Born and raised in East Hampton, New York, I quickly discovered the landscape to be a restorative place, it became my refuge. My siblings and I were constantly exploring the woods behind our house or swimming in the ocean, building forts and digging holes. I was gifted my first camera at 12, and started photographing everything from garden snakes to the Milky Way, it was an extension of my curiosity. As soon as I could drive I took to exploring the East End on my own, always with my camera in hand.

My summers have forever revolved around the ocean. Growing up I could count on my hands the number of days I wouldn’t make it down. Naturally, I became a lifeguard and continued my exploration of the local ecology when I got a drone in 2018. This was around the same time humpbacks and dolphins returned to our shores due to protective policies for menhaden implemented in 2012.

Over the 23 years I’ve lived here, the East End has changed drastically, especially the marine life. When I was a teenager I had a GoPro ( a small waterproof camera) that I would use to photograph my friends surfing. I have collections of surf photographs interspersed with striped bass or any other little creature I could find that day. Looking back I feel like marine life always held a place in my heart. It wasn’t until the Atlantic Menhaden returned that I began to understand this connection. Never could I have imagined that we would be watching humpbacks feed just feet from our shorelines.

My upbringing and close connection to the local landscape had a huge impact on my life decisions. In 2016, I was homeschooled and my family spent a year on the road, traversing the United States in an RV from Florida to Alaska. I went to Colorado College in 2018 and studied the intersection of Environmental Science and Art, always with the notion that I would use my education to spread appreciation for the sanctity and ecological value landscapes like ours hold.

By no means do I consider myself an expert on these matters, I’ve been learning a lot along the way, but researching is intrinsic to the process and has become one of my favorite parts. It’s been an incredible journey, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next. For as long as I’ve been doing this, it feels like I’ve only just begun.