Stella

When I was young I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a mom. I always envisioned having little girls that I could dress up, play barbies with, and they would love me forever. I did get a daughter when I met my husband and she is amazing beyond anything I could have dreamed up. But being human I am also selfish and I wanted more. So once my husband and I got married and settled a bit we decided to try for a baby, trust me when I say it did not go as planned. But, that’s a story for another day when I am not feeling quite so introspective. But please meet my little miracle Stella. Just like her sister who I happily share with her mom and my husband, she is beyond my wildest dreams. My Lu will get her own blog someday soon as there is much to cover there. 

This blog is dedicated to Stella the sweet little miracle that blessed us with her presence, early of course after five awful years of infertility. Much like her sister Stella is so much more than I ever imagined. Like all of my prayers answered in one petite yet fiery little person. At 12 she is more like 42 than I am. She oozes confidence. She’s caring and empathetic. Hilarious. Smart. Creative. Stylish. And oh so snuggly. She is also my muse. The reason I picked up a camera again in the first place. When she was a baby she modeled for all kinds of amazing handmade boutiques. While I love my photographer friends and enjoy supporting their businesses we realized quickly that it would be too expensive to keep hiring people. So I got a camera and got to work. What a fun and unique way to document the growth of your little one while fostering a sense of self love and creativity. To this day she still lets me shoot her whenever I can because she knows it brings me great joy. 

The series below came after we both contracted covid and we desperately needed out of the house once our quarantine was over. I purchased this dress with high hopes of a beach shoot in San Francisco, but life intervened and that did not happen. Hindsight is a beautiful thing though because now seeing the dress shot against the backdrop of trains how could it ever have been anywhere else.  We love Sacramento the food and atmosphere are like nowhere else while still being relaxed and family friendly. And having the chance to see trains up close and personal like this is a unique and slightly terrifying experience. Remember these massive locomotives are part of the railroad museum so she was safe the entire shoot.