Hey there, I'm Sam!

I'm a documentary & lifestyle family + wedding photographer. Basically, this means I want to catch those ordinary moments in the most extraordinary way possible. I believe our time is fleeting, and every moment is totally worth the memory- yep, this includes the toddlers picking their noses while missing a shoe. Sometimes there's nice lighting and a decent composition that's too good to pass up, ya know?

 

I love laughter and turning this mess of life into art. It turns out I'm not crazy for loving these sometimes hilariously candid moments either. My repeat families who've willingly returned every year since I started my full-time photography career in 2016 know there's a hidden ingredient to telling your family's story that perfection in a studio just wouldn't deliver.

 

Portrait photography for me, is so much more than a good picture of some faces. My goal when I take a picture of someone is based on the hopeful effect that photo will have many years from now. In the futuristic 2060's and 70's when DSLR cameras are a dusty thing of the past and A.I. has taken over everything we know, I hope we're all "more wrinkled than a roadmap", as my dad would say. From all the laughter we shared during those old-fashioned sessions outside in the sun, before they cut these pretty forests and put another inevitable shopping plaza in its place. In 50 years, we should look back on these nose-picking kids missing shoes and become overwhelmed with the beautiful truth that we lived and feel prompted to share stories like they just happened yesterday.

 

How does a session go, exactly? In short: We drop the anxieties of being ourselves and hang out. I like being outside, but we can do whatever you like. We spend as much time together as you'd like, and do whatever your family wants (as long as it doesn't get us killed or arrested). If you think that sounds better than picking out a backdrop color and sitting still in a studio space, then we're gonna get along just fine.  :)