About me

My very first job was as a freelance photographer for a tiny weekly newspaper in Chelmsford, MA. My bedroom closet was my photo lab. I was sixteen.

I joined the Army and earned my way to college via the GI Bill. After art school I dove right into a career in the commercial arts doing everything from designing brochures to exhibit graphics. Along the way I worked with some very talented commercial photographers who inspired and encouraged my own photographic exploration. That's when my long standing love affair with the camera became my career and I began to devote the entirety of my creative energy to capturing the world through my lens. 

Here are a few other things you might like to know about me:

- I'd love to have you as my client! 

- Seeing my clients get excited the first time they get to view their pictures is a huge thrill for me. 

- When I am not shooting, I enjoy designing and sewing costumes for my faerie photographs (yes, I make many of my own costumes). I also draw and paint. You might also find me seeking out beautiful china teacups in local antique shops.

- I like cats because they are quiet and I love my dog in spite of the fact that he listens to my husband more than to me.

- I will generally choose non-fiction over fiction books, except when it comes to Jane Austen's novels. I've read them all.

- I once slept all alone in the decommissioned Clare Island lighthouse on the western coast of Ireland on 'a dark and stormy night'. The wind whistled down the spiral staircase all night long and it was a little bit spooky. I thought, "How do I get into these situations?" This is one of my favorite memories.

- I want to create images that capture who you are, in that moment, while you are laughing or holding someone you love. I imagine that someday your children or grandchildren will look at your pictures and think of you with a smile. I would be honored to help you tell a story about your life.

- I believe a picture really is worth a thousand words.

- To me, the light of late afternoon is the best time to photograph. It is known as the "Golden Hour".

- When I was twenty-two I drove the Alcan Highway from Anchorage to Haines, Alaska with my German Shepherd and a parakeet, in a January blizzard. We missed the ferry back to the states by one hour and were stranded for a week in Haines. It was a really great trip.

- I adore the character of old homes. Ours was built in 1789. It was once the home of William Kaula and Lee Lufkin Kaula, two incredibly talented artists from the Fenway School in Boston in the 1800s. His New Ipswich, NH studio is now my studio.

- I love working with clients who are up for trying new and different things. But whatever the setting, it is important to me that we tell your story, your way.

- My step-daughter is beautiful and intelligent and my husband is my best friend.

- A number of years ago I travelled to County Clare, Ireland to interview an Irish seanachai who was fighting to prevent a white thorn tree from being cut down to make way for a highway. Thorn trees are believed to be sacred to Irish faeries and whosoever dares to harm one risks a terrible fate. Ultimately, the highway department redirected the road and preserved the tree. I'm sure the faeries were pleased.

- Favorite movies are The Unforgiven, Rebecca, The Changeling, the first Lord of the Rings, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

- Favorite TV shows include most documentaries, British comedies and dramas, especially Jeeves and Wooster, Black Adder, and Downton Abbey. Of course, I adore the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice (I've seen it at least a few dozen times). 

- I could listen to Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Frank Sinatra, Patty Griffin, and U2 all day long. And any songs that include uilleann pipes and the violin.

- Now that you know a little about me, I'd love to get to know you. Send me an email at creative@mstowe.com or call me at 603-244-6582 and let's talk about how I can help you capture the moments that matter most to you.

Education and training

Maine Media Workshops Seminar -- Sports Illustrated/National Geographic photographer Joe McNally

Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) Harvard University Extension

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Montserrat College of Art

Infrared photography, The Zone System -- New England School of Photography (NESOP)

Photojournalism -- Defense Information School (DINFOS) US Army