Hi! My name is Rhea. I'm a family documentary photographer living in Oakland, California. I specialize in storytelling and lifestyle photography for children and families. Photography is a way to preserve memories. As a mother of young children, I've often worried that I'm going to forget what they were like as newborns, as two year olds, as three year olds, etc. I never want to forget my son's toothless grin or his early love of basketball or the rolls on my daughter's 8 month old body or how she now sticks her tongue out when she's concentrating on drawing or writing her name.
It brings me joy to also capture these special moments for my clients. I strive to take images that will treasured for a lifetime, and passed down for generations. I want to tell the story of your family, the relationships that bond you, the milestones that define you.
If you'd like to see more examples of my work, click here. If you have any questions or would like to book a session, simply click on the "contact me" button below.
I look forward to being your photographer.
My Approach
As one can see by perusing this website, I find inspiration in lots of different things. My camera knows no bounds as there is beauty all around us even in the most routine and mundane of activities. There are three common themes that thread all of my work together- whether it be documentary family sessions, personal projects, or events. This is what I stand for. Through photography, I offer my clients and my community art that reflects the following:
Authenticity
reflections of the truth
Captivating
draws attention, inspires a deeper look
Essential
expressed with purity and minimalism
fun facts
- I am most relaxed with a camera in my hand.
- I'm an aspiring vegan. Still can't kick pizza out of bed just yet.
- I grew up in San Diego. I didn't appreciate the beaches as a kid, and now it's the only place I want to be in the summer time.
- I am a certified yoga instructor.
- My grandma was an AMAZING seamstress. She could look at a picture of an outfit in a magazine and make it- no pattern needed. I don't know my way around a sewing machine (yet), but in my heart I can sew. It is on my very long list of things to learn in the next couple years.
- Some other things on that very long list of things I'd like to learn are: how to plant and tend to a food garden, meditation, how to put on eye make-up without looking like a clown...
- I am an introvert who plays and extrovert on TV
- The perfect date night my husband and I involves "fancy" Mexican food and thrift store shopping
- When I was a kid, my mom and would rearrange the furniture in our apartment every few months or so. That sparked a love of interior design that persists today.