Light

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Photography: Women Are…

“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” —RuPaul

For the month of May, my model was my lovely momma. We decided to include her best friend, Olive, in the photo shoot and I’m so glad we did. My mom is a lover of animals, loyal to those who are kind to her children, and a bit silly. She knows how to make me laugh, is always there when I need someone to listen to me, and loves me more than anyone else on Earth. I credit my mom with giving me my resilience, a childhood filled with animals, and being my number one fan.

My mom lives in Washington now where she and her dog can take daily hikes in the woods, her favorite thing to do. While she was here for my daughter’s graduation, I had to get her in the woods for some photos. This little spot filled with oak trees and a few wild flowers was perfect. This shoot included way too many burrs in our clothes, a tiny bit of rain, and a lot of giggles.

Thanks mom for being a light in this dark world. I love you more than you’ll ever know.

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What makes you proud?
My kids and grandchildren make me very proud! 

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What makes you feel brave?
When I’m out walking in the woods with my beloved dog Olive.  

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What gives you hope?
Looking into the eyes of my granddaughter and grandson.  I hope for greatness for them both.

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I’ve got over twenty photo shoots under my belt now and I’m starting to find my stride. I’m currently on a trip to Vegas with my daughter and her best friend, and leaning into a more documentary style. I’m experimenting with leaving the images a bit grainy, editing less, and exploring more with composition. I’ll be curious to see what others think of those images when I post them, and what you think of these. I also did very minimal editing on these, and I think I’m starting to find a sort of style I like. Let me know what you think, and check out the others in this series if you missed them.

Thought you might enjoy some extra photos of Olive. I’m particularly proud of the first shot as you can see the trees reflected in her eyes.

  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
Proof of silliness!
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Photography: No Flower Moon and Graduation

I missed the full moon. My daughter graduated high school. Sleep eludes me.

So many emotions follow me around these days, and it’s no coincidence I’ve thrown myself into photography like jumping off a cliff. In the last month I’ve done ten photos shoots.

I’m not sure I was prepared for all this. I need a faster computer, a camera that handles low light better, and more time. Always more time.

But I’m learning and growing. This is how I step toward my fifties, with camera in hand, watching both my kids crafting adventures for themselves, discovering career paths, and falling in love. I watch them and remember both being their age, and nursing them.

My daughter walked across the stage on Thursday, moved the tassel to the other side, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s talented, beautiful, funny, and incredibly loving. Whatever she does, I’ll be here to watch and cheer her on. I’ll probably also take photos of it!

So, here are some photos I took instead of the moon, and just a few shots of my daughter’s senior session we did last month. Isn’t she incredible?

Have a wonderful week!

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

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Photography: Women Are…

“What she needs are stories.
Stories are a way to preserve one’s self. To be remembered. And to forget.
Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books.
Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.”
—The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

For the month of April, my model was my dear friend Bonnie. I met her when she was just in high school and I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow into a giving, talented, hard-working young woman. Bonnie is the kind of person who gathers others to her. She cultivates community, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is a fierce defender of kindness. Her friends call her a silly goose, which fits her, but she’s also the very thing Shakespeare talked about when he said “though she be but little, she is fierce.”

In addition to being a kind human, she’s a gifted editor. She whipped early drafts of my 52 shorts stories into shape, and recently edited her wife’s beautiful fantasy novel Wayward Magic. She’s currently studying to be a librarian. and so it was only natural for us to be around books. As it also happened to be National Library Week, we drove to the gorgeous Mill Valley Public Library. Tucked amongst redwoods, and brimming with golden light, it was the perfect setting for these photos.

Please leave Bonnie some love below and visit her fantastic IG page where she talks about all things books.

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What makes you proud?
Knowing that I could have grown into a much different person and yet I took the hardness and darkness in my life and turned it into kindness. 

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What makes you feel brave?
Knowing that there is a community of people that love me, support me and surround me. I’ll never be alone in anything. 

