Hello!
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My name is Emily, and I live in Central Illinois. I’m originally from an area north of here where the Mississippi River flows east to west. Despite living in Central IL for more than half my life, I still miss the trees, hills, and rivers of my youth. Over the years, I’ve learned to embrace the open sky and amazing sunsets. My husband and I have been married for 21 years and have a son and two daughters.
My love of photography actually started on the other side of the lens as a child; my uncle was in college studying to be a photographer at the time so he often took both posed and candid pictures of our family. My favorite part was watching the prints come to life in the darkroom. In all honesty, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in capturing moments first on film and then digitally. And, boy oh boy, do I have the negatives from my youth to prove it!
I take images of all kinds of things that speak to me, but I would say the bulk of my work is made up of documentary and portrait images of my kids, their friends, my nieces and nephews, and life on my in-laws’ farm, which has been in the family since 1859. I also enjoy the meditative part of capturing landscapes and images of flora and fauna. It takes me back to childhood when I would spend hours outdoors quietly looking at things in my wooded backyard.
In addition to photography and spending time with my family, I love being out and about in nature, taking long walks with my dog, working out, doing yoga, reading, knitting, weaving, and making jewelry.