portland, or engagement photographer: amy + greg!

my sweet friend amy and her best friend, greg just tied the knot in the most beautiful and genuine ceremony, so i figure it's time i finally share their engagement session! i met amy on care.com (like online dating but for desperate moms looking for sitters) and she babysat penelope for about 3 years and eventually coco too before she moved back home to oregon. amy was such a great sitter, penelope adores her, and she's always full of light and so kind, i immediately trusted her. amy also happens to be really cool, like you want to hang out when you got home from going out and then ask her where she bought every piece of clothing. so now that we've covered how cool and generally great amy is, we can move on to her and greg haha.

when amy asked if i would do their wedding photos, i was so excited. i knew i had to their engagement session because i'd never been to portland and i knew whatever amy planned would be soo soo gorgeous. i brought penelope with me so she could see amy and we made a little girls weekend of it! amy's sister babysat penelope and amy, greg and i drove to multnomah falls for the shoot where it drizzled and drizzled some more on us! we hiked through the mist and mud, amy in a beaded gown and clogs, cause that's what you do for photos haha, while greg pretty much kept us laughing the whole time. after our session, i knew why they are together, they perfectly compliment one another and he kept her laughing and calm through the rain. i'm so happy for these too and i'm so glad i signed up for care.com and met amy and now greg! 

Flowers: Amy's super talented sister, Swoon Floral Design  Dress: Free People

 

san diego engagement photographer: blake and courtney!

oh blogging *sigh.* i have high hopes for blogging but i seem to freeze up when it's time to select images and choose the perfect words and story to go along with. you see, after coco was born my brain literally turned to mush  (yes, i'm still milking the baby brain excuse!!!) and i've found putting together eloquent sentences darn near impossible. see what i mean?? so at this point in time, done is perfect. 

courtney walked up to greet me before our session holding a can of rosé with a straw, instantly i knew we'd get along just fine. we shot around the cactus garden with their adorable dog arnie (the biggest camera ham of a dog i've ever met!!) at balboa park and then made our way to sunset cliffs, where I'd never been to but highly recommend it you're in san diego.

the sun was still pretty high when we arrived so we walked around, chatted and watched arnie nervously navigate the cliffs. such a fun evening exploring and getting to know this fun couple, here a few of my favorites from our shoot.

austin, texas engagement session: vershanna + jason!

vershanna is an old college friend and i was so excited when she asked if i'd shoot her engagement session. these two against the landscapes at pedernales falls was a dream to photograph! we hiked and explored and took some pretty pictures along the way. congrats you guys, you both deserve this love.

austin, texas wedding photographer: single frame- cori + bobby's lady bird johnson wildflower center ceremony

she's hitched and pumped about it!! (or maybe she's just laughing at the 34 week preg-o running after her?!) either way i love capturing these moments immediately after the ceremony. it's just genuine excitement and raw wedded bliss.

austin, tx wedding photographer: sally + adam

i just love these two and if we lived in the same city, i'd invite myself to sally's for girl scout cookie protein shakes and bad tv. 

adam and sally were so much fun to photograph and watch interact. simply, you can tell they just get each other and they're going to laugh together for a lifetime. here are some of my favorites from their church wedding and reception at palm door.

bride's bouquet: clementine  cake: blue note bakery venue: palm door

austin, texas wedding photographer: hotel saint cecilia wedding details

here are a few detail shots from a gorgeous wedding I recently shot with my super talented pal, lisa woods. I love the jewel tones of the flowers and glassware, and of course the hotel saint cecilia is a stunning backdrop for a wedding.

austin, tx newborn photographer: welcome to the world, corbin

one thing i reaaaally love about my job is that i get to meet my friend's babies when they are fresh out the womb. feels very v.i.p-ish hah. my good pal from college, priscilla gave birth to this handsome little man, corbin. here's a little sneak peek from our session. not pictured is his amazing pee across the room!! i still can't get over the distance. as a mama to a girl, this was so impressive and amusing!

west texas engagement session: samantha + matt

when samantha asked if we could meet halfway between austin and new mexico for an engagement session, i knew exactly where to go. we had been to the Davis Mountains in West Texas a few weeks prior and i just knew i had to shoot there someday. 

so we met in the mountains, told awkward stories, laughed a whole bunch and watched the sun go down, and the sky turn the most amazing colors. it was my dream assignment and i'm so happy it was with these two. c'mon 9/26/15!

austin, texas family photographer: frances 8 month photos!

i am way overdue on a blog post and have so many great sessions up my sleeve.  you just wait and see (but please, no breath holding.)

i photographed frankie and her mama a few months back and was instantly smitten with them, and their infectious joy. i felt happy and fulfilled leaving their home. i could tell that no matter what life will throw at their family, that they will choose a joyous life. and queue the cute baby photos.

new news!!

"invent a new reason to get out of bed, like a bolt of lightning struck your head, like a pistol fired and youre off to the races, like it's down to the wire and you're holding aces, like every day is a brand new page, or a perfect wave, or a well lit stage. make up a reason, or go out and find one, borrow a reason, or burrow and mine one. build one from reasons leftover and broken, from reasons too quiet or reasons unspoken, or ones that are snug, or ones that were written on walls in small letters that were meant to be hidden. cobble a reason and call it your own or share it with those who've been left all alone, or scream it or dream it as loud as can be, or whisper it softly to all that you see. imagine a reason, one reason my dear and you'll find that that reason's the reason you're here." -dallas clayton

i've been realllllly torn about starting a style blog for 2 reasons.
1— although, i love blogs and fashion, i know that they are just clothes and it's all trivial in the scheme of life.
2— i was waiting for the perfect words. i haven't written in months (lots of months) and feel so out of practice, the fear of imperfection was a bit paralyzing. and some days after work and wrangling lope, my brain feels like total and utter mush. 

BUT. i've come to the conclusion that. i. just. don't [or can't]. care. i'm going to have fun and do what makes my heart happy. imperfect and all. SO. friends [with a little supportive nudge from my husband and friends] i'm launching a style focused blog in the next month or so!!! for now here's fun little test shoot i did with my (super talented and lovely) pal katie jameson.

[apologies in advance if you are reading this in a colder climate. because, yes. i really did wear a short romper the other day. and i could again today.]
 

oh yeah. that last one's a keeper. 

romper— zara
booties — aldo [haven't been in this store since college but they are stepping up their game!!]
sunglasses— madewell
necklace— madewell 
lips— bite in quince
nails— deborah lippmann