IN THE PATH

As a portrait photographer, my work centers on the complexities of human connection and the unspoken stories we carry. For my Senior Integrated Project, I turned my lens towards the storm culture of the midwest. Set primarily in Missouri, my images intertwine the spectacle of these storms and the tension that lingers before and after they pass. 

This project was born from a fascination with the visual drama of storms—the texture skies, sharp contours, the atmospheric weight. But also humanity threaded throughout: the obsession of chasers, the pain and loss of destruction, the community and resilience that follow. My work moves between portraiture, landscape and documentary, revealing the emotional variety of rural American identity.

My creative process is deeply inspired by music. I build my photographs around the emotional resonance of specific songs, using them as a blueprint to guide mood and feeling. I prioritize composition and movement in my work to evoke a sense of atmosphere that reflects the intensity and stillness I find in both storms and people. 

I want my work to mirror the relationship between people and the environment we inhabit. The storm becomes more than a natural event. It transforms into a metaphor. There is something romantic about the way we anticipate, fear and chase the unknown. My photographs lean into that obsession, capturing the poetic tension between beauty and instability.