I have always been drawn to photography because it allows me to step into other people's lives, to exchange stories, and to learn about a myriad of life experiences. Over the years I have photographed a number of individuals with disabilities doing everyday activities like eating a meal, tending to the garden, or taking a walk. In my work, I am interested in challenging societal assumptions about how people navigate through life. This photograph of Megan Shirle is from a series I did in collaboration with Axis Dance Company (www.axisdance.org), an innovative troupe of dancers with and without disabilities. Axis's work redefines our notion of movement and expands our concepts of dance and body image. In my photographs I aspired to capture the elegance and loveliness of composition of their artistic expression.

For the past ten years, I have been the senior photographer at the Exploratorium, an internationally renowned museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco, California. I have developed installations for several exhibits at the museum including the "Memory" show, the "Revealing Bodies" show, and "Mothlight." I have taught in the undergraduate precollege program at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, and have conducted workshops with kids on probation.

I received a BA in German from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and an MFA in Photography with highest distinction from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California.

Image Credit: Amy Snyder (amys [at] exploratorium.edu)