my photography journey...

...started in January of 2013, although you could say it really began years before that. I was born and raised in the Philippines, adopted by my grandparents, having never known my father and only having a limited relationship with my birth mother. the story of my upbringing is a separate matter altogether but is important to mention for a few reasons. you see, creative outlets weren’t encouraged much as I was growing up. I was expected to grow up, go to school, become a nurse, get married, and have children. I started and continued on this path until I was about 17 when I would meet my future husband, Will, in a small coastal town in California. he and I both loved Jesus and were trying to discern His will for our lives while still being very young. we got married at the age of 21 and began our lives together. over the next seven years, my relationship with Jesus and my husband grew. I began seeking God in a new way, feeling Him breathe life into me, as I continued seeking His plan for our lives and our future family. 

our future family arrived in 2005 when our first son, Aidan, was born. just before Aidan came along, I was privileged to go back to the Philippines and see my family for the first time in 12 years. at this time, I still had the same level of relationship with my birth mother (hardly any!) and still had never met (and knew very little about!) my birth father. somewhere around this time, just after Aidan was born was when I began talking to God about the possibility of meeting my birth father, though I never really gave it much hope. in 2007 our second son Owyn would be born, followed by Quinlan in 2011. raising and homeschooling our boys had now become my life focus. 

so, what does all this have to do with photography? well…

a few years later, I began taking an interest in taking nicer-than-normal photos, paying attention to the technical aspects of photography. I wanted to document beautiful family memories as our family would continue expanding. I never put a ton of effort into the craft until later, but it was always there, in my heart and the passion was growing. somewhere around 2009, God arranged a miraculous meeting online with my birth father. it was quite surreal. I wasn’t sure how to act exactly, but I had great peace as we began to communicate. we communicated for a while and although he acted as though he wanted to know me, he stopped pursuing after a short time. whether we continue speaking again or even meet someday, is totally in God’s hands. 

the reason this brief time of communicating with my birth father is important is because of what I learned. he is a professional photographer and an all-around talented, artistic person. for all these years, I couldn’t figure out where this random creative streak in me came from since it was not highlighted within my family, but now I knew. I believe God had allowed this meeting to show me that the path He was leading me on was not only OK but ordained by Him. God had allowed this man, whom I have never met, and may never meet, to impart to me a gift and energy that I would now begin to fully understand, embrace and use for the glory of Jesus. the biological inheritance that was given to me by my birth father was intentionally, purposefully part of my spiritual inheritance from my Heavenly Father. 

fast forward to 2013, I began fully embracing and investigating this creative gift that was growing inside me. I joined an online photo-a-day challenge where I was pushed creatively, and through this online community, I have been connected to some of the most wonderful, inspiring, talented, gracious, and generous people I’ve known. one of them in fact, blessed me with my first DSLR which I used for many of my early sessions. through this act of kindness, my desire to use this gift of photography to bless others has greatly increased. 

nearly 9 years later, as we move into 2022, my hope and vision, my dream, continues...that I may be able to provide high-quality photos, for a cost that is accessible to everyone, especially to those unable to capture memories for their families simply because they think they cannot afford it. I was once in that place and vividly remember the emotions that come with it. I want my gift, this deep passion that was divinely birthed in me, to be used by God, for His glory so that I can give back to my local community. and perhaps somewhere along the way, I have been able to inspire others to do the same.