Hi! I'm Sheila.

I’m a visual storyteller living and working in Harlem, New York, highlighting the experiences, beauty, and perspectives of people, places, and things. Through photography and filmmaking, my mission is to capture the essence of my subjects to tell their unique story to the world. And, I’d like to help tell yours.

A brief history

Born in the Aloha state, I once called Stuttgart, Germany home for part of my childhood, living on an Army base with my family before spending more of my formative years in the suburbs of Chicago. As a photo graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), I started my professional career behind the lens in Chicago, testing my mettle as a photo assistant and navigating my way through the world of photography. 

Like all good stories, some twists and turns led me on a journey in the education sector where I received my masters in teaching. Making a difference in the lives of young children was certainly a noble pursuit, but my passion for visual storytelling was one I could not ignore and a dream I needed to realize. 

I made the transition from the classroom back to the world of photography, honing my skills as a photo editor, researcher, and photographer for various professional publications across industries in Chicago. In late 2016, I made the leap and moved to New York City with my husband to more fully realize my dream as a visual storyteller with camera in hand. 

Flash forward to spring 2020, where an opportunity opened up for me at CNN as a photo editor on the digital photo desk. Experiencing the history of 2020 unfold in my home-office-turned-fast-paced-newsroom is an experience I could never have imagined, but it has given me another perspective on storytelling that I bring to my own photography and filmmaking.

People I've Photographed Worked For These Companies:

Bank of America, Blackberry, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bears, Coca Cola, Detroit Lions, ESOSA, Eyeview, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Google, Gift of Hope, Goya, Hermès, Holland America Line, JPMorgan Chase, Impremedia, Lapiz, Levi's, Lions Clubs International, McDonalds, Mercer, McEwan Group, MetLife, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, New York Mets, Nickelodeon, PepsiCo, Red Rabbit, Thomson Reuters, Time Warner, US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Valor Equity, Verizon