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What gives you hope?
Queer stories give me hope. Knowing that they’ll always be told and have been told for centuries. Queer joy fills me with so much hope everyday. ❤️

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I’d love to know if you think my photography skills are growing. With each session, my confidence behind the camera grows and I’m starting to really enjoy putting together galleries as a new form of storytelling. Stay tuned for lots more work to come.

  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
Behind the scenes shot. Thanks @ace.of.kates!

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Photography: Women Are…

“A winner is a loser who tried one more time.
Not the smartest.
Not the fastest.
Just the one who didn’t stop.”
—George M. Moore Jr.

For the month of March, my model was my dear friend Penny. I met her in 2013 at the table read for the Listen to Your Mother stage show. We locked eyes across the table, and instantly connected. She possesses a warmth and kindness that allows her to make people feel profoundly seen, a rare gift. She’s a singer, writer, storyteller, caregiver, and one of my favorite people on the planet.

We met last week at the beautiful St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church, where she sings as cantor. The space was gorgeous, and she was a natural at posing. We only had an hour to spend together because of our schedules, but we made the most of it. She trusted me fully, and I think it shows in the way she’s looking at the camera/me.

Penny normally doesn’t like her photo taken, but she said it was fun with me. And she loved the photos! That’s the whole point: helping my friend see her own beauty. Each time I do another shoot, my confidence grows and I’m learning more and more. I’m so grateful for this growth! Please, give her some love in the comments below and tell me what you think of this shoot. Do you have a favorite? Do you see improvement in the quality of these photos?

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What makes you proud?
For most of my life I have been able to do what I loved, what I was good at and things that made a difference on the planet. The fact that I usually also got paid was icing on the cake.

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What makes you feel brave?
I’ve been a family caregiver for over 30 years. If that didn’t break me, nothing will.

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What gives you hope?
Children. They are the future. The fact that God keeps sending them is a sign that He hasn’t given up on us yet. 

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Thank you to everyone who is cheering me on with my photography. I’ve been very focused on it lately, but I’m still writing. I’ll be sharing some words soon. Promise!

  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
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Photography: Women Are…

“You may live in the world as it is, but you can still work to create the world as it should be.” —Michelle Obama

For the month of February, my model was my dear friend Angy. We met in the fifth grade and became instant best friends. I’m grateful for her endearing trust in me, her incredible ability to always push forward, and her steadfast faith. She’s been the friend who always believes in big visions, reaches out when things are impossible, and never gives up on herself or others (me included).

Despite having a dreamy location, Red Rock Canyon outside Las Vegas, I struggled with light. We arrived just a bit too late and worked hard until I couldn’t see to take another shot. I brought my new flash, but I didn’t know how to use it. You’ll see an accidental shot at the end, and the effect is cool, but I couldn’t recreate it if I wanted to. Not yet! I’m looking now for an online class to take on tricky lighting. I’d love to abandon grainy shots for good.

Preparing for this shoot, I took a posing class, and Angy was a fantastic model. She trusted me to guide her through poses, even if they felt a bit awkward at times. I’m learning a lot about angles and creating triangles in my poses. It felt good to lead her and pretend confidence, even when I wasn’t sure we were getting usable images. What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

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What makes you proud?
The depth of my relationships, and the quiet privilege of sitting in the audience and witnessing my daughters step into who they are becoming.

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What makes you feel brave?
That flutter of butterflies in my stomach is my compass. When something feels both thrilling and terrifying at once, I know I am standing at the edge of something meant for me.

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What gives you hope?
Every morning the sun rises quietly, without announcement or applause, offering the world another chance to begin again. And I hold a steady faith that, beneath it all, people are inherently good.

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  • The photos above were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
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Photography: Snow Moon

I’m trying to use my camera’s manual mode more, but it’s not going well. The night of the last full moon, I went to the lake and left in tears. The lighting wasn’t good, and the moon hid behind the clouds. Every image was a mess.

I spent the rest of the night thinking about quitting. I’d secretly been considering making photography my new career. Maybe another year and I could start charging real money for my work and help my family pay down our debt. Failing at the moon photos felt like a rejection—a confirmation that I’m wasting my time.

