Seniors

Early one morning last week, my trusty assistant (and daughter) Jaz and I headed out to meet Ayumi and her mom, Akemi. A field of green, wet with the morning dew and the moisture of a rainy spring, greeted us as we captured Ayumi in the soft morning light(and a few bugs too). Later this spring, she will be graduating from high school and heading onto California State University, Fullerton to continue her interest in theatre. A beautiful young lady, a bright smile, a cute hat and all that with her bold dreams ahead of her. I’m not normally a morning riser but for this type…

Senior Photographs, Spring 2016 High school graduation: that incomparably magical time of life when one story ends and another begins. When the known security of childhood is still large in the rear mirror and yet the unknown but exciting future of adulthood is within grasp. That time when you’re so full of energy and life and hope and plans and dreams… and it’s all bursting through your very seams. There’s no way around it, this is a milestone that comes around only once. And, like all of life’s important moments, you’ll want to press pause for a moment to capture…

Derek’s was a Senior session for a senior-senior, since he actually graduated last year and is transferring to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to study viticulture. Derek is a snowboarder and a body builder, as well as an aspiring viticulturist. He has a wonderful smile and a lovely relationship with his mom, Robin, who acted as reflector holder and assistant during our session. ( I knew she wanted to be there to take it all in:) After the session around the family’s gorgeous property and Christmas tree farm, Robin invited me in for a cup of tea and some home-made hard…

Megan is in her final year at El Dorado High, her two brothers, Ryan and Dylan, preceding her. Which leaves her the last to fly the coup from her lovely and emotional mom, Trisa, who has accompanied all her kids to their senior sessions with me. Like her brothers and her mom, Megan has the most amazing, infectious smile. In fact, there was a moment when I asked Trisa to step into the picture, that I saw that their smiles are not only incredibly similar but that they crept up onto their faces in almost exactly the same manner. Including…

Congratulations to El Dorado High school  senior, Jakob, who I photographed at Larsen’s Apple Barn in Camino recently. Senior year. The big finale. Jakob is crazy about soccer (as you can see from his images) and he plays for Ethos Academy, which is an affiliate team for the San Jose Earthquakes.  You could see him really come alive as he practiced with the soccer ball. Mom, Andi, is an old friend of mine(and a fabulous, sought after Real Estate agent). The Wagners used to live up here locally and I photographed their family a few years back. As always, it’s crazy…

I have known Jacqueline and her family now for some time. Along with her two older sisters, Samantha and Kalene, Jacqueline has baby-sat my daughters over the years. In the early days, when my girls were toddlers and we would go on family camping trips, the even short moments of respite they provided my husband, Jeff, and I were MUCH appreciated. And now it’s Jacqueline’s turn to fly the coop, heading off to Philadelphia to study the science behind textiles. Such an interesting and different major. Jacqueline tells me that many graduates go on to work as consultants for companies like…

Jake graduates from El Dorado High this spring so it was the perfect time to get out to the lake and capture some photographs of him. As an avid wake boarder, the lake was a natural choice for him. I always joke with my senior male clients that the images we take are “not for you” but for “your mom”, so just be yourself so that she loves them. This tends to take off the pressure off this photo shoot being “all about them” and guys are able to relax into it more easily. Jake is a super sweet guy…

It gets fuzzy but I think I first met Justin when he was about 8 years old. Marcia, his mom asked me in on a project dear to her…to document their children playing in their long time family home that they were preparing to sell. The kids playing on the swing set, fishing on the pond, the afternoon light streaming through their kitchen window and even their dog standing in the front doorway waiting to be called outside- all those memories you want to hold onto forever.  It was a fun project and we put together a beautiful book to help remember their beloved…