Northern California Child Photographer

When you spend 8 years photographing a family – from engagement to wedding, followed by the birth of their children and all the milestones in between – it is intensely bittersweet to photograph them one last time, in their homecourt playground in the Sierra Nevadas before they move on to new life adventures. But, adventurous friends, adventure. It’s as simple as that. Tiffany and Keith are wonderful friends to me, and working with them and their beautiful children Finn and Freya and all of their like minded friends, all along the way, has been an absolute joy! Saying goodbye to them as they make the…

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…

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…

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…

What a difference four years makes!  It was a pleasure to reconnect with the McCann Family this fall at one of my favorite places, Sly Park Lake, and see how much this gorgeous family has grown.  I always say one of the greatest rewards of my career is that I get to work with families many times over the years and in a sense, grow with them!  In 2012 when I photographed the McCann Family at Boeger Winery, youngest daughter Ellie was just a baby and big sister Hailee a smiling tot.  Today they are two beautiful little girls with an…

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…

One year ago, two of my longtime clients brought a beautiful baby girl into the world.  How lucky was I to get to document her first birthday!  I love photographing celebrations, and there have been many of them in her family’s life.  It all started with an engagement session for Mom (Michelle) and Dad (Tim), followed by a fun and easy going wedding at Fausel Ranch, then the maternity, newborn and six month sessions for sweet baby Madelyn. Time flies and I am so grateful to have been part of these major milestones!  I am always gratified and humbled when I…