Interview

IF I HAVE A FREE SUNDAY I WOULD SPEND IT… Ideally, my husband and I would spend it exploring somewhere new. I love being a tourist/explorer and seeing new sights. I would want to try the local eats and make photos… and it’s a major bonus if there’s a winery nearby for tastings! Closer to home, we’d go out for brunch, take the dogs for a hike up in the mountains, and then cook something special for dinner at home.

MY MOST MEMORABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE WAS… I have been fortunate to have so many memorable travel experiences, but the most special has to be my own wedding trip. My husband and I, and my parents, traveled to Portofino, Italy for our wedding. We spent a few days there and then traveled to Eze, France followed by Grindelwald, Switzerland. My husband and I had both lived in Europe previously and we wanted to celebrate our wedding by traveling back to some of our favourite destinations and enjoying good food and good wine and family!

THE COUNTRY I MOST WANT TO VISIT IS… I have visited many European countries because I spent six years living in Ireland. I would happily return to every one of them again and again. I would also very much love to visit the countries of the South Pacific as well as Asia. South America is also on my bucket list.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT MY JOB IS… I love the possibility of what I will create. One of my favourite quotes is by Imogen Cunningham: “Which of my photographs is my favourite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” This exemplifies the excitement I have for dreaming up new ideas and always creating more beauty.

IF I DIDN’T DO THIS FOR A JOB I WOULD BE… a chef. Cooking is such a creative endeavour and I am in awe of the great chefs. I love their ingenuity and how they experiment with flavour and texture combinations. Dining out is one of my favourite things to do; my husband and I are always trying new restaurants and we enjoy learning about the art of cooking.

IF I COULD GIVE NEWLY ENGAGED COUPLES ONE PIECE OF ADVICE IT WOULD BE… whenever you feel overwhelmed by wedding planning, return to the guiding principle of keeping your focus on the two of you and your commitment to each other.

I LOVE WHERE I LIVE BECAUSE… Utah has an unbelievable concentration of very gifted creatives. There is such a vibrant community of wedding artists here which creates so many opportunities to work with talented people and grow as a photographer.

IF I COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD IT WOULD BE… this is too hard to narrow down! Here are some of my top choices: the Aran Islands, Ireland… County Wicklow, Ireland… Villefrance Sur Mer, France… Korcula, Croatia… San Francisco, CA.

MY FAVOURITE MOVIE IS? I love a lot of classic movies: North By Northwest, Casablanca, My Fair Lady, A Summer Place, and Rebel Without A Cause. Guilty pleasure: Love Actually. I know it’s one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies, but I can’t help it but love it. Something about it just makes me happy. Plus, it has all the self-deprecating British humour you could ever want!

MOST MEMORABLE MEAL I’VE EVER EATEN WAS… Another tough one! I have had some pretty unforgettable meals. A few favourites that come to mind: A chef’s tasting menu at Château Eza overlooking the Mediterranean, a farm/sea-to-table meal on Inis Méain Aran Islands, and a modern Swedish cuisine dinner in Stockholm.

THE PETS I OWN ARE… two rescue hound dogs called Scout and Penny. Scout is a snuggler and Penny is pure comic relief. They are a huge part of our life and we just adore them!