Spring is such a fitting time for maternity sessions because of all the new life blooming around us this time of year. Flowers are a beautiful symbol of growth. That’s why I chose to photograph this lovely mama-to-be with a bright red camellia. I can’t wait to meet her little nugget! If you’re expecting, send me a message by clicking here! I’d love to do a sweet spring session with you.
I love the contrast between lightness and darkness. I’m obsessed with the light that comes through my bedroom windows. I have three windows in my bedroom, all of which let in the most interesting and beautiful light throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll lay in bed and stare out the window for several minutes, admiring the light. Sometimes I’ll bask in the sunlight that seeps through the windows. It’s my favorite thing about my apartment and something I’ll dearly miss when I eventually move. This image was taken the other day at sunset where the light was peeking in through the window closest to the adjoining wall.
April Fool’s Day was the anniversary of my late stepfather’s death. My stepfather abused me from the time I was seven until I was eleven. He died of a heart attack a week after I told my mom about the abuse. He died just in time for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. He died thirteen years ago, when I was eleven years old. Incredibly, April Fool’s holds a new significance for me now. April Fool’s 2019 marked one year that I’d been a full time business owner. Being a business owner, as well as surviving my abuse, has taken immense strength. For me, April has always been about having strength. I’ve had to be strong in so many parts of my life. And with that, I can say this: I am so strong. My strength is in vulnerability and sheer will. Thank you, April, for all the lessons you’ve taught me.
I love spring for all its beautiful flowers, but especially magnolias. There are already so many of them blossoming around Portland! At the International Rose Test Garden, you can find all three of my favorite spring flower varieties: magnolias, cherry blossoms, and camellias. Read more about why spring sessions will rock your world by clicking here. Let’s go make some lovely, colorful photos together!
I love seeing the city on foot. I used to walk everywhere. I’d walk to work early in the morning, then school, then finally back home late at night. I’d walk to yoga, to the rose gardens, to the grocery store. Walk, walk, walk. I’d walk just to let go of my day. Walking was a form of therapy. Lately, I haven’t been walking much. But last week, Ben and I walked to the east side via the Burnside Bridge and back home via the Hawthorne Bridge, where we saw a double rainbow and got poured on. This week we walked to the east side via the Broadway Bridge, and we returned to the west side over the Steel Bridge while getting to see the prettiest moon shift from day to night. Both journeys were taken after having somewhat difficult mornings/afternoons, and both days ended so well after our walk. So here are my two views of the Steel Bridge from our walk this week. It’s such a gift to be able to see the city at this pace.
While on a walk across the Hawthorne Bridge last Tuesday, I turned around and saw the most beautiful rainbow. The rainbow came and went a couple of times, and at one point it became a double rainbow, which you can faintly see in this image. I’ve heard that quadruple rainbows are possible, though very rare. I’m a sucker for rainbows - they truly make things feel magical!
I love a good window reflection! In my opinion, window reflections are the OG of double exposures. It’s a fun way to get a lot of texture, and at times, color, into a photograph. It takes a few tries to make one that works, but the effort is worth it! This was taken after Self-Discovery Group’s most recent Monday Medi Moments, a live meditation that we host on Facebook and Instagram every Monday at 9:30AM PST. The light that comes through the big windows where we do the meditation is always so magical. If you’d like to check out the meditations, you can do so by clicking here!
On Saturday, I photographed Self-Discovery Group’s live manifestation and meditation event. Self-Discovery Group is the website and eCourse platform I run with my mom. My camera has a silent shutter mode, which made it possible for me to get photos of people meditating. The woman in this photo is seriously incredible! Her name is Sarah Lakey and she teaches meditation at YoYo Yogi in the Pearl. You should definitely go take a class from her if you’re in Portland and are interested in meditation!
I had so much fun this past Monday photographing this cutie meditating. If you haven’t heard, I’m working with my lovely mama to help her create eCourses about her meditation teachings. In fact, we just released her first eCourse a couple weeks ago! It’s super exciting. If you’re interested in checking it out, you can do so here.
I so love working with kids because they don’t usually put up the walls that many of us have developed as adults. They are totally game to be creative and have fun. Ryder, the star of this photo, whistles when he meditates, and it’s the best. To see other photos from this meditation sesh, click here.
Rachael was my first photography teacher. It was in her class where I first learned about my self-timer and that I could take self-portraits. It was in her class where I started developing my voice. Fast forward 11 years. I shot her wedding and now I’ve gotten to photograph her pregnant with her second child. It’s such an honor to create art for people I love.
Here’s the thing: I absolutely love working with natural light. But sometimes, the loveliness of studio light is unmatched. That’s why I just set up a home studio.
There are many kinds of self-portraits: pretty ones, honest ones, revealing ones, ones that are about the light, or the angle, or the emotion. I don’t think one is necessarily better than the other. What I will say is that I think so many people are afraid to even look at themselves. But you are art.
I won’t lie, Christmas is my favorite day of the year. On Christmas Eve, we have a big dinner with family and friends. We chat, laugh, listen to music, and play games. Then on Christmas, my stepdad makes Eggs Benedict for our little family - my mom, my dad, Ben, and I. Then we have coffee and tea and open gifts. The evening is usually pretty chill; this year we went to see On the Basis of Sex. It was an absolutely wonderful day! How do you feel about the holidays? What are your traditions?
I love playing around with layering and double exposure! The effects you can get are so fun. Here, I took a photo of an orchid (taken on my DSLR) and a self-portrait (taken on my phone) and layered them to get this image of me wearing a flower crown. I don’t believe in “photo purity” - that there’s a right way to take and edit photos. I love the creative, experimental process!
Last Tuesday I had a lot of fun doing mini Body Beautiful Sessions at We Myndful’s December event and holiday celebration. Whenever I do a Body Beautiful Session with someone, I ask them where in their body they feel the most vulnerable. Then, together, we come up with something they can tell themselves that would make that vulnerable place feel a little less scary.
Playing around with different lighting is so much fun! I’m over at my mom’s a lot, and she just got this new disco-type light that I love. I took this photo in a dark room and put the light right next to my face. The magic about it was that since the light was moving, I got a different image every time I clicked the shutter - that’s the only time that digital photography gives me that same fluttery feeling as film.
My show at the Roseland this past week was a major success! I am so thankful to everyone who came out and helped me make it happen. My carpet at home will be glittery forever from all the crafting I’ve done over the past couple of weeks to get ready for it.
I am thrilled to announce that I will be participating in the next Portland RAW show. One of the coolest things about this show is how diverse the artistry is… there is everything from visual art, to fashion, to music, to hairstyling. I would love for you to come see the show and support my work!
Last week one of my friends celebrated her 25th birthday! She is a libra through and through and I have a libra rising, so we decided to have a very libra photoshoot, with glitter and flowers and red lips galore. We used a full, giant bottle of soap to make bubbles (we had limited bubble bath), but obviously the bubbles didn’t stick around that long. It is so fun to celebrate a birthday with a photoshoot, especially one that is inspired by your sun sign (if you’re into that kind of thing). I’m so thankful to everyone I get to photograph!
Every year for the past three years, my boyfriend Ben and I have taken a selfie with pumpkins on our heads during our annual visit to the pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island. This year we went to the pumpkin patch earlier than usual, and there were less small pumpkins around. I decided to up my game and try balancing a larger pumpkin on my head. It was difficult, to say the least, and we ended up trying to balance the large pumpkin on both of our heads at the same time. It’s a silly tradition, but super fun. It makes me laugh every time! View past years’ photos here.