Being a portrait photographer means you come in contact with dozens of couples, kids, and families.

It's delightfully amusing to me, the things that will stand out from a wedding weeks after it has passed. When it's no longer freshfresh and the day has had it's time to settle in the cracks of memory. They're usually the small moments and short phrases, the significance of which is impossible to gauge at the time. 

When a parent warns me that they have a high energy alllmost 5-year-old, I get excited.

First, you shoot the engagement session. 
You get a sense of who your couple is, the first time you ask them to get cuddly and pose for a set of pictures. Sometimes you even get to meet their dog, and you finish your session fantasizing about having a sweet beagle puppy yourself.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING TOMORROW?

You've done it, Family B.

By now, arriving to a wedding day is a fairly predictable event for me.
A quick drive to scope out the immediate surroundings. (Niiiice, first look is gonna be going down right there.)
One last flick of the car visor to check my appearance, making sure I'm at least starting my day by looking presentable. (I've made peace with the fact that not a single hair's gonna be in place by the end of the night.)
And a deep breath (exhaaaale) before a firm yet tentative knock on the bridal suite door. Because you never fully know what the vibe is gonna be like on the other side.

The two things that come to my mind when I think of the Bay Area, are endless rows of grape growing and gorgeous coastline.

A week before I was slated to leave for the California coast, I was talking with my family in an excited gush of adjectives how excited I was to be shooting this particular wedding. 
My mom asked, "So how do you know the couple?"
"We're friends," I responded breezily. "Or... actually... I suppose I first met Steve and Abbi when I shot their engagement session last year..."

It's not often (or ever) that I get to hold the reins to a full suite of theater lights. 
AND THEN REBA'S SENIOR SESH HAPPENED.

THINK FAST.
Hitting you with three reasons this afternoon why I love this anniversary session:

Motherhood is for strong, badass women.
(Don't even try to disagree, please.)
Maternity sessions are all about the celebration of the fact, honoring that feminine strength.
(Amen.)