Looking Back: A Year After Suffs

One year ago today, I stood on the purple carpet of Suffs. I was nervous, and excited too. Little did I know how much this show, and this carpet would change my life.

I had gotten into NYC a few days before the carpet, and I woke up that morning thinking, "Today's the day!" I got ready and before I knew it I was on my way to the beautiful Music Box Theatre. The carpet was set up and I took my place on the risers. I met the photographers around me, all of whom are some of the kindest people I know. The experience of being on this carpet was amazing. The people I met- photographers, journalists, actresses- all of them are so kind and genuine. And then there's just the experience of being on my first Broadway red carpet, being able to photograph so many incredible people, some walking their very first Broadway carpet, some seasoned veterans of Broadway, but all with the same joy. Getting to capture that joy was an honor and such an amazing opportunity.

I also got to see the show and it instantly became my favorite show. The music is beautiful, the story is beautiful, and the actresses on stage portrayed the highs and lows perfectly.

A year after Suffs, my life has changed so much. A month after the purple carpet, I started taking photos of adoptable pets at my local animal shelter, and it's still one of my favorite projects. I got to photograph another Broadway carpet in February, Redwood. And of course, I've been practicing and expanding my skills in portraiture, nature, and more.

Suffs' purple carpet has brought me so much in just one year- experiences, opportunities, relationships- it's truly changed my life in a year, and I'm so grateful for that.

Redwood Opening Night

To see all my photos from the Redwood Red Carpet, please visit the full gallery.

One of my goals for 2025 was to photograph another Broadway red carpet. And on February 13th, I did exactly that.

I had such an incredible experience last year photographing the red carpet for the Tony-winning show Suffs (see the full gallery), and since then I've been interested in photographing another. When I found out that Idina Menzel was returning to Broadway in a new musical called Redwood, I knew I wanted to see it-it's been TEN YEARS since Idina Menzel has led a Broadway show- and I also knew I'd love to photograph it.

At the beginning of January, I reached out to Redwood's social media and asked if I could photograph the carpet. However, they didn't respond to the message, and by the beginning of February, I had given up the idea of photographing this show and was thinking about the next opportunities. I reached out to the incredible Jenny Anderson about something else and casually mentioned that Redwood hadn't responded. She then connected me with the PR team, and so I reached out and asked again. To my surprise and excitement, they said yes!

We planned a last-minute trip up to the city, and a few days before the event, we flew up. Before I knew it, it was Thursday-the day of the opening. We had lunch with a wonderful friend, and then it was time to get ready. I was nervous, but I was excited too. The outdoor carpet, for celebrity attendees, took place right in front of the Nederlander Theatre, which Redwood calls home. This packed pre-show event included Gayle King, Miguel Cervantes, Amy Poehler, Betsy Wolfe, Caissie Levy, and more. I had so many fun interactions-one of my favorites was with Sara Bareilles, who's excitement at seeing me was so sweet. She had a similar reaction when she spotted me on the Suffs carpet, and I'm now certain that she's one of the sweetest, most genuine and fun humans.

After the show ended, I got to go into the theatre at the end of the show to photograph the curtain call and bows, which was so much fun. After the curtain call, the photographers walked a few blocks to the Edison Ballroom, and soon after the cast came to walk the smaller indoor red carpet in the press room at the Edison. Getting to photograph this outstanding cast was so incredible, and getting to photograph Idina, especially, was such an honor and such an amazing experience. The cast went through and took solo photos first, then they took full-cast photos. When the cast was doing a group photo with Tina Landau, the writer, co-creator, director, and co-lyricist, and Kate Diaz, the composer and co-lyricist, they actually cheered for me! It was such an incredible moment and one that I won't soon forget.

Throughout the night, I got to talk with several of the other photographers, videographers, and theatre journalists, all of whom were so kind and supportive. A few offered great advice, and many generously helped me get the attention of those walking the carpets. They were so helpful, and it was so nice to meet them.

I got to see the show the night after the carpet. It was incredible and beautiful. Really beautiful. The five cast members on stage were amazing and it was such an honor to watch them perform. The technology used in the set design mixed with the sheer power of their voices and acting was so uniquely incredible and something I won't forget.

I'm so grateful for this opportunity. It was so much fun, I met so many kind and amazing people,and I'm so glad I once again got to be a small part of the magic.

You can see Redwood now at the Nederlander Theatre.

A Dream Come True In Seneca Falls

Seneca Falls. A town with an area of only 27.4 square miles, but an influence that reaches much, much farther. Seneca Falls is where the very first women's rights convention in the USA was held, in 1848. The convention is in many ways the foundation of the ongoing fight for women's rights. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and several other women, this convention took place at the Wesleyan Chapel, in the heart of the town. For this convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote a very special document-the Declaration of Sentiments. This is a rewrite of the Declaration of Independence- a rewrite that includes and focuses on women. This convention was also the first time that women's suffrage was talked about in this environment. Despite suffrage being a very controversial issue, after this convention, the idea that women could vote spread like wildfire. More and more women-and men- were interested and passionate about the cause, and the suffrage and women's rights movement was born. 

Seneca Falls has been on my bucket list for years, ever since I learned about suffrage. After photographing the red carpet and then watching the incredible musical Suffs, currently on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre, my desire to go to Seneca Falls was even stronger. So on our way back down from Parc Omega in Canada, my mom and I decided to make a quick stop in Seneca Falls.

It was everything I'd ever dreamed of. We first went to the National Womens Hall of Fame, held in the former Seneca Knitting Mills. This Hall of Fame is also a museum with so much interesting information about womens history. We also went to Susan B. Anthony's house, and to walk the same stairs that Susan walked was incredible. And not just Susan- at several times, Susan had guests stay in her house including Ida B. Wells-Barnett, played perfectly in Suffs by Nikki M. James, and Carrie Chapman Catt, also a character in Suffs, played by the incredible Jenn Colella. In fact, in the attic of Susan's house, there was Carrie Chapman Catt's desk! I was shocked and delighted. 

We also went to Elizabeth Cady Stanton's house and the Women's History Museum, both of which were amazing. Lastly, we went inside the Wesleyan Chapel. Standing at the podium in the room where the fight for equality began was enlightening and empowering, and one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. Getting to stand in the same walls that built the foundation of our fight for equality was incredible.

This trip was a dream come true for me and it exceeded all expectations.