Photography has been a part of my life since I was a child. I always wanted to see pictures and I always wanted to make great images. At the age of 12, we had a house fire and photography became even more important to me as we lost so many photographs and I realized how sad it would be not to have any photographs or documentation of memories. I have always had a camera and even when other people thought I was just being silly, there I was with my camera. I grew up poor, so I had to learn to "make due" with what I had as far as equipment and gear. For most of my life I used bottom of the line cameras and film. I have slowly worked my way up through digital cameras, bridge cameras and now to dSLR.
I had mostly given up on my dream of photography outside of getting great shots of my family. Sometimes you just need a push. Something to make you take a leap of faith, my something came in the form of Pigmentary Dispersion type Glaucoma that made me see that there never is time to give up. I thank God it was diagnosed before any major damage was done. Time is of the essence, time to make my dreams come true. There is a time to wish and there is time to dream and then there is a time to act. My Glaucoma is stable for now but is always there as a reminder to stop and look around and enjoy every little thing. I definitely look at life differently now and savor the ability to still be able see the wonderful world around me. I am even more passionate in my photography because of it. I want to share the world and every moment that I can with other people and to be able to capture special moments and document other people's family, lives, milestones, whatever it may be. It is an incredible privilege and I am honored every time someone allows me to capture their memories. I take those memories with me as well.
Lastly, let's go have some fun and make some memories. Thanks for having me there!
Niki