Newborn Home Lifestyle Session | Ballard, Seattle

I like to joke during newborn sessions that their baby “didn’t get a say in being a model today.” It helps to take the pressure off the parents, and reminds us all to go with the flow. Sometimes that means a longer feed than planned, or that we stick to specific positions and types of photos. The newborn in this photoshoot was only one week old, and still finding a schedule with breastfeeding, so we made sure to take lots of breaks for that. His mom felt a little bad, but I reassured her it is totally ok and to be expected! First priority is baby’s health and comfort. It also gave me some nice time to connect with the family. One of the many parts of my job that i really love. :) Scroll below to see the photos from our session, you’ll see at the bottom that grandma and grandpa even got to join in some!

North Seattle Maternity Session | Carkeek Park

I love getting to know a family before their baby arrives. The months leading up to birth feel like such an undescribable time, filled with so much excitement, anticipation, and unknown. While exploring a beautiful park together, I enjoy chatting with the new parents and hearing about their experiences so far. And then, a few weeks or months later, we meet again for the newborn session! The newborn photo shoot is a different vibe, full of vulnerability and sleep deprivation, but also filled with so much love. Walking into a newborn session is like meeting a family that always was, and these early moments are truly some of my favorite things to capture. I’m beyond stoked to meet this baby next week. :)

Newborn Home Lifestyle Session | Seattle Family Photographer

seattle newborn home session

Newborn sessions make my heart so very happy. The pace of them is quite a bit slower than other sessions - we’re at the whim of a new baby and the feeling of a rushed schedule can completely slip away. It’s easy to connect with the parents because they’re in the middle of such a wild and special time. Often exhausted, but hearts unimaginable full.

The whole “photographing a happy baby” part can be a challenge, but over the years I’ve picked up some helpful tricks for calming newborns down. Scroll below for some precious newborn and family photos, and bonus points if you spot my favorite moment - when big sister paused the photoshoot to go get a nectarine to pose with.

Solo Traveling in Argentina

On the days surrounding my trip to Antarctica last January, I carved out time to visit Ushuaia, El Chaltén, and El Calafate.

Ushuaia is a scenic port town on the southern tip of Argentina. It’s nicknamed The End of the World, perched on a hill and known for its intense winds. This little town felt like a slice of magic. Bustling with live music, mountain views, and welcoming people. Argentina had just won the World Cup, and the energy surrounding that was hard to describe (scroll to the bottom for a video.) I made some friends from the Buenos Aires flight and we exchanged numbers when we realized we were all going to Ushuaia. It was a ton of fun exploring the area with them! What made me love this town even more was the fact that it would connect me to Antarctica. You can see some photos of that trip here, and I’ll have to write up a blog post on that soon. It was the experience of a lifetime and a place I still think about when I close my eyes. After arriving back, I spent more time in Ushuaia with the friends I had made on the trip and it was a fantastic couple of days.

The next leg of my trip was a bit different than I expected. I was recovering from being sick and catching up on A LOT of sleep. I came into El Chaltén expecting I’d accomplish some long solo hikes, and I left with a lesson in the importance of listening to your body. (And the age-old reminder that sometimes the universe has different plans.) Instead of rigorous hikes, I spent most of my time resting and exploring the village. I got to know all the local dogs, and I visited a new ice cream shop every night. I skyped Dan and Ollie from afar and felt a little closer to home. By the time I got to El Calafate, I had regained a lot of my energy, and I was able to join a glacial hike at Perito Moreno Glacier. This day was stunning, and I even made some friends from the U.S. and the Netherlands. At the end of our time together, we all watched a massive piece of the glacier calve in awe….scroll below for the photo, it was truly insane! I hope to make it back to El Chaltén and complete those bucket list hikes someday, but for now, I am so grateful for the views and experiences I got to have in this beautiful part of the world.

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Burano Island | Traveling in Italy: Part Four

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At the end of Dan and my travels in Italy last June, we had another overnight layover in Venice. Eager to catch up on some sleep, we started with a slow morning at our hotel, and then we took the public water taxi to Burano.

This island was such a neat way to end our trip, truly unlike any place we’d ever been. We spent hours strolling through the secrets and taking in all the colors. Each turn led to a view more vibrant than the last. Afterward, we stopped to get drinks and a few different types of seafood bruschetta…and of course, some gelato. (Coca-Zero pictured, in honor of a favorite song I heard on the radio while we were there.) Burano is such an inspiring peaceful place, if you’re ever in Venice, I highly recommend a day trip to the Island.

