How a Simple Change on My Wall Reminded Me

Why Light and Art Still Matter in Portraiture

Where It All Began

Many years ago—long before I ever became a portrait photographer—I spent countless hours in art classes learning about color harmony, balance, composition, and all of those wonderful “artsy” things.

Back then I had no idea those lessons would one day help me create portraits of children and families that would live on the walls of their homes.

Not long after, I earned a certificate in Commercial Art and Design. Those early lessons in art and design quietly stayed with me, eventually shaping the way I see and create portraits today.

When Something Feels “Off”

Every once in a while I’ll be walking through my home—or someone else’s—and a portrait on the wall will catch my eye. For just a moment something feels slightly “off.” I can’t always explain it right away, but I know the feeling when it happens.

This portrait was one of those moments.

Originally, it hung on the left side of the window in my home. I loved the portrait itself, but every time I walked past it, something didn’t feel quite right.

A few days later the answer came to me.

When the Light Finally Matched

The portrait had been created with light coming from the left side of the subject. But on the wall I had placed it on the opposite side of the window. The natural light entering the room was contradicting the light that shaped the portrait.

Once I moved the portrait to the right side of the window, everything changed.

Portraits are not only created in the camera — they are also designed for the homes where they will live.

Suddenly the light from the room aligned perfectly with the light in the portrait itself. The image felt balanced again. Calm. Complete.

It had finally found its home.

The Lessons That Stay With Us

Moments like this remind me how deeply the things we learn stay with us. The lessons we gather along the way quietly shape how we see the world, sometimes revealing themselves years later in the smallest ways.

And perhaps that is one of the beautiful things about portraits living on our walls. We see them every day. They become part of the rhythm of our homes and part of the story of our lives.

As a portrait artist serving families and grandparents throughout Hampton Roads, Virginia, including Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Suffolk, moments like this remind me why portraits belong on our walls. They are more than photographs — they are pieces of art that quietly tell the story of the people we love most.