Last summer, in 2019, I spent a day with Priscila Espinosa, from SproutChange, capturing different aspects of her business and what she does. We had been working on the logistics for her website for a couple of months prior and were excited to bring everything to life through photography!

About a month ago I got to work with this awesome team at Upstate Row, a personal fitness studio in Port Jervis, NY. They work hard to bring awareness to the community through personal training and rowing. Having the opportunity to photograph one of their classes was pretty fun! Here are a few images from our session.

I am a firm believer in the fact that those who go after their dreams are some of the strongest people I know. Most often, our greatest enemy in achieving our own goals, is ourselves. We doubt, call it quits, or think that we just cannot measure up to an ideal. It just is not true! My good friend and singer, Suellen Diller is a nurse by day but is working to fulfill her dream of being a Christian singer, offering hope through her talent.

In the spring, I made the decision to give yoga a try for the first time at Flourish Body & Soul. I immediately felt comfortable in the down to earth atmosphere as I learned everything there is to know about yoga. After getting to know Abby (the owner) and her team over the last few months, I was so thrilled when she asked if I could photograph the studio!

This past fall I had the opportunity to fly out west, meet up with Kayla for the first time, and capture her as a new singer/songwriter. I learned so much through this new experience and being able to see Kayla's dreams become a reality is pretty inspirational.  I thought that just getting to take the photos and making a website would be awesome, but watching another artist trying to make it in the industry is even more fulfilling!

Growing up I always had an aversion to being fake. Anything and everything that smelled of it made me run. So when it came time for posing people in front of the camera, I used to panic. My mind would freeze and I would find myself saying "ummm" "uhhhh" and looking rather unprofessional. I tried to stick to just candid stuff like events, but something deep inside was telling me that I needed to get over this.

Thalita is a Christian singer/artist in Brazil and is such a sweet soul. Though English isn't her first language we made it through and had fun besides! This is actually my first time photographing a music artist, despite the fact that I have artists in my house all the time. Without having heard her music (it was a last minute session, my favs!) it was fun trying to figure out her style and what type of feel she was going for. I love laughter. It's like people can't hide when they laugh.

A lot of what I do is outside of the realms of photography. I spend hours making sure things are running smoothly for those that lead out in different ministries. One of those ministries is the Pennsylvania Youth Challenge. It is comprised of a group of about 28 students who work during the summer as literature evangelists. They go door to door selling books and praying for those who need it. They work hard through the heat and after spending a day with them I can understand why prayer is so essential in their work. It's hard getting the door slammed in your face, even as someone watching from the road!

For the last several months I have been working amongst a group of young people doing something completely different than what they are, but still  getting to know them. Our church, where I work, holds a school called REACH Columbia Union Urban Evangelism School which is of a different entity but of the same mission and goal. These students come for a year to learn about urban evangelism and to gain a closer relationship with Jesus. They learn both in the classroom and out in the field.

A lot of what I do is for ministry. This past weekend I made sure to get some photos of these four girls being baptized. I am not sure about you, but when I look at these photos I am thankful for my faith. I am thankful for the joy that there is in Jesus. Despite our sin He makes us into amazing people. He grows us every day whether we know it or not. If there is someone who finds it hard to believe that God exists or that He truly brings joy into hearts, despite the evil destruction in the world, look at these faces. Look at what I have found. There I see Christ putting His signature over it all.