ABOUT ME
This is me in a nutshell…
I am smiling when the sun is shining! I am excited to be with you! I laugh as much as the canned laughs in a ridiculous sitcom! I will start squealing when the warm sunset light starts creating rays through the trees! I have the most amazing “Dad jokes” and may be the only one that laughs at them, but I will never stop telling them! I am ridiculously over-prepared for every situation, but you will definitely appreciate that at some point in our time together! I am the queen of sharing TMI! I dread going out after 5pm! I have a ton of energy (before 5pm), but don’t like caffeine!
It’s hard for me not to finish every sentence with an exclamation mark because I am always just so excited about life!
“It’s a great day to have a great day, because we’ve never had this day before” -My daughter, at age 3
My love of photography
My love of photography grew during my first few years of college in 1999 living right across the street from the beach in Isla Vista. I would ride my bike out to Sands Beach to watch the sunset as often as I could. I later moved right across the street from Alice Keck Park and would sit up in my balcony watching weddings on the weekends. I loved trying to find different ways to photograph all the beautiful flowers and used the pictures as gifts for friends and family. After I had finished my degree at SBCC, I realized in 2003 that I wanted to pursue my love of photography by attending the Brooks Institute of Photography. From there, I realized my true passion was connecting with people and capturing their own love stories!
Image © Ingrid Bostrom
My love of family
Image © Stormy Solis
Where do I even begin?? I met my husband while we both worked at SBCC while I was also finishing up my first session at photography school. I worked in the fitness center and he coached for the football team. I thought I had no time for a relationship, but as soon as I saw a shooting star pass right over his head as he kissed me on the hand one night, I knew our love story was about to begin! We were married 3 years later and over the years welcomed 3 adorable kiddos to our world. Still to this day, I find myself staring at them in amazement that they’re all mine. Let’s be honest though, that lovingly gaze is usually cut short by the youngest throwing a football at my head, or the girls fighting over who gets to unload the easier part of the dishwasher first, but boy do I just adore them.
In our spare time, you can find us enjoying my husband’s high school football games, hiking, boogie boarding/surfing at the beach, chasing sunsets, watching the kids sporting events.
My love of teaching
I began my photography career in 2004 while I attended photography school and quickly built it into a full-time business.
After 10 years of business, I realized I also loved teaching others the art of photography and spent a few years teaching at SBCC. I even started my own wedding photography course while I was there and it has been such a rewarding experience watching my students start and grow their own photography business.
In 2019, I started a photography summer camp for kids and also started offering 1-on-1 mentorships for other photographers. There is nothing cooler than watching a young kid’s face light up when they see what an amazing artist they can be with a camera in their hand!
