For Ellie and her husband, this year marked 50 years of marriage, a golden anniversary worth a big celebration. They planned a gathering of all their people. Family traveled from Amsterdam, Cleveland, and Birmingham to meet on Coronado for the whole week. As a photographer herself, Ellie knows how important it is to commemorate the important moments in life with intentional photographs that capture the relationships and the action! She found me through my website and told me right away how important this session would be. I was excited, nervous, intimidated, and confident . . . a range of emotions that always pops up when I photograph another photographer! Every session is a photographer-client collaboration, and working with another accomplished and experienced photographer takes that to another level. Ellie was very hands-off. She let me do my thing!
We started in a shady spot off the beach and worked down to the water as the sun faded. We got all the important groupings . . . Ellie and her husband, the smaller families, the big family as a whole. Ellie knew she wanted lots of images of her grandchildren, and she later described them as “absolutely GRAND!” She was so happy with her images, and I was honored she chose me! She said the photos “made their trip a wonderful experience!” Hooray!
Ellie is no stranger to the camera. She owns Ellie Vayo Photography in Ohio, a studio that’s been in business for more than 45 years. Knowing her background made her kind words even more meaningful to me. There’s no praise quite like that of a fellow photographer.
Ellie, thank you for trusting me to capture such an important milestone. Fifty years of marriage is a testimony to love, commitment, and family. What an honor it was to be part of your story.











































