PHOTOGRAPHS ARE OUR KEEPERS
They stand guard over our lives, to protect us from forgetting what it is we’ve been through while reminding us how it feels to arrive again and again in the places we once were. They protect those we love and so preciously honor those we’ve lost, so time can’t pull us apart nor fade us away. They show us that our lives are collections of the good and the bad, the wins and the defeats - everything that makes us so fully human and alive. They hold our experiences and expressions up to us like a mirror, with the quiet assurance that what we see will last long after we are gone.
LET'S LAY DOWN SOME TRUTH
Your wedding day is a milestone of your story, a proclamation of all that’s come before to get you here and the hope of where it’s going to take you. It’s what everyone gathers around for, talks about and cries over as we’re so beautifully reminded that real love is our greatest prize - the thing we all live for. Let’s celebrate that.
WORDS. PICTURES, AND SOME ADVICE
Orange County Maternity// Paulette+Matt
Maternity
Vasquez Rocks Engagement// Portia+ Jordan// Santa Clarita, CA
Couples
Redondo Beach Harbor Elopement// Leslie+ John
Elopements
At-Home Session//Ashley+ TJ// Los Angeles, CA
Couples
Black Lives Matter Protests // Downtown LA
Protests
The Wood Shed Wedding Shana+Kimo// Vista, CA
Weddings
I'm Michelle!
I was born and raised in sunny Ventura, CA. I've got a Brazilian mother, a Jewish father and a 2019 Jeep Wrangler that I love more than Popeyes.
I'm 1 of 3 sisters
(and a little brother not pictured). We're like " The Three Amigos that constantly fight," but we drop anything/everything to be there for eachother. If you have sisters, I think you can relate... :)
I met this boy from Maine in my bar 6 years ago...
and whether he was there every weekend for the craft beer or me... his persistence paid off! We currently reside in our dream DTLA loft with our 3 plants. I want a dog, but John says we're not there yet... (*UPDATE: We got a DOG!!!)
I was a bartender before a wedding photographer
All of these women I have worked late LATE nights with for almost a decade and when I started in photography, I used them all as my models. EVERY SINGLE ONE.
I'm a marathon runner
Although I ran cross-country and track in high school, I didn't find my true passion for running until I was 24. To date, I have run 7 marathons, countless halfs', and a 190-mile relay with friends. My most significant race would be the 2018 NY marathon. I raised over 6K for the American Lung Association in honor of my father, who suffered from Pulmonary Fibrosis. He lived to see me reach my 5K goal but passed away weeks before the race. I ran with purpose and a heavy heart that day.