A mini little nugget of perfection….makes me want another one.
Tag Archives: modern portraits
vintage flower farm wedding | featuring santa cruz wedding vendors
A small idea became a big and beautiful vintage inspired day thanks to the collaboration of some talented locals. This shoot was entirely created by vendors and artists based within Santa Cruz County, and I’d like to give a loud shout out of love and appreciation to all of those wonderful people for their contributions: huge thanks to Heidi and Karissa at Coastside Couture for helping to co-ordinate the event and styling the tables, the bar and the food, to Julianne ‘Jewels’ Castro from Stripe Design Group for styling the clothing and accessorizing, to Blank Verse for the amazing handmade jewelry, to Beautiful Jean for the stunning custom feather head pieces, to Alexis Party Rentals for the linens and china, to Gidzich Ranch for the homemade pies, to Jen, Matt, AJ, Kaia, Jewels and Mike for modeling, and to Linda Arietta for the flowers and for letting us use her beautiful flower farm country estate for the shoot, (and for cooking us all dinner at the end of the night!) This was one of those days that I never wanted to part with the disappearing light, and it left me looking forward to the next inspiration shoot.
the branch family | family portrait session on the beach | santa cruz
I have to thank my daughter’s preschool for connecting me with this sweet family. I spent some time with these brothers in their classroom when I photographed them for Midtown Montessori’s new website. I got to observe both boys completely quiet and still as they focused on their work inside the classroom, and then I got to see their extroverted and active sides come out when we met at the beach one windy afternoon for their family portrait session. There is a sense of freedom and fun that the oceanside offers, and the boys were definitely feeling it, as they ran, jumped, laughed and got giddy….all of which kept me thoroughly entertained and permanently pressing the shutter button.
portland kids | santa cruz photographer
Here are a few highlights from Portland, and of course they involve brownie batter, bath time, and some more play time.
heidi & paul | engagement session | santa cruz photographer
This was one powerful and atmospheric day for a beach engagement session. It was the same day that just up the coast, the waves at Mavericks were breaking records as the biggest in the history of surf contests. We arrived at Natural Bridges in the morning to discover that the beach had been completely swallowed by the ocean, so we explored around like Californian kids enjoying a rare storm, and discovered so many great spots filled with beautiful light. The irony is that these ethereal images capture an incredibly down-to-earth couple. I love these two for being so easy going, for cracking me up with their quick wits, and for being so clearly and comfortably in love. I can’t wait to photograph their spring wedding at Pasatiempo’s Hollins House in Santa Cruz.
dad & daughter | portrait session | santa cruz photographer
I have to say that I love a Dad who keeps his daughter home from school on a Friday just so that they can hang out together, (I hope I’m not ruining any alibis ) a Dad who wants to remember each stage of his daughter’s childhood by doing annual portraits together, a Dad who builds the things that his daughter designs and launches a business together called Sugarline because her middle name is Sugar, but mostly I love a Dad who simply adores his daughter.
I am a self proclaimed post-a-holic, and so I’m going to do my best to resist the urge to post about 100 images form this single portrait session. There were so many great moments, expressions and acrobatics documented that I find it really challenging to be selective. I think that I get extra snap-happy whenever I sense a depth of connection between the people I am photographing, and this father and daughter are so beautifully close and comfortable together that I never noticed the time nor the frames flying by until the raindrops started falling. I could tell that they just truly enjoyed each other’s company…and of course I loved being around them too.
afternoon with the kids | wilder ranch | family photographer Santa Cruz
There is nothing much better than just watching kids explore the world, and it’s infinitely more entertaining when they happen to be your own children. The energy and joy that these particular kids exude when their senses are stimulated has the power to generate an amnesia effect in their mother, making her forget all of the previous week’s frustrations, and fooling her into believing her senses are younger and her demeanor more playful than they really are….and for that she is grateful.
headshots | mini portrait session | santa cruz photographer
I’ve had a lot of requests for headshots lately. Here are some images of the lovely Shannon, who’s kind spirit and and bright smile successfully lightened up an overcast beach day. I know not everyone will agree with me, but I think that a natural background always trumps a studio portrait.
the 16 legged family | portrait session | bay area photographer
Sometimes one portrait session isn’t enough…so michelle chose to do two: one with her sisters, and one with her husband and her 3 babies.
devon & ryan | engagement session | santa cruz wedding photographer
What makes a great engagement session: two people in comfortably and deeply love, bringing along your four legged family member (in this case a pound puppy named Quigley) and a perfect winter afternoon spent on the California coast. I am so excited for this couple’s wedding at the Clement Hotel in Monterey later in the year, I know it is going to be elegant, modern and a lot of fun…exactly like Devon and Ryan are in person.
