I grew up in Saratoga, California, the younger of two sisters, in a family that valued creativity and curiosity. Early on, I was drawn to making things with my hands. Drawing letters, paying attention to form, noticing how small details could change how something felt.

In college, I studied graphic design and learned to use a manual camera. My senior year was spent in long, quiet hours in the darkroom, watching images slowly appear on paper. That experience and the patience, the presence, the act of really looking has stayed with me.

Life didn’t unfold in a straight line after that. I lost my father in my mid-twenties, and like many people navigating grief, I felt unmoored for a while. I kept moving, searching, learning who I was becoming. In 2000, on the playa in Black Rock City, I found myself. I found a sense of clarity and grounding and unknowingly met the man I would later marry.

Before photography became my full focus, I spent seven years working as a graphic designer for the Old Navy division of Gap Inc. It taught me how to collaborate, how to work within structure, and how to communicate visually at scale. These skills still inform the way I approach photography today.

Over the years, my life has filled out in meaningful ways: marriage, motherhood, raising two sons, building a business that has grown alongside me. Photography became the place where everything converged. Creativity, human connection, observation, and trust.

Today, my work is rooted in helping people feel at ease in front of the camera. Most of my clients don’t come in feeling confident and that’s not a problem to solve, it’s a starting point. We slow things down. We talk. We create space. The goal isn’t performance; it’s presence.

I believe people are most compelling when they’re allowed to be themselves — thoughtful, imperfect, expressive, real. My role is not to manufacture something that isn’t there, but to notice what already is and reflect it back with care.

September Days is the name I chose because it holds that feeling for me. It holds warmth, honesty, quiet strength, and the beauty that shows up when you truly look.