Taylor and Lissa have known each other since they were four years old, and if you spend even five minutes with them, you can tell. There’s an ease between them, a shorthand, the kind of connection that only comes from growing up alongside someone — and then, somewhere along the way, falling for them too. They’ve been dating since their sophomore year, and now here they are, crossing the graduation finish line together.
Sea Ya Later, Charlie! | A Coronado Beach Senior Session | Amy Gray Photography Sea Ya Later, Charlie! A Coronado Beach Senior Session When Cara reached out about grabbing a
Forty-five minutes, three looks, one car used as a changing room, and three women who all had opinions about every single frame. But we walked away with a set of headshots that actually shows what Lissa can do — and that’s the whole point. She needs casting directors to see her range before she even walks in the room, and now she’s got the shots to do that.
When families come back year after year, it’s one of the greatest compliments I can receive. This favorite family has been trusting me with their memories since 2016, back when their oldest was just a toddler.
Claire has called San Diego home her entire life, and the University of San Diego has been her world for the past four years. For her grad session, she wanted photos that reflected her connection to campus—the views, the buildings, and the sense of pride that comes from finishing something big.
The first pictures I ever took of Austin, he was only a few hours old. His mom and I joke that I was in the room when Austin wasn’t born. He was an emergency C-section, and I got kicked out at the last minute, but only after several hours of labor and pushing . . . so many that I missed teaching the first day of school that September of 2001. (The week just got more interesting and memorable from there.)
Where to start with this story? Sascha and Daniel’s wedding was more than a ceremony—it was a joyful, faith-filled celebration of the life God has planned for them . . . a life of serving Him, growing together, and building a family rooted in love. This wedding was especially dear to my heart. Sascha’s family has been part of our family’s story for more than twenty years, and watching her grow into the incredible woman she is today has been such a gift. From childhood adventures to deep conversations about life and faith, she and my daughter Lissa have been close friends since they were little girls.
There’s something special about seeing your family’s story told through photography. Not just on a screen or in a cloud folder, but displayed in your home—big, bold, and beautiful. While
I’ll admit it . . . I’m a little jealous of my meticulously styled sunset beach photography clients. These days, my own family portrait session takes place 15 minutes before we sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner, and everybody just pulls whatever they have out of the closet! It’s hard to wrangle college students and early sunsets in the fall, and Thanksgiving is the one day I don’t have a session and Lissa is home from CBU. We’re blessed that my parents live near a beautiful nature preserve, so backgrounds like these are just a short walk away. My sister does our family portraits, and we toss the camera back and forth for the kid, hubby, and dog shots. This year we added some bonus images of Lissa with her boyfriend Taylor.
Incredible coincidences sometimes happen when I am photographing several families in a row, and I was surprised when I checked the names for this session to find out that Lauren and Nathan were the mom and dad . . . because just the night before, I had photographed another family where Lauren and Nathan were the mom and dad’s names! This L&N pair had a couple of very sweet kiddos who were super easy to pose and up for pretty much anything, including climbing the lifeguard tower, peeking from behind the surfboards, and jumping waves! Poor little Harper fell in the water while she was twirling, but she fought back the tears and continued twirling! She kept her happy smile through the session . . . such a champ!
Samantha and Noah came with their family all the way from Texas to celebrate their upcoming wedding, and they chose to do their engagement portraits on the beach while they were here. They were staying in La Jolla, so Windansea was a logical choice. It had been a bit cloudy that week on the shore, but I wasn’t prepared for thick FOG as I drove west from my home in East County. I couldn’t reach Samantha by phone (sketchy reception at Windnasea), but when I arrived, I leveled with them . . . this was REALLY foggy! On the other hand . . . . check out that amazing red dress!! I remembered this session from long ago and felt like it could work. Samantha and Noah were all for a low-visibility session, and so was I. The fog + that dress + their up-for-anything personalities MADE the session, and I’m so glad we went for it!
Claudia’s family lives in Arizona, and they vacationed on the East Coast beaches last summer. Claudia is a lifeguard and swimmer, and it made sense for her to have her senior portraits on the beach. They booked me for a fun, sun-kissed session during fall break. Our original location near their vacation residence was pretty cloudy and foggy that night, so we made a last-minute switch to Coronado, and it was a great choice! Sunny skies and beautiful glassy shores made this session shine.
