School:
Smith College,
Pratt Institute
The George Washington University
In 2018, I traveled to Kenya to create portraits of participants in the Maasai Olympics, an event created collaboratively when Maasai elders noticed a precipitous decline in the local lion population and partnered with Big Life Foundation to develop an alternative to lion hunting as a rite of passage for young men. Quantifiably successful as a conservation initiative, the initiative also serves to support local communities and now includes events for young women.
In 2019, I traveled to South Africa to photograph members of an extraordinary anti-poaching unit called the Black Mambas. Comprised of local women, the unit patrols protected lands, partners with other conservation organizations, and sponsors educational programs in local communities.
With human encroachment upon natural ecosystems ever increasing, it is important to recognize successful examples of communities striking a balance between human existence and the preservation of these important systems. These two portrait series represent the early stages of what I plan to develop into a larger project recognizing the work that local communities - and particularly the women in those communities - do within the field of conservation.
