Class of 2010

I love summer seniors! No stress, no deadlines... just a lot of fun in the sun! Tonight's senior is Liz, from Squalicum. We crashed the beach and surrounding area in what I call "The No Tresspassing Zone."

Seniors! Let the season begin...

As we launch into another year of high school seniors, I want to look back at some of our memorable spring sessions...

Print Competition

Photo titles: "One Last Look at Home," "Generation X" and "Stormy."


Every spring I enter print competition with the Professional Photographers of America. Each of these three prints received a "worthy of merit" ribbon. In photographer's speak, we say "it hung," which means it qualified to be featured in a gallery of the best photos from Washington Photographers for the year. It's a short gallery - only open one day! It's really a peer thing, but it means a lot to each of us to see our images acknowledged and honored.

As a member of PPW, I spend a lot of time each year attending conferences and classes, always seeking to improve my skills and keep at the tip of the edge in technology and style in the swiftly changing field of photography. I hope my work reflects both my passion and my education. I'm doing this for you, my clients, to give you the best I can be. Thanks for trusting me with your portrait needs!

林 佩璇 from Taiwan with Pizazz

Lynden Christian High School always has a lot of exchange students - I love that! I was an exchange student in Germany 30 years ago. I still keep in touch with my host family. We also had a German exchange student 9 years ago - Karsten. He is our dear friend. We visited Karsten and his family and my host family when we traveled Europe in 2003. Karsten and his brother Matthias came to visit us, and Karsten ended up studying at U Victoria for a year. These are wondrous bonds with friends far away and from different cultures.
Lisa is from Taiwan, and one of about 30 exchange students in the LC school system. She's been here since 8th grade and I was privileged to take her senior pictures. She is full of life and the glow from within is so bright it spills out all over! You can guess I loved taking her photos!

A Fresh Start

Samuel jumped the gun on his entrance into the real world, but he's strong, healthy, and taking the world by smiles.

LOVE is in the air

We've had the studio up and running for over a year now, and I've been tossing around the idea of doing studio specials. Well, I'm actually doing one these next three days! I will be photographing "Be My Valentine" photos. Details are on my regular web site - I'm posting here the sample Valentines I put together. The studio shots will be a blast - I went crazy buying hearts, pink princess dresses and cool red bandannas for the boys and "love" tattoos for their arms (something along the lines of "wild thing, you make my heart sing.") Gabe spray painted bows and arrows gold for me, in case I have any cupid wannabees! Come on by and get yourself in a Valentine!

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you the happiest, loveliest, and joyfullest New Year ever!
Pictured Above: my kids from youngest to oldest: Leo, Gabe, Laine and Ben, and my kids together with each other and with me.

Blessed by Bargens and Byles.

This summer I photographed the Bargen-Byle family at Cedar Springs in Sumas. Cedar Springs is a gorgeous Christian retreat center tucked in the foothills and surround by hills of flowers, flowering trees and little to nooks to find respite. John and Jeannie Bargen are the force behind the center, which John began with his first wife years ago. Jeannie, also widowed, came to work at Cedar Springs and love bloomed alongside the flowers. The families have grown and represent numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren as pictured. The family gathered for John's birthday, coming from as far as Turkey.
I've known Jeannie since I was a youth group leader for her son Warren, and she helped me work through my own grief when my husband died. Since then I've come to know others from these 2 family lines and they are all excellent people who continue to bless me. I'm so glad I got to meet all 38 of them.

Twin Christmas

The DeLisa twins come all the way from Bonney Lake to get their pictures taken, and I am so glad they do! (It's possible they also come to see their grandparents :) ) I love these shining-faced girls! Last year I photographed their Christmas cards at StoneyRidge farm in a snowstorm, and today we did it again, but in pouring rain. We ended up moving indoors. Can you believe how much they've grown?!
I'll be there Dec. 6 for most of the day taking Christmas pictures. Come and join me! For $50 you can have a photo on a disk to take and make your own cards, or I will design and make 25 cards for you. In the meantime, have a lovely Advent season!

A Lummi Star Rising

Dustin Tom is one of my most athletic seniors this year. He is the star quarterback for the Lummi Blackhawks. His season ended yesterday, but his record will remain for a long time. Dustin owns the eight-man single-season records for yards and touchdowns in the state, according to the Bellingham Herald. Today's Herald story says, "Dustin finished with 5,268 yards in Lummi's 12 games, or about 439 yards each game. His 64 touchdowns raised the state record to a level that will be hard to match, as he averaged 5.3 each game, including nine in a victory over Crescent - the second-highest single-game total in state history."

Am I proud of this boy, or what!? And I only got to take his pictures. He also won a gold medal for basketball in the Cowichan 2008 North American Indigenous Games.
Congratulations, Dustin!