In addition to being an awesome wedding, portrait and event photographer I bet many of you don’t know that I moonlight in December as Santa’s official photographer. (And queue the elf jokes in 3,2,1….) Santa Photos are a big part of what I do.  At Martinez Santa House, I diversify my business and serve my […]

Dear Minted: I’ve been photographing families for seven years. Let me tell you; it’s been a long slog. I’ve learned so many things through the years that makes my work consistent and creates happy clients, I’ve also learned that I work in a community of other independent photographers and we have also come to help, […]

Carrie and John think about everyone around them. It was so obvious that this was true when their families gathered for Thanksgiving weekend at The Garden Pavilion in Sonoma, Ca.  Things like–John gave up his chair for his sister-in-law whose child had to be near Dad when he was giving a speech; when they insisted on […]

Beverly is a woman in perpetual motion. She and her new husband Duane bought a fixer-upper in the Danville Hills and given her familiarity with renovation projects dove straight in. Duane found himself a handywoman and yet while she is good at things like restoring old cabinetry he hewed a path from their home’s patio […]

Carl was at Baker Beach when I rolled up to meet David and Brandon for their elopement. While they were hoping for a lot of sun I was excited for the dreamy feel and the beautiful diffused light that Carl the fondly named fogbank brought with him for this special intimate wedding with Blue Sky […]

I think I found it; the place where love and light exist full-time. It’s one of those locations you have to pay to shoot sessions at, it’s so fabulous. I balked at the $50 permit fee and now I get it; without it, Sycamore Valley Grove in Livermore, across from Dante Robere Vineyards would be […]

Happy New Year!! Welcome, 2016, and thank you 2015! I’ve been reflecting on weddings passed, and would like to tip my cap to my two favorites from last year or so. I see wedding photography as a sacred task. The couples I work with are putting some of their most cherished and significant memories in my hands, trusting […]

Introducing  new in-home lifestyle photo mini-sessions Inspired by this amazeballs Scary Mommy article and a sweet little session I did last week it’s high time we focus on capturing little in-between moments and maybe let go of perfection and expertly lit outdoor portraits (I can do those but this isn’t what we’re talking about RIGHT NOW).  […]

As these things generally happen, I got a wild hair one night when I discovered my website was rendering in all sorts of crazy ways and I didn’t know how/have the patience for a designer to fix it. So I found a beautiful template that jived with the S&L branding and decided to completely revamp […]

You fly by the seat of your pants; you go with the flow. You are the one who always shows up 10 minutes after the movie “start” time because the previews and commercials  will be done then. You  get the primo seat away from the loudest popcorn munchers and trash talkers. Life happens on your […]