Growing up, I had an affinity to document the world around me. My bookshelves are stocked with rows of notebooks that are filled with poetry, photography, paintings and illustrations. I moved around a lot as a kid, and never truly had a sense of belonging until I moved to La Cañada in Los Angeles. Something about the smell of the Jacarandas and how the smog made the sunsets look. It was at La Cañada High School where I took my first film photography class. I spent hours and hours photographing, developing film, and creating a tangible reproduction of the world as I saw it. Something about this process gave me a purpose.
With years, I became more interested in the stories of my subjects. Documentary and street photography have become a beautiful way to meet people I'd likely never have the pleasure of befriending, as well as being the vehicle to tell the stories of others. My hope is to illuminate the lives of marginalized individuals around the world, and to create a visual representation of this time in history with empathy and authenticity.