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. […]

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 […]

“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 […]

In their vows, they spoke of a life lived and past adventures. They gracefully noted that their histories would never lose importance and meaning in light of this new chapter. If anything, the journeys they’ve weathered have only better prepared them to enjoy the autumn and winter years of their life… with each other. Hunt and Tommi […]

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 […]

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 […]

It was Christmas time in Southern California when Mercedes dropped me an email asking about family portraits. She explained that this Christmas was different from their usual holiday traditions…. it was different because everyone would be there. Her parents (the original Mr. and Mrs. Cantu) would be coming, all her brothers and sisters would be […]