The JOURNAL

We walked through the grass, chatting away about school, graduation, and the future. I complimented her on her jewelry choices, and we bonded over our ridiculous obsession with 31 Bits. “Buying jewelry to help empower women in Uganda… how could it get any better than that,” we laughed. That afternoon we were girls laughing, chatting, […]

Some people have the gift of learning by hearing instructions, or even by looking at a step by step manual. I, unfortunately, don’t really have either of those gifts… I learn by doing. A lot people ask me how I started with photography, wondering if I went to college to get a degree in it. […]

I met Karli and her mom at Casper’s Wilderness Park on a sunny January afternoon. The sun shone through the trees and sparkled on the grass as I imaged it would in any fairytale movie. It had rained heavily the week prior and all the new spring grass was starting to poke through, showing signs […]

After almost 10 months of going at 200%, I took a little mini adventure vacation for 3 days in October. My bestie Betsy Lackey invited me to meet her in Dallas for the Needtobreath & Taylor Swift concert…. on a whim. Usually, I don’t jump on whims that require lots of traveling and uncertainty, but […]

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 […]

Last year, November marked the time of year when Christopher decided to sport a mustache. (You can view last year’s mustache here.) I thought maybe it had gotten out of his system, but one morning early in the month, I walked into the kitchen to find a mustached man eating Christopher’s breakfast. “Wonderful,” I thought. […]

Jared, Cortez, Eric, and Chris have come a long way since last time we shot portraits of their band. Swivel Tactic, formerly known as The Good Kids have a new look… and a new sound. They’re in the process of cutting a new album they’re pretty proud of… one that is a showcase of the […]

Whenever I get the chance, I like to expand my photographic vision and try on something new for size. My bestie Betsy Lackey bought a Dooney and Bourke purse from a Buffalo Exchange we visited in Dallas, so I shot a few to showcase her newest accessory. It was pretty easy since she’s ridiculously photogenic […]

If you could soldier on headstrong into the storm, I’ll be here waiting on the other side. Don’t look back, The road is long. The first days of the war are gone. Take back your former throne and turn the tide. Cause if you never leave home, never let go, you’ll never make it to the […]

Recently, I heard someone say that said we should never go a day without “being in wonder about something.” That’s been on my mind a lot lately, and I think that person is very very correct. Wonder is something that comes naturally to us as children, and then, at some point, that innateness fades and […]