Sly Park Lake Family Session

When you are seven years old and slip into the lake upon arrival for photographs gently soaking your blue jeans, what do you do? Well, you just roll with it…or run with it, or jump with it, or ride with it. Does it matter to a seven year old? Not really, well…..perhaps a nudge on the knee and a nudge on the ego but after that, did it even happen? I’m grateful for Tom and Graydon and getting to capture this father and son. Tom has an amazingly big heart that his son has clearly inherited. Grateful for Graydon, grateful…

When the Shull family arrived at Sly Park Lake, Kerri and Chris looked incredibly familiar. Then, I realized I knew them due to their -flash mob- fame. Yup, flash mob fame….not everyone can claim that. They were front and center,  flash mobbing, if you will, at a sweet 16 party this past summer. When our mutual friends, the Andersons (and my “forever” clients) referred them, I knew I was in for a wonderful session. And was it…the light and the clouds that day were extraordinary. The day after a fresh snow, Kerri, Chris and their sons James(14), Jack(11) and Jace…

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…

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…

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…

I just love it when friends and clients refer me to families who are a perfect fit for my personality and photography style! That’s what happened here with this wonderful family of three from Sonoma who were referred to me by a long-term client of more than a decade. Marika, Virgilio, and their young son, Diangio, drove up after a brief camping trip, to play in my neck of the woods at Sly Park Lake. Marika is a part time NICU nurse and high school teacher  which must take some serious emotional energy. Meanwhile Virgilio teaches farming and was quite…

  As children get older, develop their own lives, friends, and activities, it gets harder and harder to get everyone in a family together as one unit. When this rare occurrence happens, it’s something to be celebrated. Which is why, when mom, Cindy, found herself with all three daughters at home at one time, she decided to move into action and schedule a photo session. Cindy then found me through Derik and Heidi of Riptide Entertainment, who also happen to be past wedding clients of mine. We met down at beautiful Sly Park Lake in the bright sunshine to capture…