It has taken me almost 10 years to truly let my hair down when it comes to my photography. When you are a child you are not afraid to act crazy, do things that are a bit flamboyant, or even create something that may not be gallery worthy. At the age of 23 I was introduced to photography. Before that it was all disposable cameras, and no clue of what I was photographing or even why. When I look back, I was much more relaxed, and not worried about composition, framing, exposure....... Maybe because I didn't know anything about that when it came to creating a photograph, all I knew was how to draw, and work with color pencils, pastels, conte crayons, and charcoal.
Outside of being a photographer, I have the privilege of being a Librarian for Denver School of the Arts (not a certified Librarian, but an assistant teacher with the position) and I also teach an after school photography program. For the last three years I have been working with students, grades 2-12 teaching them how to make photographs. I teach them the basic fundamentals of photography, and they create amazing images that I would have never thought of. Though I teach the students how to be young photographers, they have taught me how to let go of the control I hold so close, and just be free with my passion of making photographs, the one thing that I have been told to do since I started photography.
This year has been a year of evolution for me as an artist. This is the first time in 10 years that I have even considered myself to be an artist. Ultimately, the students I have had the opportunity to work with, and pass my passion of photography to, have helped me grow as a person and artist. I take pride in working as an educator, and help shape those of our future, but what I think we may not realize, it's our youth that helps us become who we are. At least that has been the case for me.
The images you are looking at are from students I have worked with, some of which had never picked up a camera before taking the class. As I said, I teach them the basic fundamentals, and they document what they see and feel through the lens of a camera.
It has taken me almost 10 years to truly let my hair down when it comes to my photography. When you are a child you are not afraid to act crazy, do things that are a bit flamboyant, or even create something that may not be gallery worthy. At the age of 23 I was introduced to photography. Before that it was all disposable cameras, and no clue of what I was photographing or even why. When I look back, I was much more relaxed, and not worried about composition, framing, exposure....... Maybe because I didn't know anything about that when it came to creating a photograph, all I knew was how to draw, and work with color pencils, pastels, conte crayons, and charcoal.
Outside of being a photographer, I have the privilege of being a Librarian for Denver School of the Arts (not a certified Librarian, but an assistant teacher with the position) and I also teach an after school photography program. For the last three years I have been working with students, grades 2-12 teaching them how to make photographs. I teach them the basic fundamentals of photography, and they create amazing images that I would have never thought of. Though I teach the students how to be young photographers, they have taught me how to let go of the control I hold so close, and just be free with my passion of making photographs, the one thing that I have been told to do since I started photography.
This year has been a year of evolution for me as an artist. This is the first time in 10 years that I have even considered myself to be an artist. Ultimately, the students I have had the opportunity to work with, and pass my passion of photography to, have helped me grow as a person and artist. I take pride in working as an educator, and help shape those of our future, but what I think we may not realize, it's our youth that helps us become who we are. At least that has been the case for me. 
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