Dayna + a Big Announcement!

Ok, First? Can we talk about how freaking stunning this babe is? I met Dayna in a mental health support sisterhood we are both part of. We had an instant connection and before long, I knew I needed to do a shoot with her! She’s a friggin queen and such a muse. I’m so happy that its her photos that accompanies my exciting announcement! But let’s take a step back.

Over the past couple of years, I had been kind of floundering with knowing what I wanted to do in life. I knew I had so much inside to give, but I wasn’t sure where to channel all of my passion and talent! As part of the sisterhood that Dayna and I are in, we do periodic meditations together as a group.

This is me bearing my soul a little, which feels vulnerable but… moving forward, vulnerability is going to be a big part of my brand. *ooof

So I may as well get started with that here.

I attended a revelation meditation and THE NEXT MORNING I had this really powerful mental picture of what my mission and intention in life is moving forward! I had been working and praying and seeking the answer to this question for so long… and it all came to me in a rush. A rush of how I can combine all my interests, talents and gifts into one awesome career and life that will bless so many. Thinking about it lights me up and fills me with absolute fire!

What came to me was a vision of creating a local community that I wish I had had as a young, struggling mother. My children are still young. But they can navigate and communicate, which makes my life so much easier. I’m talking about when I had babies and toddlers. Absolutely exhausting!!! That time was such a struggle for me, as it is for many women, and I just lost myself in that time. I forgot who I was as a person and just became a source of life for these little souls.

I know I’m not the only one who struggled/struggles with this… so I decided to focus more on my photography so that I could afford to create a space that will meet the needs of so many mamas. Creating that connection through fun, creativity and good mental health practices.

My photography is to be the vehicle for that. But since becoming a mother, photo work has been something I do to get me out of the house, make a few extra bucks and provide a creative outlet for myself. I had never taken it super seriously as a business. But I knew that had to change.

I enrolled in a branding course and quickly learned that what I had originally intended to pursue (strictly commercial and product photography) was nnnnnnot going to work for me. I learned that I needed to be ultra passionate about my craft. After a lot (A LOOOT) of soul searching, I figured out what it is that I actually DO as a photographer as well as who I want to work with and how I want to serve them.

What I thought was a means to an end is turning out to be an essential cog in the community I want to create! So here’s the big announcement!!

I AM REBRANDING!!!!

I am now a portrait photographer serving women who are going through life expansions. It could be a divorce, adoption, infertility, a paradigm shift, a spiritual expansion or a healing journey. Whatever your expansion looks like, I’ll be working one on one with you to create beautiful portraiture that captures your essence and highest self. I will be offering a small selection of portraiture packages and options to choose from. Announcements for those will be coming soon as well.

I could not be more excited (or frankly more scared) to be pursuing my purpose and serving the people meant for me. I firmly believe that beautiful, incredible women have been prepared for me, and I for them, and that we will need each other to help us grow in a way that will change our lives.

Woah. I can’t believe I just wrote that. But I feel it.

I’m so excited to be creating this brand/life/community!!

Thank you for joining me here and I hope you’ll follow along as I stumble around to create this vision that lives in my head.

The R. Family. Utah Photographer

This cute family lives in my neighborhood and they are such fun people! The day we took these was unexpectedly chilly and very unexpectedly WINDY! There was no wind when we set out to the shoot, but once we arrived at the location. WOOF. It was as if a cyclone were prepping to take us to Oz. The locks just wouldn’t be tamed. But we soldiered on and got some very sweet shots. Also, I’m a kinda obsessed with little Smith, here. He stole my heart immediately and I’ve been simply swooning over him all during editing. Those cheeks and the freckles. I can’t. Such cute kiddos. Every. Stinking. One.

Bubble Babe. Utah Portrait Photographer

One of my really great friends told me about this thing she does when she’s having a hard time and needs to center herself. She calls it her 2 minute time outs. Like me, she’s a professional creative and she was telling me that when she’s having a rough day, she stops, grabs her camera and just films what’s going on in front of her for 2 minutes. Its a creative challenge and just a chance to reset. Today, I was doing fine with my mental health, but after I set up bubbles on the porch for Pyper, I had stars in my eyes with how magical she was being. So I called my first two minute timeout, grabbed my camera and just shot. Are the shots perfect? No. ha. Technically imperfect in many ways. I took these through them mesh of our screen door… #lazylady

But at the same time, they are very perfect. Perfect at freezing this cherub at this moment in time. Wild hair, silly grins and bubble stains on her shirt. She’s perfect and i’m here for it. What a great thing this was for me! I definitely took more than 2 minutes… but no more than 10 ;) It was so great and i’ll definitely be doing it again soon!! Also. why is she so magical? I love her so much :.)

Emily & Aaron First Look: Utah Photographer

Emily has been someone that has really taken root in my heart. I can’t even explain how much I adore her!!! She’s one of those people you always want to be around and have on your team. She has this gift for making you feel like you’re the most important person in the world.

When Emily contacted me about shooting her wedding, I cried of happiness. I could not be more thrilled and honored to be part of her perfect day!

This session tho… *ooof* I’d been excited for it for months. We were headed to Saltair and it was going to be friggin incredible. heh heh heh. Well, Mother Nature had other ideas. She didn’t want anyone on the salt beds or anywhere outside that evening. Thankfully, I arrived at the location suuuuper early because I was concerned about traffic. The wind was OUT OF CONTROL. It was FREEZING and the salty mist coated my skin in 5 minutes flat. eeesh. Thankfully, we were able to squeeze our toes under the door and booked a spot at the 5th floor. We didn’t have tons of light because we were indoors and and it was evening and stormy. So we ended up doing a first look session and will do more formals later after the wedding. I love the first look. It wasn't a thing when I got married, which my husband is thankful for… but I wish we had done it. I can’t wait for the wedding in a few weeks and to get to capture their special day! xoxo.

