Before you share your story with me
Let me tell you a little about mine...
My name is Cameron but you can call me Cami. I'm a Charlotte native, I'm about to turn 25, and that little girl in the photo above is me when I was about 2 1/2 (those super cool people next to me are my parents). Growing up I was always fascinated with photos and videos and I'm blessed to have a mom who thoroughly documented my childhood. I remember being 5 years old looking at photo albums and watching home videos on the floor at my grandma's house. I grew more and more obsessed with pulling out those albums and VHS tapes every few months just to marvel at the concept of time passing.
Fast forward to age 13. I started riding horses and found myself taking a ton of photos for my friends and other riders. Needless to say they weren't great given that I had no idea how to work a camera and I was taking photos of fast moving animals... As I got better practicing with my mom's camera, I started learning how to shoot in different modes suitable for different environments, shoot in manual mode, and use editing software like Lightroom and Photoshop. My parents got me own camera for Christmas when I was 15 and it really started taking off from there. I branched out to other niches, joined the photography club at school, and used some of the money from my first job to buy and rent additional gear.
I put photography down towards the end of high school and picked it back up in 2022 after a 5 year break. A lot has changed over the years. My love for photography hasn't, but the why has.
For me, photography isn't just about the aesthetics and technological capabilities anymore. It's more about the relationships I build with my subjects and the art that we co-create together. Whether I'm photographing families, individuals, concerts, or whatever unique and crazy ideas we come up with (shoutout to my client Claire Mercurio - she based her maternity shoot theme off of the movie, "Alien"), these interactions are what make my work truly fulfilling.
Beyond photography, I enjoy the simplicity of life – listening to music, finding myself in moments of mindfulness, sunbathing, laying on the couch with my cat and reading a book (or doom-scrolling TikTok, let's be honest here), and finding humor in everyday moments. I love deep philosophical and spiritual conversations, and I love seeing reality through every perspective life has to offer. I'm a huge advocate for wellbeing and health, and try to take any and every opportunity to be of service to others.
Thank you to everyone who has believed in me and supported me throughout this journey. Photography has brought me life-changing experiences: it has made me laugh, made me cry, made me want to chuck my gear into the ocean, and most importantly has given me an outlet to know my myself more and more each day. For each happy family, couple in love, party of fun people, talented bands - My heart is expanded. I love you all so much and could not do this without you.