I’ve always been a visual person. I used to draw for hours when I was a little kid. As a child, I was inspired by my late uncle, James Townsend, who was a Washington-based pen and ink artist who focused primarily on the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. I’d see his artwork hanging up on the walls of my home – screeching bald eagles, salmon leaping out of the water, and wolves with their heads back, howling at a full moon. The awe and inspiration often times pushed me to pull out my crayons and draw creatures and woodland critters of my own.  I still have one of my bald eagle drawings that I did when I was 5, my grandma Lois took it and had it framed for me. The themes of my art eventually changed to people, then to comic book heroes, and as I grew older the subjects that I drew or painted matured. I was in AP art in high school and enjoyed painting and charcoal drawings of anything that captivated me, which was usually my loved ones and the people that were close to me in my day-to-day life.

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I was first introduced to cameras (albeit a point-and-shoot) on Christmas Eve of 2006. It was a gift from my dad and will most likely be the best gift I will ever receive. It wasn’t the greatest camera and it definitely didn’t have most of the features found on modern point-and-shoots, but it let me capture the people I love in our cherished moments- immortalizing memories. I was enthralled with the idea that people could, in a sense, see the world through my eyes. At that time, I was mainly focusing (like that pun?) on my friends and family. I’d get together with my loved ones and just click away at all the candid moments that carried on throughout the night; I got quite good at finding those special moments and those genuine, “twinkle in your eye” smiles.

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It wasn’t until years later that I made the leap to a professional camera. In 2010, I made the decision to move to Hawaii. At that time I knew I was more than ready to take on the challenge of a high quality, technical piece of equipment. In Hawaii, I still focused a lot on people, but also expanded my interest to include landscapes and nature photos as I hiked throughout the scenic, jagged hills of Oahu. I lived with 5 other roommates in the hills that overlooked downtown Honolulu. I continued to work on my candid, story-telling photography style as we would body surf, BBQ at the beaches, throw the football at Ala Moana Beach Park, and just lounge around our home. Life in Hawaii was a beautiful dream and I am lucky to have so many of those exceptional moments captured.

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In 2012, I made the decision to return home to Washington to be with my friends and family.  I have since opened up my photography studio and event space, "The Darkroom", in downtown Snohomish.  Since opening my business I have photographed almost 200 weddings and have been fortunate to work with thousands of families from all over the United States.  

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If you are looking for warm, charming, genuine photos that will last a lifetime, please reach out and share with us your special occasion and how we can make it perfect for you.

 

Thanks,

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