Mountain of Magic (or something like that)

Cameron and I have been working extra extra hard these past few months and now we are taking a little time to relax. We recently had a few weddings in Seattle, Wa and were able to play a little there after the weddings were over. This picture is with our point and shoot from Alki Beach in Seattle - So pretty and great food over there!
After getting back, we had 2 days of scrambling around to get work done before heading out again to Lake Shasta, Every year my side of the family takes a trip to the lake for some epic wake boarding and death tubing - this is where the boat driver tries to kill you and you try to stay on! We rented a houseboat with all the bells and whistles, it fanTAStic.

After getting back, we were so proud of ourselves for staying on top of the piles of work we decided to take ride some thrill rides at Magic Mountain (A roller coaster theme park in Ca). We had soooo much fun screaming and laughing with my Uncle and Cousin on the roller coasters and eating dip 'n dots and funnel cake. De-lish-ous. I thought I would share some fun photos and a fun video from Superman The Escape Ride. I can't stop laughing on those rides!!

I Get to do That

Over the past few months I have been thinking a lot about what I do and how I can help make a difference. How can I - a photographer really make a difference?!


As you all know I have photographed brand spankin' new babies and seeing them minutes after birth is such an amazing time to capture. The thrill of the parents and family and the new life just blows me away. I have to tell myself to focus so I can capture those quick little moments. I really feel honored to do what I do. To produce a tangible product for people so they can have those moments for the rest of their life, long after they've forgotten what the hospital room looked like or what it looked like when their new little one had their first bath. A beautiful product where the subject is highlighted and you are drawn into that very moment. Now, I am not talking about a point and shoot photo of a first bath where the doctors arm and large head in the foreground is what you notice first - I am talking about a carefully choreographed photo that you have a professional capture. I get to do that!!! How cool is my job!


A week or so after the Keller Baby Shoot , one of our friends lost their new born baby. He was only alive for a couple of hours before they realized he was born without kidneys. It was extremely tragic. It was so hard to hear about our friends loss. It was the extreme opposite from the miraculous birth I had witnessed a week earlier. Our friends asked us to edit the photos taken of their little one and I was so honored to be asked I jumped at the chance. These were photos that family had taken for them. I worked on cropping, converting to black and white and a little photo shop edits here and there. They were so incredibly personal I couldn't believe they entrusted me with such precious photographs. I wanted to do this little beautiful life justice. I was producing something that the parents would have for life, their only lasting memory of one of their most precious possessions. It was heartbreaking and at the same time so fulfilling. I cried as sent them to print and packaged them up for the parents. What was I to do with these contrasts? I realized I was giving these parents the same lasting memories just like I had the first. After wrestling with it for some time I came to the same conclusion, I get to do that. How cool is my job.

After helping out our friends I realized I wanted to do that more. I had heard of a non-profit organization called, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. They commission photographers to take photographs for terminally ill children and babies, stillborn babies, etc. in their area. I had heard about this organization before and I didn't feel that I was ready to commit to something like that until now. I really felt like God had prepared me for this. It takes me a long time to warm up to certain ideas - especially when they seem scary. The neatest thing was it wasn't scary at all, it was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. I trust that God will continue to prepare me for all circumstances where photography is concerned.



If you have the time you should check out this site: NILMDTS
It is really a beautiful service. Get involved if you can!

She's Here!!!!

I am so happy to announce the birth of sweet little Ashlee!! I was so honored to be a fly on the wall for this special day. Stefanie had a cesarean birth so I knew exactly what time to be there, it was very convenient. They prepped her and then took her away to get ready for the surgery. Brent was a nervous wreck! He was such a thoughtful husband worrying about his wife.



When Stefanie was all set to go the doctor came in to 'summon' Brent. I love his look of fear and pure joy as he takes one last look back to all in the waiting room. He was only gone for about 20 mins. before he came back with little Ashlee.




Stefanie wanted me to be her 'eyes'. She wanted me to photograph all that she was unable to see for herself. All of those little special moments of first's. Once you have a cesarean you have to wait in recovery until you can feel your legs - that's usually about 2 hours. So I was busy capturing all I could until she finally got to hold her new baby. It was so special how Brent and big sister Amanda were able to weigh, measure, bathe, dress, brush, and hold Ashlee.







