From the Classroom to the Camera: How a Former Teacher is now a Influential Senior Photographer
If you are searching for a Pocatello senior photographer who brings something genuinely different to the entire experience, I want to tell you a story. Not a marketing story. A real one. It starts in a classroom in Filer, Idaho and ends at a hockey game in Denver. Somewhere in the middle it explains exactly why I photograph seniors the way I do.
Nine Years in a Classroom
I taught elementary school in the Filer School District for nine years. Filer is a small town just outside of Twin Falls. If you are from the Magic Valley you already know it — tight-knit, sports-loving, the kind of community where showing up for people is just what you do. I fit right in.
Showing up for kids who needed someone in their corner was the whole job. Not just teaching fractions or helping write a paragraph, but making sure they knew they were worth showing up for. Something happened in those classrooms — a moment that repeated itself hundreds of times over nine years. A student who did not believe they could do something would suddenly realize they could. I lived for that moment.
Sports Were Always Part of My Story
Known as the sporty teacher, sports have been part of my life since I can remember. My dad played college football at Utah State and went on to play for the Miami Dolphins. My brother was part of something remarkable — he played college football at the College of Idaho during their inaugural season when the program was brought back after a long absence.
Growing up in a family like that, athletics were not just something we watched. They were part of who we were. Playing sports, doing stats and video work, and bringing a love of sports into the classroom was just natural.
Why Sports Have Always Been Personal
We spent entire weeks studying the history of basketball and hockey — reading, math, writing, science, and history all through the lens of sport. At recess the kids and I were out there playing football and basketball together. Those are some of my most cherished memories.
The Lightening Bolt in Denver
In June of 2022 I went to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final in Denver with my mom, my brother, and my sister-in-law. We watched the Colorado Avalanche take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Walking into that arena and absorbing the moment — the crowd, the energy, the noise that fills a space like that before a single player steps on the ice — is something I will never forget.
Then the pre-game hype started. The lights, the music, the whole spectacle of an NHL playoff game building toward something. It hit me like a lightning bolt — no pun intended — that this was what I wanted. Sports. This is where I needed to be.
From Denver to a Whole Direction
Before even making it home from Denver, research had already started — roles women play in the sports industry, connections with women working in professional sports in Colorado, graduate programs. By August of 2022 enrollment was complete at Idaho State University’s Athletic Administration Master’s program. The degree was finished throughout my final year of teaching. In May of 2023 I walked out of a classroom for the last time. It was the right decision and it led somewhere completely unexpected.
The Camera That Started It All
During my graduate program I completed an internship with Idaho State University’s inaugural hockey club as their marketing and social media coordinator. At the first prospect camp, my mom’s Canon Rebel XSI came out and the shutter clicked. Something happened that was completely unanticipated.
Falling completely in love with sports photography was not part of the plan. A single frame could capture everything an athlete had poured into a moment — the grind, the sacrifice, the pure physical expression of years of work. That felt like exactly what nine years in a classroom had been trying to do. Just with a different tool.
Building the Business
Not long after, a Canon R6 Mark II and a few lenses became part of the story. Then the shooting started. When the internship ended there was a very good camera, a passion for sports, and nine years of experience making people feel seen in high-pressure moments.
After getting everything set up properly with the Pocatello Small Business Development Center, working alongside my brother at Kinport Physical Therapy kept things moving while the business was being built. My first senior session happened in September of 2024. Going full-time in February of 2025 was the easiest decision ever made and there has been no looking back since.
What a Pocatello Senior Photographer Brings to Your Session
Every senior who walks into a session gets the version of me that spent nine years learning how to create safety, calm nerves, and bring out the best in someone who does not quite believe they can do it yet. Guiding someone who says they hate photos and has no idea what to do with their hands is not a skill learned at a photography workshop. That is something practiced every single day for nearly a decade in classrooms across the Filer School District.
Understanding Athletes From the Inside
As a Pocatello senior photographer, genuinely understanding athletes is something most photographers in this market simply cannot offer. Growing up with a dad who played at Utah State and in the NFL, and a brother who helped build a college football program from the ground up, athletic excellence was the standard.
Coaching, filming, and sitting in the press box at events across Idaho has built a real understanding of what a sport costs an athlete and what it gives back. When photographing a senior athlete, the goal is not just clicking a shutter. The goal is freezing the thing they have spent years building. That is why Sportrait sessions exist alongside traditional senior portraits — so senior athletes can combine both into one seamless season with one photographer who understands both sides of who they are.
Because Everyone Matters
This business was not built because of a love of cameras. It was built because showing up for people has always been the whole point. In a classroom in Filer. On a sideline. Behind a lens in Pocatello and Twin Falls. The tool changed. The reason never did.
If you are looking for a Pocatello senior photographer in the Magic Valley who wants photos that actually feel like you — reach out when you are ready. One of those spots would love to be yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I book a senior portrait session with you in either Pocatello or Twin Falls?
A. The easiest way to get started is to reach out through my contact page or DM on Instagram with the keyword SENIOR. Everything you need to know about collections, availability, and how the planning process works will be sent right over. Only a limited number of seniors are taken each month so reaching out early is always a good idea.
Q: When should I book my senior portraits in Pocatello or Twin Falls?
A. Seniors are booked all year, but the most popular window is April through early November. Spots fill up faster than most families expect. For a summer session, reaching out in the spring gives the most flexibility with dates, locations, and outfit planning. Seniors who book early also have more time to work through the personalized style guide sent before every session. Sportraits are most popular at the beginning of each sport season.
Q: What locations do you photograph at in Pocatello or Twin Falls?
A. Building sessions around locations that actually mean something to the senior is always the goal. During the planning conversation we talk through what fits your personality and what you want to remember about this season. Destination sessions are always welcome — exploring new places and creating something unique and special is one of the best parts of this job.
Q: What if my senior hates photos and gets nervous in front of a camera?
A. That is the most common thing heard before a session. Nine years of teaching in Filer built an understanding of how to create calm in a room full of people who do not yet know what they are capable of. Every senior is guided through every moment of the session. No need to know how to pose or what to do with your hands — that is exactly what a Pocatello senior photographer is there for. Every senior who has walked in convinced they would look awkward has walked out with images that felt completely like them.
Q: Do you offer dramatic sports portraits as a standalone session?
A. Yes. Sportrait sessions are available as standalone sessions or as an add-on to a senior portrait collection. For student athletes who want photos that honor what they have built — let’s talk.
Because Everyone Matters.
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