Kendra Stanley-Mills

I’m certain that the way I grew up had a direct correlation to why I became a photographer. My childhood was part “Little House on the Prairie” and part Woodstock. I had an outhouse, no running water, a milk cow, a wood cook stove and no television until middle school. I lived in a one-room log cabin until we upgraded into a tobacco barn, then finally into a “normal” home. We told stories, listened to old vinyl records, had chores (a lot of chores!) and had more adventures than I could count. My creativity and independence were encouraged. Those 90 acres of woods and pastures in the hills of rural Kentucky filled my heart with all that a kid really needs.

I’m not sure if the camera I found in my stepfather’s closet was a way for a shy kid to relate to the world or just a way to occupy my time, but I became a ferocious explorer with my old film camera in tow, mostly at first, just photographing our farm animals.

Today, I use my camera with the same curiosity, enthusiasm and mission to document YOUR stories, YOUR life and YOUR experiences. I’m intrigued by people; those that have shared passions but, even more so, with people that are different than me.

When I’m not working, not much has changed. You’ll likely still find me exploring the outdoors with my husband, two children, a dog and, yes, a camera. We even moved that one-room log cabin from Kentucky to our 28 acres in Montague, Michigan.