This was their second shoot in their New Life Series package, one more and then I can create them a beautiful album! Check out their maternity shoot here: Maternity Shoot.

Thanks again Brent, Stefanie, Amanda and now Ashlee! It was such an honor being your eyes. I can't wait to see how she's already grown so much!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Thank heaven for little girls
for little girls get bigger every day!

Thank heaven for little girls
they grow up in the most delightful way!

Those little eyes so helpless and appealing
one day will flash and send you crashin' thru the ceilin'

Thank heaven for little girls
thank heaven for them all,
no matter where no matter who
for without them, what would little boys do?

Thank heaven... thank heaven...
Thank heaven for little girls!

Maurice Chevalier - Lyrics from the movie "Gigi"


I was so pleased to capture these sweet little ones for their Father's Day Present to their Daddy. I wanted to blog them awhile ago but knew I couldn't because I would ruin the surprise. The oldest Lilly was a bit shy at first but at the end of the session had me running around with her. Little Lauren had the most adorable little dimples! We got her laughing and in no time she was flashing them for the camera. When I went to post this blog I just kept hearing that song from the movie Gigi and I had to check out the lyrics....they were so cute I had to post them. Thanks so much girls! You were awesome!!

Note: Fire Burns

Okay, I was not going to post this but Cameron made me. Well, maybe he didn't make me but he talked me into it. So my last post was about my nephew's First birthday party and since we don't have 3 sets of all our equipment I brought our Canon 20D with a fish lens to take pictures with....that's all that was left. The story begins with the cake section of the party. My brother lit the candle and placed it in front of Ethan.....well you can figure out the rest by the photos.





So my brother is an AWESOME Dad even though he forgot to blow the candle out himself. Ethan had a taste of the sugary goodness and he forgot all about his charcoal hand.







Ethan was ready for a nap after the emotional roller coaster with the cake. In other news my brother is not the only one that felt crappy about hurting the little guy, I nicked his head on a fan the same weekend!!! There, I confess, It's the worst when you do stuff like that - you feel like such a jerk!

Party Party Party!!!

I'm off tomorrow for a b-day celebration for my youngest little nephew Ethan! But I am also going to celebrate my other little nephew Wyatt's b-day! I think my head is going to spin from all the cuteness. Wyatt's b-day was on the 26th (he turned a big 2) and Ethan's b-day was the 27th - the big 001. I love an excuse for the whole famn damily to get together and celebrate. Have a great weekend! (P.s. Not the best photos from our point and shoot - but you get the cuteness right?!)

Brent, Stefanie & Amanda

Brent and Stefanie are having a baby girl!! I am so honored to be part of capturing this season before she comes. Stefanie is 8 months along and looking amazing! We headed down to Sycamore Mineral Springs for some beautiful flowers and a cool labyrinth before heading out to the beach. They were up for anything and willing to experiment. It was great! Stefanie is having a cesarean in June and I am so so honored to be there capturing that - so stay tuned!!








Amanda is going to be the big sister here and it was so neat to have her along for the shoot. She was so sweet and she is going to make a great babysitter and sister. I love seeing siblings interact with the pregnant belly, its so sweet.

Almost 1 !!!

Ethan is almost 1 already!! This is my littlest nephew whom you have seen before on my blog.(whom or who?) He is absolutely delicious!!! I know, referring to little babies as delectable foods....odd right?! I can't help it, they are sweet as ice cream and apple pie! Especially this little guy because hes related and he makes his aunties heart melt. Okay, okay, enough already....so Ethan will be one years old soon and my sister-in-law Morgan wanted to get some pics done for his bday party. We headed down to a park near their house and got some beautiful shots of Ethan and then some with his parents.







This next shot I took to show how crazy we can get on photo shoots with little ones. During some of those smiling shots my brother Joel was running around and jumping up and down to get Ethan to crack up. It worked, he thought his dad was so silly and LOVED IT. Sometimes it pays to get a little wild behind the camera. I love Cam's expression and Joel's shoe flying out of the frame. I love it.

