about xenia
I have always loved photography and you will never find me without my camera. And as much as I love taking photos I, even more so, love looking at them. Photos are so interesting to me as they are the most honest portrayal of people. When taken with a candid lens, these images can tell you so much about a person before you even talk to them. And capturing that honesty is what draws me to the art of photography as a profession. I've had a camera in my hand as long as I can remember, but my interest peaked when I got my hands on my dad’s old SLR camera for the first time and completed 3 semesters of photography in high school... I was hooked. I spent the the next years of my life taking photos of everything and studying photographs. But, before I could do anything as an artist, I had other predetermined objectives in my life.
I am proud to say that I was a high caliber junior tennis player since the age of 7 years old and I was destined to go to college on a full scholarship. And, I did, and my next mission was to graduated from Georgia Tech with a Management Degree. I then chose to play professional tennis and travel the world for a year, which gave me the opportunity to take thousands of photos, and that would be the tipping point of my obsession with photography. But, it wasn't in the cards for me just yet to follow my dream, I needed a corporate job to provide me the means to photograph full-time. For 13 years, I pursued a corporate career in Marketing and Sales, but through it all I still spent countless hours improving my skills with the lens, with friendly subjects, and dreaming of becoming a professional photographer.
The last 20+ years of my life, I've lived in Atlanta, GA, various NJ towns, New York City (which is where I met and married the man of my dreams), Wilton, CT (where for 7 years, my photography business flourished in a community that I fell in love with because of its people and all the great friends I have made) and now Centennial , CO, a place my husband and I always dreamed of living. I started with taking on small projects to really hone in on what I was passionate about photographing. I eventually found it, and with the most loving and encouraging support of my husband, 7 years ago, I made the commitment and became a professional photographer. I continue to learn about the art of photography everyday and look forward to growing as an artist in our new home in Colorado.
how i do it
My work begins with getting to know you and your family. I spend some time learning what you love to do as a family, what's important to you, and really getting down to the kids level and playing with them. Everyone needs to be comfortable with my presence to the point that you don't even know that I am there to photograph them. AND this is when the magic happens... This is when expressions and actions are most honest and natural.
Please know that I am not a studio photographer. I only use the natural light, I do not do forced family photos, and rarely ask for you to deliver an involuntary smile. Instead, we will talk, play, and laugh in your chosen environment. You will enjoy each other and live a normal “day in your life”. I am first and foremost a documentary photographer and I aim to capture the human condition in it’s most honest form. It is Life captured through honest images. These images will be the ones that you display proudly in your home as well as share for the world to see.
why i do it
My inspiration today comes from my three wonderful children, Lexi, Jack and Ali. After my first was born, I started to really improve my photography skills, working on capturing all of the special ‘first’ moments of my daughter’s life and capturing the simple acts of love that happened between she and my husband and other loved ones. I knew then that my real passion was to capture a child’s true being through my photographs. What are the the things you want to remember most about your children? Are they inquisitive, silly, quirky, or shy? What did they do that made you laugh so hard, or even cry. I wanted to capture children in their most honest moments. I knew that these are the images that we, as parents, want to keep forever, as they are the ones that will make us smile for a lifetime
