The JOURNAL

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 […]

“You know, I didn’t realize creating something and sharing with others could make you feel so vulnerable,” he said. The anecdote was acknowledged by my half-paying-attention nod of agreement. He had been sharing about his experience being entrusted with a project that would be shared with a few hundred colleagues. Conversation changed to other topics and the evening […]

Sometimes birthdays don’t go how we plan. We get all the decorations right, the perfect cake, and the cutest outfit ever…. and it just doesn’t happen. But the way I see it, those moments when our plans don’t quite work out and real life creeps into the photos we hoped would depict the perfect picturesque moment […]

Growing up near the beach allowed for many a fond memory for my family and I. I remember countless hours of swimming, boogie boarding, sand crab catching, sand castle making, and bonfire enjoying. Some of the most nostalgic photos documenting my childhood took place at the beach. So for me, there’s still a sense of […]

Today’s the day! It’s been such a long time coming and I have so many thoughts and feelings that they seem to have rendered me wordless at the moment. It’s all I can do to just sit here at my keyboard savoring this place in my story with nostalgia and immense gratitude. I think back to who I was […]

The Gamboa family is one of my favorites to photograph and is one of the sweetest families ever! We all met through Horizon Christina Fellowship in Rancho Santa Fe, and I first photographed their family portraits a few years back in 2009 when everyone was a tad bit littler. Well, Noah’s headed off to college […]

A few months ago, I excitedly announced I would be holding my first ever photography workshop in Nuremberg. It was a huge deal for me because I’m totally one of those people who thinks…  “Oh… I could never do that. No one would come!” Aaaaaand So….. Despite that fear, and with the help of my […]

Fall has fallen in southern California, even though the temperatures are being kind of bi-polar. Fall means school, shorter days, the race to find that ONE changing tree in SoCal, pumpkin everything… and family portraits. Even though most of my work throughout the year is weddings and engagements, I get to change it up a […]

Growing up, I was one lucky girl whose father documented everything and everywhere we went. The first time riding a bike was caught on film, our first camping trip as a family was documented in full, my soccer games, lost teeth, girl scouts…. everything was photographed. I totally took it for granted growing up and […]

The last few senior portraits I’ve posted were all of lovely graduating ladies, but today, I’m excited to share just a few of my favorites from a recent senior shoot with Dylan. Dylan is graduating from high school this year and will be attending Azusa Pacific University! He requested we do his portraits in the […]