I wanted to start something new on my blog; something that would allow for my faithful blog readers to get to know me a bit better. I also wanted to confess that I didn’t come up with this idea myself, but rather, I was inspired by my cyber friend Gail Werner. Gail is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Central Indiana and if you have a chance, you should totally check her out. And she got the idea from Roots & Rings.  Enjoy the totally random questions and I would love to hear your answers to some of these questions in the comment section below.

What got me into photography?

I started doing photography back in high school while I was in the 11th grade. Mr. Ibach was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had and he introduced me to one of my greatest loves. He would play jazz music as I brought latent images to life in darkroom chemicals. Then I went to USCB for a summer and was told if I photographed anything dead, I would get an automatic A. Seriously! I also wasn’t allowed to photograph anything that I normally thought of as photographic. So from then on and into college, I photographed random things like parking lots and abandoned buildings. I truly learned how to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

What is my favorite body of fine art photography I’ve produced?

I love photos that challenge me and ask the viewer to think. For a long time I photographed windows from the inside of the apartment I lived in. This adorable 1920’s apartment had 22 windows and produced the most beautiful light EVER. I loved watching the light coming thru the windows and reflecting upon the walls or watching the wind make the curtains dance. So I would watch the light move and photograph it.

Who is my favorite photographer?

I love looking at photography blogs and probably do that way too much. But in terms of my greatest photographic loves, it would have to be Andreas Gursky. He photographs wide open spaces and seems to capture every little detail. His images are HUGE and I love seeing them in person and feeling like a wave is crashing over me as I stand before them. They are pretty awesome!

What is my favorite country I have travelled to?

I would have to choose Thailand as my ultimate favorite destination. Five years ago, my husband and I backpacked for six weeks and fell in love with the beautiful beaches, warm culture and insanely amazing food. One of my favorite things about our journey there was when we stayed on an island for a week and learned to scuba dive, which has been a love affair ever since. I also have traveled to over 3o other countries, so I have many special places in this world that I would love to go back to. But Thailand is first on my list of places I would re-visit.

When did you find out you were gluten intolerant?

I get this question probably once a week. I have been allergic to gltuen my whole life but didn’t know it. It took me going to Thailand and not eating “white people food” to discover that I didn’t have to be uncomfortable or bloated after I ate. During those six weeks of traveling and not eating a bread based diet, made me loose 15 pounds and no more tummy problems. I connected the dots and declared that it was no coincidence and haven’t looked back. Now if I have a speck of gluten, I have an intense allergic reaction.

So what do you eat then?

Our house is a gluten free household, so that means no wheat, rye or barley of any kind is ever cooked in our kitchen. So that leaves us with cooking lots of international foods and reading cool blogs like Gluten Free Goddess. We make most of our food from scratch and rely a lot on things like brown rice and quinoa. When going gluten free, I actually discovered how to cook and that eating G.F. is really tasty. Thai food, lots of Mexican and Indian dishes are on the menu pretty much every week. I had to say good bye to bread but say hello to flavor! And if given the opportunity, I wouldn’t want to go back.

What was your worst job?

After college I worked for a stock brokerage firm for 2 years. I hated it. I was an art major in college and did mission trips where I served the poor. Then I graduate and took the first job I could get and didn’t use ANYTHING I studied in college. I felt like I was wasting my education, talent and what I believed in. After a year of dissatisfaction, I started to get my teaching credential so I could teach photography. That was eleven years ago and I have had the opportunity to pour love into more than a 1000 students! I am glad I took the risk.

What is your favorite thing about teaching photography?

I have the BEST job in the world. I get to wake up and inspire kids every day. I show them cool photographers I admire. I teach them how to look at the world differently. I show them how to create beauty for a world that often doesn’t see it. And I show them how they can change lives with a camera. Empowering young people and teaching them to do something they didn’t know they could do is super cool.

What movie can you watch over and over and never get sick of?

Every Christmas I watch Love Actually. I love the opening and closing sequence of families falling into each other’s arms as they meet at the airport. The whole movie is hysterical and I just love how the stories intersect with each other. On this list would also include Goonies, Indiana Jones and Lost Boys.

Are you close to your parents?

I talk to my mom almost every day. I love hearing how her day was and just filling her in with mine. And my mom has a cute british accent, so it’s so comforting hearing her voice on the phone. She recently went to England for three weeks and I was sooooo sad that I didn’t have an international plan on my phone. It drove me crazy! But she is home now and maybe even reading my blog right now. I love you mum!

Do you have any questions you would like to ask me?