A-SESSION LOCATIONS- Mountains

The Bartolo Family- With their youngest in Philadelphia embarking on the first year of her college adventure, Jim and Tammy decided that it is finally time to downsize and sell their beautiful home in Pollock Pines, that Jim actually built. There’s a lot of love in that home. And, with all of the girls and grandma Josephine in town and available over the holidays, it was a perfect time to capture them all in their home, the home they all grew up in (even Jim…ehhh, maybe not- likely still working on it). And I can say that because I’ve known the Bartolo’s for awhile so…

You may remember the Orlino family from their newest addition, Eloise’s, birth back in August. It was my first time meeting Rebecca and Elmo and I only managed to capture a glimpse of their 4 year old twins, Sam and Oliver, via Skype. So I was excited to capture everyone together during a recent family session at Sly Park Lake up here in Pollock Pines. Sam and Oliver are typical 4 year old boys who can’t stand in one place for longer than a few seconds. They walked up “mountains” of rock beside the lake and down the mountains of…

Megan is in her final year at El Dorado High, her two brothers, Ryan and Dylan, preceding her. Which leaves her the last to fly the coup from her lovely and emotional mom, Trisa, who has accompanied all her kids to their senior sessions with me. Like her brothers and her mom, Megan has the most amazing, infectious smile. In fact, there was a moment when I asked Trisa to step into the picture, that I saw that their smiles are not only incredibly similar but that they crept up onto their faces in almost exactly the same manner. Including…

Ahhh, what a wonderful family to photograph right here in my own back yard. The Lockwoods have emerged from a tough year where mom, Renee, was very sick for an extended period last year. Illness can take such a toll on relationships but I could tell that everyone was in a place of gratitude, celebrating Renee’s recovery and the gift of time together. Getting to spend some time with one another by the lake, a place that is at the heart of our community here – embodying everything we love about Pollock Pines’ beautiful, outdoor lifestyle – was clearly something…

I just love it when friends and clients refer me to families who are a perfect fit for my personality and photography style! That’s what happened here with this wonderful family of three from Sonoma who were referred to me by a long-term client of more than a decade. Marika, Virgilio, and their young son, Diangio, drove up after a brief camping trip, to play in my neck of the woods at Sly Park Lake. Marika is a part time NICU nurse and high school teacher  which must take some serious emotional energy. Meanwhile Virgilio teaches farming and was quite…

I have known Jacqueline and her family now for some time. Along with her two older sisters, Samantha and Kalene, Jacqueline has baby-sat my daughters over the years. In the early days, when my girls were toddlers and we would go on family camping trips, the even short moments of respite they provided my husband, Jeff, and I were MUCH appreciated. And now it’s Jacqueline’s turn to fly the coop, heading off to Philadelphia to study the science behind textiles. Such an interesting and different major. Jacqueline tells me that many graduates go on to work as consultants for companies like…

Jake graduates from El Dorado High this spring so it was the perfect time to get out to the lake and capture some photographs of him. As an avid wake boarder, the lake was a natural choice for him. I always joke with my senior male clients that the images we take are “not for you” but for “your mom”, so just be yourself so that she loves them. This tends to take off the pressure off this photo shoot being “all about them” and guys are able to relax into it more easily. Jake is a super sweet guy…

Last week I met up with local high school senior Abby and her mom, Alice to capture this life milestone in Abby’s life and talk about the beginning of the next one. Abby and Alice have a wonderful mother/daughter relationship and I enjoyed observing them both take it all in; Abby, clearly excited about what is next and Alice, also excited for her but still preparing to see her youngest leave home. These sessions can be a shared rite of passage and as a mom myself, beautiful to be a part of. With three college acceptances to choose from and graduation only a few short months away, Abby now gets to decide…