Ahhh, Simone.  Even her name is graceful!  Just like the lovely dancer that she is, Simone exudes a delicate beauty and poise that takes my breath away. When I arrived for her senior session, Simone subtly dropped that she had brought her toe shoes with her, and I not-so-subtly exclaimed that we MUST head upcountry for some dancing shots in the mountain sunset! (“text your mom, we’re going to be late”). Both nature and dancing have always been in my blood and I thrill at any chance to combine the two into an artistic expression of grace and beauty.  Simone…

How time flies!  I can’t believe Kiki is already a graduating SENIOR, and that I have known her since she was nine years old… I first met Kiki’s parents when they hired me to photograph their wedding in 2009.  Now here we are, almost halfway through 2017, and Kiki is preparing to embark on the major adventure of college.  Through the years I have watched her grow and blossom into the smart, kind, athletic and beautiful woman that she is today (and often through her Dad’s beautiful photography)- and I couldn’t be prouder to help her celebrate this next stage in…

Lots of love and congratulations to Adam and Ashley who welcomed their first child, Braxton Adam Wells early on April 30. I am so thrilled for them and for their new life adventure. After getting to capture Adam and Ashley, together at the lake, just shy of two weeks before Braxton’s delivery and also Ashley in a beautiful sunset maternity session,  I already know they are becoming amazing parents. Love you all! Can’t wait to meet him.

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…

Following my friends and clients through life milestones is something I’ll never tire of.  Photographing Ashley’s maternity session for her first child was one of those “we are all in this life together, and I love it!” moments.  I met Ashley at a photography class I was teaching and since then, she has often assisted me on lifestyle shoots and weddings.  Calm, composed, and focused, she is a wonderful person to work with, and I know those same qualities that she brings to photography will serve her well in her new role as a mother. Another client and friend of mine for years,…

“It’s so us.” Three words that are like sonic gold to any lifestyle photographer’s ear!  When Cheree called me about doing a workday session at their property, I was instantly intrigued.  I have had the good fortune to photograph this family on many occasions, from anniversaries to graduations and holidays to all of those happy milestones in between.  And here was yet another milestone in their lives: some good ol’ DIY construction.  You see, when a cedar tree falls on the Haffner property, they don’t make lemonade, they saw that sucker down and build an addition on to their happy home.  Getting…

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Working with a couple through their engagement is one of the things I like best about wedding photography!  You get to know the couple so much better when you have those extra few months of chatting, photographing, planning, and just shooting the breeze.  Jessi and Peter booked me to photograph their wedding at Windwalker Vineyards this fall, but before that we snuck in a sweet little engagement session to get these two some pre-wedding practice (and a gallery of great images to include in their wedding, too).  With smiles like Jessi and Peter have, it was no struggle teasing out some great…

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…

Punctuation.  A simple dash or dot can begin, interrupt, link, end, interrogate, or energize.  Without punctuation, life is just a bunch of garbled words with no structure or form, one run-on sentence with no emotion or intensity.  Punctuation is the pulse. Ally has a favorite punctuation mark.  So favorite that it is indelibly marked on her wrist so that she always knows it’s there, always recalls its meaning.  It’s a semi-colon (;).  Which may seem semi-strange for a teenager to choose as a tattoo, but that’s because we haven’t read what came before the semi-colon.  The story of a beautiful young woman…

Ellee and Jonathan – what a couple!  This was not our first wedding with a full-scale Jenga set, but it definitely was the first where the Jenga did double-duty as a guest book!  It was so cool to see how these two incorporated their love of games and good times into their wedding, giving their guests an opportunity to leave a lasting memory on each of the wooden blocks.  But the individual touches didn’t stop there: hand-wrapped car cans with sentimental sayings hung in the lounge, a birch tree bedecked with Marvel Comic heroes directed guests to their seats in the ball room, and…

Senior Photographs, Spring 2017 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…