{Anna- WalkSLO} (7/9/16)

Ok- when your job entails frolicking around in San Luis Obispo while snapping photos of adorable pups.. you know you're job secretly rocks! ;) On this day I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Anna from WalkSLO, a local business who helps take care of animals for clients living in assisted living homes. I can't say enough great things about Anna and her ever growing business! The work that she does is truly inspiring! Her clients are so lucky to have such a passionate gal helping them take care of their precious fur babies. <3 

{Miss M.- Boudoir} (6/20/16)

I must say that I love each and every client session I'm asked to participate in- however my boudoir sessions are ones that are always near and dear to my heart. There's nothing more beautiful than a woman feeling completely confident in her own skin and letting that energy radiate over each shot that's taken. These sessions don't have to be given as a gift to anyone in particular- sometimes you just want to document a moment in your life where you're feeling particularly fabulous and sassy. In Miss M's case this special session was going to be a beautiful gift that she'd be presenting to her future husband on their upcoming wedding day.<3 And boy did she rock this session like no other! She may feel like she's "awkward and clumsy" (her words not mine!) in everyday life- but on this magical evening on the coast she was a true goddess. The sun flares between the eucalyptus trees combined with the eagerness of this soon-to-be Mrs. made this session a total gem. While I'm unable to include all of the pictures from this session I'll leave you with a little teaser and your imagination. ;)

{Delilah turns O-N-E} (6/6/16)

What a magical session I had the pleasure of shooting a few weeks ago! Little miss Delilah is ONE year old! And what better way to celebrate than to venture off to the happiest place on earth- am I right? And along for the ride was none other than beautiful miss Lilly Bumpus and Mama Trish. I had so much fun watching these girls run around the magic kingdom and be unapologetically little. Delilah's Mom and auntie Trish sure picked out some killer outfits to put her in for her big one year debut! Happy First Birthday sweet girl!

{Shelly & Travis - Engagement} (5/16/16)

From the moment I met Shelly & Travis I knew the three of us were destined for friendship. With a fun-loving couple like these two it's pretty hard to not have a blast during a session! 

Travis popped the big question to Shelly on Christmas Eve 2015 and to say that I was crazy excited for them would be the understatement of the century! I had the pleasure of having these two in front of my lens just a few short months before their engagement and even during that first shoot I had a gut feeling that I would be seeing them VERY soon for THE BIG E-SESSION! The love these two have for one another completely radiates through every single shot and I couldn't help but have a perma-smile on my face with every shutter click.

I brought up the idea of having this special engagement session take place at Knapp's Castle in Santa Barbara for quite a few reasons. For starters the location is absolutely breathtaking! You can look to your left and see the ocean- and then to your right to see beautiful lake Cachuma. Shelly and I racked our brains for about a week trying to come up with a perfect location that was not only unique- but somewhat secluded and intimate. When you're a former USC football player like the ever so humble Travis, you tend to get stopped on the streets of their small Paso Robles & Atascadero communities pretty regularly by fans and friends alike. (I witnessed this first hand during our very first session!) By venturing off to Santa Barbara I knew the possibility of running into anyone we knew was pretty slim to none. 

I couldn't have asked for better weather, a better location or a more genuinely beautiful couple for this photo session. I mean c'mon- just look at Shelly's fabulous tulle skirt! Her fashion sense alone made this session even more swoon worthy.

I am over the moon to be documenting Shelly and Travis' upcoming nuptials this November at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in Paso Robles!

{Rittenhouse Family} (4/24/16)

Man- I don't know how I get so lucky to be able to photograph the sweetest and most charismatic families in my line of work! The Rittenhouse Family was definitely no exception! When we pulled up to Montana De Oro to begin our session and I had a second to step back and see the outfit coordination Nicole had so diligently been working on- I had instant heart eyes. <3 Each member of the family looked beyond perfect and were so cooperative when it came to hamming it up for the photos! hehe.. I think my favorite thing about family sessions is being able to not only capture the perfectly posed group shots, but the candid "in between" moments that unfold as we transition from location to location- or pose to pose. Every shot I captured of these 4 were gold because this family made our time together effortless with the love they have for one another. :) Thank you Rittenhouse Family for asking me to capture some beautiful moments with you all! I hope we can do it again real soon!

{Unicorn Tribe - Hair by Melody Sparrow} (4/23/16)

I had an absolute BLAST collaborating with the oh so talented Melody Sparrow on this special styled shoot! Mel is a member of the elite Unicorn Tribe (check it out on Insta @theunicorntribe or #unicorntribe) and she asked me to help with a bohemian type shoot to help showcase her AMAZING hair styling skills to share with the other unicorn tribe members! This entailed an afternoon of hair, make-up plus lots and LOTS of fun, vibrant colors she would be using in our model's hair. I met up with Mel and our model for the day (Wendi) at The Wearhouse- a Hammer Salon in downtown Paso Robles and my eyes immediately filled with hearts!<3 Not only was Wendi's hair a dream come true- but the salon itself was gorgeous! I couldn't help but start out by snapping some lifestyle shots while Mel put the finishing touches on her creation. Then we were off to the picturesque coast of San Simeon to have the REAL fun. :) After a little hiking, a few smoke bombs and one tiny snafoo.. we managed to pull off some truly magnificent shots. Thank you for asking me to be a part of such a wonderful evening, Mel! I can't wait for another collaboration in the future! xoxo

Be sure to check out Mel's work on her website & FB page:
http://www.melodysparrow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HairByMelodySparrow

 

{Linzy & Zoey - Mommy + Me} (3/20/16)

Alright i'm officially swooning over this adorable Mommy + Me session I had the pleasure of shooting! Linzy and I had been corresponding since the end of 2015 trying to sync our schedules in order to capture some fun photos of her and her adorable daughter, Zoey. I'm honestly soooo happy that we managed to make it happen in March of all months because the greenery and stunning sunset that fell on Linzy's beautiful acreage of land was unlike anything else! It complimented the bohemian feel Linzy was aiming for and made my heart flutter with just about every single click. I couldn't wait to hand this session off to its new home and with plenty of time for Mother's Day! 

