Truth is, I’m a photography nerd through and through. I’ve been a wee bit obsessed with portraits for as long as I can remember, influenced by the likes of Herb Ritts, Vivian Maier, David Bailey, and Annie Leibovitz. I’m fascinated by people and where they come from. Life and all of its intricacies inspire me. At home, I have the prettiest yellow cabinet that houses my now overflowing vintage camera collection, many of which do still work and inspired me to learn how to develop and print my photos in the darkroom! Anytime I spot one at a garage sale or market, it HAS to come home with me- I’m simply addicted to thrifting for old, smelly cameras. My imagination gets carried away thinking about the hands that held those cameras, the photos they took and where those photographs are now (oh the stories they would tell!). Long before I became a photographer I printed every single shot I took and to this day they are still in albums or boxes. Even now, nothing beats the feeling when I open a package of prints and see my work staring back at me. It just doesn't get old.
When I'm not working on photo commissions or personal creative photo projects, I can be found active in the local handmade community as a member of the Flock and Gather Collective and as a maker with my handmade wood transfers under the name of 'Madera'. I always welcome any opportunity to take a class or attend a conference and I really do also love mentoring others about what I know- strike up some shop talk with me and you just may regret it! I love art, film photography, the eighties, learning new things, music, and having a good laugh with my amazing friends. Without them I’d be a bit lost, they are my family. At the end of the day though, home is what makes my heart the most happy. Together with my love of 17 years we are raising one incredible teenage human.
I promise your story is as beautiful as anyone else's. Through photographs, your story can have a voice.
Maki
