At the heart of my creative work is a simple belief: it is often the smallest moments that keep us present, and, when needed, gently brighten the way we see—making the world feel wide, alive, and full of possibility. For me, looking through the lens is not just observation; it is a spiritual practice. I am searching for the hidden brilliance behind what we see, the quiet light that illuminates each moment and each thing.
My work lives where creativity, care, and community meet. For more than fifteen years, I’ve walked alongside children, families, and elders through creativity for health—singing, art, writing, and photography—education, advocacy, arts-in-medicine, care and outreach. If there’s a common thread, it is this: seeing and being seen can be its own kind of medicine, and for me, photography extends that seeing into the sacred.
Small Bright Moments is how photography lives within the larger body of my work—as an intentional practice of attention and care. It’s guided by the belief that love can be practiced through how we see, and that photographs can hold moments of healing. This work moves through public service and family stories, remembrance portraits, fine art for community, spiritual and healthcare spaces, and a camera lending library with mentorships to support creative well-being. If you’re here and wondering whether any of this might be for you, I’m glad you found your way here. You don’t need to know exactly what you’re looking for—we can begin with a simple conversation and start where you are.
My life and work have been shaped by the people I have loved and learned from—most especially Geordie Gude, my partner and best friend, who died in 2024. Geordie understood what it meant to truly see someone and to remain faithful to who we are. We both liked to look a little differently, and together we learned that seeing has its own rhythms—rhythms that connect us to those we love, to the world around us, and to the animating force within all things.
Looking through the lens reminds me—especially when I feel the weight of what it means to be human—that there is a living presence woven through everything, guiding and shaping us in ways that remain mysterious. It threads through the world just as it moves through the fiber of our own being. When I feel lost, or when life seems to lose some of its color, it is often because I have drifted from that awareness.
For me, nature is a faithful teacher, as are the small moments of kindness and connection that meet us each day. In nature, Spirit feels unmistakably alive—and being with it helps me return to my own rhythm and remember that I am part of the same weaving.
My late mentor, Dr. John Diamond, M.D., might have called this way of engaging “seeing beyond the obvious.” He taught that therapeutic engagement goes beyond surface-level observation, inviting us to notice the little things that are overlooked or not immediately visible—the subtle cues, emotions, and connections that matter in healing and in human relationships. Photography, for me, is both a tool and a spiritual practice: a way to see deeply, love intentionally, and participate in the sacred that surrounds us every day. This quality of attention informs all of my work, whether the camera is in my hands or not, offering a steady ground I can lean on. It helps me notice the moments beside me where beauty quietly brightens, remember that their brilliance also lives within me, and encourages me to be true to myself while continuing to learn what it means to be fully who I am.
Some small ways we can work together...
People choose to collaborate for many reasons—celebration, remembrance, care, curiosity, or community. However you arrive, we’ll begin where you are.
Family Portraits
My joie de vivre lives in photographing families—tenderly and beautifully catching the fleeting, real-life moments that make up your days. I offer family, engagement, and small wedding packages, along with cost-sensitive options for locals.
In addition to digital galleries, I personally create custom-order, hand-made photographic prints just for you. Each print is made slowly and intentionally in my studio, using fine art materials and traditional techniques.
During our sessions, I’ll gently guide you into natural, relaxed poses—nothing stiff or performative—meeting you right where you are. My hope is to create a playful space where you can simply be together, where the good stuff has room to rise: the laughter, the softness, the in-between looks, the way you reach for each other without thinking. You’ll leave with photographs that hold those feelings for you—something to return to and be warmed by, long after our time together.
Visual Storytelling
“Storytellers are the custodians of human history, the recorders of the human experience, and the voice of the human soul" —and I’d add: they’re also the keepers of our joy, even when the story is hard.
As a visual storyteller, I keep my eyes open not simply to record an event exactly as it happened, but to find its heart—to give form to what it felt like. That means holding space for the whole truth of an experience: the grief and grit, yes, but also the resilience, the tenderness, the flashes of laughter, and the small bright moments that help people keep going.
My projects with local media, non-profits, magazines, and cause-driven partners have taken me into work that matters deeply: arts for healing, ending child labor, documenting human rights marches, ensuring food equity and housing security, and championing conservation, creativity, and education. In each of these spaces, I’m looking for what’s real—and what’s radiant—because even in the midst of struggle, joy is often there, quietly insisting on being seen.
Remembrance Portraits
After Geordie died, I began searching through my photo archives for pictures of him, letting the images bring him—and the feeling of us—a little closer. During our time together, I learned not only the technical craft of portrait photography, but the deeper practice of truly seeing him—and, in turn, being seen by him. Each time I found, adjusted, and printed a photograph of Geordie, I opened a window into the love we shared. Grief was there, of course, but so was joy: the way he looked when something delighted him, the mischief in his smile, and the way I could see myself through his eyes.
These photographs are more than memories; they’re points of connection. Now, I offer the same kind of connection to others through partnerships with nonprofits that support families navigating illness, providing portraits you can return to again and again.
Small Bright Moments
I’ve always found a kind of shelter in making photographs in and from nature. I’ve learned that even in times of illness, loss, and grief, moments of beauty can still be found. I’ve come to see these moments as essential; they don’t undo what’s hard, but they do make it a little easier to carry.
Because these images mean something real to me, I wanted to make them more widely available. Small Bright Moments is my way of doing that: hand-printed, often with inspirational quotes or poems on the reverse, these photos are made for people who find grounding in nature and creativity, and for the places that care for community wellbeing.
Camera Lending Library
This program creates accessible pathways into photography for youth and adults of all backgrounds. By offering free access to cameras, lenses, and essential accessories, it removes financial barriers and opens the door to creative exploration. Participants can borrow equipment for hands-on learning and receive individualized mentorship shaped around their interests, learning style, and goals.
Whether you’re picking up a camera for the first time or are growing your skills, this program is designed to meet you where you are and support you as you develop your own way of seeing. My hope is that along the way you find not just technique, but confidence, curiosity, and a little joy in noticing the world—and yourself—more clearly.
