For as long as I can remember, I have been enthralled with wildlife. Instead of watching "Saturday Morning Cartoons," I watched programs like The Crocodile Hunter, The Jeff Corwin Experience, & Big Cat Diary. When Steve Irwin was tragically killed, it ironically was on my 14th birthday (definitely not the best birthday present). It was that day that I had found my calling.
I spent my childhood & adolescence wandering the forests & waterways of Lexington, South Carolina looking for any wildlife I could get my hands on. I spent many years volunteering with Carolina Wildlife Center just miles from where I grew up. Any chance I could release animals in my backyard, I wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity.
I later took my love of wildlife to college where I graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators) with a degree in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation. I spent my time in undergrad volunteering with various wildlife organizations to conserve "at risk" species & habitats near Gainesville, FL. My friends gave me the nickname "Wildstein" due to my constant time spent in the woods, stories of various wildlife encounters, & it was my twitter name because I didn't want a boring profile title. Not only did I work with organizations in Florida, but I've also interned with various organizations across the globe working on conservation projects in countries like South Africa, Belize, & Guyana.
While shadowing a biologist with the US Fish & Wildlife Service at St. Vincent NWR, I noticed something that set me on the conservation path I'm currently on. This National Wildlife Refuge serves an Island Propagation site for the Critically Endangered Red Wolf located in the Florida Panhandle. Red Wolves once roamed across the Eastern USA, but were hunted to near extinction due to predator control programs. Working on this project was a dream come true for me. Then something occurred I didn't expect. The Tallahassee Museum, just two hours "up the road" from St. Vincent, exhibits pre-Columbian era wildlife native to Florida. Red Wolves were a part of this exhibit. As I spoke to some of the staff at Tallahassee Museum about the project I was working with, they had no clue what was happening at St. Vincent. This was something I couldn't unsee. I saw the vast disconnect people have from the environment & that conservationists aren't the greatest at communicating their work to the public. I chose to withdraw from my dreams of working directly with Endangered Species to communicating & connecting people to nature & the wildlife around them. One of the best ways to do that is through photography & film.
Before I went to South Africa, I bought a camera to capture as many memories as I possibly could & bring them back to illustrate my stories. Since then, I do everything I can to capture the image of any & every wild animal. My style takes you up close & personal with the animal as if it is right in front of you.
"Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall they be saved"
-Jane Goodall
My photography has been featured in presentations & social media accounts of the following organizations & businesses:
