Best Friends Animal Society / Kanab, Utah
staff photographer / January 2008 - present
I shoot photos for Best Friends Magazine, the country’s largest general-interest animal magazine, along with the Best Friends website, books, and promotional materials. Assignments include everything from animal and celebrity portraits, to documenting rescues and producing photo essays from around the world. I have also recently started writing my own full-length feature articles for the magazine.
The Park Record / Park City, Utah
chief photographer / December 2006 - November 2007
My responsibilities were to capture the essence of Park City for this twice-weekly ski-town newspaper both in news stories and features, edit and adjust photos for print, divy assignments between photographers, write captions, and produce multimedia pieces for our website. Home to the Sundance Film Festival and a major hub of winter sports, Park City assignments revolved heavily around skiing and the arts.
Deseret Morning News / Salt Lake City, Utah
photographer intern / September 2006 - December 2006
My internship with the “Des News” worked me across the entire state of Utah, covering everything from spot news and NBA games, to animal rescues at my future employer’s. Working in a fast-paced environment for this large daily newspaper taught me to edit quickly and transit remotely for both our deadlines and the Associated Press newswire.
Jackson Hole News&Guide / Jackson, Wyo.
photographer intern / May 2006 - September 2006
The job that changed everything. I found myself in Jackson, both personally and professionally. Big mountains and small town life made me realize me you can still live big with small dreams. I won two awards from the National Press Photographers Association for my work produced during this internship.
Metropolitan Media Group / Minneapolis, Minn.
photographer intern / January 2006 - May 2006
My first gig out of college, magazine publishing company MMG had me shooting for over 15 high-end lifestyle and business magazines. Departing from traditional photojournalism, this work focused on crafting light with studio lights to make original portraits of Twin Citians in their element, as well as exquisite food, product, and architectural photography.
The Frederick News-Post / Frederick, Md.
photographer intern / June 2005 - August 2005
Learning the ins and outs of life at a real daily newspaper, the News-Post pushed me out of my comfort zone in nearly every way. By the end of summer, I looked forward to being pushed further and further out of it with every step I took.
The Minnesota Daily / Minneapolis, Minn.
assistant photo editor / September 2005 - December 2005
staff photographer / May 2004 - May 2005
I didn’t know how to work a camera when I started at the college newspaper, but that all changed very quickly when I was forced to teach myself as I went. I did it all at the Daily, and built a strong portfolio that kick-started my entire career.
———
University of Minnesota / Minneapolis, Minn.
B.A. in Journalism / September 2002 - December 2005
I went to college to study Chinese and become a Chinese history teacher, but somewhere along the line, I got sick of it and decided to become a photographer instead. Not the biggest fan of art, I pursued photography through journalism… and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.