• One more from Tiffany and Dan’s San Francisco elopement wedding (“What, two in a row?! Isn’t that some kind of Instagram protocol sacrilege?” “I know man, I don’t make the rules, I just live to break them.”). Photographed on my #Contax645 and processed by @photovisionprints.
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    One more from Tiffany and Dan’s San Francisco elopement wedding (“What, two in a row?! Isn’t that some kind of Instagram protocol sacrilege?” “I know man, I don’t make the rules, I just live to break them.”). Photographed on my #Contax645 and processed by @photovisionprints.
  • These two got married over a zoom call conducted by a city hall clerk from her cubicle (the actual building is still closed to the public) and then we met on the beach for wedding portraits in a dress that Tiffany found in a local boutique earlier that week. The importance of honoring commitment and marriage is really hitting home for me in this season of backyard elopements and last-minute “let’s just do the dang thing!” decisions. It’s a huge honor for me to be a part of these stories and to help create a physical product of good from these weird times. We had each other and nothing else mattered. More images from Tiffany and Dan’s beachside portraits can be found on my blog. Photographed on my @sonyalpha A7iii and edited with @thearchetypeprocess.
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    These two got married over a zoom call conducted by a city hall clerk from her cubicle (the actual building is still closed to the public) and then we met on the beach for wedding portraits in a dress that Tiffany found in a local boutique earlier that week. The importance of honoring commitment and marriage is really hitting home for me in this season of backyard elopements and last-minute “let’s just do the dang thing!” decisions. It’s a huge honor for me to be a part of these stories and to help create a physical product of good from these weird times. We had each other and nothing else mattered. More images from Tiffany and Dan’s beachside portraits can be found on my blog. Photographed on my @sonyalpha A7iii and edited with @thearchetypeprocess.
  • From a recent family session here in San Francisco. The exact kind of light and people that I love and live for. Photographed with my @sonyalpha A7iii and edited with @thearchetypeprocess.
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    From a recent family session here in San Francisco. The exact kind of light and people that I love and live for. Photographed with my @sonyalpha A7iii and edited with @thearchetypeprocess.
  • Sometimes I worry that the things I greatly miss are actually quite frivolous and unimportant in the greater world. But Michael gently reminds me that we are all collectively mourning the loss of our normality and it is okay to grieve. Man’s got a way with words ♥️ I had something else to say on this but the gas meter inspector is here and the dog is losing his mind so we’ll wrap here today and REMINDER: hug tight the things you do have and love!!! And take photographs of these times!! Because pictures are so much more important than words can fully say right now. Image from a virtual play date with @lairseypaperco, engagement ring from @susiesaltzman (my own!), wedding band from this incredible offline metalsmithing experience that I highly recommend – look up “DIY wedding rings” in San Francisco and send Adam all our love.
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    Sometimes I worry that the things I greatly miss are actually quite frivolous and unimportant in the greater world. But Michael gently reminds me that we are all collectively mourning the loss of our normality and it is okay to grieve. Man’s got a way with words ♥️ I had something else to say on this but the gas meter inspector is here and the dog is losing his mind so we’ll wrap here today and REMINDER: hug tight the things you do have and love!!! And take photographs of these times!! Because pictures are so much more important than words can fully say right now. Image from a virtual play date with @lairseypaperco, engagement ring from @susiesaltzman (my own!), wedding band from this incredible offline metalsmithing experience that I highly recommend – look up “DIY wedding rings” in San Francisco and send Adam all our love.
