Hi, I’m Hazel — an artist, mama, photographer,
and lover of light, laughter, and all things a little wild.
I live in Kernersville, North Carolina with my husband and our three young daughters, whose moods, energy, and imaginations keep life joyfully unpredictable. My husband is a pastor, a songwriter, and a cofounder of the Almond Tree Artist Collective—a faith-rooted arts community we’re honored to grow together. We get to walk to church as a family most Sundays, which feels like such a gift in this season of life.
We often collaborate in our creative work—for our ten-year wedding anniversary, he surprised me with a beautiful printed book of my bird photography, paired with ten original instrumental piano pieces he composed to accompany ten of the bird species. We’ve shared Bird Songs live about a dozen times since then. I love that he took something so personal to me—something not driven by profit or productivity—and elevated it, helping me see deeper beauty and value in my bird photography. It’s one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever received, and a perfect picture of what we both believe: that art and faith can meet us in quiet, unexpected places—and leave our core, our community, and our connection to our Creator forever changed.
My love for photography began with birds. Eighteen years ago, I bought my first camera to capture the feathered visitors at my dorm-room bird feeder. I’ve been chasing wonder ever since. With a BFA in Studio Art, an internship and full-time role at Furnitureland South, and years spent honing my craft in wildlife photography, I eventually found my truest calling: capturing the fleeting, sacred beauty of everyday human connection.
Now, I bring that same sense of reverence and readiness into every session. I’m a mother of three, so I’m well acquainted with chaos, moods, and the beautiful unpredictability of children. I’ll make your kids laugh with my (locally famous) duck noise, run barefoot with them through tall grass, and toss in a few nature facts as we go. I’m always on the lookout for frogs and snakes to show curious little explorers—and it genuinely delights me when kids trust me and look forward to our time together again the next year. The best work, I believe, is created in the context of relationship—when clients return year after year and the images become layered with shared story.
I strive to capture the kinds of moments you'd cling to if everything else faded—genuine expressions, soulful eyes, the love that endures. Not just smiles, but souls, stories, and the image of the invisible.
My sessions are slow, intentional, and rooted in belonging. Inspired by the land and the light and the One who made both, I want each image to feel like a memory already—tender, raw, alive with quiet glory. A benediction. A hymn. A hallelujah caught in stillness.
