Meet Carmen
If you've made it here, you're looking for something more than pretty pictures. So am I.
Photography and film are deeply personal to me. That's what makes me want to pick up my camera.
The most rewarding part about what I do is the connection I make with each family I meet— from San Francisco, East Bay, and everywhere in between. We share a unique journey of real moments together, and being invited into those intimate spaces is something I will never take for granted.
I make photographs + films of real life for real families, like yours.
About Me
Real people are my favorite.
It's why I appointed myself the family documentarian early on, carefully recording life unfolding, and learning along the way how much I love visual storytelling. I picked up my first professional camera when my child was born, knowing those early years were dawning and full of change — and I never looked back. I can't imagine doing anything else.
I'm a maximalist in every sense: all-in on a project or power napping, rarely anything in between. A little weird and impressively clumsy, with absolutely zero shame dancing in public. I live in Alameda (aka the Midwest of the Bay Area) with my husband, my teen, and a menagerie of animals. Fair warning: I bring my outdated 90s dance moves to every session.
My upbringing taught me to find beauty where others see ordinary. Motherhood only deepened that instinct, and I've been known to cry at the drop of a hat. Kleenex is a standing item on my packing list for newborn sessions.
I'm awkward at small talk and large groups are where I go quiet — which is exactly why you'll never find me working weddings or large events, and why you will find me completely at home in yours. I work best in the intimate, the real, and the messy.
I invest deeply in the people I work with and pour my whole heart into every session. Walking away with friendships after a session is always a major bonus — and it's the reason I love my job as much as I do.
WORK WITH ME
The Ones I
carry with me
Some photographs leave an indelible imprint. These are mine. They connected us in ways that words couldn't, and kept the best parts of the people I love close. Showing my mom a photo of herself, full of strength and courage, reminded us both why any of this matters.
The photograph that changed everything.
here is what i love about you
You choose presence over perfection. You're willing to show up as you are — toddler defiance, teenage angst, imperfect homes and all. You know that the messy, ordinary, everyday stuff is actually the good stuff. And somewhere deep down, you understand that your future self will thank you for it.
enough about me
My Video Diary
If any of this feels like you,
I think we'd get along just fine.
A Glimpse into my life
Encouragements I've received along the way...
