My interest in photography began as a young child growing up in Montreal, where I would pour over our family’s photo albums for hours. Fast forward to 1999, I invested in my first Canon SLR camera and headed to Japan to teach English.

I spent two years in Osaka, Japan and traveled around the country in my free time, all the while taking photos. It was during this time that my interest in travel photography really grew. When my teaching contract was up, I took the long way home traveling for four months through South East Asia and China, ending up in Moscow after a week on the Trans-Mongolian railway. This two years abroad sparked what will be a life-long passion for travel and photography.

A 2016 trip to Tanzania marked a turning point for me in my photography journey. I was surprised to find myself drawn to photographing the people I met, rather than the amazing animals I saw on safari. And while I had previously experienced seeing the inequality and poverty that exists in the world, there was something different abut this trip; a true realization of the extraordinary privilege it is to be able to travel. I came away with a strong feeling that I needed to give back to the places I visited and the people living there in a meaningful and impact-full way.

This is what ultimately led to my discovery of Photographers Without Borders (PWB), an organization that connects storytellers to communities in need. In 2018, I participated in the PWB School India program, where I learned more about the art of ethical storytelling alongside a local organization working to empower women and girls, Sambhali Trust. Life-changing and life-unsettling, it was a deeply impactful experience. I returned motivated to work on my storytelling, and seeking out that next opportunity.

In June in 2023, I finally fulfilled my goal to go on assignment for PWB, travelling to Jinja, Uganda, to work alongside Poverty Eradication Mission Uganda (PEMU). An organization that seeks to empower women and girls, and break the circle of poverty many are trapped in, I had the privilege to observe and photograph their great work. Just returned, there’s a lot more to come on the story of this grassroots organization.