Families

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…

After about two weeks of gorgeous spring weather here in the mountains we awoke to Nyron’s first birthday session and rain in the forecast just like Kailey’s maternity session. Since it was his actual birthday, we decided to not let a little rain get in our way(just like when he was in Mom’s tummy) and all met to capture the smiles of this growing baby resembling more today, “a little boy”.  It does go by so fast. A bright red wagon, a colorful bunch of balloons gathered by Dad earlier that morning as he was getting off work from his EMT shift,…

The Bartolo Family- With their youngest in Philadelphia embarking on the first year of her college adventure, Jim and Tammy decided that it is finally time to downsize and sell their beautiful home in Pollock Pines, that Jim actually built. There’s a lot of love in that home. And, with all of the girls and grandma Josephine in town and available over the holidays, it was a perfect time to capture them all in their home, the home they all grew up in (even Jim…ehhh, maybe not- likely still working on it). And I can say that because I’ve known the Bartolo’s for awhile so…

I have been photographing the Anderson family now for more than a decade. Like me, they have two tweenage/teen children that are busy with sports and social activities. And, like me, getting on their family schedule can sometimes be a military operation, especially as parents Jessica and Brett also coach soccer multiple times each week. That’s exactly how we found ourselves almost at Christmas before we scheduled this year’s session. What a blessing in disguise, however, since we decided to shoot at the family’s Folsom home to avoid the uncertainty of winter weather. The Andersons have a beautiful house and are…

Little Grayden has a special place in my heart. In a heart-opening demonstration of the circle of life, I photographed his birth less than 24 hours after I received the news that my father had passed away. Clearly it’s an emotional experience I will never forget and I will always feel a connection to this family as a result. Since then, sadly, Grayden’s parents have separated. Dad, Tom, works in Redding and doesn’t get to spend as much time with Grayden as he could if his job was closer and so he asked me to capture them together recently, during…

You may remember the Orlino family from their newest addition, Eloise’s, birth back in August. It was my first time meeting Rebecca and Elmo and I only managed to capture a glimpse of their 4 year old twins, Sam and Oliver, via Skype. So I was excited to capture everyone together during a recent family session at Sly Park Lake up here in Pollock Pines. Sam and Oliver are typical 4 year old boys who can’t stand in one place for longer than a few seconds. They walked up “mountains” of rock beside the lake and down the mountains of…

Ah, I love this family. I don’t even think I have space to list all the wonderful opportunities I’ve had to share in and capture their story but I know I’m blessed to be able to have done so.  And so, after weddings and births and an exciting new house purchase, we’re already at baby Nyron turning 8 months old. Which means crawling and moving and nibbling on anything he can get his chubby little hands on. We started our session at the family’s new home in Cameron Park and moved on to Cameron Park lake for some outdoor shots.…

Phyllis is the mom of my friend and long-term client, Jessica. Jessica and her family have been in front of my lens countless times in the last decade. But this time it was her mom’s turn as she reached the milestone age of 80. A former dancer, Phyllis knew she was having a party but didn’t know where, so she was not only surprised but thrilled when her celebration brought her to Arthur Murray dancing school in Folsom.  There was a dance exhibition and lessons available for those brave enough to step out onto the floor and an amazing spread…