The JOURNAL

Labor begins and bags are grabbed as you rush out the door in between contractions. The hours of labor and then this new life is born into the world and time STOPS. The wonder, the shock, the exhaustion, the deep deep love…. it all blurs together somehow. Photographing this chapter of life is such a sweet gift. […]

I’m California dreaming; the Beach Boys play softly in the other room. My mind wanders…. warm sun on skin and ocean breeze gently whispering through palm trees, brightly colored flowers hugging white Spanish stucco buildings, and laid back sunset walks in the sand. YES PLEASE! A team of the best local wedding specialists and I […]

Ash and Jamila are best friends, foodies, adventurers, and lovers of the city they call home. Los Angeles has been their stomping ground throughout their relationship, so they thought there’s no better place to be the backdrop for their engagement session! We explored the famed Arts District and savored the epic LA sunset as it […]

“Top Gun falls in love with Wonder Woman” might be how I would describe Tim & Laurie. They’re both extremely accomplished in their fields, and all around wonderful people. She’s adventurous and brave and takes on challenge with the grace and poise every woman wishes they had (read: Kate wishes she had.) He’s a strong and […]

It was spring break and my aunt invited Christopher and I to accompany her on a trip to her favorite place on earth, Yosemite. I had seen photos and heard tales of the wonders of the valley, of the glacier-cut giants spilling magical falls into the pristine valley. Seeing first hand, however, was what ignited […]

It won’t be long until the three musketeers add a fourth; life is at such a special place for the Blankenships! For almost two years, it’s been just Billy, Alissa, and Claire… and what a sweet sweet time it’s been. While they’re over the moon about baby number two coming this fall, they asked me […]

The Schneider family began with just the two of them, then Ezra Monkey joined the party, and now with Kolja bear they are four. Though life looks a little different with their two little munchkins than it did when it was just the two of them, there’s still a “sameness” to it. Music still holds the baseline to their […]

They met in teacher training. There was a group of them that went line dancing afterwards and she came and danced and laughed. By then end of the night, he was smitten by her in all the ways a girl dreams about. She was beauty and joy, intelligence and wit, and he couldn’t believe that […]

If you’ve ever had the chance to visit Yosemite National Park, you’ll probably agree that it’s one of the most majestic places on earth. Towering trees and cascading landscapes framed by spectacular monoliths– It’s one of my favorite places to visit, and probably one of the more magical places to have a wedding. For Joel […]

The quintessence of a California wedding draws inspiration from iconic palm tree backdrops, golden sunshine, and laid back beaches. However, any true Californian knows that in between those seemingly flawless days, there are also quite a few cloudy days. So what happens when cloudy weather (gasp!) appears in the forecast for the sunny California wedding […]