"The Beginning is the Most Important Part of the Journey"
One of the most common questions I get is, "How did you begin this career in photography?" For me, the journey all started when I was very young, probably around the age 13 when my parents let me use their Nikon D80 digital camera. My parents had several film and digital cameras when I was growing up. Photography was always one of my mom's hobbies since she loved scrapbooking our lives as my brother and I grew up.
Artists seem to run in my family. I could never draw or paint well and for the longest time I thought that gene skipped me. That was until I discovered what I could do with the camera. It amazed me because I knew I had a creative mind but I just did not find the correct medium to portray my ideas until I was in middle school. I took a photography class in my freshman year of high school and then in my sophomore year, I discovered a program that changed my life forever and supported me to get me to where I am today. I visited and later applied to the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center (LCCTC) for Visual Communications in my junior year and then Photography and Digital Imaging for my senior year. Those last two years of high school taught me the basics of everything I know in this career. My instructors were not just there to teach me about how to use my camera, but they supported me and still support me to this day. I am truly lucky to have such great mentors.
After graduating from high school and Lancaster County CTC, I went on to further my education in photography at Antonelli Institute of Art and Photography. Attending school at Antonelli Institute took my work from good to great. I was able to build off of the basic principles that Lancaster County CTC gave me and expanded my skills creatively to make amazing images. I will forever be grateful for my instructors at Lancaster County CTC and Antonelli Institute. At both schools, it feels like family. I know I can always come back and still get advice and ask questions!
The beginning of my journey with photography revolves around my family and my instructors from Lancaster County CTC and Antonelli Institute. I am very excited to see what is to come next in this journey, but I know one thing that is for sure is that I will never forget where I got my start!