Ever feel like when you look at someone's photos, you don't really see their personality? Don't fall into the same trap of societal norm, let's make something that resonates with you.
Photography is more than capturing moments,
it’s creating them.
Ready to create moments?
I'M COURTNEY,
welcome to my wonderland!!
Based in Upstate New York - Creating art out of your soul
It all started back in 1994 when I was born..... LOL IM JOKING.. kinda
I have always loved art, been obsessed with it really. I've always been creating art for myself and for the people that I love. In college, I started creating series of self portraits that represented who I was, the struggles I was facing, the happiness I felt, my grief, my love, my everything. I was at my most vulnerable because I made these images for myself but then I shared them with others. Not everyone fully understood these portraits and thought they were bazaar but then there were people who came up to me at my shows, after my presentations and said "finally, someone who knows what I'm feeling. Someone who makes me feel normal about my emotions and myself."
I thought to myself, how many people are getting these cliche-ass photos taken of themselves? They're paying a photographer to falsify themselves to fit the societal norm. I decided I wanted to do for you what I do for myself, create photos and art that represent who you really are. What does your wonderland look like? Does it look like stripping down to naked and covering you and your partner's body in gold flake and holding each other close? Let's do that then.
Follow the white rabbit!
With my background
in art & a unique
creative eye, I see things
the average photographer doesn’t
Some Cool things i've done...
Grants
Art Shows
Residencies
2012 Diana Rehm Scholarship Grant for Fine Art
2017 Stiwdio Maelor, Corris, Wales
2017 Burren College, Ireland
Read More
2022 Expressions, Grist Mill, Rensselaerville, NY
2019 Feast or Famine: The Devine, Guggenheim Gallery, Rensselaerville, NY
Swiss Fantasy, Guggenheim Gallery, Rensselaerville, NY
2018 Fleming Road, Guggenheim Gallery, Rensselaerville, NY
2018 Feast or Famine: The Devine, Grist Mill, Rensselaerville, NY
2017 Body Work, Albany Barn, Juried, Albany, NY
Body/Image, Darkroom Gallery, Juried, Essex Jct, VT
2017 Student Show, Troy PhotoCenter, Troy, NY
Photo21 Show, Photographic Expressions Gallery & Studio, Juried, Troy, NY
2016 2016 Student Show, Troy PhotoCenter, Juried, Troy, NY
Photo21 Show, Photographic Expressions Gallery & Studio, Juried, Troy, NY
2016 Undergrad Show, Picotte Gallery, Juried, Albany, NY
38th Annual Photo Regional, Fulton Street Gallery, Juried, Troy, NY
2014 Student Show, SUNY Albany Art Museum, Albany, NY
Art Shows cont...
what's the difference between hiring me and another photographer?
I actually give a shit!!
I care about you, I care about your life and who you are. I don't want to make false photos about what you, your life and your love look like. I want to emphasize the RAW, the REAL, and the AUTHENTIC. And I promise to give you that side of me as well.
let's make real magic
Influences
Art History
I'm currently pursuing my master's in Art History, concentrating in photography (of course). This is such a huge influence on my life and my work because I am constantly surrounding myself with amazing art and learning the ins and outs of conceptualizing and producing meaningful pieces of art.
My Experiences
I know it sounds ridiculously cliche but damn, my life has ALWAYS been about art! I received an art scholarship grant at high school graduation then I got two degrees in fine art and studio art, working in art galleries, screen printing factories and wedding venues along the way. I have traveled for artist residencies and for fun, visiting art galleries and meeting amazing people - these have all impacted the person I am today. The places I've been, the art I've seen, the people I've met (both good and bad), the side jobs, the late nights studying... it has all brought me here today.
Family
I have always loved photography and taking pictures, I have two younger brothers and I always forced them to be my models. My youngest brother passed away in 2014 and we have hundreds and hundreds of photos of him because I was constantly taking pictures. My family and I are so incredibly grateful for that and I decided that I want to do that for other people - document their lives and their memories because you never know when it can disappear in the blink of an eye. Now I have my own two babies that I am constantly documenting every second of every day who make me see everything in a different light.
Fine Art Photography
I have studied fine art photography long before I ever started taking portraits of other people and shooting weddings. Fine art photography was my beginning, creating conceptual and authentic art that spoke to me and told my story was what I started with and then I started blurring that line between fine art and documentary. I started documenting other people and their lives in the same way that I created my own work intended for shows and galleries. That is how I came to the style that I shoot now, still blending the two parts of my life.
are you sick of the cliche love fest? yeah, me too.
So show off your weird love
Is your idea of a luxury date night watching the game at your local bar drinking a flight of beers? Then lets freaking go to the bar and order wings. Did you meet colliding into one another on a ski slope? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SKI BUT I WILL DO IT FOR YOU. Let's get on a lift to the top of the mountain and take some dope ass pictures that represent YOU.
