One of the reasons I love to blog is to give you, a potential client and kindred spirit, a little peek behind the lens — into who I am. After all, if someone’s going to be photographing you or your sweet little one, you probably want to know who exactly is on the other side of the camera, right?

Let’s be honest: handing your newborn to a stranger and watching them gently curl those tiny limbs into a picture-perfect pose is… well, intimate. (And maybe a little nerve-wracking.) I get that. That’s why building trust — not just as a photographer, but as a fellow human, a woman, and a mother — is so important to me. I don’t take that lightly.

Now, let’s talk about the world we’re living in. It’s noisy out there. People are shouting behind avatars, tossing around opinions like frisbees on a windy day — and sadly, a lot of it is rooted in not really knowing the people they’re talking about. So, let me introduce myself in a way that’s a little more real than a filtered headshot.

I’m a Black woman. Proudly so. I’ve experienced the sting of unkind words and actions, and yet — I’ve also lived a life full of rich, beautiful diversity. My friends span cultures, identities, and experiences that have stretched my heart and shaped the woman I’m still learning to love. My family worked hard to achieve what they have, and I carry that legacy into everything I do — including my work behind the camera.

I don’t market to any one race, culture, or group. I simply want to capture beauty — the kind that shows up in a woman glowing with new life, or a baby curled up like a little cinnamon roll. (Seriously, is there anything cuter?)

Some have told me I “need” to show more diversity on my website. And I hear them. But here’s the truth: I can only share the faces of the people who choose to trust me with their memories. I don’t walk out the door thinking, “Which demographic should I go after today?” I walk out, see a beautiful mom or child, and I smile. I offer my card. And then, I let them decide — after they’ve seen my caramel face — if they’ll call me or not. That choice is entirely theirs. My heart is always open.

So, as we all keep moving forward in this wild world, I hope we can begin to see each other with softer eyes. With more grace. With the understanding that, at the end of the day, most of us are just trying to do good work and love our families well.

If you happen to land on my website, I hope what you see makes you pause and think, “Wow. These photos feel like love.” And maybe you’ll say, “I’d like to try her out.” That would mean the world.