  • This week, I wrote some letters to undecided voters in other states through @votefwd and I wanted to share here on Instagram the reason why I choose to vote (especially as I didn’t always vote and this is something I’ve recently changed my mind on). Growing up, my family rarely discussed politics. For the longest time, I assumed my parents simply didn’t care, so by inheritance, I also didn’t care, and maybe this is somewhat true, but not in the way I originally imagined. My immigrant parents come from another country where involvement in politics had dangerous, sometimes violent consequences (something that lately seems to be mirroring realities here, but I digress). The first glimpse I had of my father’s experience with China’s Cultural Revolution was in middle school, when I brought home my violin and my father jokingly likened the sound of me practicing to the sound of someone killing pigs. I asked him accusingly how he would even know what that sounded like and he responded “I know because they took me from my family and sent me to a farm and that’s what I did.” It was many years later that I realized the “reunions” my parents attended were not typical school class reunions, but gatherings with their fellow exiled “Down to the Countryside” students. My parents may not discuss politics regularly and freely, but the politics they lived through have deeply colored how they raised my sister and I. I appreciate what I used to perceive as their silence, and see all the ways they got loud when it mattered. Now, in this country, the one of my birth and my days yet-to-come, I believe these days matter. I believe that the future of our country is determined by what we do today. When we all vote, we demonstrate our collective power to stand up for what we believe in. My right to vote empowers me to make the world a safer, healthier, more inclusive place for my loved ones. I matter and you matter! And our friends and families matter! Please join me in November in co-creating lasting change together. (And yes, my parents will be voting this election cycle with me ♥️)
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    This week, I wrote some letters to undecided voters in other states through @votefwd and I wanted to share here on Instagram the reason why I choose to vote (especially as I didn’t always vote and this is something I’ve recently changed my mind on). Growing up, my family rarely discussed politics. For the longest time, I assumed my parents simply didn’t care, so by inheritance, I also didn’t care, and maybe this is somewhat true, but not in the way I originally imagined. My immigrant parents come from another country where involvement in politics had dangerous, sometimes violent consequences (something that lately seems to be mirroring realities here, but I digress). The first glimpse I had of my father’s experience with China’s Cultural Revolution was in middle school, when I brought home my violin and my father jokingly likened the sound of me practicing to the sound of someone killing pigs. I asked him accusingly how he would even know what that sounded like and he responded “I know because they took me from my family and sent me to a farm and that’s what I did.” It was many years later that I realized the “reunions” my parents attended were not typical school class reunions, but gatherings with their fellow exiled “Down to the Countryside” students. My parents may not discuss politics regularly and freely, but the politics they lived through have deeply colored how they raised my sister and I. I appreciate what I used to perceive as their silence, and see all the ways they got loud when it mattered. Now, in this country, the one of my birth and my days yet-to-come, I believe these days matter. I believe that the future of our country is determined by what we do today. When we all vote, we demonstrate our collective power to stand up for what we believe in. My right to vote empowers me to make the world a safer, healthier, more inclusive place for my loved ones. I matter and you matter! And our friends and families matter! Please join me in November in co-creating lasting change together. (And yes, my parents will be voting this election cycle with me ♥️)
  • Recharging all the batteries (literal and metaphorical) in preparation for a triple header wedding weekend. Reviewing my past work is one of my favorite ways to get my head back into this space, especially when it comes to thinking about new ways of posing and offering scene direction. Dynamic storytelling is something I aim for with all of my work. There are soooo many different ways to grow with this, but my favorite tried-‘n-true method is making sure I push myself a little outside of my “norm” with every single new session I photograph. I try to review my work afterwards with a lens towards critical growth (easier said than done - natural impulse is always to COMPLETELY TEAR MYSELF APART). For several years in a past life, I worked in creative recruiting and reviewed thousands and thousands of portfolios. I think all of those experiences continue to color how I see and feel about my own work. I feel like I’m always in need of something new and this is my small way of doing this without losing my mind. Does any of this make sense anymore?? Another day of talking in circles to myself on this platform. Planning and design by @amandawatsondesigns, jumpsuit by @vincecamuto, hair by @wheelhousealex, makeup by @vivantleivida, photographed at @longlivefilmworkshop on @fujifilm_profilm on my #Contax645 and processed by @indiefilmlab.
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    Recharging all the batteries (literal and metaphorical) in preparation for a triple header wedding weekend. Reviewing my past work is one of my favorite ways to get my head back into this space, especially when it comes to thinking about new ways of posing and offering scene direction. Dynamic storytelling is something I aim for with all of my work. There are soooo many different ways to grow with this, but my favorite tried-‘n-true method is making sure I push myself a little outside of my “norm” with every single new session I photograph. I try to review my work afterwards with a lens towards critical growth (easier said than done - natural impulse is always to COMPLETELY TEAR MYSELF APART). For several years in a past life, I worked in creative recruiting and reviewed thousands and thousands of portfolios. I think all of those experiences continue to color how I see and feel about my own work. I feel like I’m always in need of something new and this is my small way of doing this without losing my mind. Does any of this make sense anymore?? Another day of talking in circles to myself on this platform. Planning and design by @amandawatsondesigns, jumpsuit by @vincecamuto, hair by @wheelhousealex, makeup by @vivantleivida, photographed at @longlivefilmworkshop on @fujifilm_profilm on my #Contax645 and processed by @indiefilmlab.
