My entire life I have described myself as an extrovert. A total people person, I love making connections and friendships and I get energized just being around people. I have two brothers (I’m the middle child) and lived on a street with all boys, playing outside in the woods, building forts, playing football. I grew up in the hometown where I reside now – Wisconsin Dells. It’s a small town in the off season that grows to a huge tourist destination in the summer. I had a good childhood, big imagination, a desire to create, and have always been incredibly driven.
I went onto college at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse where I majored in Communications and minored in psychology. I met my husband my junior year of college back in our hometown while waitressing (needed to pay off that college tuition!) He had moved back for the summer to open up a restaurant in a building that his parents owned. We fell in love pretty quickly, I graduated college and the two of us ventured out to Los Angeles to live and work for about 5 months. We returned back to Wis. Dells, I got a job at one of the large resorts in town as a marketing manger. I learned a TON while working for this family-run business. I worked on all of the resorts graphic design and marketing and stayed at the company for 5 years. I directed all of the photo shoots that went on at the resort and was promoted to creative director. Meanwhile, the restaurant that my husband started, the High Rock Cafe, was becoming more and more popular. I did all of the marketing, design and front-of-the-house scheduling for the restaurant as well. Justin and I were married in 2009 and bought a foreclosure home that we almost completely remodeled. The following year we expanded the restaurant and finally got a liquor license (we only had beer and wine before that.)
I picked up a camera for the first time in june of 2010. With all of my graphic design experience, I knew photoshop like the back of my hand…and I felt like I was going a little crazy with doing all of the design work at the resort and our restaurant. I knew that I needed a change and really loved taking pictures. I worked my butt off for the next 8 months learning everything I could about photography. I was also in six weddings that summer and learned so much just from observing the other photographers, listening to feedback from the bride and groom and the rest of the wedding party. My best friend is a photographer and was my mentor, and I caught on pretty quick. I photographed my first wedding in October of 2011 and since then have shot over 120 weddings. The rest is history and here I am today!
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