sacramento family photographer | gorgeous mama

After finishing my first ever photo shoot, I was really anxious to get out & try another one. I called my great friend Tiffani & asked if I could practice on her. The second time around went even better than the first. I was able to relax & think things through more. I had such a wonderful time photographing this gorgeous mama. She was three weeks from her due date & looked absolutely beautiful!

Tiffani is a big time runner, & just out of curiosity, I asked her if she thought she could still run without going into labor. ;) She said of course, so I got ready at the end of the trail & told her to go. My gosh! She was running so fast, I hardly had time to catch her. She could easily outrun me, even being three weeks from delivery. I'm seriously amazed by this incredible woman & am so glad I was able to photograph her baby bump #3, especially since she'd never had maternity pictures for her first two pregnancies. Love you lady!

(as it turns out, Lyssie from my first shoot & Tiffani both delivered their babies the same day. i thought that was a pretty fun coincidence!)

sacramento family photographer | many firsts

This beautiful mother-to-be is my niece. She is more like a sister than a niece, & I love her immensly. When she came out to California to visit a couple months ago, she asked if I would take some maternity pictures of her. Let's just say I was very nervous to try this out because I'd only ever taken candid shots of my family & friends.

The day that she was scheduled to leave, we rushed out the door to some nearby nature trails & played around for a bit. I learned something pivotal that day - I loved taking pictures of others besides my own kids (She actually did what I asked her to!). This first ever photo shoot of a first-time-mom was the turning point in my decision to take my photography more seriously. I'm so glad I was brave enough to say yes when given the opportunity to take photographs of this amazing girl. It certainly didn't hurt that she's super photogenic & a blast to be around. Love you Lyssie!

sacramento photographer | 10 on 10: December

There is something infinitely beautiful about everyday life. It's the small & simple things that make us who we are . . . the small & simple choices that add up, one on top of the other, until our values & priorities are defined. Slowing down & capturing our lives as they are instead of just showing the "pretty" or idealized moments, gives us a glimpse of what is truly important to us. It offers the opportunity to see beauty all around us, even in the seemingly mundane moments.

This 10 on 10 project gives me the chance to capture life as it really is. Time moves so quickly, & before we know it, it has disappeared with so many intimate & precious moments lost with it. 

Here's the gist:

10 photographers take

10+ photographs spaced over

10 hours of a single day

posted on the 10th of each month  

8:00 am - unhappy start to the day. Will was throwing a tantrum while in & then out of the shower.

9:00 am - Will watched neighbors through the bathroom window. he saw a woman walking past & kept shouting "Grandma!" over & over. what made it so great was that she was a different ethnicity than his grandmother - they looked nothing alike. :)

Will played with his truck in my bathtub while I finished getting ready for the day.

10:00 am - Ruby got a bath in the kitchen sink.

11:00 am - play time - seeing the typical mess in my family room & then seeing the reminder to "Keep Calm and Carry On" makes me laugh. this picture sums up a lot of my afternoons, & I love it.

12:00 pm - snuggled with Ruby after her lunch

1:00 pm - met daddy for lunch at Chic-fil-A.

2:00 pm - stopped at the grocery store. Will kept finding random goodies to throw in the cart. he's a sucker for chocolate milk.

3:00 pm - our Christmas elf came to stay with us over the holidays. Will decided on the name "Elfie" - original, huh?

4:00 pm - Will & I made jam thumbprint cookies for a babyshower I went to later that night.

5:00 pm - finished the baking & enjoyed our yummy treats.

Go check out the other 10 on 10's, starting with the talented Julie Anders.  

an introduction

i am a wife of one very supportive husband & a mother of two children who I love more than anything. i am also a reader, quilter & an aspiring homemaker. i am a huge sucker for cookies, stripes, plaids, peonies, warm weather, music & dancing, cheeseball teen movies & books, history, list-making (have you noticed?), & lounging around the house. for the sake of this blog, I am an aspiring photographer. i am not someone who has always had a camera in her hand, but have recently taken up the hobby. i have learned an incredible amount through reading & practicing (mostly on my family), & this last month, i decided to take the plunge & really devote myself to learning the craft of photography. i hope to accomplish many things in the coming year, namely, defining my style & improving technique with the potential for opening up business. my goal is not to capture "pose for the camera" shots, but rather to photograph life, with all its personalities & emotions. i hope to blend the lines between fantasy & reality in my work & am excited to take on the challenge. welcome to my blog, & i hope you stop by often!