These are a few of the Fam shots we took too, aren't they such a beautiful family!!



I also love these last few of Ethan - he kept showing me his shoe, he was very proud of his paw prints.

Little Muffin!

This is Sveva, she is indeed a little muffin! As I was processing these photos I kept saying "awh....Awh....AWH!" I just couldn't help it, each one was more precious than the next. Cameron and I share an office and I think I was interrupting his work flow because he kept turning around every few seconds too my "oo's and Awh's". So I posted a lot of photos this time, it was just too hard to pick my favorites!




Sveva's mommy and daddy had Cameron photograph their wedding a few years back. We weren't married then so it was great to meet them for the first time after seeing their photos. They are a beautiful couple so it's no surprise their baby is so darn cute!! After a bit of shooting I threw mom and dad in for some beautiful family photos. I wish I had taken a picture of Cameron making noises and doing jumping jacks in the background. It was quite a site.









I love all of Sveva's outfit changes. She was so awesome to work with, I hope you enjoy these photos!

Welcome to Seattle!

Cameron and I are in Washington - woohoo!! Last year on our Honeymoon we went to Victoria and Vancouver and didn't have the time to take the short trip to Seattle (even though I really wanted to). When we left I said to Cameron, "Will you take me there someday then?" A lot of my friends have fallen in love with this city and have always wanted to visit. So here we are, yeah!! Here are a few fun pics from my point and shoot.

We are shooting a couple weddings here this summer so we are here for the engagement sessions. We flew into Seattle yesterday and traveled out to Port Angeles to stay for a couple of days. We are shooting the first E Session here and then we travel back to Seattle. Port Angeles is soooo beautiful!!! There is still a lot of snow on the surrounding mountains and the sweetest houses on the waters edge. It makes me want to rent a house out for the summer and disappear with a good book and a vodka cranberry drink (my favorite drink, aka- a "Cape Cod"). Today we shoot Marty and Sarah and their family - you will have to check out Cameron's blog for those photos later.





On our sweet drive out to P.A., as the locals call it, we came across this wierd little place with a massive burger and all these wierd wood figurines. If you notice in the back on the roof there are the California Rasin's, we used to love those! I remember watching all the Christmas specials they would have on T.v. I think I even had all of them as stuffed animals at one point. Weird, very wierd. I will be posting some more pics from our adventures - more to come!!

Stella Grace

Stella, like most babies had a much anticipated arrival. Stella’s Mommy & Daddy, Sarah and Travis, have waited a long time for this feminine piece of heaven to bless their family. She already has 2 older brothers who have fallen in love with her. Sarah quoted one of the little boys saying “She’s just so cuuuute mom, I can’t believe she’s so so cuuute!” Sarah is all about the frills and bows and couldn’t wait to dress her in pink once she arrived.




I showed up to their house and got a walk-thru. Stella’s room was so cute and pink that I gasped when I walked in. Sarah’s comment was: “I know... Couldn’t you just eat it?!” It’s so fun to see new life and watch the family at the same time elated by her sweet presence.




Stella is 2 months and filling out oh so nicely. We had a great afternoon taking our time and photographing little Stella. I couldn’t stop cooing over her bright eyes and chubby cheeks and thighs. Thanks so much Sarah and Stella!

1 Year Anniversary!

Cameron and I just celebrated one year of marriage! We both feel really good to have some time under our belt. I have learned so much this past year and it blows my mind to think of what else I am going to learn. Cameron posted an amazing blog that made me all teary. You will have to check it out here: Here are some photos we shot with our point and shoot on our Anniversary in Napa last week. Cameron and I showing our golfing skills on the chipping green, (is that what you call it?)


Me being drama in the daisy's (after a few wine tastings)

Cam being sooo cuute in his preppy outfit he wore just for me! (Downtown Napa)

Mostly Olivia

A few weeks ago Cameron and I photographed an engagement session in Santa Barbara. The session included Cameron and I, Matt, Tara, and mostly Olivia. While Cameron photographed them together I snuck away with Olivia to get some shots of her showing off. Here are some of my favorites from the afternoon.






Olivia is going to make a beautiful bridesmaid (this must not be mistaken for flower girl – I was already reprimanded once for making that mistake).



