Hi, I am Steph.

I am a wedding and portrait photographer based in Iowa City. I've been a photographer for the past 20 years: from art student, to photo assistant, to graduate student (yep, I have an MFA in photography), to educator, to staff commercial photographer, to obsessed mom-photographer documenting all. the. moments. Throughout the various roles, I have always held a fondness for photographs that help us see ourselves, both within the greater human-story, but also within our own narratives; documenting us as we are here and now.

As a practicing fine art photographer, I am continually working to bring my artistic sensibilities to my client work. I love the legacy of photographs--the romance of the cherished photo that holds the promise of the past, present and future in one emotive frame. I'm most interested in photos that step just past our lived reality--that feel like a moment suspended at the edge of reality. Often I'm balancing a documentary style with moments of drama.

I adore shallow focus, dramatic light, playful shadows and an unexpected gesture or glance that elevates a frame and tips an image into a visual poem. Quite often the best photos are a tiny bit unrefined--where you're in the moment instead of simply posing for the camera.

Let's craft photographic memories that you will covet and share with loved ones, whatever your stage of life.

(banner photo credit: Two Fish Weddings--it's the photo that I most love from my wedding)