Like many photographers, my journey to starting my newborn and maternity portrait business in Santa Clarita is long. But, it has been an amazing journey — one that I can say has been a truly unique experience.

Falling in Love with Photography

Photography has been the biggest part of my life since I was 15 years old. From the moment I

watched my first photo develop in Mr. Benike’s photo class at Saugus High School, I was hooked. It was a magical experience, and one I WILL NEVER forget. (And, I’m pretty sure I was listening to Evanescence in my headphones at the time… Don’t judge! I was an angsty teen.) That moment and that teacher led me to where I am today, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

From that point on, photography consumed my life. I couldn’t get enough. I took every single photography class offered in high school and at the local community college. I met a girl named Lisa there, who ended up being my roommate when we attended Brooks Institute, a photography art school.

On our first day of orientation, Lisa decided she wanted to sit next to the most unique looking person there. I thought she was straight crazy and told her no. But, with a little pushing on her part, I told her I would sit next to her wherever she chose. (Little did I know, this “most interesting person” she picked would be my husband 6 years later — but that’s a story for another day!)

Photography in the Real World

After graduating, I spent a few years working at prestigious portrait studio before moving into the GIANT world of advertising photography. I spent many years side-by-side with the biggest photographers in the world on some of the most beautiful and creative sets you could imagine. It was such a dream to be around creative, like-minded people. And, meeting all the celebrities was pretty fun too. I have to say, it’s a pretty cool feeling when Jennifer Lopez knows you by name and Mariah Carey offers you a job to work for her personally! My husband Noah and I were lucky to spend years traveling the world together and working long, hard hours doing what we loved.

…But then everything changed. We had our daughter, and my life was never the same — and I mean in the best way possible! Watching that photo develop in the high school darkroom was life-changing, but so was becoming a mom. To be honest, the glitz, glam and hustle just didn’t appeal to me anymore. I didn’t want to leave my daughter for extended periods to chase that dream. I needed to shift.

Finding Balance in Santa Clarita

While being a mom and wife will always be my number one, I didn’t want to let go of my passion for photography, either. So I decided to stay home with my baby and still work as a Santa Clarita family, maternity and newborn photographer.

There are so many reasons why I wanted to start newborn and maternity portraiture, but this is the biggest one — Becoming a mom was such a defining moment in my life that I wanted to go back and feel those moments with other moms, every single day if I can.

Connecting with other parents and being able to witness the life-changing experiences I went

through is really an amazing thing. Combining my most pivotal moments into one career was really “full circle” in a way.

With the support of my truly amazing husband, I decided to drop the hustle and focus on the heart. I just jumped, literally ALL IN. And I have never looked back. I love every moment of every session. (Really, though. I don’t even mind getting pooped on!) I can’t imagine doing anything else but working in this business and in this life I have built with the support of my family, friends and community. While the photography focus may have changed, one thing will always stay the same — I will never, ever put my camera away.