I also gave Olivia a little photo lesson - she did pretty good too! Thanks again for a great day!

A New Kind of Texan

Cameron and I were in Huntsville, Texas last week visiting some of my closest friends and speaking at Sam Houston University of Texas. While there, I snapped a few photos of Ava Lynn who is the cutest little Texan I have ever met!!! Though Ava’s parents are from Alaska and California, the locals who know them love the fact that Ava is a ‘Real Texan’. I think she is a California girl at heart – even if she doesn’t know it yet!!





We had a blast eating grits, crawfish, and brisket, which much to my surprise was all pretty good! Mandy informed me that brisket was Texas’ form of Tri-Tip. (Tri-Tip is one of the Central Coast’s most delicious things!). Ava’s daddy was so sweet with her; I kept catching him singing “Ava Lynn….” To the tune of Adel vise – it was pretty sweet. Like me, Cameron found a gushy spot for sweet Ava. Once he got her to laugh he melted and she had him in the palm of her hand from then on. We miss you already Stewies!!

Levi

Little 6-month-old Levi has stolen my heart. He is one of the happiest little guys I have ever met! When I went to his house it was pouring down rain and cold. I walked into their home where I was greeted with the warmest smile. I had to immediately pull out my camera and start shooting away. He was workin’ it!!




Soon after some tummy time his mom gave him a bath and I was so envious of those wet lashes!! Why is it that all the boys have the killer lashes?




It was not long until it was naptime, which did not last long with the blinds open – Sorry Levi!!

Second Shooter Love

My lovely husband gave me a little shout-out as a second shooter. Check it out on the Big Folio Blog

Yeah for Fall !!!

Fall is falling and I am sooo happy about it! I love having to put a sweater on before I go outside (sometimes a sweater – we still live on the Central Coast don’t we?!). The colors are such beautiful backdrops! Also, I cannot help but feel excited about fall because I was engaged in this season only a short year ago: Our Engagment. My most recent shoot was at the Avila Valley Barn a short drive from our house. If you haven’t gone yet this season – GO NOW!!! The pumpkins are out and there are 2 hay-mazes that are great for kids (and adults). Cameron and I were there a few weeks before check out that adventure here: Pumpkin Adventure .




The Roberts girls also LOVE pumpkins and had a blast on the shoot. Apparently this was their 3rd time there that week!! It was so much fun stepping into their little world and capturing moments as they ran around and giggled. Thanks Roberts – your family is adorable!!

Kellen is Here! (Part II)

Kellen has arrived! He is the sweetest little guy. When I arrived there Molly and Rex were still getting ready. Molly twisted my arm and MADE me hold Kellen while she finished up (ahem…little white lie). He had just had a bath and smelled oh so sweet; I think all my purring relaxed him because he went right to sleep. . Once everyone was ready to go we started with some pictures inside. Since he had just woken up from his nap he was all smiles and wide eyed. After a bit of indoor shooting we traveled outside to their backyard where it was gorgeous. That kid is going to have a lot of fun out there someday. The family Golden Retriever followed us outside. Their dog carries around a little stuffed bear everywhere and it reminded me of Michael from Peter Pan. It was even the same type of bear!


After all the hard work of modeling Kellen was a bit tired and ready for another nap. We popped in after he was asleep and snagged a few more photos. Babies are so stinkin’ cute when they sleep.


It will be so awesome to have another shoot with this family to finish up my 3 part series. Stay tuned!! To see some shots from the first shoot click Here.

Odin

Meet my newest cutest little guy…..Odin. This photo shoot was a birthday surprise for his mom, Kyla from his dad Paul. Cameron has known Paul & Kyla for some time….their family owns Swallow Creek Ranch– an amazing venue in Cayucos. Cameron and I actually wanted to get married out there but unfortunately the barn was closed for the winter months.

Kyla had mentioned to Cameron a few times how she wanted pictures of her baby and Paul finally took initiative. We drove out to their house and knocked on the door, when Kyla answered she was VERY confused considering their house is a bit off the beaten path. Once we told her why we were there she was thrilled!! Odin had just got up from his nap and was in his prime to model for the