Taylor and Lissa have known each other since they were four years old, and if you spend even five minutes with them, you can tell. There’s an ease between them, a shorthand, the kind of connection that only comes from growing up alongside someone — and then, somewhere along the way, falling for them too. They’ve been dating since their sophomore year, and now here they are, crossing the graduation finish line together.
Sea Ya Later, Charlie! | A Coronado Beach Senior Session | Amy Gray Photography Sea Ya Later, Charlie! A Coronado Beach Senior Session When Cara reached out about grabbing a
Forty-five minutes, three looks, one car used as a changing room, and three women who all had opinions about every single frame. But we walked away with a set of headshots that actually shows what Lissa can do — and that’s the whole point. She needs casting directors to see her range before she even walks in the room, and now she’s got the shots to do that.
When families come back year after year, it’s one of the greatest compliments I can receive. This favorite family has been trusting me with their memories since 2016, back when their oldest was just a toddler.
Claire has called San Diego home her entire life, and the University of San Diego has been her world for the past four years. For her grad session, she wanted photos that reflected her connection to campus—the views, the buildings, and the sense of pride that comes from finishing something big.
The first pictures I ever took of Austin, he was only a few hours old. His mom and I joke that I was in the room when Austin wasn’t born. He was an emergency C-section, and I got kicked out at the last minute, but only after several hours of labor and pushing . . . so many that I missed teaching the first day of school that September of 2001. (The week just got more interesting and memorable from there.)
Where to start with this story? Sascha and Daniel’s wedding was more than a ceremony—it was a joyful, faith-filled celebration of the life God has planned for them . . . a life of serving Him, growing together, and building a family rooted in love. This wedding was especially dear to my heart. Sascha’s family has been part of our family’s story for more than twenty years, and watching her grow into the incredible woman she is today has been such a gift. From childhood adventures to deep conversations about life and faith, she and my daughter Lissa have been close friends since they were little girls.
There’s something special about seeing your family’s story told through photography. Not just on a screen or in a cloud folder, but displayed in your home—big, bold, and beautiful. While
I’ll admit it . . . I’m a little jealous of my meticulously styled sunset beach photography clients. These days, my own family portrait session takes place 15 minutes before we sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner, and everybody just pulls whatever they have out of the closet! It’s hard to wrangle college students and early sunsets in the fall, and Thanksgiving is the one day I don’t have a session and Lissa is home from CBU. We’re blessed that my parents live near a beautiful nature preserve, so backgrounds like these are just a short walk away. My sister does our family portraits, and we toss the camera back and forth for the kid, hubby, and dog shots. This year we added some bonus images of Lissa with her boyfriend Taylor.
Incredible coincidences sometimes happen when I am photographing several families in a row, and I was surprised when I checked the names for this session to find out that Lauren and Nathan were the mom and dad . . . because just the night before, I had photographed another family where Lauren and Nathan were the mom and dad’s names! This L&N pair had a couple of very sweet kiddos who were super easy to pose and up for pretty much anything, including climbing the lifeguard tower, peeking from behind the surfboards, and jumping waves! Poor little Harper fell in the water while she was twirling, but she fought back the tears and continued twirling! She kept her happy smile through the session . . . such a champ!
Samantha and Noah came with their family all the way from Texas to celebrate their upcoming wedding, and they chose to do their engagement portraits on the beach while they were here. They were staying in La Jolla, so Windansea was a logical choice. It had been a bit cloudy that week on the shore, but I wasn’t prepared for thick FOG as I drove west from my home in East County. I couldn’t reach Samantha by phone (sketchy reception at Windnasea), but when I arrived, I leveled with them . . . this was REALLY foggy! On the other hand . . . . check out that amazing red dress!! I remembered this session from long ago and felt like it could work. Samantha and Noah were all for a low-visibility session, and so was I. The fog + that dress + their up-for-anything personalities MADE the session, and I’m so glad we went for it!
Claudia’s family lives in Arizona, and they vacationed on the East Coast beaches last summer. Claudia is a lifeguard and swimmer, and it made sense for her to have her senior portraits on the beach. They booked me for a fun, sun-kissed session during fall break. Our original location near their vacation residence was pretty cloudy and foggy that night, so we made a last-minute switch to Coronado, and it was a great choice! Sunny skies and beautiful glassy shores made this session shine.