{Karly + Roy - Engagement} (3/19/16)

Ok... It has to be said that I officially adore Karly and Roy! From my first contact with Karly discussing her upcoming wedding I just knew that these two were my ideal clients! :) We had been planning a wildflower engagement since November- but of course, we had to impatiently wait for March to arrive to see these babies in full bloom. So here we are a few months later and the anticipation was IN FACT worth it. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful scenery, more perfect weather or a more gorgeous and fun-loving couple to spend my evening with! Without even editing these shots I knew that this session would be one of my favorites to date. I can't wait to watch these two say "I Do" in June!

{Miss Avery} (3/13/16)

Spring has finally arrived and nothing makes me more giddy than seeing the beautiful wildflowers blooming! And what a perfect opportunity to finally get adorable Miss Avery in front of my lens! I couldn't believe that it had been almost 1 year since I saw Avery's Mom and Dad for their very special maternity session- and NOW I get to swoon over this little sweetheart.<3 I can't wait to see what other milestones I'll get to capture for her and her dear family. :)

{Tomac Maternity} (1/10/16)

As if a little rain would stop myself and these glowing parents to be from capturing some precious maternity moments! Ayla, David and I met up at beautiful Halter Ranch Vineyards to explore and showcase the beauty that was Ayla's ever growing baby bump. At 39 weeks we were definitely cutting it close for time, but I was so pumped to get these two in front of my lens!  The love they had for one another was ever present and it made my job as a photographer THAT much more easier. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon you two. And CONGRATS on the arrival of your beautiful baby boy! 

{Jerry, Trish & Lilly} (12/12/15)

Alirght ya'll... I can't stress enough just how excited I get when these three come to visit me! Lilly Bumpus is one of my biggest inspirations. She's defied the odds by kicking cancer in the face and continues to help her Mama Trish and Daddy Jerry bring light and love to her friends behind the glass at CHLA. Every moment I get to spend with this amazing family is purely magical and even better when that visit involves THE BEAST Mateo and his awesome family too! I'm so honored and humbled to know that these three are willing to drive 4 1/2 hours to see little ol' me for their family photos! And I can't wait to see all of the wonderful things that Lilly will accomplish in the coming year. :) I love you all! 

{Molly & Jax} (12/5/15)

This time of year seriously makes me so giddy! I just adore the weeks leading up to Christmas and meeting new awesome families to take holiday photos for! Molly had some pretty fantastic ideas for her Christmas cards this year with her sweet son Jax, and I was more than happy to help out! We had such a fun afternoon walking around one of my favorite coastal trails and eating cookies in the wild! These two are so sweet and extremely photogenic and I enjoyed every minute of our time together! Thanks so much you two! I hope to see you again soon :)

{Tonkin/Savage Families} (11/22/15)

Yayyy! I just adore the Tonkin Family! It blows my mind that precious little Kiera is already almost 1 year old! Where does the time go? Feels like just yesterday we were shooting her newborn session and now she's talking up a storm, giggling like crazy and this close to walking! Lucky me I got to shoot her and her whole family's holiday photos at beautiful Halter Ranch Winery this year :) Thanks for the fun-filled day Tonkin and Savage families!

{Dawson Family} (11/21/15)

Be-still my heart.<3 I am so fortunate to continue to shoot such wonderful milestones for The Dawson Family. On this beautiful November day we got to frolic around the sandy beaches of Cayucos. Where else but California can you spend a warm afternoon on the coast in the middle of November amiright?? These three adorable humans are such joys to work with and I love being able to see little Miss Isabella grow right before my eyes!

{Sierra & Cody} (11/7/15)

Welp... these two were nothing short of adorable! Sierra had booked with me months in advance and with every day that passed I was getting more and more excited to work with these two crazy love birds! We decided to take a stroll towards the coast to the tiny little town of Harmony and take advantage of all of the little rustic features this location has to offer. Everything from their outfits of choice to Colby their precocious little pup just seemed to work! We finished off our last few moments of sunlight in the open fields of Templeton in order to show off some team spirit and chase the sunlight on what was the end of a fantastic and laughter filled day. :) 

{Natalie} (10/13/15)

As bittersweet as it was, Natalie was my very last senior session of the 2016 graduating class! So it was only fitting that with the end of one chapter I open up a new one by shooting at a venue I had never had the privilege of visiting before! Thank you so much to Willow Creek Barn for letting Natalie and I venture around your beautiful property for her senior photos.. and not even a broken shoe was going to keep me from taking in every aspect of this gorgeous venue! So until my 2017 seniors start pouring in please enjoy some of the beauty I was honored to capture in Miss Natalie. :)