The next morning, I woke up early and headed to my local park to try again. These photos are the result. I’m still not thrilled with these images, but at least I’m getting better at making fast adjustments. The sky went from totally dark to a bright sunlight in the hour I was there. I had to keep tweaking my settings, popping in and out of light and shadow. But, unlike the previous night, I didn’t let it get to me.

These aren’t the best, not even my best. Not by a long shot. But, I edited them to be cohesive. Some of these shots have potential. I’ve taking a few online photography classes. I’m still going to keep trying.

You should, too.

I believe in you.

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 75-300mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

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Photography: Women Are…

“One day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes, and say, ‘dear God, I was a beautiful thing!'”—Catherine O’Hara as Moira Rose

Today, I’m starting a new series where I photograph the amazing women in my life. I’m hoping to improve my photography skills while at the same time honoring those who make my life so beautiful.

My daughter, Lola, agreed to be my first model. I’m grateful for her creative spirit, willingness to try new things, trust in my abilities, and endearing vulnerability.

Let me know if you have a favorite and have a great weekend.

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What makes you proud?
Pushing through things and still being here.

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What makes you feel brave?
Sharing my art and performing music.

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What gives you hope?
The kind, beautiful people in my family and life.

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 50mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
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Photography: For You


The news right now is horrific. I watched the video of the second person killed by ICE agents, gunned down on a street in broad daylight, and my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Again. A powerful sense of mourning for America has overcome me, more than I ever thought possible. I’m terribly sad and angry.

It’s hard to create right now, it’s hard to do anything right now, but something tells me you might need these photos as much as I do. These little tiny pieces of art I crafted for you when I should have been sleeping. Thorns. Flowers. Weeds. Fruit.

These are for you, for me, for all of us.

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  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D1 and edited with Lightroom Classic
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Photography: Apple Picking

It’s my favorite time of year—apple picking, pumpkin patches, fun tights, caramel apples, popcorn, beeswax candles and costumes. It’s the time of year I’m happy to linger beneath a tree or chase the setting sun. It’s also a time of change, letting go, and setting new goals.

I won a pitch session with an agent last week, and it didn’t go as planned. In fact, I learned it’s impossible to sell middle-grade novels at the moment and on the fly I pitched my YA novel from years ago. She loved the idea and agreed to read it when it’s ready. I’m proud of how I shifted gears in the moment, with only a brief stumbling of my words, but that story isn’t where my heart is right now. Should I pivot anyway? Is selling my books the goal? What if it takes me another ten years to write anything?

Obviously, this sent me into a creative existential crisis for a few days, but with the help of my incredibly creative friends, I found my way back to the truth. I want to write cool shit that makes me happy. My middle-grade novel is for my daughter. If nobody else reads it, then it’s okay. It’s her story, for her. Maybe when it’s ready the industry might be interested, and maybe not. If I start trying to write what I think will sell, then I’m going to be forever chasing a shadow that’s moving quickly across the ground. No thanks.

So, while I’m forever reinventing myself and changing, I do know wonderful things are happening all around me. I hosted a Halloween party at my home for the first time in years and it was a blast! My talented friend, who I’ve known since her birth, will be releasing her book on Halloween (CHECK IT OUT). I’m making strides toward my new health goals. I just listened to a story that reminded me how much I love twisted fairytales and writing weird things. I’ve got a bowl full of fresh apples on my counter and I cleaned out my garage.

So come with me to the apple orchard. Let’s see how the light hits the apples and hear the crunching of the leaves beneath our feet.

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  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW

Here’s some bonus shots from my iPhone:

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Photography: Dillon Beach

This will be the eighth time I’m sharing photos with you of Dillon Beach, a place I’m lucky enough to visit several times a year. It’s crazy how each visit is a little different. This visit we saw thousands of tiny crabs, met a lot of really sweet dogs, and shared the early mornings with fishermen and surfers.

These photos are for Heidi, as she showed me again how magical this place really is, and for Sephera, for always being my exploring buddy on the beach.

Hope you all enjoy these and let me know if you have a favorite.

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.