Since picking up my father's fully manual, 30-year-old Nikkormat, I've been drawn to the power of photography to connect people.  That camera made its way around Asia while my father was in the Air Force during the 60s and then again when I retraced some of his steps, after graduating University of Chicago.  It saw thousands of faces.  It documented breathtaking moments in time.  It opened conversations with people  1000s of miles from me that are still friends today. That camera lead me to my passion: telling the stories of the world.

 

For the 18 years, I have been shooting, art directing, producing and retouching/illustrating, a combination that informs my understanding of the visual process and fuels my love of collaboration.  I was Director of Photography for the Chicago Reader, one of the few, independent, alternative weeklies left in the States.  Prior to that I did studio photography for Crate & Barrel and freelanced.  I worked retouching and blogging for Time Out Chicago Magazine for nearly 8 years.  My work ranges from travel to food and from studio to documentary, for clients including Crate & Barrel, Eddie Bauer, United Airlines, Roads & Kingdoms, Chicago Magazine, The Chicago Reader, Time Out Chicago, Refinery 29, Smithsonian Magazine, Windy City Rollers, and Thoughtworks, Inc.

 

I am an adventurer, photographer, leather craftswoman, horseback rider, coach, roller derby athlete, yoga fanatic, world traveler, cat lover, weightlifter, illustrator, sustainability geek, occasional Norwegian and Spanish speaker, high-fiver and lifelong Chicagoan...though Norway holds my heart.  Let's create.​