It all began in 2001; fresh out of Honker country (i.e., Medicine Lake, Montana), I attended Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, majoring in photographic communications. There, I learned about film photography using my newly purchased Canon EOS Rebel 35mm film camera. In addition, I learned about working in a darkroom; the importance of knowing camera settings; how much more creative photographs could be outside of automatic settings; website design; and how Photoshop was changing the world.
In 2003, digital cameras began to take off. I must have been a good girl that year because Santa brought me a brand new Canon EOS Digital Rebel offering 6.3 megapixels (fast forward to my current camera, the Canon 5D Mark IV, which offers 30.4 megapixels)! This was mind-blowing, intimidating, and exciting all at once! Thankfully, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks offered digital photography courses, and I jumped on the opportunity.
Life took me in different directions throughout the years. I started a family before completing my degree; however, I never lost the love of photography (i.e., a rather expensive hobby emerged). I eventually graduated from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a Business Administration Bachelor of Science. After achieving my B.S., I became a certified paralegal, a role that I held for years. Upon my return to Montana, I came to the realization that my true calling lay in the intersection of my passions for the arts and business. This realization led me to take a bold step and establish my very own enterprise, Land of Erin Dell, LLC, which I am proud to run to this day.
On a more personal level, I'm one of five girls in my family, the mother to two teenage boys, and the auntie to many nieces and nephews, all of which have been willing and excellent subjects throughout the years with all my photography ideas. It's been rewarding having such a supportive family and community.
