Category: Photojournalism

Pepperdine International Program Photography | Mission at Natuvu Creek, Fiji

6/5/2018

In summer 2018, I had the privilege of working for Pepperdine as the assistant director for an international program in which 25 students spent a month living and serving with the Mission at Natuvu Creek in Fiji. If you scroll through the photos below, if it looks like we played a lot of volleyball, it's because we did. If it looks like everywhere you looked was an idyllic island scene, that's because it was. But you'll also see images of work, human connection, learning, studying, worship, beauty, laughter, and helping out any way we could. Check out Pepperdine's international program website for more information about Pepperdine's summer international programs, including Fiji >>

Team Building & a Night Hike at Chumash Ridge, Malibu, CA | 12-06-15

12/13/2015

It's hard to explain what happened last Sunday to someone who wasn't there. To an outside observer, we were a bunch of college kids wearing backpacks, doing burpees and various odd-looking challenges and procedures in a gravel parking lot.
To the informed eye, this was Trek Iceland Selection.
A weighted backpack (with penalties for being too light). Burpees for time. Bag pulls for time. A hunk of lumber posing as an "injured hiker." Solving rope knots & riddles together in the dark, only to head up the mountain into the unknown.
19 college students showed up and gave it their best for their team and for the selection process. Absolutely any of them would have been excellent additions to the expedition team, but we could only accept 13 members this year.
Congratulations to our final team and I can't wait to explore the landscape of Iceland and of our inner lives together in July!
For more about the trip, visit the UCC Campus Ministry website. www.ucccm.com/iceland

Like these? I shoot lots of events! Check out my events page or shoot me an email if you're looking for coverage of an upcoming activity.

lululemon athletica Malibu Store Beach Campout at Thornhill Broome, Malibu, CA

11/10/2015

Malibu is no ordinary beach town, and lululemon athletica is no ordinary yoga apparel retailer. Just 2 weeks out from opening weekend, the lululemon Malibu store team hosted a community campout to do what we do best: play in and around the ocean. We pitched tents on the sand at Thornhill Broome, embraced the challenge of a mystery sunset hike, spent the evening laughing and swapping stories around the campfire, and closed off the event with some morning beach yoga.

Can't wait for the next event!

Send lululemon athletica Malibu some love on facebook to stay updated on the store opening + events.

Hey look! @lululemon's Twitter account liked that picture too!

Like these? I shoot all kinds of events, and I'm even fun to hang out with while it's all going on! Check out more events here or shoot me an email for rates & availability.

Pepperdine Sophomore Class Retreat Promo Design, Photography & Video

9/2/2015

The Year 2 Day 1 sophomore class retreat is one of my favorite projects every year because it incorporates LOTS of different types of creativity—all of which I love!

The work on Year 2 Day 1 begins in the spring, with publicity to get the word out and encourage students to sign up. This occurs in the form of print posters, post cards, social media, and an e-blast.

Once we got everyone signed up, we sent out Coachella-inspired festival boxes filled with the usual swag: t-shirt, water bottle, sticker, "tickets" to the event, and a packing list. We got some positive momentum going by launch an instagram photo contest and encouraging students to post creative photos of their swag. The winner received a brand new Eno hammock (in Pepperdine colors).

Once all the materials are designed and printed and the students are gathered, my role switches from graphic designer to media journalist. During the entire retreat, my main job is to capture all the little moments that make camp great in photo, video, and social media. Check out a few of my fave photos below + the final retreat video!

Like these? I shoot lots of events! Check out some other events I've covered here.

Connemara Ranch | Facility Photography | Malibu, CA

6/5/2015

Countless individuals have visited Connemara Ranch to improve their riding skills or experience the therapeutic presence of the horses and animals. The facility is looking ahead to a busy summer season and needed some beautiful photography of the animals, buildings, and surrounding area for their online presence. Should you ever find yourself in need of a stunning sunset, a silent afternoon among the oak trees, or a quick nuzzle from a horse, Connemara Ranch might be your place.

Like these? Lifestyle photography is a mixture of lots of disciplines. In this case, I got to practice landscape, animal, and architectural photography to mix it all together in these images. Check out more shoots like this on my lifestyle page or on facebook.

Home Sweet Tea Party | Black Forest, CO

6/3/2015

A much needed hiatus to my folks' home in Black Forest, Colorado, comprised of lots of reading and delicious food, punctuated by tea parties with my niece and nephew. Aunt life > everything else.

