It all began at 6 a.m. on a foggy morning in Wyoming.
My love and passion for photography began at the age of eight, when my father handed me his point-and-shoot camera, along with an exciting task to capture photographs of a heard of bison crossing the road in front of us. Soon after, I set out on a mission to photograph everything I could with that little camera of his, ranging from the streets of New York on life-changing family road trips to the blooming flowers in our own backyard.
At the age of 15, I began to photograph concerts, which made me fall in love with documenting people and connecting with their passions and emotions.
It’s a great honor to capture the most important moments in a community, and it’s a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. I see it as my duty to connect with those who view my images, just as it is for me to level with and connect to the people and stories that I’m photographing. After all, as a photojournalist, your own humanity is never your weakness, but always your strength.
I am a staff photojournalist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal and am based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
My work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Kansas City Star, USA Today and more. I previously worked as a photo intern for the Casper Star-Tribune in Casper, Wyoming and as a regular contributor to the Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, Missouri.
When I'm not out working in my community, you can find me playing with my bunny (a little Holland Lop named Cupid), hiking, or listening to a lot of Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton on repeat.
Photograph by Brett Clarkson