How my passion started as a young child

I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 12 years old.

Yep–you heard that right! When I was a little 12 year old, I wanted to teach younger kids how to dance, so I did! I had a skill that I had practiced for 9 years and I knew there was a demand for what I could offer people. So, my mom would drive me to friend’s houses who had 3-6 year old little girls and I would teach them the basics of dance. And seriously BLESS those all the moms who let me as a child use my skills to do something meaningful and teach your daughters even just one new skill.

Now, was my brain thinking that deep about it as a kid? No, of course not. But now as I look back at the life experiences that have led me to wear I am today, it all makes sense. I firmly believe the Lord put a desire to use the skills he’s given me to help others in a way that would be profitable for me and provide for my daily needs and desires practically.

As life went on, I sold many crafts through the years. I made calligraphy greeting cards to sell, I collaborated with some friends to sell candles and raise money for mission trips, and the list goes on I’m sure. Here’s the point: becoming a wedding photographer was not an overnight decision, it was a passion that was placed in me from a very young age and has been nurtured by life experience and by the direction of following after Christ and His call on my life.

Picking up the camera for the first time

When I was 15 years old, I had a family friend who took me under her wing and taught me all the basics I needed to know for photography. I picked up my mom’s DSLR camera and practiced CONSTANTLY. Aperture, ISO, shutter-speed, all the things. My friend even let me tag along and shoot weddings with her, take photos of her kids at their birthday parties, and edit on her Lightroom software. She invested in the next generation of an up and coming Chattanooga wedding photographer.

As I became more and more confident, I began to do senior photo shoots for my friends and family sessions for people who knew me. All through out high school I continued to practice and practice and practice. And soon, people started paying me and I learned I could make money doing this creative thing that I loved so dearly. I fell in love with photography because I could run around with the kids, capture specific season of life for people, or preserve two parents’ love in just a frame. All during this time, I only was a Chattanooga photographer and had never ventured beyond that.

After high school graduation, I went to Union University where I studied journalism, learning from the very best on how to tell stories from behind the camera or on the page. While at Union, I met incredible people and began to network in the photography industry in West Tennessee. I shot my first wedding during my freshman year of college at 18 years old back in Chattanooga for a family friend, and there are not enough “thank yous” for this couple being my first wedding photography clients! I lit up in a way I had never experienced before. And I knew I wanted more of that.

Where my business is today

So, all four years of college, I continued to grow, booking several weddings a year, creating a website, social media presence, and relationships with wedding vendors in Tennessee. After college graduation, I could finally put the effort and care I wanted to into my client experience and running a photography business I was proud of.

Now, with five years of shooting weddings under my belt and eight years of being a photographer, I still find deep joy and fulfillment in what I get to do. Photos are vital, they allow us to go back and relive a moment in time, whether it be the mundane or the big life events. There’s usually a big smile on my face even from behind the camera as I get to follow you around, preserving your love story for generations to come. What I get to create outlast me and even outlasts you! These photos are ones you will get to share with your grandchildren and for years to come.

I love that so many of my clients end up coming back to me over and over again. Maybe they come to me first to do engagement photos, and then I become their wedding photographer, and then maybe they have a baby a few years later and I get to capture that too. I love that what I get to do is not just a transaction. It is a relationship and friendship that is genuine and heartfelt.

Why do I tell you this? If we’re going to be friends and create beautiful wedding photography, you have to know why I do what I do. I’m not just a wedding vendor, this is more than just a job I show up to. Wedding photography is a calling I believe the Lord has put on my life and I can’t believe I get to live out this dream in my reality every day.

If you want to inquire and get to know me a little more, I’d love to photograph your wedding in Tennessee or beyond that!! Let’s take some dream photos together, OKAY?!