Using both traditional and experimental in-camera special effect techniques, I leverage the unique optical properties of lens-based technologies to create colorful, complex images. My photographs investigate the processes of identity formation, knowledge creation, and technology interdependence, exploring the integral role that visual media plays in determining our lived experience. The ambiguous and evocative scenes I create distort the familiar in order to challenge the dominant conventions governing image production, gender performance and cultural critique. My practice follows in a rich history of female self-portraiture, where the camera is used as a tool for self-discovery and communication. Influenced by commercial media aesthetics, I merge elements of visual culture—fashion, flowers, jewelry, technology—often alongside my own body to produce vibrant compositions which intentionally exploit gaps between seeing and understanding.