Mommy & Me | Orange County Family Photographer

As an Orange County Family Photographer, my goal is to capture my clients in such a way that when they look at their images, they are brought back to that moment in time. My hope is that they'll smile, reminisce, and think back about the time they spent together and captured those memories to be remembered forever.

Motherhood is something that I feel drawn to. I feel drawn to capture the bond between mother and child. I feel the weight of the importance of those ever so fleeting moments. I feel blessed when I able able to bring that to the mother and children I photograph. That's why I love Mommy & Me sessions so much.

This session was no different. It made me feel all of those things. Maybe even more so knowing the rough seas my sweet friend had recently gone through. And, maybe, because her little man was a little bit of a saving grace for her. I didn't know this ahead of time, but it brought deeper meaning to the session and showed me once again that God works and puts things in your heart for a reason. I wanted to do this session because it spoke to me. Aundrea was sweet enough to be willing to do whatever I asked of her for the session. I'd like to think that once she saw the images, it was something she needed to have done as well, even if she may not have known it ahead of time.

I love my "job". I love being an Orange County Family Photographer. I love capturing the bond, the emotion, and the connection that I see through my lens. I can't imagine anything else.

If you are considering a Mommy & Me session or if you're looking for an Orange County Family Photographer, I would love for you to Contact Me today!

Little Fighter, Kaavya | Gold Hope Project Photographer

Sometime, about a year ago, I signed up with The Gold Hope Project to be a contributing photographer for their amazing organization. This is a non-profit organization that donates photography sessions to families being affected by childhood cancer.

This is such a special project for me because I truly believe childhood cancer needs more research, which means more funding to get that research. The hope of the project is to try and help raise awareness. I think it's beautiful and I want to help however I can to help get the word out about them.

A couple months ago, I was contacted to see if I could take on my first Fighter Session. While I'll never be "happy" that we even need to have these sessions, but I was excited to meet Kaavya and her family.

Kaavya is a 3 year old little sparkler. She's full of sass and spunk and my goodness is she smart! She was diagnosed with Wilm's Tumor and has gone through surgery and chemo. Thankfully, she has great odds that she will beat this and live a full, happy life. Kaavya is an empathetic little fighter. She hates seeing others in pain, but she's so strong when it comes to dealing with her own. She LOVES Peppa Pig. She's also a big fan of Catboy and Owlette. You'll see a couple photos of her "gearing up" to run SUPER fast like Catboy, and also one of her using her Owlette eyes to look for daddy.

We had our session in downtown San Juan Capistrano. Which worked out so well because there's a train station there, and she loved watching the trains go by. She even tried convincing her parents to go take a train ride.

During our session, I quickly realized that it was I who was being blessed with this session. While I was doing it in hopes of shedding some light on Kaavya's situation and other's like her, and also to bring some happiness to her and her parents through these memories I was capturing, it was me who left feeling happier and more blessed than before I had arrived to the session. It was truly and honestly my pleasure to be able to photograph this beautiful family and such a lively little girl.

You can also learn more about Kaavya from the blog on the TGHP site: Meet Kaavya

If yours or a family you know is being affected by childhood cancer, please reach out to The Gold Hope Project for a session. You just need to fill out the application here: Gold Hope Fighter Application

30 Days of Capone | San Clemente Family Photographer

I always say that being a San Clemente Family Photographer is one of the best jobs. However, it's not just a job to me. I live and breathe it. I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of a photograph.

Almost 2 months ago my pup, Capone had a vet visit. It was just a routine visit for dental work and yearly labs. Now, my boy is a little over 9 years old. Which is probably close to about 3/4 of the way through a Golden's lifespan. Ever since he was a puppy, he's had some sort of medical issue or another. I've called him my million dollar pup because we've spent so much on vet bills trying to fix all his random issues. Unfortunately, though, you can't fix old age.

Capone has arthritis. It's all throughout his hind quarters. It's difficult for him to get up when he's been laying down. He moves so much slower than he used to. He's on 2 different types of supplements to try and ease his joint pain. He's still got some life in him. He still plays around by himself (with his baby) and also with his sister, Cali. Who is the same age but you'd never know it because she still has so much energy.

During his checkup, the vet called and we started talking about his ailments. While I know he's not ready yet, and I do believe he'll let me know when he is, quality of life was discussed. I don't want him to suffer. That will never be something I'm okay with. And for now, I don't think he is. Just some old man aches and pains. However, the conversation really put something into perspective for me.

