This New Year welcomes a new focus.

Why I’ve Scaled Back

Over the past year, I scaled back.

In 2022, after being fully booked and scaling to a small team of associate photographers and editors, it was my goal to continue scaling the Underexposed® brand.

Then 2023 happened… The shifts in the economy with a recession and inflation had many businesses scaling back, cutting costs, re-budgeting, and putting major projects and rebrands on hold for the foreseeable future. A dramatic impact to photography as business slowed.

But during this year, this time has given me more clarity and reignited what I love about photography, which brings me to welcoming a new focus.

First, let me tell you a story…

Why I Started Underexposed®

When I was 15 years old, I registered for my first High School photography class. My first camera was a black and white 55mm film camera with two different lenses and fresh film to start my class.

On day one, the chemical smell poured out of the room every time the door swung open, the floor was always slightly sticky, and rule number one, never bring a light or screen into the development room. From that day on, my iPod Nano screen would forever be set to ‘off.’

I was hooked.

I don’t think I want to be completely honest with you on how often I skipped my 6th period class to spend more time in the Dark Room. As I type this, I can still remember the course edges of the film on my fingers as I patiently loaded the film roll into the canister to start the development process, completely in the dark.

Here’s what I loved most about it:

Learning on black and white film is different.

It’s not like today where you can take 1000 shots on a digital camera and just choose the best one, or whip out your phone and quickly snap any picture you want in seconds.

It was a process — patience — it was ART.

I Fell In Love With the Process

First, you had to see the shot. I’d drive around for hours just searching for the perfect picture-esque, and often only find a few.

Through the lens, I’d look and play with angles, composition, rule-of-thirds, and interesting perspectives before deciding on my final framing for the shot.

With the shot framed, I began adjusting the lens and aperture. Carefully twisting the focus back and forth until it was as crystal clear as my eye could see. The little ‘ticks” of the aperture until the light meter needle would align as closed to centered of the circle as possible.

Once everything was set, I double checked — triple checked — to get everything just right.

Until finally… “Click.”

I’ll never forget the time and process I took to take a single picture. Not to mention having to fill up the entire roll of film, wind it, feed it, develop it, and process a single image on photo paper for my contact sheet until I could finally see how that one image turned out — hoping I didn’t expose the film in the process.

But that process was a love affair.

It gave me the eye for real composition, a love for the creative process, and a dedication to my craft.

Today, while I love my digital camera, I still bring that eye and passion with me to all my subjects.

Which is the focus I’m bringing back.

My Mission

In 2013, I decided to start Underexposed® from a passion of photography and a vision to *‘Expose the Underexposed.’*
To me, this has always meant to capture the hidden beauty, different perspectives and angles, creating true art from the beauty of real life.
Going into this New Year, it is my focus to do just that, and get back into the art and passion that I’ve always had for photography — the reason I absolutely love the work I do.

2024 Focus

Photography to me is about documenting — exposing — real life beauty and memories.

From the genuine smile of your child having fun during family photos,
To the personality pouring through your teenager’s smirk during their senior photos,
From the deep in love laughter between a couple during their engagement photos,
To the surprising toast from the best man that has everyone belly-laughing at their wedding,
From the tears of joy and tight hugs of a family when their adoption is finalized,
To the tears of grief and tight embraces of friends and family at the memorial of a loved one.

And to so many more REAL LIFE moments that gift us this wild and wonderful human experience.

My goal is to document real-life moments with vibrant images that evoke emotive results to bring your memories to life.

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Do you love expressive, candid moments?

Are you more the non-traditional, out-of-the-box type?

Do you value the beauty of real-life memories?

Start Designing Your Session