Rain in Mexico

3/4/2015

I spent last weekend in Tijuana, Mexico with a light hearted crowd of college students and Malibu folks. We partnered with Amor Ministries on building a house for a family in need. The sky was unforgettable and the rain was impressive. Unsurprisingly, I spent the majority of my time playing with shutter speed and rainwater running off a roof into a puddle (scroll down).

More pictures/info about the house build trip here.

I take lots of pictures! Check out more lifestyle photography here or shoot me an email to see a rate sheet.

Website Stock Photography | Malibu Community Labor Exchange

2/8/2015

I'm working on a website for the Malibu Community Labor Exchange and if you've met me recently, you know I'll talk all day about the power of beautiful photography. The quality of the images on your website, social media account, or print piece can make the difference between a good marketing plan and a great one. So when I went to work on the MCLE website, one of the first things I did was shoot some stock images. Stay tuned for the new website reveal!

There's more where these came from. Check out my lifestyle photography page or facebook.

Iceland 2014 | Day 01

1/31/2015

We flew into Reykjavík around 10:30 pm on a Saturday night, via Icelandair. We picked up our rental car (which we reserved ahead of time from a rental company near the airport) and immediately drove straight to Reykjavík City Hostel, where we pitched our tent at the conjoined Reykjavík Campsite, which was crowded with colorful tents of other visitors with the same idea. Though bedtime didn't finally arrive until around midnight, it was still twilight—which is about as dark as the island gets in July. We dined on packaged trail mix and granola bars and snuggled up in our brand new, zip-together sleeping bags, which we bought for this particular trip.

Day one dawned (only figuratively, since it never actually got dark) in a drizzle of rain, which explains the lush grass sprouting all over Reykjavík. After spending the first half of the day exploring downtown Reykjavík via the shopping district, most notably Kolaportið, Iceland's only flea market. We ate hot dogs from a food cart for lunch and stopped by a grocery store for a couple day's supply of food on the way out of town. Our objective for the rest of the day was to see the points on the Golden Circle, or basically 3 main spots to visit within an hour's drive of Reykjavík.

Our first stop after a visitor center for afternoon coffee and ice cream (below), was Þingvellir, which is an area of historical, cultural and geological importance (something about Iceland's first parliament being established there), but mostly lots of lush grass, pretty waterfalls and rugged cliffs.

Þingvellir

After hiking around and taking lots of pictures of the scenery and each other, we got back in the car headed this time toward Geysir, the beautiful water geyser from which all geysers worldwide derive their name. On the way, we stopped in Laugarvatn to order pizza and watch the world cup finals with a bunch of wool sweater-wearing locals. We also stopped pretty frequently to befriend herds of Icelandic ponies (below), who seemed bored but sociable.

Geysir

Geysir's frequent eruptions (right) send floods of steaming hot water through the roadside ditches (below) in the tiny village where it is located.

Gulfoss

Our last stop of the night, which occurred in total solitude around midnight, was our encounter with Gulfoss, the largest volume waterfall in Europe. We camped in the completely empty parking lot, this time opting to sleep in the back of our 4x4 rather than pitch the tent for a brief overnight. Our sleep was so fantastic that we decided the next morning to skip setting up the tent and opted to sleep in the back of our car each night after that.

Next: Iceland Day 02 >>

Black Forest Fire, Two Years Later

1/4/2015

Generations ago, early settlers to Colorado discovered a forest of Ponderosa Pines on the foothills of Pikes Peak. When viewed from miles away, the thicket of trees appeared more black than green and became known as the Black Forest. This is where I grew up and my folks still live.

Two summers ago, my parents (and thousands of other residents of Black Forest, Colorado) nearly lost their home in a destructive fire that tore through the Black Forest. Following an evacuation and tense hours that turned into days of not knowing whose homes were spared, my parents finally returned home to an intact property. Hundreds of families were not so lucky.

As the months passed, Black Forest residents went to work clearing dead trees and rebuilding lost homes. A few people left. Most stayed. Winter came and summer returned. A year passed and then another.

Today, there are still sections of charred trees that have yet to be cleared. The eery trunks stand straight as though nothing has changed, but with a few exceptions: all the green pine needles are gone and every trunk is transformed to a deep charcoal black—giving new meaning to the name Black Forest.

I couldn't resist documenting what's left of a burned down homestead not far from my house, where it still sits buried beneath the snow.

Also my husband is a handsome devil, so naturally...