grew up in Baltimore, went to an all-girls high school, then James Madison University where I played lacrosse. I spent a summer working on a Wyoming dude ranch (wore chaps, wrangled horses, fly-fished—full-on cowgirl) before soaking up la vie française in Paris for a semester as an international student. After college I worked for Legg Mason and Smith Barney for eight years, eventually managing millions in client assets. I was on my way with a great career as a financial advisor, but I realized something was missing...

When I got married years ago I LOVED my experience with my wedding photographers. They made me feel so beautiful. I soon found myself obsessing over wedding photo blogs, and the more I read, the more I realized that this could be the path for me. It was creative and fun and I could be with my clients on the happiest days of their lives. I bought a nice camera, started shooting, kept learning, kept experimenting, got lucky enough to assist some of the best in the business, and, well, here I am.

I live in Charleston with my husband Stephan Zacharkiw (it's Ukrainian, say it like "Za Car Key"), son Graham, daughter Lucie and son Henry. We love biking around our neighborhood, summers on Kiawah Island and traveling the globe (take a peek at my travel site called WEREAWAY.)