***I am currently driving my life up the state of California, I will be back in business Monday December 28th!!***

Dear Los Angeles,

Leaving you will never be easy but will always be inevitable, so it is with a heavy but hopeful heart that I take the plunge and move my life back up to the Bay Area. Eight years ago I packed up my childhood bedroom and left San Jose with big dreams. What I didn’t realize was that all I needed to do to feel that those big dreams were fulfilled was to simply figure out who I was- to test the waters, to ride my bike without holding onto the handle bars. It is true that I spent my childhood in Willow Glen but sometimes I feel as though it was here, in this apartment, in Los Feliz that I truly grew up.

As I move from room to room packing up all of our belongings I can’t help but feel like I am starring in my own personal series finale. The kind where the family is packing up, moving away, starting over. Each time their hand touches an item they hold it for a minute, turn it around in their palm, graze their fingers along the edges of it and slowly the sides of the screen start to blur into memories. My series finale is filled with moments like this. Moments that stop me dead in my tracks and tempt to buckle me at the knees, moments that seem to steel the breath right out of my chest. Sometimes these moments bring a bright smile to my face and other times I feel terrified that when I drive away for the last time somehow these memories will remain inside these walls and I’ll never be able to revisit them the same way again. In my heart, I know this isn’t true, but change has never been easy for me.

I see Sean and I with 7 little bottle fed kittens. I see Thanksgiving with friends, a clogged kitchen sink that led to dishes in the bathtub. I see painting the living room yellow with Heather, waking up the next morning and deciding to repaint it brown. I see myself watching Tim walk down the driveway on his way to a 7 week tour, hopeful that our relationship was strong enough to withstand what was to come. I see myself sprawled out in the living room at 2AM working on my watercolor final. I see the graduation signs Tim taped to the back door the afternoon of my last final. I see Top Chef nights and Project Runway dinners. I see lots of tears, laughter, and most of all: I see comfort.

All of that said, I am packing these boxes with a lot of excitment for the future. All who know me know how important my family is to me and I can’t wait to be closer to them on a daily basis. I see Madmen nights with my mom, movies with my sister, wedding planning with my best friends, wine drinking with Aubs on our new deck, photoshoots with Ivy, and the list goes on and on. This is the first place Tim and I will be moving into at the same time together and I am so looking forward to experiencing all of that with him!

So, Los Angeles, the time has come for us to part ways. I am so thankful that you are not forcing me to leave but instead I am choosing to hit the road on my own terms. You have been more than good to me, you have taught me many lessons, and showed me so much about myself. Thank you for bringing so many amazing people into my life – I promise I won’t be a stranger.

Love always,

Meg

PS I won’t miss the 5, 10, 101, 110 downtown freeway change-over. At all.

{goodbye kitchen!}

How did I get so lucky to have such amazing clientele? I fell in love with these two the day we met and was so excited to be able to have shared in a part of their wedding day! CJ and Dustin tied the knot at the ever-fabulous Wayfarer’s Chapel in Racho Palos Verdes with a luncheon immediately following at Il Fornaio in Irvine. You can read more about the details of this event on Elizabeth Anne Designs- The lovely Ami, with CJs help, also shared a little how-to on putting together their adorable Smore’s kits! (All CJs truly talented vendors can be found listed at the bottom of this post.)

This next one was shot of the boutonnieres done by my super-talented 2nd shooter Ally!

Oh the first look..

Ceremony Location: Wayfarer’s Chapel

Florals: Peony and Plum

Gown: Jenny Yoo

Reception Venue: Il Fornaio

Paper Pom Poms: Pom Love

Custom Wood Sign: Roberto Sand

Wedding Certificate: Anna Bond of Rifle Design

Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop

Invitations: Wiley Valentine

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I think if any one shoot could describe my style, this one might be it. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for romance and beauty. My mom told me once that when I was a baby and I wouldn’t stop crying she’d put on the local “smooth hits” radio channel and dance around with me to ballad after ballad. I like a song with a story, a song that tells of love and loss, triumph and failure- so what if they all follow the same chord progression?

My favorite photographs are like this too- pretty, feminine, romantic, lovely, expected, comfortable. I’ve learned that in this industry people expect you to experiment, to use new techniques and products, have the latest gadgets, keep up with the Jones’s if you will.  It’s easy to get lost in all that and forget yourself. Forget what you want your work to be about, how you want it to feel, or more importantly, how you want it to make people feel. I want people to feel the way they feel when watching a candle flicker, or when the wind blows, or raindrops fall, or the waves crash against the sand. Nostalgia, memory, thought. These goals might be grandiose as, really, I am competing with God there. But if my photographs can cause one person to smile, to breathe in a little deeper, to be reminiscent, or inspired then I know I am on the right track. Obviously, we all take pictures to not only fulfill our creative bones but to also pay the bills- so not all shoots can have this effect. But, I encourage you to take the time to shoot for yourself- to remember, deep down, what you’re really creating.

I have been wanting to photograph Allison for awhile now but between her filming schedules and my non-existent free time we haven’t been able to arrange anything until now. Not only is she a super talented actress but she’s also a writer and a fabulous baker/cook specializing in vegan recipes. We decided to use these talents and bring them into the portraits- a la Meg style, in the woods. Thanks, Allison for being such a joy to photograph and for bringing me back to my basics.

Those who are local, you can find her muffins at Stories LA on Sunset Blvd.

Thanks to Morgan, too, for assisting me that day!

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Shot a handful of holiday card portraits this year- Isabel and Elena were two of my favorite subjects!

Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters,
Never had to have a chaperone, no sir,
I’m there to keep my eye on her
Caring, sharing
Every little thing that we are wearing
When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome
She wore the dress, and I stayed home
All kinds of weather, we stick together
The same in the rain and sun
Two different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one
Those who’ve seen us
Know that not a thing could come between us
Many men have tried to split us up, but no one can
Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister
And lord help the sister, who comes between me and my man

-White Christmas