Mommy, photographer, teacher, artist, lover of life, widow. These are just some of the many hats that I wear.

 

The last 5 years have been challenging to say the least—becoming a mom, losing my husband, changing careers, moving across country.

 

With the addition of each new hat came STRUGGLE--- to make it fit; to juggle all the pieces; to find my new self within them.  And to do it as gracefully as all the OTHER competent moms and professionals seemed to.  

 

Well... I’ve learned that the process is NOT graceful. And feeling competent has been an ongoing work in progress!

 

My daughter still melts down every time she has a wedgie. And getting the two of us out the door on time--  with a fully dressed kid and with neither pant leg tucked into my socks--  is a feat to celebrate.

 

Perfect, Instagram feeds of super-stylish moms with their flowy clothes, pilates-toned figures, trendy kids in clothes that match--- make me feel…. Other. Not good enough. Not competent enough. Like that lifestyle is something I SHOULD attain… but never will.

 

I used to think that beautiful family portraits and beautiful holiday cards were something that THOSE people got to have.

 

Until… scrolling through Groupon, I found a treasure that changed my life!

 

A Groupon—from one of Reno’s most respected photographers--  for a family portrait session.  (It had never even occurred to me that *I* could have family portraits.) In one impulsive instant I bought the Groupon and booked our session.

 

In preparation for photo day, I ignored well-meaning advice to have our hair and makeup professionally done. Ignored the suggestion that I needed to “separate” my lashes and have my clothes styled. And we showed up “as is” in our own favorite outfits.

 

And during the session we were far from perfect. I put my shirt on backwards. My daughter got belligerent and shy, and more than a times refused to smile…

 

But in those photos that resulted… OH MAN!!

 

For the first time I got to SEEthe squeal of joy on my daughter’s face as I squeezed her tight. I got to see how our faces both LIT UP as we teased and joked. I got to see her precious little tentative steps as we walked hand in hand.

 

All the late nights, the parental self-doubt, the labor of love… I got to SEE the WORTH of it all in those photos. I saw not perfect hair, nor perfect clothes, nor perfect body… I saw the unbreakable bond of love and connection I’D CREATED.

 

And even on the hardest days, those photos touch my heart and affirm my life’s work in a way that nothing else can.

 

 

And from those perfectly imperfect photos, my mission as a photographer was born….

 

 

Like me, YOU’VE come so far. You’ve WORKED HARD and CREATED a LIFE YOU LOVE. Like me, you’re probably always one BEHIND the camera, celebrating everyone else in this life you’ve created.

 

You DESERVE beautiful, natural, joyful, HONEST portraits that celebrate the life you’ve created, that capture WHO you are and that TOUCH your SOUL.

 

I  believe…

• in seeing and celebrating people for who they truly are. 

• that seeing real moments in all their imperfection is something you’ll treasure forever.

• that joy can be found in the smallest moments. 

• that authentic photos touch us in ways we can’t even imagine.

• that photos have the power to let you see the joy and connection in your life in a way you may never have seen before.

 

Never will I encourage my clients to wear stylist-selected outfits. Never will I tell them to have their hair and makeup professionally done. Never will I Photoshop and filter you to look like a magazine cover.

 

Never will I pressure you to look like someone else’s version of perfection. 

 

You are perfect JUST AS YOU ARE.

 

Let’s capture that. Let’s celebrate that. And give you MEANINGFUL photos that touch your heart forever.