Why Am I A Photographer?

Some people pick up a camera and never put it down. For me, I’ve tried walking away from photography more than once. It kept calling me back though in a quiet and subtle kind of way. As a result of starting and stopping NUMEROUS times, I didn’t always feel comfortable calling myself a photographer and it’s still kind of weird to say it out loud sometimes. I’ve had to start and stop my plans a lot. Life can be heavy and I know that just as well as anyone else. I live with bipolar disorder, clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder and the mental health alphabet goes on. That all colors how I approach life, creativity, and work. For a long time, I was made to feel that if I couldn’t hustle nonstop, I wasn’t cut out for business… or life. But photography taught me to slow down and still create something meaningful. Even in my low seasons. It’s not about forcing productivity but more-so about protecting the spark that got me started in the very beginning. Even when the business side feels hard, the making of images never stopped being worth it. How I see the world and how I process things is through the eyes of documenting history. The way I look at people, nature, small interactions and even silence. That all holds a type of nostalgia that I want to hold and share, just to it can be remembered. As a result, I shoot because it’s natural to me. Old portraits of my grandmother and grandfather I never got to meet, photos of parties before I was born and of course ones I went to myself are all important. It’s all a part of history and can be so easily forgotten if not for photographs. So I’m not chasing styled shoots, flashy weddings or going viral on social media. I’m building on the rooted and real parts of everyday life.

So I’ve been working hard rebuilding Bonsai Portraits with intention: slow, steady and true to me. I want to work with people who are okay with quiet beauty, but also those who are ready to be heard and loud. Anyone who appreciates the real and candid over the rigid and posed. Your moment is all there is when I’m photographing your elopement at Flatrock Park, your local business here in Columbus, or your graduation photos to celebrate finishing up at CSU. I’m here to offer presence, care, and honest storytelling. I’m not here to sell you a perfectly traditional wedding package, stiff family photos or a fake version of myself to show up for you. I’m here to show the beautiful art of what’s real. For people who care more about the feeling of a photo than how technical and polished it looks. If you’re planning something small, intentional, or deeply important to you; whether it’s a wedding/elopement, branding session, or just something personal— I’d love to be part of it.

Thanks for reading this far because it means more than you know. Hope to talk about what I can do specifically for you soon!