An engagement, a wedding, a new addition to the family – all are wonderful opportunities to get in front of the camera and create some photos. But what about the in between times? I firmly believe in the importance of taking photos “just because” – to capture any given moment in your life, to celebrate the everyday. Jen was turning 29 and wrote me the most beautiful email about how she wanted just a simple beauty session, to create a time capsule for this particular moment in the last year of her 20s, so she {and her kids one day} could always look back on these photos. This past year was a big one for her – moving to Canada to be with her husband, being away from her family and friends, enduring various changes and challenges – and I’m overjoyed that she took this moment to celebrate coming through all of this with so much grace, to embrace a milestone birthday, and just carve out a small bit of “me” time. Although we wanted this session to focus on her, her sweet hubby Andrew came along and I was so happy I could capture a few of the two of them together as well :)

Also, that beautiful pocket watch necklace you see her wearing below? I swooned over it the entire session and at the end, she pulled out another one that she had bought as a gift for me! Seriously speechless.

Thank you so much Jen for giving me the chance to be a part of capturing all your beauty (both inside and out!) and this particular moment in your life. And if anyone is interested in a similar beauty session, please do contact me – this was such a rewarding and fun process to be a part of :)

How completely sweet are these two? I was so happy when Kristen found me from Tori & Kate’s session, and planned a fun lifestyle shoot as a surprise for her girlfriend Michelle. We brainstormed ways to incorporate little aspects of their relationship – like their love for books, and the sweet notes they write to each other on coffee cups – and finished up the session with a few rounds at the ice skating rink!

I felt a bit emotional as I was going through and editing these photos – the love these two have for each other was in each and every image, and I seriously feel so lucky to have been able to capture a snippet of it, and to be able to share them openly here. I felt this extra strong sense of I want people to see these photos. I want them to see this love, the kind of love that comes in all shapes and forms, that is honest and innocent and real and unstoppable. That it is such a beautiful thing :)

Another ones of my beautiful past couples, who has welcomed a new addition to their family and invited me to document another milestone in their lives :) They’re living in nor cal now and it worked out that I was able to meet up with them while I was there for one of my weddings last month. They showed me their cute new home, the parks where they take Ryan, and one of their favorite ramen places (which was DELICIOUS!)

From the moment I decided to do photography, I always wanted to specialize in weddings and engagements, but I’ve really been enjoying these family sessions that have fatefully fallen into my lap recently. The images that result from these relaxed, peek-into-the-daily, lifestyle type sessions speak so closely to my heart :)