Haakin & Jessica's Laid-Back Elopement. Utah Photographer.

Sweet Jessica was my next door neighbor for a couple years. She is one of the most chill people I know. I love her energy and her sweet elopement to her new husband was right in line with her personality. Intimate, lovely, no fuss, happy. Haakin is heading out this weekend to serve our country. My hat is off to the two of them… I’m so thankful for those willing to serve to keep our safety and freedoms intact.

This was my first ever elopement and in a crazy twist of fate, I shot my second elopement that very same evening. Covid has brought a lot of crap… but i’m not gonna lie. I’m really diggin’ vibe of an intimate, relaxed wedding! So unique and pretty special tbh.

Welcome Baby M! Utah Lifestyle Photographer.

My sweet neighbor and her husband welcomed this angel into their home in April. We coordinated this super chill lifestyle session, and I absolutely loved going through and editing these. All the baby faces brought allllllllll those new mom vibes just rushing back to me. It’s funny how every baby is precious and unique… but every baby makes the same faces and noises. The hiccups, the yaws, the scrunched, nose, toes, lips and fingers, the milk-drunk face, the eyes half open while dreaming, the sleepy smiles. So perfect and so worth freezing in photos. It was so fun seeing Mama C feed and love on this little one. Also, funny side note… as I was editing, Pyper looks and says… “Hey! That baby has my bottle…” haha! That girl kills me on the daily.

My Little Peach. Utah Photographer.

My little lady. Spunky, tenacious, strong, independent, brave, beautiful Pyper. This little darling has sooooo many nick names. Pip, Pippin, Pyperoni, Pypernickel, Pumpkin, Pigeon, Petal, Posy, Pixie… the list goes on. But the thing I call her the most is my sweet peach. This photo shoot has been on my brain for years. Since before she was born, tbh. I can’t wait to get these printed and hung up on her bedroom wall. I’m working on refreshing her room right now and these will also fit so perfect into the redesign! Definitely will post pics when it’s finished. We took these in my mom’s front yard… that tree was just so darling and and BURSTING with peaches. And *cry face* her little body in that romper is my favorite thing ever. Enjoy this precious girl in all her leggy glory.

Charlie Girl. Utah Portrait Photographer.

Cute Charlie. Spunky, free spirited girlie! We had so much fun this day! I’ve since done several shoots for Charlie’s family and every one of them is a JOY to work with! I loved every minute of it! Also i’m obsessed with her hair. So many braids!

As Time Goes By. Utah Photographer

The other day I did a marathon family session with a long-time friend of mine. We did just about every type of photo session under the sun during it, too! These adorable people are her grandma and grandpa and *cry* look how freaking cute they are! We carved out about 5 minutes to do some cute couple photos of them to celebrate their life and love together and I couldn’t resist sneaking in a blog post of them real quick before the weekend and the holiday. It’s a beautiful thing, finding someone to grow old with. I hope and pray that my husband and I will smile and laugh this much together when we’re their age. I’m betting the odds are in our favor with that! ;) Happy 4th friends!

Mother's Day Minis. Utah Photographer.

Winding down on these Mother’s Day sessions. These have been so fun. I missed working so much during the quarantine! It was so good to get out, see clients, neighbors and friends and most of all, so good to shoot. I love this creative outlet that makes me feel like a normal human again instead of a permanent on-call maid, chef, laundress, nurse and referee. While I do believe that raising good humans is one of the most noble and important things a person can do, it can get mundane, grueling and monotonous. So having another outlet where I can feel like I can let my light shine without having to tie someone’s shoe or wipe someone else’s boogers is SO good for my mental health. It makes it so I can come home and enjoy my family so much more than I did when I left. I hope you all are safe and well and have a great 4th of July!! xoxo

Mother's Day Minis. Utah Photographer.

Well…. mother’s day is long gone and i’m stiiiiiiiiiiiiiill blogging these mini sessions. *insert screamy ghosty emoji here* We’re getting there… slowly but surely…..ish. #amiright? With all that’s going on in America right now, i’m so happy to be seeing one of the purest forms of light and love there is in the world when I work on these minis. A mama’s love for her littles. It hardly gets more heavenly in these parts. xoxo

Mother's Day Minis. Utah Photographer.

Round…..7?? idk, i’ve lost count. But that’s irrelevant. What IS relevant are these adorable faces! I had each of these kids in primary when I was in the presidency, and *oh my* aren’t they melt worthy?

Mother's Day Minis. Utah Photographer

Round 6! Just about have day 1 wrapped up on these mother’s day photos. You can tell its later in the day with all the yummy golden hour light! Melani is a cute friend of mine from choir in high school. What a cute little family she has built. 3 little girlies. What a DREAM! *heart eyes*

Mother's Day Minis. Utah Photographer

Round 5! Wut wut! Just churning these out as fast as I can! It’s been a lot of work to get these minis finished and blogged… but i’ve SO enjoyed working again and seeing ALL THE LOVE that were in these mini sessions. Being a mamma myself and knowing how I adore my children, it just makes my heart LEAP to get a glimpse at how motherly love goes under other roofs. This family was a touch different to the rest i’ve posted so far. Everyone else has had super littles, but this cute family is a little more grown up! So fun to bounce around and whip out all my tricks and games for different ages. I’m not sure Garrison was a fan of ‘who dun it?’ but I think everyone else got a good giggle at his expense, unfortunately.