She has studied photography, documentary filmmaking, and writing at the International Center of Photography, School of Visual Arts, and New York University. Her work has been published worldwide by publications such as Marie Claire, Esquire.com, the Sydney Morning Herald, Revista Photo Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Burn Magazine. Payne has participated in several group projections and exhibitions and is the senior fellow of #instacorp and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She is cofounder of Principa, a consulting network delivering business development technology, marketing strategy, and profit-boosting tools to small and mid-sized businesses worldwide.