About
howdy, friend
Welcome and thanks for checking out my work! I am a photographer based in Murphysboro, Illinois. I have always loved art, music, and nature and when I moved to Southern Illinois to attend college - I found all three. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Photography from SIU Carbondale in 2008. I have worked in the food and service industry for over 15 years, managed teams, worked in marketing, in kitchens, in cellars, and on horses. I've been making images of friends, family, musicians, festivals and everything in between since high school, now specializing in light painting and long exposure photography.
In 2014, I started experimenting with flash and LED lights while shooting live music to brighten up my shots. It totally opened a whole new world of curiosity for me. The camera had seemed so "documentary" in nature, but here I was making images of light that didn't exist in that space. With my camera on a tripod, I take images in the dark for a few seconds to a few minutes, using light to "paint" in the image. It is fun and creative and almost impossible to take the same shot twice! My lighting gear has since expanded - I use spotlights, LEDs, a 6' Pixelstick, and some Light Painting Brushes gear, to name a few. Click the photo to see my Light Painting work.
Community Connections
Here are some links to people and projects I work with and/or support:
Atypical Truth - a podcast that amplifies stories of people who identify with the community of rare diseases, disabilities, and complex medical conditions
Carbondale Music Coalition - a now defunct organization founded in 2013 that partnered with local musicians, music businesses, and other organizations to support and grow the local music community and put on concerts combining local and nation acts bringing in Jason Isbell, Nikki Hill, G Love & Special Sauce, and more
Carbondale Closed Mic Night - local musicians making music videos for local causes and foundations
Cultivate Illinois - supporting women-owned businesses in Illinois
Dan Overturf - photographer, educator, and author based in Southern Illinois
The Flourite Farmer - seller of gems and rocks, especially Southern Illinois Fluorite
Fringe the salon - hair and makeup salon keeping Carbondale lookin' good
Green Ridge Landscaping - landscape design services in Southern Illinois
Judge Services - house and property cleaning, Christmas light decor for the holidays
Kinley Jewelry - handmade jewelry brand inspired by the beauty of nature
Light Painting Brushes - light painting tools and equipment
Makanda Inn - eco-friendly lodging rentals in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest
Miss Jenny & The Howdy Boys - making honky-tonk & Americana midwest tunes
Nate Graham Design - the love of my life, illustrator, designer, and musician
Pixelstick - a 6 foot, 200 LED light stick sold in the 2010's for light painting, no longer available
Raddle The Bottoms Music Festival - bluegrass festival held every fall in Raddle, IL to raise funds for Sandra's Comfort Inc which financially assists cancer patients
Spoon River Junction Winery - winery in Canton, IL specializing in making creative wines for the adventurous - reds, rosé, bourbon barrel-aged, even a vermouth
The Woodbox Gang - trashcan Americana music from Southern Illinois, one of the first bands I ever photographed
Ya'll Rock Carbondale - a youth-centered music organization that cultivates an empowering space for girls, women, trans and gender non-conforming people to collaborate and experiment in music, expression, performance, and collective care
See the work I'm doing with local small businesses here
hit me up
Do you have any questions or just want to say hi?