While I know my dogs won't be around forever, and believe me I know just how unfair that is, I need to take advantage of the fact that they're here now. So I set out to document him every day for 30 days. I loved capturing the different sides of him. His lazy side. His playful side. His ears standing at attention. His goofy smile with his jacked up teeth. All of it. I love that I'll have these photos forever, because I know I won't have him forever. So I've finally put together all the photos from my personal challenge. And yes, there are more than 30 because... well, it's my project and I'll do what I want ;)

Enjoy

If you take anything away from this at all, I hope it's to capture the moments. Not just the big ones, but all the small ones in between as well.

If you're looking for a San Clemente Family Photographer, I would love for you to Contact Me!

Project 52, Month 2 | San Clemente Family Photographer

Following up with my Project 52, Month 1 (which you can see HERE), I'm a little late getting these posted. I love that being a San Clemente Family Photographer, I'm not limited to any one thing. I get to photograph families, babies, births, and special projects just for me. That's what this Project 52 is all about.

While coming up with the themes middle-end of last year was a little difficult (it's hard to think of 52 original themes). It's also not easy to come up with WHAT to actually photograph for these themes. But that's the fun part. The themes are open to our own interpretation and as artists, we're free to go with what we are feeling.

So, without further ado, here are my weeks 5-8 of Month 2. Can you spot the theme I created within the themes? Here's a hint... there's a certain holiday that happens during the month of February ;)

Our theme for week 5 was RED
I instantly thought of fruit when I saw this theme. I happened to have some pomegranates in my fridge (I LOVE pomegranate seeds). So I figured, why not cut it up and photograph the beautiful design that hides inside.

Our week 6 theme was: Passion
I chose to do a selfie session with my boy, Capone. My passion is capturing the moments, the memories. So that's just what I did. And I swear, he's not as terrified as I made him look by hugging him like this

Week 7: Love
I can't even begin to describe how much I love this boy. He was the first dog my husband and I got together. He was destined to be ours and he has been loyal ever since.

And finally... Our week 8 was: Hearts
I happened to be doing a Gold Hope Session this week. So I wanted to incorporate this little heart sign that I made for the little girl to hold.

I have to admit, so far, I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with it. we are already on week 12, so I'll be sharing more in the next couple weeks. I hope you're loving seeing these as much as I'm loving creating them.

If you're looking to have a family session (or maternity, birth, newborn), I would love for you to Contact Me today to talk about capturing your memories!

Saying Goodbye | San Clemente Family Photographer

As a San Clemente Family Photographer, I often express the importance of a photograph. I always say "When we're gone, the photographs will be all that's left to remember us by." Last week, these words became all the clearer. When you have to say "Goodbye", you understand the true importance of a photograph.

My uncle passed away last week. It was heartbreaking. For his wife, who he had spent 42 years with. For his children, who he loved to teach. For his grandchildren, who he loved to love. For all of his friends and family, and for me.

When I heard the news, one of the first things I thought about was the photos I took of him at my cousin's wedding almost 3 years ago. I cannot even begin to explain just how grateful I am to have those images to look back on. I'm also glad that my cousin and my aunt have those images to look back on as well. My only regret is that there aren't more of them.

You see, when someone passes, that's when things become clear. The time we didn't spend, the talks we didn't have, and the pictures we didn't take. Thankfully, my family had tons of other photographs of him that they were able to share and look back on.

He was a kindhearted soul. I always remember him being laid back, funny, and patient. He loved his family and he was kind to everyone he met. He will forever be missed by anyone who knew him. And I'll forever be thankful that I am a San Clemente Family Photographer who was able to capture my uncle in photographs, even if I wish we had more.

Military Homecoming | Camp Pendleton Homecoming Photographer

As a Camp Pendleton Homecoming Photographer it is my pleasure to be able to capture families welcoming their own personal heroes home from a deployment. Being away from someone you love is hard enough. Being away from them for 6 months or more, and we're talking nearly unbearable.

Military families are strong and resilient. We are a community that stands by one another and supports each other. We all get it. We all know what it's like. We all have that one thing in common. Things get tough, but we just keep on going... because we have to.

I met Ravan the day Mike was returning from his 6 month military deployment. We drove down to where the homecoming was supposed to be, only to find out that it was being delayed a few hours. This is totally normal in the military life. Things never really go as planned, that's why we have plans B, C all the way through Z already in place. Instead of driving back home at the risk of needing to turn right back around, we decided to grab some frozen yogurt and sit and chat. I loved this opportunity because I got to know Ravan and Mason a bit more. I loved how excited Mason was that Mike was coming home. They already had so much planned out that they were going to do together.

