The McNeil Family | Three Boys & Laurelhurst Park
I've been photographing the McNeils since their oldest was born — and every session since has been a little louder, a little more chaotic, and a whole lot more fun. Three boys will do that. We spent a fall afternoon at Laurelhurst Park and I don't think anyone stood still for more than thirty seconds. Exactly right.
Golden Hour at Mount Tabor | Portland Family Photography
Some clients become more than clients. I first photographed Caitlin and Matt at their engagement session back in 2010 — and over the last fifteen years I've had the privilege of watching their family grow, session by session. Maternity. Newborns. Milestones. And now, three kids tearing down the trails at Mount Tabor in the most perfect November light I've seen all year. This one is for the archives.
Evan, Chantal & Eli | Golden Hour on the Oregon Coast with a Very Busy Toddler
The last time I photographed this family, Eli was still a character waiting to be rolled. Chantal was luminous in an emerald dress in the old-growth forest at Oxbow, and there was so much anticipation for whoever was on the way. Now he's here. He's a full person. He has opinions about waves. And watching these three together at golden hour on the Oregon Coast was one of those sessions I'll carry with me for a long time.
For Your Favorite Person | A Grandmother & Granddaughter Session at Tryon Creek
Alexis came to me with a request I had never gotten before: a portrait session with her grandmother. Not a full family session, not a milestone event — just the two of them, in the woods, photographed together because her grandmother is her favorite person and she wanted pictures that showed it. I said yes immediately, and now I am completely obsessed. I want every single person reading this to book this session. The hands reaching toward each other through the green. The way she rested her head on her grandmother's shoulder and they both just laughed. I haven't stopped thinking about this one since.
Becca, Tim & Family | Light & Airy Beach Portraits in Lincoln City, Oregon
Here's a fun fact: Becca and Tim were the very first wedding I ever photographed. We went to college together, and back in 2009 I was behind the camera for the day they got married — and I caught the bouquet. Fifteen-plus years later, I'm photographing their family of five on the Oregon Coast. Some things come full circle in the most beautiful ways.
Mecona, Alex & Journey | A Fall Family Session at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley, California
I first came into Mecona's world through her aunt's wedding — a stunning celebration at Grand Island Mansion in California that I'll never forget. When Mecona reached out for family photos at Lake Chabot with her husband Alex and their little one Journey, it felt like a natural continuation of something that started with family and stayed with family. The lake at golden hour delivered.
Three Generations | Andrea, Deion & Myla's Family Session in Clackamas County, Oregon
I've been with Andrea and Deion through a lot of chapters — the engagement, the wedding, the maternity session. Now there's Myla, a baby with the best smile and a pink stuffed elephant nearly as big as she is, and the whole family gathered in the fall color of a Clackamas County park to be photographed together. Three generations, one perfect afternoon.
Jennifer, Jake & The Boys | Family Photos at Daybreak Regional Park in Battle Ground, Washington
Jennifer and I have been friends since before we could walk — literally. Our parents met in birthing class, and we were born just a few days apart. Getting to photograph her family, with Jake and their three boys and their dog on the rocky banks of the East Fork Lewis River, is the kind of thing that makes this job feel like an enormous gift.
From Two to Three: Brianna, Cameron & E at Scouters Mountain | Happy Valley, Oregon
I've photographed Brianna and Cameron through a lot of chapters — the engagement, the wedding, the maternity session where Brianna stood at the base of Wahclella Falls and told me, half joking, that she'd be in Vogue one day (she was right). Now there's E, a toddler with opinions about everything and a laugh that fills the whole forest. Scouters Mountain gave us ancient trees, Mount Hood on the horizon, and one family who already knows how to show up.
The Coopers Come to Bend: An Extended Family Session in Central Oregon
There is something so special about being trusted with a family's memories across multiple chapters. I photographed Sami and Joseph's wedding. I photographed Joseph's sister Rachel's wedding. And now here I am in Bend, Oregon, camera in hand, photographing Sami's entire side of the family — the Coopers — as they gathered from wherever life has taken them to be together in one place. This is exactly why I do what I do.
Baby Bryce Makes Three: A Family Session at a Winery in Napa Valley
I've known Danika for over twenty years — she is my best friend's little sister, a middle schooler when we first met, and watching her grow into the woman and mother she is today is one of the quiet joys of my life. Getting to photograph her, Brandon, and baby Bryce at Far Niente Winery in Napa Valley — the same winery where I photographed Kevin and Amy's wedding portraits made it the perfect full-circle moment.
Lacamas Lake Family Session | A Blended Family and the Best Golden Hour in Washington
Lacamas Lake Regional Park in Washington is one of my favorite locations for family sessions — the lake, the trees, that beautiful wooden footbridge — and Niki and Shaun's blended family of four brought exactly the kind of energy that makes this job feel like a gift. You can see Niki and Shaun's wedding at Rusty Barn Estates here.
Through Sickness and Through Health: How Seth Became Keisha's Perfect Match
When Keisha's family gathered in a Portland hospital waiting room, they didn't know whether to cry or celebrate. They did both. Because on the other side of those OR doors, her husband Seth — her partner, her person — was giving her the most literal gift a spouse can give: a piece of himself. I was honored to document every moment of this extraordinary day.
Baby Number Two | Andrea & Deion's Maternity Session | Westwood Hills Park Napa Valley
Some clients become something more than clients. Andrea and Deion are that for me. I've photographed their engagement, their wedding, their first maternity session, and now this — baby number two on the way, their daughter holding her mama's hand on a trail at Westwood Hills Park in Napa Valley. Some things you just don't take for granted.
Urban Family Session in Boise, Idaho | Murals & Golden Light
Kimmy, Keaton, and their daughter Poppy wandered through downtown Boise for an evening family session full of murals, brick walls, golden light, and a toddler who spent most of the time swinging between her parents' arms with her feet off the ground and a grin that could stop traffic. This is what a good family session looks like — relaxed, real, and a little bit chaotic in the best possible way.
A Texas Family on the Oregon Coast | Newport Beach Session
A mom and her three grown kids, their partners, and one curly-haired granddaughter in pink rain boots — visiting from Texas and spending an evening on the Oregon Coast at Newport. This is what extended family sessions look like when everyone is genuinely glad to be in the same place at the same time: real laughter, quiet moments between a mom and her daughters, a toddler who ran slightly ahead of everyone the whole time, and a sky that couldn't decide between blue and gold.
Holding Space | Portland Family Photography Through Childhood Leukemia
I've known Amanda since we were kids playing soccer together. I've photographed her engagement, her wedding, her family — and when her son Levi was diagnosed with leukemia as a toddler, I was there for those seasons too. This is a post about Levi, about his brother Wyatt who wanted to name him Monster Truck, about a family who loved loudly and completely — and about why preserving these memories is the most serious and sacred thing I do.