  • We’re settling into our new home and feeling more “outdoorsy” than we have in years. I wouldn’t ever trade away the time we spent living on top of one another in our 400sq ft honeymoon apartment – because boy, those were some formative years!!! – but I forgot how much simple good comes from ready access to natural light and peaceful mornings spent in patches of sun rays. I’ll take all the sunlight synthesis I can get this month as we head into what’s always historically been the busiest photographing season. Yes, things look pretty different these days, but we’re making the most of what we can safely do. Storytelling in these times feels more vital than ever and I can see it continue to evolve in my work, which to be honest, I was worried wouldn’t happen this year. And that would’ve ultimately been okay too, but it’s nice to know that at least for me, finding new solutions to unexpected challenges is just another form of narration. Anyways, that’s about it for my semi-regular check in. Looking forward to sharing some new work soon! Image from our last girls trip to Ukiah, barely a week before our shelter-in-place mandate began, over 200 days ago. I’m trying this new thing at every session where I capture at least one photograph of the sky and how it looked. I want to remember it all. Photographed on @fujifilm_profilm with my #Contax645 and processed by @indiefilmlab.
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    We’re settling into our new home and feeling more “outdoorsy” than we have in years. I wouldn’t ever trade away the time we spent living on top of one another in our 400sq ft honeymoon apartment – because boy, those were some formative years!!! – but I forgot how much simple good comes from ready access to natural light and peaceful mornings spent in patches of sun rays. I’ll take all the sunlight synthesis I can get this month as we head into what’s always historically been the busiest photographing season. Yes, things look pretty different these days, but we’re making the most of what we can safely do. Storytelling in these times feels more vital than ever and I can see it continue to evolve in my work, which to be honest, I was worried wouldn’t happen this year. And that would’ve ultimately been okay too, but it’s nice to know that at least for me, finding new solutions to unexpected challenges is just another form of narration. Anyways, that’s about it for my semi-regular check in. Looking forward to sharing some new work soon! Image from our last girls trip to Ukiah, barely a week before our shelter-in-place mandate began, over 200 days ago. I’m trying this new thing at every session where I capture at least one photograph of the sky and how it looked. I want to remember it all. Photographed on @fujifilm_profilm with my #Contax645 and processed by @indiefilmlab.
  • My personal schedule has shifted quite significantly recently. Working two times a week at a local preschool has put me back on a child’s timetable, and when nap time comes, I’m asleep on my feet, goodbye to all afternoon email ability. As someone who has always deeply valued sleep, it’s very weird to suddenly be up naturally, and alone, at sunrise. The world is still and fresh in the early hours. If there are answers waiting in the morning, I’m probably not going to find them while typing in my phone, so I’ll leave this at that. Image from some absolutely delicious sunshine time I got to spend with new friends in the backwaters of Alabama. Planning and design by @amandawatsondesigns, dress by @joliennecollection, hair by @wheelhousealex, makeup by @vivantleivida, photographed at @longlivefilmworkshop on @fujifilm_profilm on my #Contax645 and processed by @indiefilmlab.
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    My personal schedule has shifted quite significantly recently. Working two times a week at a local preschool has put me back on a child’s timetable, and when nap time comes, I’m asleep on my feet, goodbye to all afternoon email ability. As someone who has always deeply valued sleep, it’s very weird to suddenly be up naturally, and alone, at sunrise. The world is still and fresh in the early hours. If there are answers waiting in the morning, I’m probably not going to find them while typing in my phone, so I’ll leave this at that. Image from some absolutely delicious sunshine time I got to spend with new friends in the backwaters of Alabama. Planning and design by @amandawatsondesigns, dress by @joliennecollection, hair by @wheelhousealex, makeup by @vivantleivida, photographed at @longlivefilmworkshop on @fujifilm_profilm on my #Contax645 and processed by @indiefilmlab.