i met with the E family on a chilly PNW evening in january. they came fully prepared to build driftwood boats for their son who had passed away nearly 6 years ago. the plan was to gather driftwood, assemble the boats and then release them into the sound. there were drills + staple guns + buckets along with rain boots for getting into the cold water. they brought twine + markers. paper for sails + some of their son's favorite keepsakes. even brother was making a boat! it was fantastic.

i have had the privilege to shoot backstage at my daughter's dance company's dress rehearsals for the last three years and absolutely LOVED it! it has challenged me with light + movement and offered me a ton of artistic freedom. 

i have known the B family for nearly nine years now. over those nine years, i have watched them emerge from one of the most significantly devastating experiences one can endure — the death of their son. of course i was honored when they asked me to capture their beautiful family. 

i met the S family at lincoln park on a beautiful, fall afternoon in october. the air was crisp + cool. the light perfect. as they filed out of the van one by one, i became more and more enamored. this family was picture perfect in every way — gorgeous mom, dad immaculately dressed + three absolutely stunning children! 

i was approached to do this session in early october of 2015. my client wanted a totally unscripted, documentary shoot of an evening with her family in their beautifully remodeled, farmhouse. she asked me to come late afternoon to capture her young sons as they woke from their afternoon naps and stay through dinner + bath time.

the sky grew more + more dramatic as ava + i drove home from dance class last tuesday evening. our path takes us past a pocket beach we visit quite frequently. the sky drew us in and we decided to stop + watch for a short while...these are the moments i am grateful i lug my big girl camera around for. the colors were amazing! i began to photograph ava + the glorious sky behind her. it was twenty minutes of pure magic with my best girl and i am in love. 

it was a typical fall day in seattle. clear + cool — the outdoors were calling. in honor of celebrating graison's turning twelve, he invited his tribe of bros to join in on some single track, mountain biking in the outlying hills of seattle. there were bikes, helmets + plenty of adrenaline. the car ride over was filled with 100%, pure boy energy + anticipation. there may have been some wildly loud singing + man-child slugging, but i will not say for certain.

a couple years ago, i was gifted a holga camera by my guy. i was enamored by this little plastic case and highly intimidated at the same time. it had been years since i shot film and i knew nothing about what holga would give me which scared the crap out of me. i toted holga around with my token two rolls of ilford hp5 film hoping to gather enough courage to one day, break open that foil pack, insert the roll + take some shots. she made it on numerous trips to the beach + family outings. my bravery out the window.

our weekend portland adventure was not complete until we made one final stop at salt + straw ice cream. there was certainly no debate after we realized yesterday (sunday, july 19th), was national ice cream day — it was fate.

in april i attended the bloom forum's see retreat + workshop with an amazing group of women. the fabulous ace hotel in palm springs was the backdrop for the weekend.