The JOURNAL

The Maghy Family arrived full of energy and ready to go. It was…. awesome. There’s usually at least one person in every family that DREADS taking family portrait…. but THIS family was great! We smiled, laughed, talked, and had a great time shooting at Jeffrey Park in Irvine. And even though there were probably 10 […]

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 […]

I had never met Iris before, but after following her blog for a little while, I felt like we might be the same person…. and I knew we’d get along real well. Iris is a another wedding and portrait photographer in Orange County who is pretty much a super woman. When we talked on the […]

Today has been a “cave” day, and I’m so grateful for it. I’m thoroughly enjoying editing, culling images, uploading, emailing, and FINISHING things. This year has been so crazy and I find myself wondering where the balance is between getting things done and living joyfully through the “real life” stuff that happens. I suppose the […]

Last week I shot some super cute family portraits for some families from Irvine Presbyterian Church. Each family was different from the others both in age and personality. There was a super young family with sweet James who is just learning to walk…. an older couple who’s cute as can be and who’s been a […]

I spent the afternoon with the McAlpine family recently to take some family portraits before Julia and Sara left for college. John, Susie, Julia, and Sara are one of the cutest families I’ve met in a long time and it was so much fun getting to know them. They all love each other so much, […]

Some of my favorite pictures from growing up were the ones my dad took of our family decorating the Christmas tree every year. The crisp nature-y smell of a fresh cut tree, the colorful lights that twinkle through the pine needles, that one ornament that inevitably falls and breaks every year… there’s something special about […]