The Team
Kendra Okolita
President | Board Owner
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Illinois resident and CM founder Kendra Okolita loves spending time with friends and family, which includes her husband and four children. Although she’s always had an interest in photography, her obsession with the art began when her oldest, twin boys, were born in 2002. Shooting with a Canon 5d mark ii and an assortment of lenses, Kendra says, “my own photography tends to be very in-the-moment/lifestyle. I prefer un-staged and real moments and I’m giddy with excitement when I capture them. I love clean and bright processing or moody black and white.” Her current hiatus from client work has given her the freedom to explore her photography style while she spends time being “the #1 fan for the kid’s soccer, baseball, football, dance…” She also enjoys reading, running, love, sun, hugs, and coffee.
Sarah Wilkerson
Executive VP | COO | Workshop Instructor
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Sarah currently resides in Colorado Springs with her Army JAG husband, three sons, and two dogs. When asked how she got into photography, she replied, “My husband had deployed 10 days after our first baby was born, and I realized a few months into the deployment that I needed a way both to document the milestones for him and to keep myself busy. I bought a DSLR in 2006 and found quickly that it appealed to my right brain desire to create and express myself + my left brain obsession with technology and precision.” Sarah shoots with a Nikon D3s and particularly enjoys tilt-shift and atmospheric black and white work. Gifted in teaching, she instructs CMU’s upper level composition courses (Elements of Design, Composition and Creativity, and Story and Vision). A former attorney, Sarah loves research and writing and enjoys lattes, mojitos, flip flops, and reality tv.
Kathryn Page
Managing Director | Editor, CMblog
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Family, including husband Sean and their two daughters, is #1 for Kathryn, followed by “friends that make me laugh so hard I cry, Coke Zero, chocolate and hugs from my girls.” Being editor of the CMblog is a perfect fit for her, as she loves to read and write, when she’s not cranking the music while her girls splash in the pool. With her Nikon D700 in hand, Kathryn prefers to sit back and watch while she “captures life as it happens.”
Lisa Harrison
CMworkshops Coordinator | Workshop Instructor
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As CM’s Photoshop expert, it’s only fitting that Lisa is the instructor for both the Processing 101: Photoshop Fundamentals for Photographers and Processing 201: Intermediate Photoshop for Photographers workshops. Speaking of her photography journey, Lisa says, “when my son was born I became hooked on photography. I wanted to capture everything I could. When he napped, I read about photography and taught myself photoshop. My husband bought me my first DSLR in 2004 and the rest is history.” With her Canon 5d mark ii and various lenses, mostly primes, she enjoys lifestyle photography with bright clean processing and natural skin tones but equally loves black and whites. Living in Vermont with her husband and two children, Lisa loves skiing and boating. Family, friends, Starbucks, Zumba, her camera and computer are among her list of must haves.
Sarah Phillips
Executive Director of CMpro | CMonline Coordinator | Workshop Instructor
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Located in Boston’s North Shore, Sarah loves to spend a casual day with her husband, 3 kids and if friends are included it makes for a huge bonus. She’s always loved taking pictures but the photography bug hit big time a few years ago and the rest is history. In Sarah’s own words, she loves to “capture real moments. Spontaneous laughter, genuine smiles and even tears make my heart sing.” Motherhood is her ultimate inspiration. She states, “It doesn’t take long to realize how quickly children get big and I’m thankful that I’m able to capture the tiny details of our life. I treasure these images now and know they will only become more precious as time goes by.” Sarah also enjoys reading, running, laughter, flip flops, and red wine. Currently, she shoots with a Nikon D700, D300 and various lenses and is the instructor for the CMU workshop Lighting 101: Speedlight for Beginners.
Ashley Spaulding
Executive Director of Vendor Relations
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Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2010 changed the way Ashley viewed both life and photography. “Our lives can literally change in an instant and that idea has affected my photography because it’s made me want to document my kids’ lives even more than I wanted to before I was diagnosed” she says. And although she loves traditional portraits of her kids, Ashley’s true love is lifestyle photography and being able to “capture them as they are in their everyday environments. For me, it’s the best way to document them – who they are, where they’re at in their lives, what their interests are, what makes them ‘them.’” Ashley is relishing her now cancer free life with her husband and their two children in Kansas City where they truly love being together and playing outside as a family. She enjoys cooking and baking, despite her claim to be unskilled at both. Twizzlers, ice cream, Doritos, coffee, pedicures and a good novel are her guilty pleasures. Currently, Ashley shoots with a Nikon D700, 50 f/1.4 and 24-70 f/2.8.
