I’m so excited to introduce you to my lovely second shooter Emily. She is sweet and joyful and has a great artistic eye. Emily will be accompanying me to lots of weddings this year, and I know you all will love her!

And with that, I’ll let her tell you a little more about herself …

1) Tell us a little about yourself.

I was raised in a military family, so I spent my childhood here and there. (I even lived in England for 4 years!  Unfortunately, I was young, so I only remember the important things like the park and our house … not all the great castles I saw from my stroller. Alas.) I spent a majority of the “growing up years” in North Dakota though, and I loved it.  If people knew how absolutely beautiful the land is (and they could survive the winters) everyone would move to North Dakota.

I went to Kent State and majored in Middle Childhood Education. I’m not using every facet of that major in my current job for a marketing company, but that’s OK. I’m still figuring it all out.

I have a lovely set of parents, one sister and one brother. My family holds a crucial place in my life. They warm my heart, make me laugh, and support my every dream.

I am recently engaged and getting married to a brilliant guy named Keith Schmader on June 23rd! (Look out for a name change: Emily Schmader. I’m not having too much trouble getting used to it!)

2) When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?

30 minutes is the perfect amount of time to simultaneously eat a bag of 100-calorie popcorn, read a few of my favorite blogs, and watch an episode of The Office on DVD: the ideal half hour.

3) If you had an extra $1,000 that you could use any way you wanted, how would you use it?

(Let’s disregard the realities of wedding/marriage expenses and pretend for a second that I wouldn’t be practical.) With an extra $1,000 I would probably hit up an antique mall and outfit my entire house with a plethora of great antique finds. I would also buy a couple new pairs of glasses. I love glasses and I’m always wearing a pair. One for every mood, you know? (I actually just fell in love with some Ralph Lauren’s…but they were pricey! Shoot.)

4) What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

I have a very strange reaction to the “hungry human.” For whatever reason, when I see someone who is clearly hungry and eating to satisfy that need, it makes me cry. I feel this surge of emotion because I can relate to the feeling. We all know that horrible, worn out feeling of being hungry. It’s a basic need of every human. People are vulnerable and unmasked when hungry. I’ll often tear up, and if you catch me at the right moment, I may even have a really good cry. My family and friends have adjusted to this reaction.

5) What inspires you most about photography?

There’s a “hazy dreamer” inside me that feeds off of beauty, art and life. Photography has proven to be one of the best ways to fuel that little dreamer. It captures a short moment in time. One records that brief moment in the likes of a picture, and it lives on as long as the picture does. I enjoy finding those moments through the lens. And I LOVE seeing the fragments of time that others have caught.