And the next move is....

We are excited to announce our move to Arizona. We will be taking sessions there starting June 13th. As of May 28th we will no longer be taking sessions here in Washington. I will post again later to provide more details. Thanks Spokane! You've been great!

Accidental refreshment fires up the artist inside of me...

Well, I have been a busy bee, finishing up a few projects this week. I have some prints to order, discs to mail, and still more to edit and upload! My oh my!

I thought I'd share a juicy little snack from my latest outing with my son....

I just had to take a break from all the projects and run outside with him for a while.... it was well worth it!

He had a blast and I felt his energy and absorbed his giggles... I needed that recharge!

It amazes me at how, as an adult, I can get so caught up in my daily to-do list and all my projects, and forget how fast this time is flying by. I cherish every moment with my son and I must remember to take these outings every day with him, to remember where I am, who I am. He can, without any words, correct my course, lighten my mood, warm my heart and inspire my inner artist in ways that no one else can! I have found that my approach to work has shifted so much since he came along. He's made me a better person and a better artist. I love him for that and for everything he is!

Just to see him smile makes my day!

I watch him at play, he finds enjoyment in such little, insignificant things. He freely forgives, immediately almost! He lets his imagination take over. He sees no limits, no restrictions. He feels completely, loves intensely, and trusts wholeheartedly. He finds treasure every single day, views all things as new and exciting, and the explorer in him knows no boundaries!

If I could be more like him, in even in the smallest degree, I think I should increase my happiness a hundred fold!

If ever you find yourself slipping away from your goals, missing yourself, or in need of inspiration, go outside and play with your children. Really play. Don't let your adult-hood get in they way, let yourself, go! Put on that cape, fly around the yard like superman! Make those silly car noises as you drive them around in the grass. Put the camera down, the papers away, the phone silenced, the tv off. Loose yourself in their childhood, it will do you a world of good.... it did me!

Until next time, stay Snap Happy!

Pricing information, for those of you who keep asking...

We can customize any package to meet your needs and your budget, call us today to discuss options!




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All sessions are location settings. That means I come to you! My studio is your backyard, your favorite park, your living room, or anywhere else you choose! Any location 40 or more miles outside of Spokane will be charged an extra travel fee .



All sessions include a password protected online proofing gallery. Galleries are online for a limited time only, usually 3 months, if you wish to extend your gallery there will be an additional $10 fee.







Standard Location Mini-Session Fee: $75

Up to 4 people, $10 each additional person



Yup! That's it! Only $75 for your session! You will get me for about half an hour, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Unlimited photos, unlimited outfit changes, unlimited location changes, all within the time perriod allotted. After the first half hour, it's $15 per half hour. Again, UNLIMITED photos! Plus, you will get a complimentary 8X10 two 5X7's and one sheet of wallets. You will also have an online gallery, with all the photos from the shoot, password protected. If you want a DVD they are $30 each. Your DVD will be released photos, not watermarked, for your personal use only. You may print and share as many as you like, even use them as your facebook profile picture, just as long as it's not for commercial use.



Standard Location Full-Session Fee: $125

Up to 4 people, $10 each additional person



You will get me for about an hour and a half, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. Unlimited photos, unlimited outfit changes, unlimited location changes, all within the time perriod allotted. After the first hour and a half, it's $15 per half hour. Again, UNLIMITED photos! Plus, you will get a complimentary 8X10 two 5X7's and one sheet of wallets. You will also have an online gallery, with all the photos from the shoot, password protected. If you want a DVD they are $30 each. Your DVD will be released photos, not watermarked, for your personal use only. You may print and share as many as you like, even use them as your facebook profile picture, just as long as it's not for commercial use.



Specialty Sessions (Graduation, Engagements, Maternity)



Includes all of the same goodies as the standard full-session, with the exception of a little more time and more creativity. You will get me for 2 hours, after that it's $15 per half hour.



Specialty session $145





Wedding Packages



All wedding packages include an engagement session. DVD also included.

Wedding packages start at $800 Please call for a customized quote.







Prints a la carte: (More print sizes are available. The following are simply examples)

5X7 $4.50

8X10 $7.50

11X14 $ 10.00



Prints on canvas are also available. Call for pricing.



Copyright stays with studio. All session fees are due at the time of the shoot, and are non-refundable. Weddings require a non-refundable deposit prior to the day of the event. Please refer to your contract for further details and restrictions. Prices are subject to change without prior notice. Prices effective 5/14/2011

Composition - What in the world does it mean?

In the world of photography what does COMPOSITION mean?

Well, by definition it means, 'putting together'. Or think of it as organization.

In the field of photography, organization is key to good art. Like I always say, you can't take a bunch of food, throw it in a bag, shake it up and expect a delicious meal to come out of it.... it takes effort and work and organization. You have to know just how much or how little to add of each ingredient. Relating to photography, you have to have all the correct ingredients, put in the right place at the right time, at the right angle in order to have a good photograph.

Depending on the photographer you ask, there are rules to composition. But, really they are more like guidelines, since, sometimes breaking the 'rule' is what is needed to create the end desired product.

