Don’t Let a Cloudy Forecast Dim Your Shine (Or Your Photos!) You’ve waited for this day. Outfits picked, kids prepped, snacks packed… and then you check the weather: foggy or cloudy. Cue the panic? Not so fast. Let me be the first to say: clouds and fog are secretly the unsung heroes of outdoor photography, and your session is still […]

First off, what is a shoot-along?A photographer-led shoot-along is a session designed for photographers to join a lead photographer on a shoot—usually to learn, build their portfolio, and create without the typical pressures of a client session. It’s an opportunity to observe, practice, and be inspired in a real-world setting with guidance from someone further along in […]

Friends, let’s be honest — the world feels a little unpredictable these days. Between rising prices, political debates, and the general heaviness in the air, a lot of us are tightening our budgets and thinking twice about “non-essentials.” But you know what I believe with my whole heart? Photos aren’t a luxury. They’re your story. […]

In Santa Cruz, CA nearly every town is anchored by the beach, which means miles and miles of shoreline to sink your toes into. Some beaches are gently, others are vast and flat, and some are only accessible by navigating down steep, rocky cliff sides – not for the faint of heart! It all depends […]

This post is a little different from my usual photography-related blogs, but it’s an important part of my life story—one I feel compelled to share. From 1998 until the end of 2023, my full-time career was in the Santa Cruz 9-1-1 dispatch center. I answered the calls, spoke on the radio to police officers, firefighters, […]

I’m just returning from another successful, jam-packed photography conference—this one in Vegas. Did I leave the conference hotel to explore the Strip? Nope. Well, except for one dinner at a different hotel. I’ve been told this is the photography conference of the year. The one you don’t want to miss. So, I went. And it […]

It’s 6 p.m. on a summer Friday, two hours before sunset. You’ve attempted dinner, but the kids are wild these days with no structure. Mr. Captain Underpants for example has just dashed from the table after one bite of a dino nuggie, cape flapping, ketchup dripping. He’s not dressed yet so crisis avoided, but the […]

Early this year one of my dear friends and midwife inquired if I would be interested in birth photography. I said, “well yes!”. While I shared with her that birth photography falls right in line with my genre of “family” photography, I’ve never photographed a birth. Thankfully, my friend knows me well and believes in […]

It’s been a whirlwind of May and it’s only getting busier…. of which I couldn’t be more thrilled! Here’s the highlights of what I’ve been up to personally, and what I’m working on in the business. As we enter June, I am wrapping up a 5 month online intensive photography business course with an in […]

Capturing the Five Senses Through Photography – more about why I am a family photographer