LiveMom.com – Dedicated to building a better village

Occupation: Photographer

Age: 41

Number of Children: 2

Current Projects / Job: modern children, family and wedding photography

You are a very talented photographer. Tell us about how you got started taking pictures of people.
I have always been a bit obsessed with portraiture. I love the idea of capturing someone in time and being able to revisit over and over again that moment and relive it. My grandmother was an incredible shutterbug. Her photos were definitely in the snapshot category, but she was a prolific documentarian. Our entire childhoods are chronicled in hundreds of photographs. Not to get too therapeutic about it, but I also feel l became obsessed with imagery of people because I was adopted and really longed for an image of my birth-parents. And not just any image, but specifically ones of them taken at the time of my birth. When I found my birth parents and my birth-mother lent me her old photo album, I was in heaven. And it was almost as if once I had seen the photos (and of course copied them) that the relationship with my birth-parents was over for me.
Have you had any professional schooling for photography or was it something that you learned by doing on your own?
I went to art school in California, where I got my degree in graphic design. I was a designer for thirteen years and I still design now but only a few projects per year. When I was in school I took a few photography classes, which were fabulous. I always joked that if I were rich I would have changed to photography instead of design, but I was already far into the design program and I still love the integration of image and typography.
What’s your favorite thing (or person) to photograph?
Definitely young children and animals because they are totally unaware of the camera and they don’t yet have any hang ups about their appearance.
Most of your photos are taken in people’s natural elements. Tell us why you feel comfortable in that environment rather than a studio type setting.
Home is such an important place for me—both physically and symbolically. It is where we can be our true selves and I feel like the way people choose to decorate their homes tells so much about them. I always make a beeline for the fridge to look at the photos people have posted there. And for children it is incredibly important that they be able to look back to where they grew up and the places that shaped them.
You recently moved to Austin from California. Why did you move and how has the transition been so far?
We moved because my husband had a job offer and we wanted to buy a house, which had become an impossibility there. I really love Austin. It is so child friendly and I feel like it is a great place for my kids to grow up. And the pace of life is definitely more manageable here. Also, I have made some amazing friends here and I am so grateful for that.
Do you do much traveling for clients or are they all generally in Austin?
They are mostly in Austin and San Francisco. I travel twice a year to California for sessions with clients I had before I moved here. I did a wedding in Las Vegas recently and have one in Chicago in October, but the majority of my work is here.
Let’s say you are having a stressful day and you have the opportunity to escape with your camera for some quality alone time. Where would you go and why?
Definitely somewhere where people are. I am not at all interested in landscape photography. I love to look at it, but am not moved to do it myself. I am still very shy and awkward about photographing people I do not know. I never know how they will react. Which is one reason my boys are my constant models.
What types of challenges do you face as a woman running your own business?
Balancing home and work. Especially because I work at home. Whenever something needs to be done or the kids are sick or need to go to the doctor I am ‘it’. I understand that it is harder for my husband to leave work because I have worked in corporate environments for many years, but it is still a hardship for me and my business.
Who are some of your role models?
My friends. They are all so smart, funny and good looking. I drew the short straw.
If you could go back in time to meet one person, who would that person be?
Dorothy Parker
What did you do before you became a photographer?
I was a graphic designer.
What do you like to do to unwind at the end of the day?
Cocktails, movies and books plus a little chocolate. Okay a lot of chocolate.
Where all have you lived in your life and what place has been your favorite so far?
I have spent the vast majority of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I have also lived in France. If I won the lottery I would buy a place in San Francisco and one in the South of France. And since I will be so rich I will also get one in New York. The only problem is that I do not play the lottery, so don’t go looking for that to happen any time soon.
If you could live anywhere other than Austin, where would it be?
the South of France
What serves as your inspiration in life?
Movies, prose, poetry, people, fashion, children, movement, travel and a million other things.
Tell us one of your secret indulgences.
Romance movies and junk food.
If you were portrayed in a movie, who would play your character?
Probably someone like Janeane Garafolo, but I would prefer it to be Kate Winslet.
What would your theme song be?
Wow that is a tough one. Probably “Imperfectly” by Ani Difranco.
If you had the power, what would you change in the world?
So very many things and they all will sound cliche.
What is your best childhood memory?
Okay now you are going to know how totally screwed up I am when I say that I cannot think of one.
What is the one thing that you want your children to know before leaving home?
That they will be loved no matter what.
Why do you like living in Austin? What do you dislike about the city?
I love the pace and feel of the city and the people. I dislike the architecture and the weather (at least in the summer).
What would you do first if you won the lottery?
Pay off all of my debt. Not very sexy, but there it is. Then I would buy my house in the South of France.
Dream vacation? Where is it and what would you most like to do while you’re on vacation?
Be on a beach in a hammock with a good book and a cocktail.
Tell us about your husband. Where did you two meet and how long have you been together?
We met online at nerve.com. We have been together for a little more than six years.
If you could give unsolicited advice out to anyone, what would you say and who would you say it to?
I would say what is written in my blog: “I am an extremely opinionated person and you should never take advice from me. TRUST ME ON THIS.”

Posted by livemom on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 3:13 pm | 3 Comments » You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.