A-SESSION LOCATIONS- Mountains

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Ahhh, what a wonderful family to photograph right here in my own back yard. The Lockwoods have emerged from a tough year where mom, Renee, was very sick for an extended period last year. Illness can take such a toll on relationships but I could tell that everyone was in a place of gratitude, celebrating Renee’s recovery and the gift of time together. Getting to spend some time with one another by the lake, a place that is at the heart of our community here – embodying everything we love about Pollock Pines’ beautiful, outdoor lifestyle – was clearly something…