Porfolio (Best of Animals - Part 5 of 7)

Everyone that knows me knows I am an advocate for animals, all animals. I have dedicated my life to many animal causes including being a dog walker, cat watcher and animal washer at animals shelters everywhere I have lived since I was ten years old. I started going to animal shelters with my parents who instilled volunteerism in me from a young age. My parents also always had many pets, most of whom where adopted from shelters and one that was on the news for being abused who had been beaten by its owner with a baseball bat and had it's legs and spine all broken. They adopted him, payed for multiple surgeries and we had him all of my young childhood from the time I was 1 until age 10. He shaped my world view of those who abuse animals from a young age and we named him Huggy Bear because he loved to lay on the ground and have me and my sister hug all over him on the ground even after he was hurt so deeply by other humans. He was a 100 lb. Old English Sheepdog and he was my first pet. We always had multiple cats and dogs in our home and rode horses as a family because my sister used it as therapeutic sessions for her intellectual and developmental disabilities (or IDD). Animals helped her tremendously and she is much more high functioning because of them. She now has two pugs and my husband and I have a pug and a new pit bull rescue puppy after losing our older rescued pit bull to cancer last year. Currently, I give my voice to pit bull causes after falling in love with my now-husband's 4 year old pit bull when we began dating. They are truly the most misunderstood breed of dog and I vow to do all that I personally can to change that. I also volunteer my photography to the foster care animal rescue, Furry Friends Network, where I do professional portraits of their veteran animals to help give them a better profile on their website in the hopes that they find a forever home more quickly. Below are some of my favorite animal photographs through the years.

Pug

 American Pit Bull Terrier/American Bulldog mix

Squirrel

Shetland Sheepdog

 Fish at National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland.

 Fish at National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland.

 Jellyfish at National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland.

 Frog at National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland.

Monarch butterfly on butterfly bush.

 Pug getting bath

 Ducks at Children's Lake in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania

 Ducks at Children's Lake in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania

Black Labrador Retriever

 Pug and American Pit Bull Terrier/American Bulldog mix

 Pug

Family with their Bluetick Coonhound

American Pit Bull Terrier/American Bulldog mix

 Coonhound

Australian Cattle Dog

 Siberian Husky

Cat

Horse

Emperor penguin at the Penguin Encounter attraction at 

Sea World in Orlando, Florida.

Polar bear at the Wild Arctic attraction at Sea World Orlando.

Dolphin at the Dolphin Nursery at Sea World, Orlando.

The next three photos are of Harlan, a year old black lab

who was in training to become a seeing eye dog and his 

trainer/handler brought him to work everyday at the 

navy base where I worked in Philadelphia.

 Harlan getting ready to go outside mid-day to work on

his commands and exercises.

 Portrait of Harlan and his handler/trainer, 

Ron Walton in the navy yard.

Portfolio (Best of Sports - Part 4 of 7)

Below are samples of my best of sports photojournalism. I learned I had a passion for photographing sports while I was in my third year of college at the University of Alabama when I joined the college all-student run newspaper, The Crimson White after I changed my major to studio art/photography and minor to journalism/photojournalism. There I had all-access press passes to the school's sporting events from football, basketball, gymnastics, softball, baseball, golf, swimming, and more. They didn't cover the cost to travel to away games, but I kept requesting they get press passes for me and I would cover the costs in order to gain more experience and to build my portfolio. I traveled to every SEC school several times and even went to places such as Miami for the Orange Bowl and Phoenix, Arizona for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. I also met many photographers from Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine and I would eventually go in for a portfolio review at Sports Illustrated's office in New York City during Spring Break of my last year of college. It was very exciting as they were putting the finishing touches on the famous Swimsuit Edition and I got to meet and talk with many of the photographers there (during the time I was up there for my portfolio review, I eventually wound up interviewing and getting a summer photography internship at Annie Leibovitz' Studio in NYC the summer of 2004).

Javelin at the PIAA Outdoor State Track and Field 

Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Sophomore Forward, Kennedy Winston, goes up for points

in the Crimson Tide's 70-67 loss against Vanderbilt in 

Nashville, Tennessee

Relay at the PIAA Outdoor State Track and Field 

Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Dancers perform from the Alabama Repertory Dance 

Theater at the Moody Music Concert Hall at

the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

In July 2009 our state put on display in Harrisburg at the Capitol 

building's Rotunda the state's three championship trophies 

(Philadelphia won the World Series and then Pittsburgh won

the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup).

Alabama's Trent Richardson scores a touchdown against 

Penn State in Beaver Stadium, State College in 2011.

Long jump at the PIAA Outdoor State Track and Field 

Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Seat decals at the historic, old Yankee Stadium in the 

Bronx, New York in their final season before they

built their current stadium.

Pole vault at the PIAA Outdoor State Track and Field 

Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

The Aaron's 499 NASCAR race at Talladega

Speedway gets underway in Talladega, Alabama.

Competitor in the boys shot put at at the PIAA Outdoor State 

Track and Field Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Penguin's goalie makes a save during the 2004

New Year's Eve game against the New York Rangers. 

