hair and makeup, and have a pretend wedding, or act out a play I wrote with a friend, neighbor, or even a cat haha! To put it simply, I love to coordinate things. I love putting things together, organizing, coming up with every single aspect of the photograph all the way down to the nitty gritty details such as (makeup, nails, hair, wardrobe, accessories, props, locations, pose, facial expression, shadows, lighting, etc.) and challenging myself to create as much of it as possible without photoshopping anything in that wasn't actually there. Yes it can get overwhelming at times and sometimes I have to ask for help, but I love every minute of it. It is a very wonderful and satisfying feeling to accomplish something that challenges me, especially when it's something that I put together myself.
I like to take time alone to think. I put everyone else's thoughts and opinions of art and 'rules' of photography out of my head and do what I want, what I view as art, what I think will express me and my thoughts. I haven't had any schooling in photography whatsoever. I have been unschooled since the 8th grade, and it's the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I have a love of learning and a passion that drives me to create.
I work really hard and put my heart and soul into my photography. Sometimes I take a long time to create an image, because I'm a perfectionist and I am stubborn but I am proud of my work, and the dedication and determination that I put into each piece. I create art because I love it, and because it allows me to express myself, to let go completely, and to have fun. I don't do it for attention, to compete, or to win. I definitely hope others will enjoy it as well, but that isn't really my top priority when I am creating. I don't mean that selfishly, I just mean that is how I feel is the best way to show my way of thinking and seeing when it comes to art.
