HELLO! I’M AMY…

Photo•maker, Silly•thing•sayer, Mama•be’er, Spider•avoider, Nose•booper, Cheese•adorer, Love•spreader

I’m quite a lucky gal.

I live in Atlantic Beach, Fla., with my wonderful teenage human (when did that happen?!) and our three middle-aged rescue dogs: a hound, a cocker mix, and a paralyzed pittie mix—his name is Blue (and you should definitely check out his facebook page, because he is a hoot-and-a-half). We live a dog-dirty, love-filled home, close enough to be able to walk to the beach. What more can a woman ask for?

I like to dance in the kitchen but never while making anything delicious to eat. I'm a terrible cook. Don't ask me to do that. Ask me to take your photo.

I also like to take pictures of lizards doing sexy lizard things.

I’ve always been an animal lover and a storyteller.

…just ask my parents the next time you run into Jan + Lee! I once overheard my dad telling a friend that I “just had a way with animals” and that he thought I’d be a veterinarian one day. I was so proud. (But seeing anything in pain makes me woozie, so no bloody stuff for me.)

For most of my life, my storytelling tool of choice was something I could scritchy-scratch-scribble on paper with. Growing up in the Wisconsin countryside, I'd lay in the grass, eyes closed to the sun, pen and notebook not far away, and dream of being a famous author one day. I knew it was who I was—I felt it in my still-growing bones. It seemed I had a natural talent for writing, so it was pretty obvious words would raise me to the appropriate celebrity status one day. 

I went ahead and meandered down that path ... choosing Lake Forest College, which had a good creative writing program, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time to focus on my craft, en route to becoming ... a celebrated author. So ... have you read any of my books? Have you seen my hilarious interviews on Ellen? No, you haven't. Because there haven't been any ... yet! Alas, I graduated college only to become a graphic designer for a few decades. My writing fell off for many of those years, but I've often thought of it, like one would a former lover. I wonder what it's doing now... does it think of me? Does it know that I've fallen for a new love?

I still have a fervor for the telling of stories, but now I use a different tool—my camera. I find there’s so much beauty in truth and a blip moment can be the most significant story of our lives. It's my purpose to capture that for you, so you can immerse yourself inside that part of your story ANY time you want to, whether that be tomorrow or 30 years from now.

What’s real is most beautiful to me.

You’re not going to find a family all wearing khakis and a white shirt in my work, because no families {that I know of} walk around all day like that.

You will see babies crying, eating, and being the coziest little nuggets.
Don’t ask me to wrap them in gauze and put them in a bucket.

You will see toddlers picking their noses, giggling, and throwing tantrums.
I’m not going to make them be anything but themselves.

You will see hard-working moms and tired dads—possibly picking their noses, giggling, or throwing tantrums. I’m not going to ask them to change a thing.

You will see happy dogs, rolling in the sand or grass, passionately kissing with their tongues, and generally being insane.
I wouldn’t dream of changing their day by adding any kind of stress.

You won’t always see a perfectly posed dog or a squeaky clean home (but maybe sometimes you will?)—because that’s just not interesting to me.

Feelings are interesting. And imperfect is so so perfect.