Flickr: po1yester

Hello. Assuming I shall update this in the future, which shouldn't be assumed at all, this information is relatively current.

I am relatively new to the Pacific Northwest; I am a native of the Southern United States. I was born and raised in Memphis, TN (Southwest tip of the state) and first dove into photography there in 2001, just before transferring to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN (Northeast tip of the state) for 3D animation. My brief stint of photography in 2001 was a breath of fresh air. I was burnt out from trying to overcome my confidence issues with traditional art, was taking graphic art classes because I thought they would be a challenge (they weren't), and had enrolled in an elective photography class my last semester at State Tech in Memphis. It left me with my eyes wide open all over again; I was thrilled to be away from a computer and able to blissfully and instantly capture moments as opposed to over-considering them. My friends, most of which played in bands, welcomed me and my camera with open arms. It was a great experience and one that I've been glad to reunite with.

While attending ETSU, time was of the essence and I rarely had any to spare for frivolous shooting. Immediately after finishing my degree I began animating full time (and then some) for television in Atlanta, GA and still had not found the time nor motivation for my long lost arts. After about 3 years in Atlanta and having suffered burn out once again, I was persuaded to move to Portland, OR...or was it I that persuaded him....either way, here I am with my husband and daughter in what seems to be an endlessly magical and inspiring place. I moved here for his job and me without any; it was a difficult thing to do but ultimately a blessing. I've worked on and off for the same studio, had a child, which changed my whole outlook, and ended up officially starting my own business continuing to do animation on a freelance basis. This has left me the time I've longed for to find and share new interests and become re-aquainted with the old ones. Because I now appreciate the free time more than ever, I'm pushing myself to learn and improve as much as possible. If nothing else, I love the challenge of photography and enjoy having the excuse to get out and explore this beautiful world.