To know a writer, read her books - to know a photographer, see her images. Through her lens, Paula Mann Cunningham captures moments, freezes them in time, and makes visible the inner character of her subjects. She has published work on both sides of the lens as a subject and photographer. This gives Paula a clear understanding of what makes a great photograph. The subjects intrinsic qualities combined with the photographer's creativy. Both are essential to the final image.

Paula studied photography at the Art Institute of Chicago, worked as a darkroom assistant to Chicago fashion photographer Richard Corirossi and later worked in N.Y.C. as an editorial assistant to Sean Callahan, editor of American Photographer Magazine and author of the Photographs of Margaret Bourke White.