April Nienhuis
Assistant Editor, CMblog
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Living in rural Oklahoma with her firefighter husband and their three children, April chooses to use her Canon 5d mark ii, 35L and 100L to second shoot weddings and capture her children in their day to day life, which includes homeschooling, pretend play and snuggling up to watch a good movie. Although she dove into photography after the birth of her first child it wasn’t until her second child was diagnosed with life threatening food allergies that she realized how fragile life is and the importance of capturing daily memories that you may or may not have a chance to photograph tomorrow. Other than photography, April likes to cook, read, decorate and organize.
Courtney Keim
CM Newsletter Editor | Workshop Instructor
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Courtney, instructor of CMU workshop Business 101: Hands-On WordPress Clinic, may not have been raised in a home with a camera but she has always loved photography and in her own words, “Once I got my first camera, my journey began. From living in England and capturing Alice’s Shop in Oxford to visiting the castles of Ireland, my focus shifted from places to people. Now I can’t imagine not capturing my every day experiences.” She captures her every day with a Canon 5d mark ii and varying lenses in a classic yet modern style. Residing in Atlantic City with her surfer husband, princess-clad daughter, and firetruck chasing twin boys, Courtney is a “self-proclaimed science geek” spending her days as a Chemistry and Physics teacher and her off time as a photographer. Her iPhone, morning black coffees, the smiles of her little kids, running the boardwalk, TOMs shoes, Anthropologie, and a fully loaded Kindle are many of the little things she loves.
Amii Wroblewski
CM Mentor | Workshop Instructor
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Dallas/Fort Worth resident Amii, instructor of CMU workshop Business 201: Shoot to Sale, sincerely loves spending time with her family whether they’re playing in the pool or snuggled up watching a movie. Her must-haves in life are “an awesome relationship with my husband and spending quality time with my son.” Cooking and reading are two of her hobbies but her love for knitting has taken over as she creates a newborn wardrobe for her second son. Amii says that she is a “very minimal, modern individual with a bold personality and a very straight-forward life” and this is clearly reflected in her clean and fresh senior photography. The Canon 5d mark ii, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and a Lensbaby Composer is the gear of choice for Amii.
Jessica Gwozdz, CPP
CM Mentor | Workshop Instructor
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Instructor of the Lighting 101: Studio Lighting for Beginners workshop through CMU, Jes, armed with a Nikon D700, is our resident studio photography expert. She has always loved photography and received her first camera, a 126 film camera to be exact, when she was 6 but ended up working as an engineer after college. The birth of her oldest child, she says, was “the catalyst for me to turn my photographic passion into a business so I could do something I loved but set my work hours around my family.” When not spending time doing photography, Jes likes to relax with her husband, aka MacGyver, and their two children, go spinning or read a book, preferably a vampire novel. She loves getting plenty of sleep, comfy shoes, the Kindle, iPhone, and an occasional peanut butter and bacon sandwich.
Lynne Rigby
CM Mentor | Workshop Instructor
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Lynne is a lifestyle photographer residing in Orlando, Florida with her husband and their 5 children. “Living in Florida” she says, “has shaped the way I shoot. I either had to learn to embrace the sun with my images or stay inside. I chose the former.” Her original goal was to take better pictures of her sons’ football games and get good Christmas card pictures but Lynne has presently joined her former career as a teacher with her passion for photography and is the instructor of several CM workshops including Shooting 101: The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever, Shooting 201: Beyond the Basics, Vision 301: Finding Your Style and Processing 101: Lightroom Start-to-Finish. Lynne can’t live without her Diet Coke with lime, AdvantEdge Caramel protein shakes, Mellow Mushroom pizza, Tijuana Flats, and ice. She also loves the gym, shopping, the beach and hanging out with her beautiful kids. Her camera bag is loaded with the Canon 5d mark ii, multiple prime lenses and the 70-200L.
Megan Cieloha
CM Mentor | Workshop Instructor
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Currently located in Lincoln, California with her Air Force pilot husband and two sons, Megan uses her Nikon d700 and various lenses to capture soft, clean, lifestyle photography. When asked about her lifestyle approach she says, “I love to watch my kiddos learn new things and explore the world. I think that my enjoyment in quietly observing them has had a huge influence on the way I see through the lens and ultimately capture the scene in front of me.” Although her past includes spending time in ballet classes and showing Arabian horses, her present consists of being outdoors with her family, Moroccan oil, caramel decaf lattes, an immersion blender, and snack traps.
Emma Wood
CM Mentor
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Although she’s British, Emma currently resides in Australia with her RAAF pilot husband and their 7 crazy kids. She loves any chance she gets to spend some one on one time with her children, watching a movie with her husband, or getting out and about and exploring new places. Emma starts her day with a Latte and can’t live without her earl grey tea, camera, iPhone, iMac, her hair straightener, and miso soup. Despite just recently, within the past few years, discovering photography as a means to document her children’s lives, she has always had a love for photography, “particularly black and white which stems from my love of black and white films when I was a child.” Her passion is black and white photography, often described as moody and earthy, and bringing out beauty from the most simple concepts. Emma arms herself with a Nikon D700, a variety of prime lenses, and a Lensbaby.
