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5 REASONS TO HAVE A FAMILY PHOTO SESSION SCHEDULE A 15-30 MINUTE ZOOM CONSULTATION (COMPLIMENTARY) GET IN TOUCH GIFT CERTIFICATES SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER

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📷 Kids, Animals & Those Who Love Them
Capturing connection, personality & today's priceless moments
👇🏼 Choose to Be You

Monday reminder: You don’t have to have it all fig

Monday reminder: You don’t have to have it all figured out today. 🤍

The schedule is changing. The kids are growing. The to-do list is somehow reproducing overnight. And you’re trying to keep everyone—and yourself—moving forward.

So this week, let’s try something different:

✨ Progress over perfection.
✨ Your path over someone else’s highlight reel.
✨ Small wins count.
✨ Give yourself credit for how hard you’re working.
✨ And remember… you’re allowed to be proud of yourself right now, not just when you reach the next goal.

Maybe today’s win is booking the appointment.
Maybe it’s getting everyone out the door on time.
Maybe it’s finally drinking your coffee or in my case hot chocolate while it’s still hot or make it a win by make it an amazing cool drink with what’s left! ☕️😂

Whatever your win is—count it.

Keep going. You’ve got this. And if nobody has told you lately, I’m proud of you for showing up. 💛

What’s one small win you’re celebrating this week?

#MotivationMonday #MondayMindset #MomLife #MomOfTeens #WorkingMom ProgressOverPerfection SmallWins MomSupport YouveGotThis WomenSupportingWomen SantaBarbaraMoms SantaBarbaraPhotographer ImagesByValerie

Sometimes Motivation Monday doesn’t happen on Mond

Sometimes Motivation Monday doesn’t happen on Monday. ❤️

Sometimes it shows up on Wednesday… after the backpacks are packed, the schedules change, the alarms go off earlier than you’d like, and everyone is trying to figure out what this new season is supposed to look like.

This week has been one of those weeks for me.

I’ve been helping my daughter and her friends get ready for a new school year, trying to keep everyone calm, while also figuring out my own new rhythms and routines.

Because the balancing act of motherhood, marriage, and a career?

I don’t think I’ll ever completely perfect it.

And honestly, maybe I’m not supposed to.

Maybe this season is about learning to adjust. To give ourselves grace. To take a breath when everything feels like a lot. To remember that we can be ambitious women, loving moms, supportive wives, and still occasionally have absolutely no idea what we’re doing. 😂

I love this reminder the motherhood is a balancing act.

So here’s your midweek reminder:

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

You just have to keep showing up.
Keep adjusting.
Keep loving.
Keep going.

And maybe give yourself a little more grace along the way. 🤍

Okay mamas, your turn… what are YOU figuring out right now? 👇🏼

🩷 A — Getting everyone back into a routine
💙 B — Figuring out my own schedule
💚 C — Letting go of the “I should have this figured out” guilt
💛 D — Honestly… ALL OF THE ABOVE 😂

Comment your letter—or tell me what your new normal looks like right now. I promise you’re probably not the only one figuring it out. ❤️

#MotivationWednesday #MomLife #WorkingMom #MotherhoodUnfiltered #MomBalance WomenWhoDoItAll MomsofTeens BackToSchool NewSeason GiveYourselfGrace MotherhoodAndCareer WomenSupportingWomen SantaBarbaraMoms SantaBarbaraPhotographer ImagesByValerie

There are some photographs that mean a little more

There are some photographs that mean a little more than others. 🤍🐾

I had the sweetest opportunity to see a repeat client opening her framed artwork—and I got a little emotional watching her take it all in.

These portraits are of her pups, some with her, and together they tell a story of the family she has loved through the years. One of those sweet faces is no longer with us, and her most recent session welcomed a new addition: a senior pup she adopted and brought into her family.

That’s the part of photography I never want to take for granted.

Our families change. Our kids grow. We add new four-legged family members. We say goodbye to some of the ones who were here before. And through it all, photographs hold onto the pieces of those seasons that we never want to forget.

I don’t often get to see my clients after they open and receive their artwork, so getting to witness this moment was such a gift.

And now I can’t wait to see these join the portraits from all of their past sessions on their new portrait wall. 🥹

This is why I love what I do.

Not just pretty pictures.

Your people. Your pets. Your memories. Your story.

And yes… I really, really love my clients. ❤️🐾

#SantaBarbaraPhotographer #SantaBarbaraPhotography #SantaBarbaraPets #SantaBarbaraDogs #DogMom PetPortraits PetPhotography FamilyPhotography FamilyPortraits PrintedPhotographs PortraitArt WallArt PhotographsThatMatter LifeInPhotographs DogsAreFamily SeniorDog RescueDog AdoptDontShop SantaBarbaraMoms ImagesByValerie

Motivation Monday ✨ Be the reason someone smiles

Motivation Monday ✨

Be the reason someone smiles today.

Not because you have everything figured out.
Not because your day is going perfectly.
And definitely not because you have extra time. 😂

Just because you noticed someone.

Send the text.
Give the compliment.
Hold the door.
Ask how she’s really doing.
Tell someone you’re proud of them.
Smile at the stranger in the grocery store.

We’re all carrying things other people can’t see. And sometimes the smallest moment of kindness can change the whole direction of someone’s day.

So today, let’s make a little more room for kindness.
A little more grace.
A little more “I see you.”

You never know whose day you might change. 💛

#MotivationMonday #BeTheReason #ChooseKindness #MomLife #WomenSupportingWomen KindnessMatters YouAreSeen

Some traditions don’t just last a lifetime—they sp

Some traditions don’t just last a lifetime—they span generations. ❤️

Opening Night of Santa Barbara Old Spanish Days Fiesta has been part of my life since I was a baby. As a descendant of some of Santa Barbara’s earliest families, this celebration has always felt like coming home.

Our family’s connection to Fiesta runs deep. One of my cousins had the honor of serving as Spirit of Fiesta, and today continues to give back as a member of the Old Spanish Days Board. Seeing that dedication to preserving our community’s traditions makes me so proud.

Tonight, I get to experience Fiesta through my daughter’s eyes as she and her friends sell confetti eggs that we spent the past year making from eggs laid by our backyard chickens. 🥚🎉

Watching the next generation laugh, celebrate, and create memories in a place that has meant so much to our family is something I never take for granted.

Fiesta reminds me that traditions aren’t just about looking back—they’re about preserving our history, celebrating our community, and passing these moments on to the next generation.

Here’s to another unforgettable Fiesta filled with music, dancing, laughter, and memories that will last a lifetime.

¡Viva la Fiesta! 🌺❤️

#VivaLaFiesta #OldSpanishDays #SantaBarbara #SantaBarbaraTraditions #Cascarones FamilyTraditions Community SantaBarbaraLife ImagesByValerie

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