Helllooo friends and welcome to this sweet little post all about me! You are probably here because you’re on the lookout for a family photographer in Gig Harbor or Kitsap, and I’m so excited to welcome you into my online space and share a bit more about my life and my approach.
As the story goes for so many professional photographers, I first picked up a camera at 8 years old and went through various creative phases until I was about 16. I wanted to be a high-fashion-magazine-esque photographer and laughably used my 4 and 6 year old sisters as my test models for this endeavor, smearing on their red lipstick I sourced from the dollar store and begging them to make “serious” faces. When I was 16 I got a job at a local gym daycare where a few of the moms hired me for family photos, and while they weren’t perfect, they were what got me started on this journey to where we are now. I am so thankful for those families who trusted me in the early early stages when I was charging less than minimum wage. LOL! Here’s one of my earliest photos:
I moved from Kitsap County to the Olympia, Washington area three years ago and was so inspired by all of the local woman-owned businesses in the area: so after giving birth to my oldest daughter and finding some free time on maternity leave, I started focusing on brand photography for health & wellness and creative service providers. This phase was so fun and helped me to get comfortable with the client and planning side of running a photography business. One of my favorite brand sessions was with this Tallow business owner.
I also started taking on more weddings, and learning that I LOVED photographing small, intimate weddings and elopements in Western Washington. I leaned into the documentary style approach and brought my sister on as my in-house second shooter.
As my daughter got a little older and a little more interesting, I really began to lean into family photography. I loved how entertaining kids could be and how they filled the frame with so much personality just by simply existing. I loved observing dynamics between mom and dad and the kids and deciding on the best way to capture it. In 2025, I removed all talk of brand photography from my website and really honed in on families + newborn + maternity, limited my wedding availability to just 3 a year, and also narrowed down my location offerings drastically; I wanted to focus on being a motherhood photographer in Kitsap and Gig Harbor, while taking on Kitsap and Gig Harbor weddings that spoke to me. And now: we are here! I am still locked in on Kitsap and Gig Harbor family, newborn, and maternity photography, and plan to increase my capacity for small Washington weddings and PNW elopements this year now that my kiddos are a little older and can stand to be away from me for a bit longer (just a bit).
My approach to all sessions is documentary-inspired and I really take the time to witness your family and who you truly are. I don’t believe in stiff, overly posed family photo sessions that feel like pulling teeth–I want you to enjoy some time together to deeply connect and create images that your kids will pass onto their kids, and so on.
If you’re a parent in Kitsap County or a mom or dad in Gig Harbor ready to book your family photo session with me, please head over to this link to book online (I offer a convenient self-serve calendar!!), or shoot me a message via my inquiry form by hitting the button below. I can’t wait to hear from you!
