The Lush Green Desert :: Family Portraits

Did you know that the desert can be surprisingly lush and green? I didn't, until we happened upon this little oasis at the Salt River.

Maybe it's just that this is one of the kindest families I know, or that there was just a touch of magic to the light that day... but I an currently in love with this session and I think I will be for a while.



Can you blame me? How adorable are they?!



To me, family photography is about capturing your life. It helps to have a beautiful backdrop and cute photo props, but nothing beats authenticity. Being present with those you love and letting your love show. That's what it's all about.

Thank you for letting me be around for these moments. Your joy fills me with life.

Peach Berry Crumble

It's been over a year since I tried Bountiful Baskets. The last time I ordered a basket, I didn't plan well so some food went to waste. I happened to get several vegetables that I didn't have much experience working with and just ended up not eating them in time.

Despite my experience last time, I still really liked the idea of Bountiful Baskets. Since I having been trying to work more fruits and vegetables into our meals, I decided to give it another shot last week... and loved it!

I think the key is to plan your meals ahead of time and stick to it. The reason I didn't like it last time ended up being one of the reason I like it more this time around. It's a fun surprise to see what you get in your basket and learn new recipes.



We got lots of perfectly sweet and ripe peaches that were delicious the way they were, but it was clear that we wouldn't eat them all in time. I decided to make a fruit crumble with the peaches and a pound of strawberries that also came in the basket.

The result was a sweet and tart crumble, paired perfectly with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Peach Berry Crumble

1 stick of butter, cubed
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

4 peaches, sliced
1 pound strawberries, sliced in half
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Toss fruit with lemon juice and additional sugar to taste, add in 2 tbsp of dry ingredients and toss, then place in baking dish (I used a 2-quart dish).  Mix butter and dry ingredients with your hands until crumbly and butter cubes are the size of small pebbles. Top fruit with the mixture and bake for 40 minutes.

(Depending on how full your dish is, you may want to place a cookie sheet under your baking dish to prevent the fruit from bubbling over. I did, but ended up not needing it.)

Ice cream is a must. Enjoy!

Family Portraits :: A Summer Treat

What do you do in the middle of summer, when it's too hot to be outside for more than 10 minutes? You do your family photo shoot in an adorable frozen yogurt shop and dress your family in equally adorable outfits.

Somebody in the fro-yo shop said that we looked like we were shooting a magazine spread. I think they are pretty magazine-worthy. Don't you think? 

This is my second shoot with them. The kids have already grown so much since our first shoot (I know, Amanda has the most creative ideas and outfits for her family)!

Just a year ago that kid was just a babe and sleeping in that buggy. Now he's standing in it?!
After some cool treats, we mustered all of our energy for a quick 15-minute shoot downtown. I love all the new murals that are popping up in the arts district! So colorful and fun.

Family Portraits :: Edgells

It's the middle of summer. Triple digits. The sun is suddenly our enemy. It's about this time of the year that we Phoenicians are asking ourselves why the heck we live here. Are we crazy?

It is now that I have to remind myself of the rest of the year, the days where I don't curse at the sun every time I go outside. I maybe even liked being outside and in the sun. Do these day exist? It seems like I can't even remember anymore... until something as sweet as this family session brings me out of my silly melodrama and into reality. ;)

This beautiful family session took place this spring. The Edgell family met me at South Mountain for a mix of edgy old ruin and desert landscape. That sweet desert sunshine gave us the perfect afternoon light!






So gorgeous, Becky. Love your eyes here!




Love love love this one of A. Something about her expression says so much about how it feels to be 5 years old. A lot of times, I talk to kids as I'm snapping their photo to get genuine expression out of them.
"A, I love your smile. You look like a princess. Does anyone ever call you a princess?"
"Yeah," she said as she looked down with a sly smile.
"Really? Who?"
"My daddy!" she beamed as she looked up at me.
That exchange just about killed me with sweetness. At that moment, I decided that I needed to have a daughter someday. :)

And now, I leave you with this beauty. This image begs (and demands!) to be blown up on a canvas and put up in the living room!

Alright, so this is why I love living in Phoenix. That gorgeous sunshine.

Newborn Portraits :: Micah

Micah and his thoughtful, furrowed brows are going to solve the world's problems. At least a good chunk of it, don't you think?

Sleeping in Seattle

Joel and I took a semi-spontaneous trip to Seattle. With summer upon us, overcast days and chilly weather was the perfect getaway. I even crocheted a scarf on the way there because I knew that this was the last chance I'll get to wear it until November.

The Pacific Northwest is so beautiful. It never disappoints.

We did lots of regular touristy things like visiting Pike Place and going up on the Space Needle, but mostly our trip was planned around food and coffee. It may sound silly to plan a vacation around food, but it's true. We made a list of restaurants and cafes we wanted to visit and planned our daily itineraries accordingly. I think you can learn a lot about a city and its culture through food, but the bottom line is... we love food.

One of the greatest things about our trip was that we walked or used public transportation to get everywhere we needed to go. It saved us some money and made the trip more fun because we got to see all the in-between places.




We had the best apple from these guys. Why don't apples taste that good all the time? We actually fought over it!



From the top of the Space Needle


Coffee is an art form in Seattle. I enjoyed every drop of it.

This guy always knows how to make me laugh. I'm grateful to walk through life with him and to laugh all along the way.

The Smallest Baseball Fan

Lorenzo was just over a week old when I took these photos. Such a sweet little guy!




I love doing newborn photos in the clients' homes because it cuts down on the hassle of traveling with a newborn and everything they need is within reach. Lorenzo slept really well at the beginning of our shoot, allowing me to get these peaceful portraits of him.

I like mixing portraits with lifestyle shots, so it worked out that Lorenzo started getting hungry about an hour into the shoot. While Lorenzo cuddled with his mom, I took the opportunity to capture some in-between moments. These shots almost always end up being my favorites because they are so authentic and naturally unposed.

Since my family moved around a lot when I was a kid, lots of family photos were lost during the transitions. I wish I have more baby photos, especially ones like these to look back on.



Lorenzo's mom, Adrienne, is a huge Dodgers fan. Of course we had to work that into a few photos! :)



I love all of his expressions here. I wonder what Lorenzo was dreaming about.


Another sweet moment with mom!


Adrienne, thanks for the chance to meet your family. Congrats on a healthy, sweet baby boy!