Where Love Lives: Candid & Emotional Family Photography

Photography rooted in emotion, in Santa Cruz, Aptos and the bay area.

I’m here for the in-between moments—the ones that often go unnoticed but carry the most weight. The raw, unfiltered, beautifully imperfect pieces of your life that come and go in an instant. The way little hands instinctively reach for yours. The soft laughter between siblings. The messy hair, the bare feet, the quiet intensity of a stolen glance across a room. These are the moments that tell your story far more than a perfect pose ever could. They are real, and they are honest, and they are what you’ll miss most when time moves forward.

Close-up of two people embracing; one wearing a green garment, the other in a cream-colored sweater, with visible hands.
A family of three dressed formally, with the man in a tuxedo, the woman in a green dress, and a young girl in a white top and skirt, standing outdoors by trees.
Black and white photo of a smiling child with curly hair, wearing a beaded necklace.
A man in a tuxedo and a woman in a green dress joyfully smile while holding a young blond child wearing a light-colored outfit outdoors.
A family portrait featuring a man in a black tuxedo, a woman in a green dress, and a young girl in a beige sweater and gray skirt, standing in a wooded area.
A man in a tuxedo and a woman in a green dress smiling at a young girl with blonde hair outdoors.
Woman with curly hair holding a young child with blonde hair, pointing at something off-camera, wooden background.
Happy family sitting together with wooden background, smiling, wearing casual clothes.
A smiling family of four walking barefoot outdoors, with lush greenery in the background. The pregnant mother in an orange dress is holding her belly, the father is wearing glasses and a light blue shirt, and two young daughters in dresses walk in fr
Family walking together, parents holding hands with daughters, one child being playfully swung in the air.
Woman and two young girls playing in a park, surrounded by logs and trees, wearing casual summer dresses.
Woman and child walking a tan dog on a leash outdoors.
A family of four walking barefoot outdoors. A pregnant woman in a brown dress, a man in a short-sleeved shirt, and two young girls in dresses are smiling. They are on a paved pathway.
A young girl with blonde hair and a blue bow is holding hands with two adults. One adult is wearing a brown dress, and the other is in a light green shirt with a watch. The girl is looking at the camera.
Pregnant woman in swimsuit smiling at young girl inside a striped canopy tent.
Three people holding hands outdoors, two children and one adult, wearing dresses. The children are barefoot, surrounded by a natural setting with rocks.
Pregnant woman in a bikini with a young child hugging her belly.
Pregnant woman with two young daughters embracing outdoors.
Two children sitting by a pool, splashing water with their feet.
Family strolling outdoors, parents with two young daughters, casual summer attire, urban setting.
Young boy holding ropes, wearing a red plaid shirt, outdoors.
Woman holding a baby with a pacifier outdoors in sunlight
A mother breastfeeding a baby surrounded by children on a bed in a black and white photo.
Child dressed as a pilot sitting in a cardboard box airplane, wearing aviator hat and goggles, in a backyard setting.
Family portrait in nature with two adults and two children, trees in background.
A man with a tattoo hugging a shirtless child by a river with rocks in the background.
Woman holding a baby while walking on a path surrounded by grass. Path to 4 Mile beach Santa Cruz.

In every session I shoot—whether it’s a family, maternity, newborn, or just a simple day-in-the-life—I’m looking for emotion over perfection, feeling over formality. Because the truth is, life isn’t staged. It’s beautifully chaotic. It’s loud, quiet, tender, wild, and everything in between. And it’s exactly that mix of realness that I want to help you remember. The tiny wrinkles in your baby’s feet, the smudges on your child’s cheek, the way your partner looks at you when you’re not even paying attention—all of it matters. All of it is worth saving.

We live in a world where everything is curated, filtered, and polished, but I believe the most powerful photographs are the ones that aren’t perfect. They’re the ones that make you feel something. A photograph