Jenna Stoller
CM Mentor
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Even though Jenna enjoys traveling, which comes in handy with family scattered all over the globe, she loves her country life with her husband and three children in Indiana. As a family, they love to spend time outdoors going to the lake or waterpark and spending time in worship and fellowship with fellow believers at church on Sundays. Being creative is buried deep inside Jenna. She loved art and design as a child and now that love has branched into home decorating, music and photography. Shooting with a Canond 5d mark ii and various lenses, Jenna describes her photography as “relaxed + lifestyle + a hint of vintage.”
Jodi Arego
CM Mentor
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An ideal day for Houston area resident Jodi would begin with some quiet time with a cup of coffee followed by one-on-one time with her husband and each of her three kids, Tex-Mex for dinner and end with a clean kitchen and a glass of wine before she heads off to bed. She enjoys working out, cooking, reading and of course, photography. Her photographic style tends to be mostly lifestyle but includes loose portraiture and high school seniors. When asked how she got started in photography she says, “I had a defining moment when my oldest was two. One afternoon, I was watching her play in her little kitchen and I wished for a photographer who could come into my house and follow us around for the day making beautiful pictures out of our ordinary, every day life at home. I didn’t know of anyone who did that sort of thing so I became that photographer for us.” Jodi shoots with a Nikon d700, 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.8.
Kristin Ingalls
CM Mentor
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With her Nikon D700 and assortment of prime lenses in hand, Kristin loves to take portraits and describes her style as “organic and clean/pure with just a hint of whimsy.” She has an art/design degree from college and worked for years as a designer but like so many others really got into photography once she had children. In her own words, “I started to capture our family life, and somewhere along the line I got bit by the photography bug.” Her ideal day off would consist of shooting for herself, spending time with friends, and some quiet time alone curled up with a good ebook and possible a Starbucks/Tazo Iced Green Tea and chocolate. With her husband and three daughters, Kristin currently resides in Kirkland, WA.
Lacey Meyers
CM Mentor
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With her Nikon D700, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and 105 macro in hand, Lacey loves capturing “real moments” that will one day allow her subjects to look back and “remember the sounds and feelings behind the images.” With the exception of her cooperative and encouraging husband, her three small boys force her to keep her pictures “real” as they aren’t always up for posing. When not spending time outside in the fresh air on their property in Molalla, Oregon and having fun with her kids, Lacey likes to spend her time scrapbooking, blogging, cooking, baking, gardening, homeschooling and losing herself on the internet in blogs and CM. She loves her daily time with Jesus, which includes reading the bible with her boys, and the warmth she receives from a cup of Folgers with french vanilla creamer and her beloved space heater.
Leah Cook
CM Mentor
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Leah has always had an interest in photography and art but that interest increased when her dad, who has a great eye for photography, gave her her first digital camera. That interest skyrocketed after she quit teaching when her first son was born. When asked about her style Leah says, “my style definitely has a mix of lifestyle + classic elements…I hope to keep things modern but still timeless and I love adding a sense of humor! It took me a while to figure out what I loved and I think that’s part of my style…being all over the place and loving lots of different ‘types’ of photography.” Her style has continued to evolve, especially after the birth of her second son and photographing and posing him daily gave her a great amount of experience and knowledge. Leah currently uses a Canon 5d mark ii and a variety of lenses. She shares a home in Dallas with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. Spending time playing in the yard, taking a long walk, watching a good game, or eating a yummy meal with her family is the recipe for a good day in Leah’s world. She also loves her iMac, iPhone, the DVR, goldfish crackers, wine, dark chocolate, and ranch dressing.
Lisa Tichané
CM Mentor
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Maybe it’s because she’s “a bit silly” or maybe it has to do with her being “a child at heart” but Lisa has an incredible talent for photographing babies and children in her fun, clean and playful style with her Canon 5d mark ii, 50 f/1.4, 24-70L and 135L. Marseille, France is the place she calls home along with her two boys where they love to play in the countryside treasure hunting and inventing goofy games. She does enjoy some quiet once in a while where she can browse the web with her coffee and chocolate. Laughter is a must have, though, as she states, “a day without a good laugh is definitely a lost one for me.”
Meg Sexton
CM Mentor
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Meg, who shoots with a Canon 1Ds mark iii and various lenses, grew up interested in photography as her father was an avid hobbyist, toting around his 1950’s Leica rangefinder shooting landscapes. Blessed to have an “incredibly talented photographer for a good friend” Meg found her way back into photography as an adult and said friend taught her the basics of the digital medium. Her style, she says, is “editorial lifestyle photography, relaxed and natural portraiture with a fashion inspired touch.” Once the photographer shoes come off she enjoys DIY projects which include renovating the San Francisco Bay area home she shares with her husband, son and Boston Terrier. Hand Meg an espresso, her comfy boots and a Natalie Portman movie and she’s a happy person.