So, here are some of the guidelines, I suggest for those of you who are interested in developing your skills, to take each one and research, practice, practice, practice it until you are comfortable with it and find your groove. Keep in mind, there are more composition guidelines than I have listed, this is just to give you a start.

1. Rule of thirds. This is, in my opinion, one of the more important guidelines you must master and understand completely what it means and what it DOESN'T mean!
2. Pattern. Just like a meal with no spices is bland and boring, a photograph that doesn't capitalize on available patterns looses it's potential pizazz!

3. Texture. Closely related to pattern, you must fully understand what it is, and how to apply it.

4. Angles. If your angle is off just a touch, you can loose the whole effect to the photograph. Especially in portrait photography, angles can either enhance the subjects or create a less attractive appearance. So, be cautious, and again, practice, practice, practice! Some angles work, but only in certain light, and circumstances.

5. D.o.F. - Do you know what that is? Depth of Field. Look it up. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, DoF will either enhance, or reveal your subject, or isolate it. It's not something that you can read about and simply have it mastered, again, practice!

One suggestion for those of you who feel the need to better your photography skills, either for personal use or if you are considering a career in photography, is get familiar with good photographers. Learn what made the greats so great, such as Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, Dorothea Lange, Bernice Abbott, Anne Geddes, Edward Weston, Henri Cartier-Brensen, Richard Avedon... to name a few. Don't repeat their work, but feed off of their greatness, soak up their legacy. Have fun! Don't make it harder than what it is.

As far as my collection goes, I look forward to adding to my portfolio this Summer. I will be doing a lot of portrait work, but I have also set out to enhance my landscape portfolio. So, look for it this Summer as I do, I will be putting into practice the composition guidelines in this blog post. Let's see how well I do this year, following my own advice!

A good photograph, doesn't happen by chance. It's the product of good design and technique.

That's the way I see it anyways! Until next time, stay Snap Happy my friends!

What a photograph captures...

Just a brief observation:

What does a photograph capture? Well, a good photograph doesn't just capture an image. It captures a moment, a feeling, a memory. So, when you look back at that photograph you don't just see a picture. You feel, remember, taste, smell or otherwise relive the moment!

So instead of asking what you see in a photo, ask what you feel! Then you will know, it's a good photograph!

Keep it Snap Happy!

Paul Cezanne - A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.

Artists are often times asked where they find inspiration. How do they come up with their work? What drives them in that particular direction?

Well, as a digital artist myself, I can tell you, it isn't so easy to explain. It's not always the same. In fact, it rarely is. It can be a sound, a smell, a taste or a memory that rushes into my heart and I feel the urge to express it, but, not in words, in pictures.

You see, inspiration means something different to each one of us. Let me give you a list of words that relate to Inspiration:

Motivate -Drive
Stimulate -Animate
Spur -Enliven
Incentive -Breathe
Cause -Emotion
Sympathy -Warmth
Ardor -Zeal
Passion -Thrill
Love -Affection

All those words can describe how, at one time or another, I was inspired to take a photograph. For example, I was given a flower by my husband. It was a stargazer lily. It wasn't for any special occasion, it was just a gift. But, that flower meant something to me. He may not have realized what he did, but, I felt it right away! It was the same type of flower as the first bouquet he bought me. When he gave me the first one I thought I had never seen a flower so beautiful! When I received the second one, it was even more beautiful! I was instantly taken back to a place where love was new, the air was sweet and life was light!

I took photographs of that second lily. Quite a few actually. But when I see those photographs I am reminded of so many different things. The lily itself is long gone, like so many things, it eventually dried up and was thrown out. But, it's effects on me are just as strong and vibrant as when I look at the photographs I took so many years ago of that Thrilling, Passionate, Inspirational flower.

If you are an artist that is struggling to find inspiration, my advice to you would be, don't look so hard. Inspiration is not an elusive creature found only in sporadic bouts of whimsy! Rather, take a deep breath, let things go, release your inhibitions. You will find inspiration in places that you wouldn't have dared looked! That's why 'looking' for inspiration is not recommended. Let it come to you.

It can be at the grocery store when you spot an almost unbelievable bright lemon that causes an overwhelming emotion of youth and vigor to swell up inside of you and thus inspires you to shoot photos a baby girl in a lemon colored dress holding a giant lollipop, or waiting at a red light when you see a compassionate stranger help an elderly man cross the street and you are inspired to photograph the legacy of an entire family and the history of an whole generation as told in one shot of an old mans wrinkled hands, or even when you lay down at night and close your eyes and get a faint whiff of the lilac bush outside your window and it reminds you of how beautiful your grandmother was to you as a child and how sweet she made everything smell and taste so you are driven to photograph a vintage pair of women's shoes by a crystal clear stream of water.

To some those photographs may sound odd, but to me, they have meaning, power and emotions. That's what inspiration is. It's not something you can learn, buy, borrow, steal or otherwise create. It's spontaneous. It's genuine. It's organic. It's free. It's real.

