Caitlyn, Elijah and Benito added on a session to their one-year baby plan- and I am so glad that they did. Literally, for one hour, it did not rain in Apple Hill and that was the hour we were there. The overcast skies made all of the color so rich. What a cutie he is not to mention his totally adoring parents. It’s so fun to do sessions with a family over the year and get to watch their little one explore the world…a little more each time. Next session is in February for Benito’s first birthday. Where’s Benito? There…

I know the Pooley family is not shy of Uncles that they love but “Tío” joins their crew reminding them just how important family is. After a serious family health scare in September where Bryan’s quick and experienced action was crucial- they decided it was time for some dog energy. And it was. Enter Tio- the therapy dog. Ohmmmm…..

It’s that time of the year when families and their extended families get together and make sure to get their annual photographs of the whole crew and their growing families. I met up recently with the Hinds’ extended family at the Fausel Ranch– Deanna and David Fausel are old friends of Susan and David and their kids all grew up on the Ranch together- a second home if you will. A little of this, a little of that- it’s like a Thanksgiving feast in photos. Many thanks to Deanna for always keeping it real and above all- lively and fun.…

I realize that I’m surrounded by unique objects from my life and travels and that each artifact tells a different story. As someone who enjoys exploring other cultures, I realized that the stories I collect aren’t just about objects. They are about people.

Oh, sweet Maeve. The little girl who flashes her gorgeous, multi-toothed smile when she hears Irish music and who is so adored by her mom and dad. Happy First Birthday and thank you for playing with me out in the gorgeous fall light. Come back and visit! I’d love to chase you around the Christmas tree farm as a toddler!

I first met Jamie and Enrico back in June of 2019 when they asked me to help them with their “Waiting Family Profile”. They were wanting to adopt a child and were waiting to be matched with a birth family. I had helped other families several times before with this journey and I was so pleased when I heard that Kai joined their family in March of 2021. A few weeks ago, it was great to reconnect with these two and to finally meet Kai. He was a little harder than many kids to warm up to me- he couldn’t…

This time of year brings a lot of extended family sessions and fall up here is always spectacular and especially when we’ve had a quiet fire season. Extended family sessions are a great way to give the kids from each of the family groups some time in the spotlight and some time out of it. Kids need time to run around- and I try to capture that too. For me- I just try to stay present and capture the images as they make themselves known while also mentally checking off the list that we have. Little Alex is one year…

LOVE these two. Free spirits. Animal lovers. Kind humans. Sisters. I’ve been photographing Madison and Hailey since they were pre-schoolers and it’s such an honor to get to watch them grow up while capturing their “one year older” personalities.. It’s a perfect fall up here and this year, so far, basically smokeless…which is saying alot. Shhhhhh- knock on wood. It’s raining as I write this…we are almost through fire season.

I’m enjoying all the fall loveliness with the Newton family in Apple Hill at Larsen Apple Barn/Bake Shop. They moved to the foothills recently from Walnut Creek and a family member got them a gift certificate for a session. Marja was concerned that they would be hard to rally in a photograph. What? They are a beautiful family with great and natural smiles. Not hard at all. And- what a ham that Little Johnny is. We had fun in the park making these images in that gorgeous, golden light. Thank you, Marja and Johnny.

Coming up in just a few short weeks, Andrea and Paul’s oldest, Juliana will be getting married and I am very excited to get to photograph her marriage to Evan at Serene Ranch in Placerville. More about this in a few weeks 🙂 This was the third time I have photographed their beautiful family. The first time was in 2019 with the help of a dear friend, Leslie Wendt who helped me wrangle the crew(I loved this session). The second time was a few quick photos at Callie and Gabriel’s adoption in 2020 at the courthouse in Placerville. This time,…

This session put me in such a great mood. Fall is here and the weather is perfect up here in the mountains and for fall family sessions in Apple Hill. One of the parts I love about my job is reconnecting with previous wedding couples and especially folks like Maureen and Curt. They are super sweet, easygoing, and kind plus they have great restaurant recommendations for Sacramento! Bonus. They married Fausel Ranch in the fall of 2019 and now they are raising two cute sons- Odin who loves cheddar bunnies and Jude who has two new front teeth. They both…

Jessica and Cory exchanged their vows under the shade of a big oak tree at Black Oak Mountain Vineyards in Cool, CA. Unlike the name of the location, their day was sunny and hot but the skies were a gorgeous blue, scattered with puffy clouds. They shared a quick first look under the big blue sky but quickly moved inside due to the heat. The grounds at Black Oak Mountain are amazing and even though Jessica and Cory chose to keep their event at the barn, the venue let us take in the sunset up on the hill.  These two…