Dearly Loved | Dana Point Newborn Photographer

I am pleased to introduce you to sweet, little Kassia.  She is already so dearly loved by her parents.  It's hard for me to believe that I photographed David and Alexa's wedding six and a half years ago!  Alexa was sharing with me how quickly those years have passed and even more so, how quickly the first two and a half weeks of Kassia's life have flown by.  I can completely understand that feeling when I look at how quickly the past seven months have passed with my own little guy.  I feel like he was this little only seven weeks ago and not seven months ago.  Knowing that time truly does pass at a crazy speed makes me find even more meaning in my work.  In a few more weeks she will start to interact with the world around her and barely even look like a newborn anymore.  David and Alexa, I am so honored to be able to capture these early memories that I know you are cherishing.  I am certain that you will be amazing parents and your love will continue to grow as your daughter grows.  It was so good to reconnect and see you again - and she is absolutely perfect. Congratulations!

Savoring Fall at the Pumpkin Patch

Fall is my favorite time of year!  We get a change in the seasons and weather, we can pull out the sweaters and Ugg boots (yay!), drink seasonal hot coffee drinks, look forward to being with family and friends at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, and Fall is when I celebrate my birthday.  Now that my baby boy is having new experiences every day it makes me see little things, like a trip to the pumpkin patch, with a new perspective and with a little more excitement and awe. He is 6 months old now and sitting up like a champ.  When I plopped him down on the hay covered ground, I didn't expect the straw to go right into his mouth... but of course it did since that's how he's learning about the world around him right now.  The straw was a big hit for him, but so were the new animals.  We got to pet some sheep, goats, and even a lama. He was very wide-eyed through the whole experience.  I love seeing him play with his daddy; and Brandon is the best daddy that there is.

Walking to our car together, my baby snuggled up in his daddy's arms and my hand holding my husband's, my heart was full and I felt content.  I am truly grateful for my family and sharing all of our "firsts" together as a family.

Julia is almost ONE and a HALF! | Yorba Linda Family Photographer

We had such a fun time chasing Julia around the park to capture some great smiles, silly faces, and thoughtful expressions, too.  You may remember her from her newborn portraits, but I can hardly believe that 17 months have passed since she was born!  Portraits of this age are all about being silly and playing lots of games to capture the true essence of a toddler.  And I LOVE the results of our high-energy afternoon at the park.  She is just so adorable and bright.  Brooke and Scott, you are both amazing parents and I feel lucky to be able to call you friends.       Oh, my!  I think we may have a glimpse of 16-year-old-Julia in the photo below- just look at that sass!

I think Julia may want in on the action here :)

You are one good lookin' family!  Thank you for the privilege of photographing your family!

 

California Here We Come! | Los Angeles Photographer

I am very excited to be relocating back home to the Los Angeles area in less than two weeks!  We have been living in Charleston for the past 12 months so my husband can complete his neuropsychology internship for his PhD.  We are both celebrating that today is his last day of internship!  Congratulations, Doctor, I am so proud of you! :) This year has truly been a whirlwind bringing some very big changes into our lives.  The biggest, most joyful change this year has been the addition of our sweet baby boy.  I will be sharing tons of photos and anecdotes on the blog, like a proud mamma, but for now you can see his debut HERE.

I am so excited to get back to California and start working on my photography again.  I did a few portrait shoots here and there and a wedding during my time in the Charleston; but between my seemingly-never-ending morning sickness and the birth of my first baby, I haven't done as much shooting as I would have liked.  As I prepare for a new start in California, I am rethinking how I want my photography business to run and what I want to photograph.

I still love photographing newborns and babies and have been doing a lot of that lately with my baby.  Hopefully he doesn't get too tired of the camera.  I love becoming a part of a family and documenting their milestones, especially as they welcome their first baby home.  I consider it a privilege to watch those babies grow up and become big brothers and sisters.  So as I refocus my business, I definitely will continue photographing all things family-related {maternity, newborn, baby, children, and family sessions}.

I am thrilled to announce that I will once again be accepting wedding commissions.  I started photographing weddings professionally in 2003 and am honored to have documented over 175 couple's wedding love stories.  A few years ago I needed a break from weddings.  At the time I was shooting two to three weddings per weekend and I was exhausted and getting burned out.  So, I took a step back to breathe and regroup.  I wasn't sure if I would go back to photographing weddings again.  Then a little over a month ago, I shot my first wedding in two years.  And, guess what?!  I loved it!  I realized that I did miss being a part of such a happy day and being able to document once-in-a-lifetime-moments for each couple.  While I was shooting the ceremony and the couple's kiss {as well as their gorgeous details} I found that I couldn't stop smiling from behind my camera.  So, that's the brief version about why I am returning to wedding photography.  I will be accepting a limited number of weddings commissions in Southern California once I return to Los Angeles.

I am also very excited about some updates that I am making to my website.  You can check out a few of the changes HERE, but be on the look out for a complete redesign to the layout and the photography offerings.

In the meantime, California, here we come! We left as two and are returning as three!