Megan Moore
CM Mentor
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Growing up Megan was always the girl with the camera and her obsession with photography kicked into overdrive as she photographed the beauty of Hawaii while on her honeymoon. However, it wasn’t until her daughters birth, and subsequent month long stay in the NICU, that Megan realized how important photography and capturing life’s fleeting moments are. When she’s not spending time at home with her husband and daughter, with a son soon to be added, she enjoys having a “girl’s day” filled with “spa appointments, shopping, good food and quiet time.” A quick glimpse in Megan’s camera bag will reveal a Nikon D700, several Nikkor lenses and a Lensbaby Composer Pro.
Megan Squires
CM Mentor
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Although Megan started dabbling in photography when she purchased her first DSLR in 2005 it wasn’t until 3 years later that her journey took a deeper meaning and has defined who she is as a photographer. In her own words, “I lost my dad to kidney cancer. My dad and I had a great relationship–I feel so blessed to have had such a strong male figure in my life–he truly treated me like his princess. My dad had always been very interested in photography and many times throughout my youth he’d try to teach me a few pointers, but at the time I was more interested in being a teenager than a photographer. After he passed I realized how much those images that I had of him meant to me. My kiddos were so small and would never remember their Papa and I knew that the stories I told of him and photos I shared would help them create their own idea of the man that he was. It was like a lightbulb went off at that time and I knew I wanted to do this for other families.” In Folsom, California, where she lives with her husband and two children, Megan uses her Nikon D700 and an assortment of lenses to photograph in her bright, clean, and classic style. On her days off she loves to sip a can of diet Coke after a morning of sleeping in. Follow that with a little antiquing and you’ve got quite the day for Megan.
Melissa Koehler
CM Mentor
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Melissa is a portrait photographer based out of San Diego where she lives with her husband and two sons. Her high school darkroom is where her photography journey began and it has continually evolved over the years, especially after becoming a mother and realizing “that time flies so quickly. She currently shoots with a Canon 5d mark ii and a variety of prime and zoom lenses. I strive to capture not only the big picture, but also the little things.” Her passion is clearly her family and photography but she loves comfy pants, coca cola, Bon Jovi, movie theatre popcorn, and cheeseless pizza.
Monica Wilkinson
CM Mentor
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Armed with a Nikon D700, several Nikkor primes and the Tamron 28-75, Monica focuses on children and newborn portraiture in the Seattle, Washington area, despite her disdain for the rain. And although Monica is a Mac girl, she is madly in love with her Microsoft employed husband, their two young daughters and the family’s Maltipoo, Scout. She enjoys kickboxing, knitting and DIY crafts but would much rather spend her day off “laying on a hot, sunny beach reading a magazine while sipping a fruity beverage.” When Monica stops by Starbucks, her OCD nature tends to surface and her resulting order is a Venti Passion Fruit Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade with 2 pumps classic syrup.
Nance Heidemann
CM Mentor
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Relaxing in her Overland Park, Kansas home with her husband and four children with some Mexican food and chocolate is a recipe for a great day for Nance that can only be enhanced by a little shopping time with friends. Nance has loved photography “for as long as I can remember” and has watched her style transition from “posed images to capturing the everyday spontaneous moments that life brings.” She’s a Nikon girl who shoots with a d700 and a variety of prime lenses.
Sara Seeton
CM Mentor
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Sara may be Canadian but she lives the Texas life with her husband and two daughters. A long time lover of photography, it wasn’t until her children were born that she realized it was her passion. She describes her photography as “fresh, modern, fun + simple” and says, “my photography style totally reflects who i am as a person. I tried for so long to find my photography style, but when I finally realized that I just needed to be ME that is when everything fell into place and just ‘clicked’.” Having a design background she also loves to spend her time working with branding and logos but also enjoys chillin’ on the couch, eating junk food, catching up with her DVR, her iphone, cinnamon dolce lattes, and vanilla coke.
Stacey Haslem
CM Mentor
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Stacey, a Modesto, CA resident, has been a lover of photography since the 8th grade but “didn’t really start to delve into this art until the last couple of years.” With her Canon 5d mark ii and assortment of prime lenses, her photographical motivation is to capture the essence of her children which are most commonly her subjects. When not divulging in photography, she enjoys the occasional good book, sleeping in, and spending time with friends, usually a lunch date or a movie. Stacey also admits to loving her huge washer and dryer where she can get the piles of laundry for her husband and 4 children done “splikity split.”
