As a photographer, so many people ask me how did it all start? I guess they are expecting a childhood story of getting my first camera and being in love with documentation ever since, but that is not my case. I definitely always had an interest in how photos were framed and how they made me feel, but I hadn’t connected that feeling with a possible career option. 

My nonna had six grandchildren, and all of us got our own baby album filled with photos. She was our archivist, our documentor, our matriarch of memories. I spent so much time in her coastal library looking at photos of my mother as a child with her brother at the beach. I looked at photos of myself and tried to connect with the little girl in these frames, but I knew I would have never remembered this girl if I had not seen a photo.

Looking back on my life, I should have known how important photos were to me. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I decided I wanted a camera. It was my first big purchase. It was  a Nikon D3400 with a 15-50mm lens and a 70-200mm lens for $500 at Target. I remember being so nervous to buy it, but relieved once I clicked “order”. Only months later, I was taking graduation photos of my friends at Towson University just months before I was to graduate myself. Their encouragement, namely my friend Becca, had pushed me to look deeper into my art. I stayed up watching youtube videos of weddings and engagements in preparation of a friend’s last minute engagement session, and realized this was something I could do. This was something in the reach of my skills. 

At the time of my graduation, my father had surprised me with a Nikon D750, a full frame camera. This was a huge upgrade from my previous purchase, and I immediately dove into having a side hustle. Within months, I had 10 weddings booked with engagements included, and 30 family sessions at the beach for the summer. This side hustle grew exponentially and suddenly. Within a year, I upgraded my camera to a Nikon Z6ii, a mirrorless camera that took my art to a clearer level. I had booked 20 weddings in my second year as a photographer, all while having a full time career with the state government in my field of study. There was something about using both sides of my brain that gave me peace and also a sense of thrill to keep pushing the envelope in self growth.

While the pandemic unraveled, people started to crave photos of family and to have more small intimate weddings. This is where I bloomed. I documented so much between 2020-2023 that I am without words for how grateful I am for this adventure. There is so much intention, and gratitude in all the creativity I have experienced not just in my life, but from other creators that I have met. 

Now that it is 2023, and I still continue my job with the government, I am intentional with every wedding I take. I cap my weddings at 25 a year, and limit family sessions to 60 a summer (possibly less in the future). I am in love with immersing myself into my couples worlds and learning their love story. I want to tell their wedding day photographically as a friend would, and that has been successful since I started this job. 

I’m not sure where this adventure is leading me, but I know I have learned so much about digital and film photography. I am having so much fun diving into super8 film and documenting lives on 35mm film, and hopefully 120mm in the future. 

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I am excited to see you all in your seasons of life, and hope I can cross paths with you photographically one day. If not, I’ll see you on the socials!

Xoxo Liza