After 13 years in banking, standing on my last rung of the corporate ladder, I left the lending industry returning to school and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at age 40.
Working 6 years for architectural firms on commercial interior design projects as designer and project manager I Ieft that career in 2001. Shortly after 9/11 I spent several years working on a project promoting positive thinking and empowering messages to children, with the co-creation of two apparel lines ‘POS’ and Girls R Ok. The ‘POS’ line made its way onto the racks of Kids ‘R’ Us in 2002, but the post 9/11 economy could not support this new and much needed brand.
With a passion for travel, art, architecture and culture I found a resurrected calling for photography. Having studied in the medium of black and white film, I realized how drawn I now was to color and documenting the subtleties and beauty of life. In 2004, on a tour of local artist James Hubbell’s works in architecture during the rebuilding of his compound in Julian and after the Cedar Fires in 2003, I came across a most inspiring gift of nature. Looking out across the scorched landscape of blackened Manzanita wood stood a solitary sunflower beaming in the direction of the sun. Breaking out in goose bumps, I knew that I was in the presence of an awe inspiring symbol of the cycle of life. I didn’t know it then, but this photo would become the catalyst in the pursuit of my passion for photography and the newest leg in the journey of my life.
The photo named “After the Fires” was submitted in a contest and was selected for publishing in 2007. As a result, I was asked to show my work in a Phoenix art gallery where I sold my first 4 pieces. Since then I have held several one-woman photography shows, won Zhibit’s People’s Choice award for “After the Fires”. I continue to expand my business with photojournalism style portraiture and portfolio photography for architects, interior and landscape designers. My work has been published in San Diego Home & Garden, Life After 50, Sunset Magazine and Sunset Magazine’s Online Blog – “Fresh Dirt”.
Specialties Include: Portfolio work for Interior Designers, Architects, Contractors and Landscape Designers. Environmental Portraiture – photographing people and children in their personal environment. I work with natural and available light which is both challenging and most rewarding. In the end the images communicate something that is uniquely warm, real and quite beautiful.
Portrait by: Kira Finkbenberg
