The JOURNAL

Isaiah just turned 1 year old and he’s one of the cutest and happiest babies I’ve ever met! Ruth and Steve made the trek down from the Seattle area to celebrate this little guy  and wanted to get some portraits done of their new family on this happy occasion. Isaiah LOVES balloons…. if you can’t […]

Imagination is something that is seldom prioritized above order. I was talking with a friend recently about how many adults we meet that lack imagination and creativity. I suppose once we reach a certain age, school beats imagination out of us with grades and rubrics, and creativity is replaced with conformity for the sake of […]

It’s always so fun getting to spend time with great families each fall. It’s my opportunity to run around with kids, and laugh and talk about super heroes and princesses. It’s also a chance to be there to document this season in each family’s life. For the Puertas family, this season is such a fun […]

Fall is a time marked by change. Kids start a new grade in school, the weather slowly transitions from the heat of summer to the cold of winter, and the “in-between” is decorated with the reds, oranges, and yellows of leaves changing. It’s beautiful…. it’s refreshing…. it means family portrait season has begun. The Jessie […]

It’s that time of year again. Whaaaat?!! I know. Time flies. Today, as I walked to get the mail, my feet crunched a pile of fallen leaves…. already…. in August! Summer is officially over, and the holidays will be here before we know it! Time to start making lists, buying gifts, planning parties, and getting […]

The day was abnormally warm and bright for winter in SoCal (seems to be a theme this year…). I met the Korneychuk family at the beach for some family photos to document their recent move to Santa Monica from Orange County. New chapter in their life means new family photos… and they sure came out […]

Meet the McKinnon Family…. McKinnon Family, meet everyone. This is yet another beautiful family I had the opportunity to photograph this holiday season…. and once again, I left the shoot with feelings of joy and encouragement from these smiling faces. This year, Katie is off at college, Andrew has moved to the midwest, and Emily […]

It’s crazy  how fast time flies…. and it such a strange feeling running into someone and remembering the way they were when they were 5 years old. I’m not quite sure what to do in moments like those…. hug them?… or bury my head in my hands and try to make time stand still for […]

When I was younger, the change of seasons meant different things to me: warm sunny weather meant no school and lots of time in the pool, cooler weather and falling leaves meant the beginning of school and Santa Ana winds, and rainy weather with green leaves meant Easter was coming. While somewhat correct, my perceptions […]

Grandmother’s china tea set, a big stuffed bear, a warm autumn afternoon, and cookies…. could there be a better set up for a family portrait? I think not! When Mary first contacted me about taking her family’s portraits, we brainstormed a bunch of ideas on how we could make it creative, fun, and unique to […]