So, what inspires me? What motivates me in a certain direction? One word - LIFE.

May your life inspire you, no matter what your occupation. May you find the breath, love, zeal and incentive to get better at whatever it is you do, photographer or not!

As always, be SNAP HAPPY!

Construction project anyone?

My husbands new ad, new name and business.... Just thought I'd share the love a little. He does all phases of construction!

New session prices to come!

We are in the process of re-organizing our session packages and prices. We are simplifying things. There will be standard packages for all shoots, except weddings and commercial. Plus, every package will come with a DVD of the photos!

Life's too short to keep things complicated! We figured it would be easier for us to keep track of things and easier, and cheaper for our clients! So, keep posted, the new prices go into effect this afternoon!

Until next time, my friends, stay SNAP HAPPY!

The burning question every photographer must face....

I can't tell you how many times I have been asked this question, by friends and family, clients and students! It may seem like a simple question, but, in reality, it's a three part question.

So, here is the question: What makes a good photographer?

Now, in order to answer that correctly, I believe it needs to be broken down into more specific areas:

1. What is the difference between a professional photographer and just a really good amateur?

2. What makes a good photograph good?

3. What are the most important factors when considering a person who labels themselves a 'professional' photographer?

Now, keep in mind, I'm no writer. But, I thought I would give my opinion on this subject, since it seems to be a hot topic lately. So here it goes...

1. The difference between a professional photographer and just a really good amateur photographer is a number of things really. Education, ability, vision, marketing, branding, to name a few. Let me explain. Let's take education as an example. A photographer is someone who has an 'eye' for the field. You must be able to see a moment, a scene, an emotion, in ways others may not be able too. You must be able to find a way to capture it in a single second and have it convey all that you saw and more. It doesn't happen by chance. It's like any other art form, it takes skill, practice and education. Education on what works, what doesn't, how to achieve it and what it means. Now, I am not talking about a class you take, or a diploma you receive that simply says you have completed the necessary course to be officially called a photographer. A professional photographers education goes beyond camera settings, mechanics, lighting and the business aspect of it all. I believe that the difference between a pro and an amateur is real life education, yes, a pro will have the training in the field that an amateur will not, but will also have the educated eye, what I call an artist's eye. Anyone can read a book and take a course, but a professional goes beyond that.

2. What makes a good photograph good? Well, now that question is not so simple to answer. It depends really on the photograph and what the goal was of the person who took it. Let me explain. A photograph of a family playing on the beach can be considered a 'good' photograph with proper focus, lighting and subject. However, a photograph of a family playing on the beach can also be just another snapshot in the family album, easily looked over, easily forgotten. Whether you are a pro or not, you can all appreciate this fact. A good photograph, printed art, speaks to the viewer, touches their heart, motivates, inspires. It has certain class to it. One that is not just in focus. It has a character all it's own. A good photograph explains all you need to know about the subject, without words.

3. As far as a portrait photographer goes, the most important factors to consider are, obviously, proof of ability, passion, and identity. Proof of ability would be the evidence of prior work, their portfolio. You would want to be able to see the portfolio for yourself, be able to judge the quality and artistic ability of the photographer through samples of their work. Passion would be an obvious quality that you would recognize immediately when you meet with them. You would see in in their face, hear it in their voice and feel it in their actions. Identity would be the individuals professional identity in the community. Every photographer has a unique identity. It is seen in their work and in their business. If it's clear to you as a consumer what their identity is, you will be able to identify whether they fit your needs or not. Don't forget, we all start out somewhere, so, if the photographer you are considering doesn't have the 'talent' you are looking for, it just means they have an identity that is different from what you need. Some need a spectacular studio photographer, while others need a fast paced action photographer, and still others need a delicate, intimate child photographer. Know what you need before you start looking.

As for those who are considering photography as a career, take it from me, it's a never ending, ongoing field. You will never reach your full potential, never learn all there is to learn about it, because it is an ever changing field. The tools of the trade are always changing, always evolving. Your ability as a professional photographer is only limited by your willingness to change with the times and dedication to learn new techniques and equipment. Passion is the driving force behind any professional. Without passion, it's just a hobby.  Set goals, and work towards them. Know yourself. Know your identity as an artist. What is it that you want to convey? Remember, your photographs are a reflection of you! Know your limits, and then learn how to overcome them! Persevere. Not everyone will share your vision, not everyone will see what you see.

Although this may seem to some as nonsense, it is, but, my opinion on the matter. I have been a professional photographer now for years and I have seen these particular aspects of the business at work. I have learned you can't please everyone, sometimes not even yourself. But, I have also learned that it is my job as a professional portrait photographer to help my clients identify what they want and how they want it to be seen by the world BEFORE the shoot. An amateur will just take the photos and hope to see the desired results, a pro will demand the desired results and take the time to make it happen!

Having said all of that, here is, in my opinion, a GOOD photograph that I hope you all enjoy. It brings a smile to my face everytime I look at it. I see a childhood, not just a child.

Until next time my friends, stay SNAP HAPPY!