Hi, I’m Monica!

I’m a documentary photographer, author, and educator based in Youngstown, Ohio. At the heart of everything I do are connection, community, and a whole lot of curiosity.

I was born and raised in Southern California, but life has taken me far beyond it. My husband’s career in the Foreign Service gave our family the opportunity to live in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and Angola, with plenty of travel in between.

Photography began as a way to document those experiences and share them with friends and family back home. Over time, I became more interested in the everyday lives around me. The people I met, the homes where I was welcomed, the traditions they shared, and all the little details that tell you something about a place.

Eventually, we retired in Northeast Ohio to be near family, and Youngstown became our home. Now I give the same attention to stories in my own backyard that I once traveled thousands of miles to find.

I’m a wife, mom, grandmother, lifelong learner, and someone who tends to follow her curiosity wherever it leads. I enjoy learning new things, figuring out how they work, and sharing what I’ve learned with others.

So while you’ll find photography, books, travel, and teaching here, none of them feel separate to me. My interests and offerings are always evolving, and they’re all different ways of sharing a good story.

I’m glad you found your way here, and I look forward to all the new small stories + big heart stories to come.

Yours in community & connection,

Monica