about me…personally speaking…

you can read about my professional accolades at my website under “ABOUT Joanne,” but here at my blog, i want you to know a little more about who i am as a “typical” person… however, there is really nothing “typical” about me!

i truly am INSPIRED by love, by those i love and their enduring relationships, by art, nature, my colleagues, the Divine Source, and by the world around me! a good friend of mine recently called me a “love cat;” i like that title a lot and really think the world would be a better place if we had more loving people in it, so i’m doing my part to share the love!

i’m an extraordinarily sensitive individual and there are countless times that i cry while photographing beautifully moving moments for my clients. “compassion” is my biggest influence on my actions and thoughts, and my motto is “do the right thing.” i try really hard to live by those values every moment of every day.

my personality is warm, gentle, fun-loving, imaginative, enthusiastic, interested and genuine. i am ONE of the most patient people i know and attribute that quality to my father who is probably THE most patient person i know. i get my “spicy” side from my mother, right mom?!

i am dedicated to my family - we are one of those close Italian families that love each other no matter what. my parents and brothers live in Erie, PA while our satellite families, mine, my sister’s, my nephew’s and my niece’s live here in Pittsburgh, PA. i was never able to physically have children of my own, despite wanting them, so i simply dote on all the children in my life that belong to friends and family - i think of them as being like mine since i love them so much any way! instead of children, i’ve had my share of cats and dogs - down to three now - and live in a modest home with my life partner. i talk to my parents and sister daily, sometimes two or three times a day, and my extended family weekly. i love and cherish the love and support we offer to each other which is part of our long family and ethnic traditions that make us who we are: good people.

i have been in love with the magic of photography since i was a child! i was inspired by my father’s love for photography and my mother’s love for photographs - my mom and i can spend hours looking at them together - but what many people don’t know about me is that prior to being a professional photographer for the past twelve+ years, i previously worked in the field of social services for seventeen years! yep; i’ve been around a while!! i left social work at the pinnacle of my career (i was the director of an inpatient d+a treatment center) when i decided it was time to return to school for photography so i could do what i loved before i was not able to live my dream. i took the risk (i won’t deny it; i’m a big risk-taker!), jumped in head-first, never looked back, and here i am! see? dreams really DO come true!

i truly LOVE my work! i love making people happy through my work, am dedicated to my clients and take the responsibility of recording my client’s precious memories VERY seriously, but i make sure we have fun during our time together too! to me, there is nothing more fun and fulfilling than photographing! it’s hard to describe unless you feel the same way about it. yes, it’s thrilling and exciting and fun, and the instant gratification of the digital world is wonderful, but there is something more to photographing for me that sits deep within me. it’s almost spiritual; kind of transcendental and Zen-like where i become one with my gift of creating and and one with The Creator when ever I photograph. it may sound weird, but it’s a passion for me that defies explanation! despite not being able to explain it well, i think it can be seen through the images i create vis a vie the gift of talent i’ve been given.

although this page gives you a mere glimpse into who i am, i hope this information allowed you to get to know me a bit, and i thank you for taking the time to read it and for your being interested in who i am and the work i do. i hope we will forge a friendship together when we do work together, as there has never been a client of mine that i haven’t loved and with that kind of mutual connection i’m sure i’ll be able to conjure some great images out of you!

BIG love to you! ~ Joanne