At my core, I am an artist.

I am Allison, a Colorado based photographer who travels all over the world. I've always said that drawing was my first love, and, when forced to choose a role model in 1st grade for an assignment, Leonardo DaVinci was my hero of choice. I studied art in college, and received my BFA over 10 years ago. I spent lots of time getting my hands dirty, whether it was with an old letterpress, building a sculpture, or soaking them in photography chemicals. 

I have loved taking pictures as long as I can remember.  From 110 film to the darkroom in college, I have always been what my Grandma Doris calls a "shutterbug." I even carried around a camera keychain for most of middle school. I just wanted to be able to remember everything... The world is a beautiful place, and I want to make sure that we experience that and keep the memories. I grew up in Tennessee, one of the jewels of the South, but have found my home in the West for 10 years now. There was something about those mountains and wide open space that drew me like a moth to the flame. I love both places immensely, but the West sure has stolen my heart. You'll still find me with a lil' glass of bourbon on occasion though, 'cause you can take the girl outta the South but can't take the South outta the girl ;) 

Everyone and everything has a story, and we at Stellar Propeller Studio enjoy telling those stories in a way only photographs can do. 

We enjoy people, getting to know them and their stories. We like turning strangers into friends. I've photographed incredibly wealthy people and people who literally have nothing, and there is beauty in both worlds. The last time I went to Haiti, I went with Help-Portrait, a non-profit formed to help photographers give back to those in need. We spent several days at different schools and communities doing portraits for families and students, some of whom had never had a photo of themselves! We printed it off right there for them to take home, and the looks on their faces when they held the print in their hands were priceless. Help Portrait's slogan is "A picture is worth," and I experienced the truth of that firsthand. 

I want to do something bigger than myself. 

Sure, it would be swell to be noticed and famous and have our work well known and liked, but at the end of the day I hope that we at SPS give our lives to things that will outlast it. We want to help people with our photography. We want to honor people with our photography. We want our photography to be a stepping stone for others' dreams to come true. I don't want us to measure our worth by monetary means or by Facebook and Instagram likes. I want us to measure it by how well we used all the gifts that have been placed inside of us. I want us to measure it by how well we pushed ourselves, how well we loved the people around us. I want us to measure it by how well we gave, not by how well we were received.