Newborn Home Lifestyle Session | North Seattle

I first photographed this family when they had one kiddo, and now they have three! I had so much fun at their newborn session. The baby was so calm and emotive, and when she needed a break to feed, I got some quality time with the two older girls. Theres so much love and authenticity in this family, and I always leave our sessions with a huge grin plastered on my face. Scroll through and take in all the sweetness. :)

Family Home Session | Seattle and Tacoma Lifestyle Photography

This family makes me so dang happy. I first met Lauren and Max at a dinner party in 2020. Lauren is an amazing chef and I was lucky enough to attend one of the Fresco dinners the two of them were hosting. At that time, they only had one kiddo, but over the years, both their family and their dinner parties have grown. Lauren and Max moved to Tacoma a few years back, and they now live in the most beautiful and light-filled historical home. I’m constantly inspired by how they juggle so much with such kind and positive attitudes. If you ever want to meet these wonderful humans, and indulge in their magical meals, check out the Fifth & Fresco page on Instagram.

Visiting Friends in Palermo | Traveling through Italy: Part Three

Fate seems to work in funny ways. This past January, I went to do photo work in Antarctica. It was a trip I had been planning (and rescheduling throughout Covid,) for years, and something I knew wanted to push myself to do on my own.

After boarding the ship, I learned that I’d be sharing a cabin with a woman from Italy named Robi. She was on her honeymoon and the expedition group accidentally messed up the room situation. It definitely wasn’t ideal, but she and her husband, Mario, were trying to make the best of it.

In hindsight, I can’t believe how lucky I got, and how this mistake created such special (and lifelong) friendships. The next 11 days were full of late-night conversations, and bonding over all the crazy things that only happen on a boat to the bottom of the world. We loved learning about so many aspects of each other’s lives. How different we were, and yet how much we had in common.

So when Dan and I started planning our honeymoon, it only felt right to plan a stop to stay with Robi and Mario in Palermo. It was such a beautiful, full-circle experience being able to visit them on their home island. (and my heart was bursting seeing Dan bond with them just as much as I did.)

We were immersed right into their culture and felt so accepted by their families and friends. We got to attend birthday parties, family meals, and relaxing conversations in the pool. The experience inspired us in many ways and even motivated us to get our first tattoos. (Special thanks to Robi’s cousin, who happens to be an incredible tattoo artist in Palermo!)

While floating on the Mediterranean Sea one day, Robi mentioned to me that doctors sometimes send their patients here to heal. It immediately made sense to me. The energy of Siciliy is contagious in the most nourishing of ways. It’s part of the world that changes you for the better. The loving and welcoming community, the wholesome food, the bold and authentic attitudes, the curing waters. I’m so grateful for this experience, and I’ll be reflecting and learning from this place and it’s people for a long, long time. 


Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Robi and Mario, we can’t wait to see you again. ♥

Van Camping in the Dolomites | Traveling through Italy: Part Two

Dan and I spent eight days camping in the Italian Alps, and the whole experience is still blowing our minds. After flying into Venice, we rented a VW California from Indie Campers. We spent the first night in Falcade, exploring the town and befriending both local humans and local sheep, dogs, and cats. From there, we visited many mountain towns, each more scenic and surprising than the last. Some of our favorite hikes were: Seceda Ridgeline, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Cadini di Misurina, and Lago Di Sorapis.

We were fascinated by the mix of Italian and Austrian Cultures and how some towns spoke primarily German. What amazed us even more, though, was the development in such remote areas. Every trail we climbed had a hut operating at the top. This is something I’d never experienced on a hike in the U.S. (And once you have Aperol Spritz and Dolomiti Cuisine at 9,000 feet, you’ll start questioning how you ever settled on trail mix and a water bottle.)

I couldn’t believe how we lucked out with beautiful weather, and the only thunderstorm happened right as we were finishing Cadini di Misurina. Dan and I watched the storm roll through from the van, and then headed out to Tre Cime right when the clouds parted! Because of this, we managed to get a lot of the hike to ourselves. Sitting at these Alpine lakes in privacy was something I’ll never forget.

