An Origin Story
Notes from the author: some of the following content originated in the early 2000’s & is now classified as vintage.
As I was scrolling my contact list to find an old friend’s number, I watched an assortment of names glide across my screen like a digital Price is Right wheel. I paused to examine the curious collection of people I’ve compiled in this list over the last twenty years.
There were various friends & contacts from different seasons:
Early Mom Friends.
We have abandoned text threads of our kids as toddlers that are frozen like artifacts of another life. One time we met a Chick-fil-A and it was our last play date and we didn’t even know it. It’s probably time for a reunion.
Wright State Connections.
Some of these made me chuckle. I have a tendency to label people based on where I meet them, like “Emily 1220 Chemistry Recitation.” I don’t know many of your last names but I hope you are doing well.
New Friends that Became Old Friends.
Sometimes it takes a few years to update names. Sometimes they graduate from “Rena Kendra’s Friend” to “Rena.” My friend.
Clients that Became Family.
I lovingly saw evidence for similar graduations. A former “Wedding Client Abby” that became a very dear part of my life. I have the joy of photographing her family milestones from wedding, babies, and now a teenager.
As I re-launch photography with a new website and blog, I realize that many of us in the 2020’s are connecting freshly or for the first time. I decided to write a bit about how I got here.
I drew this image in high school with pastels (before Finding Nemo was released). While I was at Sinclair, I photographed it and made postcards for a printing class.
Early 2000’s
My career path started with a curiosity of how I could transform my high school artistic talent into digital design services. When I enrolled in Sinclair’s Visual Communications program, it was surprising to discover how much I loved the stimulation of solving problems with design, creating branding campaigns, and obsessing over nuances of typography.
However, we were a military family, and moved to Texas when we received orders on behalf of my ex-husband. I paused my education while we lived there and had my son, Kevin.
Soon after he was born, I realized I had no idea how to take pictures of him. Since our family was home in Ohio, I found myself sharing blurry pictures of him and wanting to improve. Crouching over Kevin’s bassinet, I tried to make sense of the unfamiliar buttons on our little digital camera.
I was determined to figure it out though.
Kevin, 2006
He’ll be twenty this year, and I’m thankful to have these images!
Damian, 2010
By the time Damian arrived, I was shooting professionally with new cameras & lenses.
We received orders to go for Wright Patt in the summer of 2006. After a few months back home, I resumed design classes.
I enjoyed my courses, but it was challenging to keep up with my courses with a baby that quickly grew into a toddler. I found that incorporating photography into my projects was an efficient way to meet my design goals.
While I was still a student, my first commercial design project was to create the label for garlic dressing for the brand Anne Mantia (formerly the Dominic’s Italian Restaurant). I was so excited to go into Dorothy Lane Market and see my design printed on products.
Visual Communications (Graphic Designer) to Photographer
Kevin was two years old when I graduated with my associates degree in 2008. As I continued sharing images of my family on social media, my friends started requesting that I take pictures of their weddings, engagements, and families. In a twist of good luck, the first wedding I booked (photographed in Duluth) was published in The Knot Minnesota in Spring 2011. An editor found it on my blog and it was incredibly exciting to see my work printed in colorful magazine pages.
This image of bridesmaids on the train was a favorite, because it was “in between” the posed images and I was drawn to moments like that.
In my free time, I loved photographing food that I baked. It started while I was at Sinclair, because I often found myself photographing objects in my kitchen for projects. I wanted to photograph a cookbook like the ones I drooled over at Barnes & Noble, and I’m still open to doing that!
As a single parent, I went back to Wright State & finished a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2018 and a master’s degree in Physiology + Neuroscience in 2021. As the years passed, I focused on my work in clinical research leadership and less in photography. I had a wonderful time photographing weddings & was fortunate to meet many incredible families!
It was wonderful to go back and look through these images, I could add hundreds more!
I’ve used my visual communication background to design my photography logos, websites, and branding materials.
As I’ve revisited the early years, it’s clear why I have always been drawn to using photography to solve design problems and illustrate stories that highlight the “in-between posed moments.” When I relaunched photography full-time in 2025, I knew I wanted to focus on portraits & branding photography.
I’ll always be open to photographing intimate heartfelt weddings (of course)!
It’s kind of exciting to think that there are so many more people we will add to our contact lists that become close family & friends. I’m excited to see where 2026 takes us & would love to connect with YOU!
Thank you for reading along and supporting our family through the years.
-Andrea