We waited quite a while, which you might be able to imagine was pure torture for Mason. But the reaction I caught when Mike finally arrived was priceless.

I am so thankful that I am able to capture these moments. And I am so thankful for our men and women who serve our country. Thank you!

If you or someone you know is looking for a Camp Pendleton Homecoming Photographer, I would love to hear from you. Just shoot me a message:

Also, feel free to check out my Homecoming Collection Information

Bri & Dustin | Laguna Beach Maternity Photographer

As a Laguna Beach Maternity Photographer, I adore all things baby. I LOVE belly bumps and I adore the glow of a mother to be. Capturing the bond that has already formed between mother and baby is beautiful.

So often, when women are pregnant, they don't see themselves as beautiful. That's where I come in, and that's where I get to show them that what they are going through, the changes that are happening to their body and their lives, is beautiful. To carry a life inside of you is a beautiful gift from God and it comes with a huge responsibility. It's always a goal of mine to make all women see their beauty.

Bri and Dustin were such a wonderful couple to work with. They were willing to do whatever it took to get the photo. Bri was such a trooper making the tiring trek down to Laguna Beach. It's a lot of stairs for this non-pregnant woman to go up and down, so for her to be as awesome and willing as she was (all while carrying an extra little human in her womb) was incredible. 

The love shared between both Bri and Dustin and their son-to-be was so wonderful to see. As a Laguna Beach Maternity Photographer, and as a woman, pregnancy is magical to me. It never ceases to amaze me. The way the female body changes to literally grow another human is fascinating.  Bri was just beautiful and Dustin was so sweet with her. We shared some good laughs and it was the perfect overcast day to be at the beach for photos. Call me crazy, but when I'm out at the beach doing a photography session, I pray for some overcast (right up untilbefore the sunsets). I love the drama that a cloudy day can create in an image, and this was no different.

If you or someone you know is pregnant and considering a Laguna Beach Maternity Session, I would love for you to contact me today!

If you're interested in learning more about having a maternity session with me, please go here: Maternity

3 Ways to get Sharper Photos | San Clemente Family Photographer

As a San Clemente Family Photographer, one thing I see a lot of newer photographers struggling with is how to get sharper photos out of camera. There are A LOT of different factors to consider when trying to make a sharp image. Today I'm going to discuss three ways to get sharper photos.

I'm choosing these particular three factors because I personally feel these are the top three to take into consideration when trying to get sharper photos.

1. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH LIGHT ON YOUR SUBJECT
There are a lot of reasons that having enough light on your subject will effect how sharp your image turns out.
One reason; having enough light on your subject helps your camera to "grab" onto the right area you're wishing to focus on. What I mean by that is: while our lens is what we use to focus, the camera itself still needs to be able to "see" what we're trying to focus on. It looks for areas of contrast (an area of light next to an area of shadow). If your subject is too much in the dark and there isn't some light that the camera can grab onto, then your lens is going to have difficulty focusing. This brings up another point about contrast... backlit images typically have decreased contrast and more haze. Because of this, it can make it harder for your lens to focus. It is created by the way the light source is hitting your lens (typically going straight into it). It's like us being blinded by the sun when we try to look right at it... a little hard to focus, amiright?!

As you can see, between these two images, the top image has less light on my subject, aka my dog. While her eyes are still in focus, you can see how having more light on her does actually make her appear sharper.
On top of making it easier for your camera to find the right area to focus on, having enough light also helps reduce your ISO. If your ISO is too high, you'll have noise/grain in your image. If your image is underexposed and you need to bring back some exposure in post, you're going to have noise in your image. Having too much noise will make your image look less sharp, even if you nailed focus.
All I did different (besides adjust my settings) for these two shots was open my blinds to camera right.

2. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FAST ENOUGH SHUTTER SPEED.
This is a big one. If you do not have a fast enough shutter speed, you are going to introduce camera shake into your image. This will make it impossible to have a sharp image, and you also will not be able to fix this in post. A blurry image out of camera will remain a blurry image out of post.
There's a bit of a "rule" when it comes to how slow you actually let your shutter speed get. The rule is 1/focal length. What this means is that if you're using an 85mm lens, your shutter speed should not drop below 1/85ths of a second. And since 1/85 isn't an option on any camera I'm aware of, you'd want a shutter speed of at least 1/100th of a second.
Now, it's also suggested to never let your shutter go below 1/60th of a second. This is because this is the average threshold for people to hand hold their camera. Meaning, any slower than that and it's suggested to use a tripod. Now... of course, there are always those who have very steady hands and can go lower than 1/focal length or even lower than 1/60, but you'll need to test your own limits. I know that I am more on the shaky/unsteady side of things. So I prefer to keep my shutter speed as fast as possible. Because I know I cannot fix a blurry image in Photoshop, I never want to risk introducing camera shake into my image.

Here are two more shots of my beautiful and well behaved model. As you can see, the top image is NOT sharp, and the bottom image is. Both of these were photographed using my Canon 35mm lens. The shutter speed in the top image is 1/40 and the shutter speed in the bottom image is 1/125. So, as you can see, even though I was still at 1/focal length in the top image, I was below 1/60. And for me, through my years of personal experience with photography, I know that I like to keep my shutter speed at no less than 1/100, even with a 35mm on my camera.
I encourage you to test your own limits at hand holding your camera.

3. TOGGLE YOUR FOCAL POINTS
This is another mistake I see a lot of newer photographers make. Either they leave their focal point in the middle of their view finder, or they allow the camera to choose the focal points for them. In my opinion, both of these are mistakes. For one thing, unless you are ALWAYS using a center composition, which I don't personally recommend, you're going to need to utilize your other focal points. They're there for a reason, use them! Now, your center focal point is your strongest one, but that doesn't mean the others should be ignored. I like to use the focal point that is closest to the composition I'm looking to have for my image. Practice moving your focal points so that you can get used to where the buttons are located and soon you'll be able to move them without having to look at your camera.
Now, you could focus and recompose your image, but there are limitations to doing that as well. For example, if your focal point is in the center, and you tilt your camera upwards to focus on someone's eye, then recompose the shot by tilting your camera back down so that the center focus point would now be pointed at their torso, there's a chance you will alter your depth of field. You will shorten the distance your camera is to your subject and your subjects face will not be sharp. Focus and recompose works best when moving from right to left, not up and down. That's just something to keep in mind, and something that I again encourage you to practice with so that you can see for yourself what I'm talking about.

The image above is something that you might see when you look into your view finder and want to change your focal point (this is what I see on my Canon cameras, Nikon may be slightly different). The middle example is showing that the camera would be using the center focal point. However, it's also showing that you're using ONE focal point, which is what I suggest. This is where you could change your single focal point to any of the other gray boxes that would best achieve the composition you're looking for in your image.

Hopefully these three tips will help you in getting sharper images. As I mentioned, there is SO MUCH more that goes into getting a sharper image in camera. These are just my top three. If you're interested in knowing more, I've put together a little ebook for you. You're welcome to sign up for my newsletters to get tips & tricks sent straight to your inbox. When you sign up, you'll get my 8 tips for How to Achieve Sharper Images in Camera. These newsletters are for newer photographers looking to learn how to use their cameras to the best of their abilities!

If you're interested in some one on one mentoring, I'd love for you to Contact Me today! I love helping newer photographers grow and learn.

I have been a San Clemente Family Photographer for 3 years. Capturing families interacting is the best job! If you're looking to schedule a family photography session, I'd love to hear from you!

Anne & John | Orange County Family Photographer

When you're an Orange County Family Photographer, sometimes (or all of the time if you're me) you have the pleasure of meeting wonderful people. I met Anne & John at a photographer meetup. I could tell right away that these two people were deeply in love.

I wanted to make sure that I captured their love as I saw it; beautiful and deep. Seeing the two of them interact together was lovely. They were so comfortable around one another. Things moved easily and seamlessly between them. Naturals, I tell ya!

I love going to photographer meetups because it's a chance for me, as a photographer, to take my time without any pressure to just focus and get the images I want to create. Honestly, it's at meetups like this, or when I have the full trust of a client, that I am at my best (in my opinion). Having trust in your photographer is HUGE! Allowing them to capture their vision, and trusting that it will come out beautifully is wonderful thing. That's why it's so important that you love the work of the photographer you're choosing to capture your memories.

I loved getting to work with Anne & John, and I look forward to hopefully working with them again in the future.

If you're looking for an Orange County Family Photographer (even if it's just for you and your honey), I would love for you to CONTACT ME today!