HEY, I'M STEPH (sHE/HER)
> TWO PLAYERS
HERE'S THE TLDR ON ME: I'M JUST A self-proclaimed nerd, spent MY school years in baggy ozzy osbourne t-shirts, buried in fantasy novels about dragons, playing role-playing video games, and screaming lyrics in the pit at live shows with my friends trying to escape my reality (and surprise - not much of this has changed).
FILM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
I lost my dad to his battle with alcoholism at the age of 13 (he was 44). then I LOST MY GRANDPA TO A BATTLE WITH CANCER, and he died on my 16TH BIRTHDAY. there's a lot more story in between those two sentences. but grief, the people i've lost, the life i might have had, or my parents might have had and their parents before them, has all held aN UNFATHOMABLE impact on how i interact with the world. i was dealt a hand that has UNIQUELY SHAPED me, and now SHAPES MY INTENTION, MY art, AND THE PROFOUND IMPORTANCE I PLACE IN DOCUMENTING these MOMENTS FOR YOU.
my mom, sister, and i dropped everything IN 2013 AND LEFT our trailer park in illinois TO run off to colorado TO start over. it made all the difference.
i'm a first GENERATION POLISH-AMERICAN, SECOND GENERATION ITALIAN-AMERICAN, from a long line of immigrants turned entrepreneur, AND FROM A SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLD THAT TAUGHT ME THERE IS MORE TO LIFE BEYOND SURVIVAL. the good is in the every day, and these are the moments we fight for.
this work means so much to me.
and so do you.
STEPH
"ISN'T ART A KIND OF
COMMEMORATION OF PAIN?
WHERE DOES IT GO OTHERWISE?"
- GOOD GRIEF
GRIEF HAS MADE ME WHO I AM
if he was here, he'd be proud that i made it to the mountains and that now, i share them with you
for me, it started in high school in my local darkroom, and it fostered a place of belonging and safety. today, it's still my truest love of this art form, and it's woven into my approach because of the intention behind the images i create for you.
the world today revolves around a lot of manufactured moments. film is honest. and as the medium of my childhood, the one i reach for when i want to hold PAST PEOPLE AND memories close to me, it's in this format that the pictures i create for you will hold the weight they deserve.
on any given wedding day, i'm carrying between 3-5 cameras and a bag full of film, meshing it into your digital coverage based on light, the mood, and the moment i'm composing. the result is a true mix of digital, 35mm film, 120 and polaroid, with an ideal addition of kodak super8, for a true mixed media collection of memories.
why film? what's a mixed media approach mean?
i've been a film photographer longer than i've been a wedding photographer, and for that, i'll always be grateful.
FILM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
TOGETHER, WE'RE tHROWING THE FINGER TO wedding expectations /
that means you're always welcome here. your wedding doesn't have to be "cool", and i could care less what's trending. having a backyard shindig? great, they're my favorite. you can be yourself here.
– My husband, Steve
– ice cream and Square-cut pizza (f A Ny Slice)
– Fantasy rpgs, video games, & board games
– Pokemon, Lord Of The Rings, harry potter
– dragonlance, forgotten realms & D&d
– Australian shepherds (I Have two!)
– AERIAL DANCE, CIRCUS, ROCK CLIMBING & running
– mosh pits & screamy screamy music
– My Green Bay Packers
WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER? BECAUSE IT'S DAMN IMPORTANT YOU HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHER THAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO SPEND ALL DAY WITH (surprise-I'LL BE WITH YOU MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE on wedding day, even your partner), SO YOU CAN BE YOUR TRUE SELVES, even with a camera in the room. SO LET'S MAKE SURE YOU actually like me.
