Hi. I’m Natalie.

I am a full-time middle school band teacher and part-time wedding and portrait photographer.

I got into photography because it’s a bit of a family hobby.  My grandfather has been a photographer for years, and I can remember watching his slide shows as a kid and talking about what makes a great shot.  I got hooked when I bought my first digital SLR.  Starting this business has been a great opportunity for me, and it enormously gratifying to hear from a client who loves their photos.  I’m glad I can give people something they will treasure.

So, that’s the photography stuff.  What else is there?

Well…

I am really tall, and I have red hair.  I’m good at music and other artsy things, and lousy at sports.  (Remember that clumsy, daydreamy girl in gym class who’d always get smacked in the face with the volleyball?  That was me.)  I double majored in music education and English at Virginia Tech.  I’m actually self-taught in photography and am constantly trying to learn more and more.

I have a husband, a cute little house, and the world’s best dog.  I love spicy food and exotic flavor combinations (think watermelon-bacon-radish-peanut-mint salad), LOST, scarves, Rufus Wainwright, Stravinsky, the Lyric theatre, and Bollo’s cafe.  My perfect morning starts with a vegan blueberry muffin with crumbles on top from said cafe (although I am not vegan).  One day I’d like to visit Ecuador and Peru, and Spain, and Australia and New Zealand.  I’d also love to write a series of children’s books (I have a really cute story about a rhinoceros who wants to be a cat).

Favorite books: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Bone People, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fair and Tender Ladies, Jane Eyre, The Little Prince, and poems by T. S. Eliot.

Photo gear: I switched to Canon this spring and am really happy with it.  I’m currently shooting with a 5DmarkII, 5D classic, and a selection of L lenses, my favorites being the 85mm/1.2 and 35mm/1.4.  For post-processing, I use mostly Lightroom and a little bit of Photoshop.

Photographers I admire: Emily Porter, Jonas Peterson, Ana Santos, John Tice, One Love Photo, Kyle Hepp, Gene Pease, Hugh Forte (food).

Member of Professional Photographers of America (www.ppa.com)