The one hiccup was that our luggage got lost during our Paris Layover. Not knowing how long it would take to make it to Italy, we decided to continue our camping trip as planned. (Yes, we learned what it’s like to wear an airplane outfit for six days.) While we kept trying to remind ourselves that “things are just things,” we were extremely happy to get our warm clothes and hiking gear back for the last two days.

We’re so grateful we could finally visit this part of the Alps and are already dreaming of all the Swiss and French regions we’d like to visit. Please leave a comment at the bottom if you have any questions!

Summertime in Venice | Traveling Through Italy: Part One

Dan and I planned our honeymoon to be in the Dolomites & Sicily, and the most convenient way to do so was a flight through Venice. This city had never been at the top of our bucket list, but to make the most of it, we stayed a few nights! A friend of my mom’s recommended staying in the Jewish Quarter, Cannaregio, as it would feel a bit less touristy than the rest of the area.

Little did we know we’d fall completely in love with the place - its earthy and historical tones, its endless secret alleyways. Layers of stucco peeled off buildings like chapters of a book. Every doorway shared a story…every clothesline, a personality…every scent, a memory.  I’ve always preferred landscape and portrait photography, but this area opened my eyes to the magic of documenting a city.

After dinner one night, we strolled through the streets taking photos together and it was such a memorable experience. So many gritty and authentic moments took my breath away…a captivating contrast to the mountain towns up North.

Stay tuned for 3 more blog posts on the Dolomites, Palermo, and Burano!

Mattie and John | Seattle Engagement Session | Discovery Park

I’ve photographed a lot of engagement sessions over the years, but there is something so indescribably special about doing it for a best friend. Mattie and I met on the first day of college, and we quickly became inseparable. She lives all the way over in Minneapolis now, but that doesn’t stop us from having 3-hour phone calls more often than I care to admit. We may not be physically in the same place, but nothing will stop us from carrying each other through the big (and little) changes that happen in our lives. I’ve loved getting to know her partner, John, better, over the last few years, and it was an absolute blast hosting the two of them in Seattle this spring. On Friday, we started the day with a hike to the Discovery Park Lighthouse and ended it at Climate Pledge Arena for the Phish concert. It was a memorable weekend in so many ways, and I can’t wait to create more beautiful memories at the wedding (in France!!) next Spring.

Newborn Home Lifestyle Session

I start to sound like a broken record when I’m writing about newborn sessions, because I always leave with a similar set of emotions. These photoshoots fill me with so much warmth, awe, and inspiration. The unconditional love I get to witness while photographing a family with their new baby is something that feels hard to put words to. There’s a beauty in the vulnerability of the whole experience…the bold courage contrasted with the tender new connection. I’m so grateful I get to be a small part of these transitional phases, and so thrilled for each new family member I get to capture. This newborn phase is fleeting, and documenting it with a photo session is incredibly important.

Downtown Seattle Headshot Session | Lifestyle Photography

I’ve been getting more inquiries for lifestyle headshot sessions recently, and I’m so happy about it. There are so many reasons people are looking to update their photos. Whether it be for LinkedIn or a new business venture, online dating profiles, or even just to capture how you look and feel in this time of life. My clients often leave the photoshoot saying it was less awkward (and way more fun) than they expected! And the feeling after delivered the photos is even better. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing the confidence boost people get from loving the photos of themselves.



Vashon Family Session | Summer at KVI Beach | Seattle Area Family Photography

It’s officially spring in the Pacific Northwest. Snow is melting, birds are chirping, trees are blossoming, and temps are beginning to rise! I’m apparently 3 months ahead of myself because now all I can think about are barefoot summer adventures at the beach. This Vashon family session was so magical. The golden light glistened along the water and the sound of giggles was nonstop. We adventured to find the best tide treasures and ripest blackberries. A summer night that felt straight out of a scene in a movie.

Newborn and Family Lifestyle Session | Seattle Portrait Photographer

I’ve got such a soft spot for newborn sessions, but these photoshoots feel extra special when I get to reunite with the big siblings too! I first met this family at their maternity session in June 2020. We explored Discovery Park together and I remembered thinking how nice it felt to photograph again after a few months of lockdown. I’ve loved capturing their daughter grow, and now there’s a baby brother in the family to swoon over. All swaddles now, but I can’t imagine it will be long before I’m chasing him around just like his big sister. A little reminder that the phase you’re in will pass quickly, hold on tight. ;)