Dean & Karina’s Family on the Beach | Crystal Pier Pacific Beach Photography

November 26, 2024

Karina and her family are off on a new adventure! Her husband Dean is retiring from 20 years serving our country, and they are taking their enthusiastic little one to live closer to family in Texas-on an actual cattle ranch! Everyone is happy they’ll have Dad at home, since this family has endured multiple long separations during their years in the Navy. (Thank you for your service, Dean!!) It was fun celebrating the end of their San Diego chapter and the beginning of their new life in Texas.

Extended Family at the Del | Hotel Del Coronado & Beach Photography

November 19, 2024

This extended family from Bismark, ND, agreed to a last-minute switch-up to start their session off the beach since it was so bright at our start time. We enjoyed walking across the hotel grounds and observing the attendees arriving for a masquerade ball. There were some pretty zany costumes! We played peekaboo with the surfboards, climbed on the lifeguard tower, and ended our time down at the shore, with the adventurous boys getting completely soaked in the waves. It was the night of the last game of the Padres-Dodgers post-season match-up, and I made my North Dakota friends say “Go Padres!” for smiles, but it didn’t work and the Padres still lost. Got some good expressions, though!

Coronado Family Portraits | San Diego Sibling Photographer

November 12, 2024

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 & Noah’s Engagement Session in the Fog | Windansea Photography La Jolla

October 25, 2024

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 Senior Photos | Photography at the Hotel del Coronado

October 15, 2024

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.

The Dunes on Coronado | Family Photography in SAn Diego

October 15, 2024

Coming from Utah, Jessica’s vision for her family’s yearly portrait session involved Coronado . . . but not in my usual way. She asked for the Dunes (the ones that spell out Coronado if viewed from above), so we met at the opposite end of the Hotel del Coronado property from where I usually shoot, and we had a fun time running around there before heading out to the water for some reflection shots.

The Elben Family 2024 | Downtown Riverside Urban Photography

October 6, 2024

Joy is my extremely talented, creative friend from high school who decorated my house from afar. We love collaborating, and when she had the idea for an urban session in Downtown Riverside, I was all about it! We took colorful mural-centric shots, followed by some stately fall images on the city streets. A car show just happened to roll in, so we availed ourselves of the opportunities and then headed out to a delicious Mexican dinner.

Photos Under the Lifeguard Tower Coronado

Celebrating Senior Year with the Green Family | San Diego Photographer

September 20, 2024

Planning for this session started way back in the spring! It is Louie’s senior year, and the family hadn’t done family photos in a while, so Marisa was making this a priority for 2024. I was delighted by the beautiful sky and tide for this session, and Marisa and all her guys showed up to make it fun! I loved Dad’s photobomb pose ideas and their youngest son Teddy’s desire for some cool theatre headshots. Louie wore his Cross Country T-shirt for a few photos, and Nick would smile for any baseball reference. I’m glad Marisa had the idea to capture this last year of having everyone at home. College is a big change, and this year deserves all the celebrating we can pack in!

Austin & Mikayla | San Diego Proposal Photography

August 23, 2024

Of all the proposals I’ve photographed, this one ranked right up there with the most nerve-wracking but also the most exciting!

Marissa’s Maternity Session | San Diego Field and Beach Photography

August 18, 2024

When baby’s on the way, everyone (except the dog) knows that life is about to change! I loved talking with Marissa and Adam about their little one. We chatted about everything from parenting to church to education to book recommendations. We made good friends right away. I hope I’ll see them again when baby is sitting and/or crawling and ready for his first big-boy session! Blessings on this exciting journey of parenthood!

Shandon & Earl’s Family on the Beach | Coronado Photographer

August 18, 2024

I first met Shandon a few years ago when she asked me to capture a big backyard family reunion with her parents and siblings. This time we headed to Coronado. It was just Shandon and Earl’s family, including a young couple and three very sweet grandkids who were all-in for anything I asked them to do. Shandon ordered in the perfect sky for the occasion.

Jordyn’s Family Portraits at the Hotel del Coronado | 2024 Holiday Portraits

August 1, 2024

I first met Jordyn’s family when they were vacationing at the Del back in 2022. They had just discovered they were adding another kiddo to their crew of two boys, and I got to meet sweet Landon this time. He was up way past his Central Time Zone bedtime, but no worries! He was there for it and flashed his genuine, happy smile like a champ! Big brother Tripp has a natural flair for portraiture (and basically everything else, I’m pretty sure) and made this hands-and-knees photo happen by lining up his face with those of his brothers without even being asked to do so. I am forever in his debt! Weston was a bundle of energetic fun. I can only imagine the lively household Jordyn and Shane have, and I’m grateful that I got to capture a bit of the beautiful family years they’re experiencing.

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