you and me.

Hi there! Thank you for trusting me to document your life. I am truly honored. I love couples whose approach to their wedding is relaxed, and more than anything want to celebrate their love in a fun and authentic way. I'm pretty goofy and don't take myself very seriously- no doubt you may find me in your photobooth with the biggest afro wig available! I do take my work seriously though, it means everything to make beautiful images for you. I believe I will bring a unique perspective to your photos. Part of that perspective is the way that I see you and how that is ultimately conveyed in your photographs. I feel that each couple is a beautiful and one of a kind love story. It is truly important to me that you get to take part of your photography experience by having permission to break down the walls of intimidation or awkwardness that can sometimes hold us back from showing our true selves. I want you to be you and am totally willing to make a complete fool of myself to make that happen! In all my years shooting weddings and couples, I have found that the more open and ungaurded you are, the more rewarding the photos, and the more you will treasure your photos for a lifetime.

ME. I live in one of the most gorgeous places on Earth- and I am so lucky. My sweet family and I are nestled in a small town in the Sierra Foothills not far from Lake Tahoe and a short trip to the one and only San Francisco. The opportunites and inspiration for photography that surrounds me is endless. I love dark skies and big stars, live music, late nights, long runs and roller coasters, a good strong cocktail, muddy coffee, belly laughs.... and quality time with the people I love. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein gets me every. single. time.

my story

I’ve always been moved by capturing people in a fleeting moment, finding them in a unique angle of light, and tuning in to a passing emotion. I believe that photography is a powerful tool in capturing moments that may never come quite the same way again. I look forward to having the opportunity to tell YOUR story! My history with photography.... Photography has been my love and passion for as long as I remember. I have clear memories of sitting in the hallway of my childhood home with a broken old Nikon of my Mother’s, just wondering how it worked. I used to love holding her Kodachrome slides to the light to see what might appear. In 1992, I finally got my own SLR camera, and the rest is history. The years since have been filled with boxes of photos and work prints, countless hours in the darkroom, thumbing through books on photographers I admire and photography technique, taking classes, teaching myself the digital realm, feeding my inspiration from mentors and teachers, and most importantly developing my personal style through practice and a lot of patience. As my style evolved, I came to realize that I am free to interpret the world in my own way. I began overlapping my love of fine art photography, portrait photography and photojournalism and I was soon creating images that were meaningful, quirky, challenging, exciting and playful. Yours Truly! Athena

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