Fly fishing at Allenberry Playhouse on the Yellow 

Breeches Creek in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania.

Competitor in the boys hurdles at at the PIAA Outdoor State 

Track and Field Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Cheerleaders, mascot "Big AL" and head football coach

Nick Saban, lead the Crimson Tide out onto the field

 of Beaver Stadium in State College, PA in 2011.

Javelin at the PIAA Outdoor State Track and Field 

Championship in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Kayaking on the Yellow Breeches in 

Mount Holly Springs, Pennsylvania.

Women's relay at the PIAA Indoor State Track and Field 

Championship in State College, Pennsylvania.

 The newly renovated Bryant-Denny Stadium 

at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

 Statue overlooking the area outside of the stadium 

and Fraternity Row at the University of Alabama.

Portfolio (Best of Photojournalism - Part 3 of 7)

I was first a photojournalist before I did anything else with photography and I have a great passion for it. I have traveled and lived all over the United States to get the story through photographs and the thirst I feel will never be diminished. I have a press pass through a press photographers organization called NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) and it is also who I have my camera and computer insurance through. I started out as a student member in college 13 years ago and became a professional member when I moved to New York City. That press pass has allowed me to photograph such things as protests, Presidential inaugurations, presidential campaign stops, NY Fashion week, sports and much, much more. I have treasured documenting my career through photographs and I hope to for the rest of my life!

Hillary Clinton makes a campaign stop in 2008

while running for President in Harrisburg at The Forum.

The state of Hawaii was represented in the 2nd Inaugural 

Parade for George W. Bush with an Aloha float and 

traditional Hawaiian dancers.

The Marine Corps band was on hand to participate in the 

second Inaugural Parade for George W. Bush in 

Washington, D.C. in 2005.

The Pennsylvania state capitol building 

in Harrisburg covered in snow.

More than a million protests came to New York City

during the 2004 Republican National Convention

to protest the Iraq War as a part of the United for 

Peace and Justice protest march.

United for Peace and Justice workers lead the protest along

34th Street past the Empire State Building.

The New York Police Department was out in full force to

ensure the safety of the public as well as the 

rights of the protesters.

The people seen here lost their brother in a terrorist bombing

in Madrid, Spain and traveled to America to protest the 

policies of President George W. Bush.

The Gates, a modern art work by Cristo and 

Jeanne-Claude, was installed into New York City's 

Central Park for sixteen days.

Fireworks go off at Disney World's Magic Kingdom 

in Orlando, Florida.

A little girl at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Harrisburg.

Not just famous for its ice skating rink, Rockefeller Plaza

serves some of the best cheesecake in New York City.

Byron Quann, President and CEO of Whitaker Center for 

Science and the Arts, stands among children performing

 as part of the Russian American Kids Circus at the 

Sunoco Theater.

Studio shot of Nine West shoes.

The famous Brooklyn Bridge going from Manhattan

over the East River to Brooklyn, New York.

Annabella and Abigail Palese, age 4 and 6, were featured 

on the November 2006 cover of Central Penn Parent as 

part of the article, "Kids in the Kitchen."

American Idol contestant, Bo Bice, 

performs at the Carlisle Theater.

The circus has come to town. The Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. 

Circus began in Tuscaloosa. The elephants are getting their 

daily baths.

 French and Indian War re-enactment in 

Cook's Forest in Western Pennsylvania.

Photographs from the National Cherry Blossom Festival

in Washington, D.C. Seen here are the Jefferson Memorial,

Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War

Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial

and signatures from the Declaration of Independence.

Dr. Richard Lloyd eulogizes his late father-in-law, 

World War II veteran William Heard at First

Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Jeanette Heard, widow of World War II veteran William

Heard, accepts the American flag that covered her

husband's coffin. 

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's Advocacy Day

at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.,

where survivors and family members of those lost to the 

disease come to speak to their representatives from Congress 

about voting for legislation to help support funding to find a

cure for pancreatic cancer. Seen seated in black in the middle

is (left to right) President and CEO Julie Fleshman and the 

public face of the charity, the late actor Patrick Swayze's 

widow, Lisa Niemi.

Magnolia tree in bloom in spring at the Naval 

Inventory Control Point in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Pete Townshend of the British band, The Who, plays

during a recent stop at Hershey's Giant Center. It was the

first time in 25 years that the band played together in the U.S.

Participants of Purple Stride Philadelphia, the largest pancreatic

cancer fundraiser in the country for the Pancreatic Cancer

Action Network. Seen here at the start line at Fairmont Park's

Please Touch Museum.

Participants walking in Fairmont Park during 

Purple Stride Philadelphia, the largest pancreatic

cancer fundraiser in the country for the 

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. 

The Rolling Stones 50th anniversary (televised globally on 

pay-per-view) concert at the Prudential Center in 

Newark, New Jersey on December 15, 2012.

Special guests appearances by Lady Gaga, John Mayer

Bruce Springsteen, Gary Clark Jr., The Black Keys and more.

Capstone sign at the University of Alabama's
Arts and Sciences building.