living proof studios

I wrote those words for my bio here a few years ago, and I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what should go here now. I’ll start with, I really hope you push me to update my website more often, cause three years is far too long.

A lot has happened in those three years. I’m having a hard time introducing myself with words that used to fit, and an equally hard time finding new ones. But “welcome to my dream” can stay. I still mean that.

I’ve spent the better part of two decades exploring photography, and somewhere along the way, photographing people became something deeply personal to me. Seeing someone’s face light up when they look at their images and ask, “Is that really me?!” is still one of my favorite parts of what I do. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of getting to say yes.

I know how hard it can be to see yourself kindly. I wish I could tell you that knowing how to help other people do it means I’ve mastered it myself, but I’m very much still working on that. It’s part of why I care so much about how you feel when you’re here.

I want you to be able to tell me when you’re uncomfortable, ask questions, and get excited about your ideas without worrying that I’ll think they’re too much. I love getting to know the person I’m photographing. What you’re drawn to, what you want to try, what you hope you’ll see when I turn the camera around.

And I love creating. Sometimes that means planning something elaborate and a little (or, a lot) strange, and sometimes it means noticing the way the light falls across your face and asking you to stay right there for a second (…or a few).


Outside of photography, I’m Courtney. Richmond is my hometown, though I spent several years in Washington state before moving back. Animals have always been a huge part of my life, including over a decade of rescue work and many years as a professional dog groomer. I also write and make art in other forms, so a camera is really only one of the ways you might find me making something.

I don’t quite know how to fit who I am now into a few paragraphs. But I hope looking around here gives you a little sense of me, and that if you decide to reach out, you’ll feel comfortable letting me get to know you, too.

I’d love to see what we could make together.
-Courtney