A little over SEVENTEEN YEARS ago.... I walked away from accounting.
I didn’t have a perfectly mapped-out plan. What I did have was a book: What Color Is Your Parachute? and an unexplainable pull that kept pointing me in the same direction. Each “petal” seemed to whisper the same things over and over again: photography, kids, families, sports, entrepreneurship, freedom, making people smile.
The book didn’t tell me exactly what to do with my life.
But somehow, it did.
I knew one thing for sure: I didn’t want to just be a mom with a fancy camera claiming to be a photographer. And I hadn’t gone to school for photography, but photography had been part of my life for as long as I could remember.
I grew up around cameras.
I remember the long, skinny black one with the silver button (the one that made that high-pitched hissing sound as the flash warmed up)...That was my first. Then came the silver Sony Cyber-shot. There may have been one in between, one that took panoramics and felt incredibly cool at the time.
My mom was a photo freak.
My uncle was an amateur photographer.
My grandpa always had a camera in his hand.
My life was documented...thoroughly.
I didn’t understand how rare that was until much later.
After my mom passed away, I found myself flipping through her photo albums. Page after page of memories. Faces. Proof of a life lived fully. When I shared those photos with my cousin (who lost her mom when we were little) I watched tears roll down her face as she saw herself as a child, moments she didn’t even know existed.
That moment grounded me.
It made me realize just how blessed I was and how powerful photography truly is.
They aren't "just pictures."
Learning the Craft
Becoming a professional photographer felt natural, but I didn’t want to point, shoot, and hope for a couple of good images. I surrounded myself with photographers. I attended workshops. I studied the art. I learned light, composition, posing, and editing. I asked questions and practiced constantly.
On this day Feb 2, 2009 I took a leap of faith and started
MazPix Photography, which I have now pretty much just merged into Mazter Mindz Media and operate as one brand.
Not long after starting my photography business, I began working freelance with Bella Baby Photography, capturing newborn photos in local hospitals. That role grew into a management position where I trained other photographers. While I was teaching others the process, they were teaching me technical tips. Many of them had gone to school for photography, and my foundation became more refined with every training class.
Over 6.5 years, I photographed more than
2,000 newborns and earned the nickname “the baby whisperer.” It was an incredible joy to be invited into such tender, once-in-a-lifetime moments for so many families.
Some moments were joyful.
Some were heartbreaking.
I also chose to photograph bereavement sessions for mothers whose babies were stillborn or not expected to survive. Those sessions required empathy, presence, and courage. As heavy as they were for me, they were nothing compared to what those families were carrying. To be able to stop time for them, even briefly, was one of the greatest honors of my career.
During that I have also accumulated 7 National Awards for my work.
An Evolution
From there, my work evolved.
I started doing daycare photography where I discovered I had a natural way with kids....crawling around on the floor with a feather duster, chasing toddlers across playgrounds, capturing candid joy that parents would later tell me were their favorite photos ever.
Thousands of newborns.
Thousands of toddlers.
Eventually, once my own kiddo was out of daycare, I found myself wondering why I was still crawling on the floor and photoshopping boogers, and I gave myself permission to evolve again.
Sports photography became a major chapter. I have photographed nearly every sport in town golf, volleyball, basketball, swimming, tennis, track, lacrosse....and a whole lot of football. With my IHSA media pass, I spent four years on the sidelines at Normal Community, capturing action shots for fellow football moms and preserving moments that passed far too quickly.
Then real estate photography: over 1,500 homes and nearly
30 realtors over the years.
Then senior photos.
And business and branding photography.
And I still do all of that today.
People are often surprised to learn that I don’t photograph local weddings. That was a very intentional decision to protect my weekends and family time. That said, I'll do destination weddings all day long! I’ve photographed weddings in Jamaica and Mexico, and there’s something incredibly special about documenting love in tropical places.
Where It All Comes Together
For almost nine years now, I've met with business owners day in and day out, helping them think through their marketing. Time and time again, they needed strong, authentic images for those marketing materials. That's when photography became not just an art, but also a business strategy.
After 17 years behind the camera, one thing has stayed consistent for me: Experience doesn't mean you charge more because you can. Photography should be meaningful, accessible, and honest.
People have often told me I don't charge enough for the quality and service that I provide, but I’ve always been intentional about how I price my work. I don’t believe in overcharging for the sake of prestige or creating artificial barriers that make professional photography feel out of reach. I believe in fair, honest pricing that reflects skill, efficiency and value. Without ego.
My goal is to meet people where they are and create images that work for their websites, social media, Google, print, and everywhere their brand shows up. All of this is just part of the overall grand scheme of running a business. I understand this big picture and I shoot knowing where images will live, how they will be used and why they matter.
That intuition only comes from years of doing this work, listening, adapting, and always learning.
Photography is an art. Every photographer has a story, a process, a method to their madness. Choosing a photographer is personal preference and It comes down to the trust and connection, what draws you in and what feels aligned.
What I bring to the table is a unique eye, a creative vision, a playful spirit, and a deep understanding of how photography is evolving. Business photos aren’t just meant to be beautiful, they need to communicate clearly, build credibility quickly, and support visibility in a very crowded digital world.
That’s why I believe business photography works best in your inside your own space, with your people, your products, your customers, and your day-to-day rhythm. That’s where your brand lives. That’s where trust is built.
Photographing businesses in their natural setting allows me to capture a brand in action, the interactions, the details customers notice, the energy that can’t be staged. These are the images that resonate because they feel real.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with businesses of all sizes, from national brands like Beer Nuts and Jimmy John’s to locally owned mom-and-pop shops and everything in between. While the scale may differ, the goal is always the same: imagery that reflects who you are and what it feels like to do business with you.
Giving back has also been a constant throughout my career. I’ve donated my photography services to countless charitable events: golf outings for St. Jude and Special Olympics, events for Boys & Girls Club, Child Protection Network, and many others. Through raffles, auctions, and donated sessions, my work has helped raise an unknown, (but significant) amount of money for causes that matter deeply to our community.
Why I Still Do This
In 17 years, I’ve photographed not only the thousands of babies, toddlers, houses, and families, but also:
- A former classmate’s baby days before she passed away from a brain tumor
- A family unsure how much time they had left with their adult child battling cancer
- A family's beloved horse before saying goodbye
- Seniors who I once photographed as newborns—my first full-circle moment happened this year
These moments are heavy. Emotional. Sacred.
But I am endlessly grateful to be trusted with them.
Photography stops time.
It makes people smile.
It gives people something to hold onto when words aren’t enough.
Memories of those who are gone, but never forgotten.
Seventeen years in, I’m still passionate. Still humbled. Still grateful.
And I don't take a single click of the shutter for granted.
