Children

When you spend 8 years photographing a family – from engagement to wedding, followed by the birth of their children and all the milestones in between – it is intensely bittersweet to photograph them one last time, in their homecourt playground in the Sierra Nevadas before they move on to new life adventures. But, adventurous friends, adventure. It’s as simple as that. Tiffany and Keith are wonderful friends to me, and working with them and their beautiful children Finn and Freya and all of their like minded friends, all along the way, has been an absolute joy! Saying goodbye to them as they make the…

Well, actually 3 and a 1/2.  But who’s counting?  I’ll photograph this lively little girl with the 100 watt smile at any age! Audrey is the sweet daughter of Erin and Brett, whose wedding I photographed in 2012. Following families through the most important milestones of their lives is the number one reason I love being a photographer (that, and creating beautiful art with amazing people!).  In fact, I have had the good fortune of documenting Erin’s extended family for several years, having photographed sister Courtney’s wedding in 2011, and now looking forward to photographing her other sister Kristen’s wedding this fall.  It’s always a pleasure…

Everyone knows that one of my favorite parts about living in Pollock Pines is the proximity to some amazing outdoor adventures.  With Sierra at Tahoe so close, I enjoy skiing bluebird days on the mountain, zigging and zagging through the fresh, warm and sunny air with friends and family. So what could be better than that?  Having the opportunity to photograph a family who shares the same love for the mountain energy and snow as I do! Emily and Nick are avid snowboarders who may have found love in each other, but chose a place they both love to make their promise towards forever: the 360…

What a difference four years makes!  It was a pleasure to reconnect with the McCann Family this fall at one of my favorite places, Sly Park Lake, and see how much this gorgeous family has grown.  I always say one of the greatest rewards of my career is that I get to work with families many times over the years and in a sense, grow with them!  In 2012 when I photographed the McCann Family at Boeger Winery, youngest daughter Ellie was just a baby and big sister Hailee a smiling tot.  Today they are two beautiful little girls with an…

When longterm clients become longtime friends, I know that my business is exactly everything I’d hoped it to be.  That’s what it is like with the Anderson family.  I met them when their youngest child Ryan was still an infant and have been blessed to watch them grow and evolve as a family ever since.  Even with their busy schedules (full-time jobs for both mom and dad, plus part-time soccer coaching, along with soccer playing for the kids) they still are able to find time for annual family photography.  Even if that means a sunset arrival for their afternoon session!  Doesn’t matter; when…

It was one of those sunny, golden fall afternoons that make me pinch myself: not only do I get to live in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains, but I also get to follow happy families around while they enjoy the outdoors, trading jokes and snapping photos.  (And I call this “work?”  Ha!)  With the loving, energetic, incredibly photogenic Jen family as my clients and a bright blue sky overhead, it was a great day at the office for sure. The Jen sisters are close in age and also very close to each other.  Watching them goof around was so much fun and…

One year ago, two of my longtime clients brought a beautiful baby girl into the world.  How lucky was I to get to document her first birthday!  I love photographing celebrations, and there have been many of them in her family’s life.  It all started with an engagement session for Mom (Michelle) and Dad (Tim), followed by a fun and easy going wedding at Fausel Ranch, then the maternity, newborn and six month sessions for sweet baby Madelyn. Time flies and I am so grateful to have been part of these major milestones!  I am always gratified and humbled when I…

It’s not easy as you might think it would be to get many generations of family together in order to capture this moment in time. It can take some planning, some coordinating and some flexibility but it’s generally never regretted. Kudos to my friend Carol who did just that this summer while her family was in town for a visit. In fact, we did this several years ago over the Christmas holiday too. Living close to Goldridge club, we were able to utilize the playground which always keeps the kids engaged. Lots of smiles and lots of grandkids (ok, and a few…

When Kevin approached me to create a photo montage of the Pollock Pines schools in his district – Pinewood, Sierra Ridge, and Silver Fork – I knew this was going to be a special and very meaningful job.  You see, for 6 years Kevin has been my kids’ school Superintendent, and our community has gotten many good opportunities to get to know him.  Always approachable, he would stand outside the school entrance at drop off to socialize with the students and their parents.  Everybody knew Mr. Monsma!  This hands-on approach has always been something I really admired about him.  This summer he moved on to a…