I met Heather within the first few months I moved to Seattle in 2007 and got a waitressing job at the good ol’ Spaghetti Factory (shout-out to all the once “spaggers” out there!) She was always kind and sweet….never without a smile on her face. Years later here we are crossing paths. Heather is now just starting her own photography business and thought it would be a great idea to get some photos done of herself!…which is a GREAT idea for all artists out there. People want to see you, they want to see who they’re working with. And especially for photographers, I think it’s great to feel what it is like on the other side of the lens for once. I need to take my own advice and get some done myself : )

This session was so much fun! We chose a general area and then just explored. My favorite type of shooting! Walking through neighborhoods and finding little nooks and crannies of pure goodness. We caught up on life, shared some laughs, and created some fun images. It was a good day to say the least.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

I’m making a quick trip back home this coming weekend and wanted to give all of you a chance to start booking some sessions while I’m down.

I’ll be shooting all day Saturday and Sunday. Anything from family sessions, seniors, or newly engaged couples…just shoot me an email and we’ll get you taken care of! : )

So excited!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful sunny weather today. Unfortunately I’m stuck working inside today since I have been away for the past 5 days! I just got back last night from WPPI in Vegas and I’m trying my hardest to recover and get back into the swing of things. This was my first year going to WPPI and I am SO happy I decided to go! I had soooo much fun and met so many awesome people! I had no idea how hard photographers party…I kind of felt like an old woman trying my hardest to keep up. Another awesome thing is that photographers know how to get DOOOOWN. No joke. Airplanes and Blazers was the best party ever. Ever. So thank you to all you crazy photogs who shared a dance with me : )

Well I thought I would just say “Hello!” today and also share this fun little album that came in for one my awesome senior clients! You may recognize Kacie from her senior session.

Enjoy.

As I sit here trying to put into words exactly how I feel about this past year…I struggle to describe it. So many things in my life have changed…to look back at the Tonhya only a year ago, almost seems like a totally different person. This past year I have been so blessed with God’s grace…I feel so underserving of the unconditional love He has shown me. He has walked me through some of the hardest times this year and during those times when all I wanted to do is turn my back…He continued to love and bless my life. I am also so thankful for the people God has brought into my life this past year. From new clients and friends, to people who just needed an open ear…I am SO thankful for every single one of you. You all have taught me something valuable in your own unique way. Over the holidays I went back home to be with family and I was overwhelmed by so many emotions. The one thing that I am most thankful for is my beautiful family and being with them means the world to me…but this Christmas I couldn’t help but think about how difficult the holiday season is for some people…those who have lost loved ones or who don’t have a family to go home to. I wish I could heal everyone , I really do…but all I could do was pray for those people. I never want to take the people in my life for granted and so often I find myself consumed by things that don’t really matter. The things that matter most in this life are the relationships you build with people. That is why I love my job so much…I’m building relationships with people who are in love. I also love my job because it has shown me so many different types of love. Before becoming a photographer I only knew the way I would love or the way my family loves, but now I get to see love in so many different ways. I love it. I love love.

After one year of being in business, I am overwhelmed by the love and support I have received from friends, family, blog readers, other wedding photographers, and even complete strangers. Words can’t express how thankful I am for everyone who has pushed me to be dream bigger and those who have challenged me to be better. To say I am excited to face this new year head on would simply be an understatement. I had so much I wanted to write in this blog post, but maybe I’ll save it for another day…

I decided to grab some of my favorite images from 2010 but never thought it would be this many images…so I apologize for the huge amount of photos! I hope you all enjoy a little recap of the way I saw love in 2010.

xoxo – tonhya

Today is yet another awesome senior that I had the pleasure of photographing this year! Courtney was so much fun and made my job super easy! She is so comfortable behind the camera, it felt more like hanging out than working! When Courtney first emailed me about her senior portraits she made sure to explain to me exactly what she wanted out of her photos…she wanted them to represent HER. She said, “Anyone can tell you laying in a pile of leaves or leaning against an oak tree isn’t exactly me. I want my pictures to be representative of my personality, of what I want to do where I want to go“…I absolutely LOVE this. I love a girl who knows what she wants, but I also love that she trusted me to accomplish this. Courtney isn’t your typical girl and I love that about her. She also loves photography…brownie points.

Courtney, thank you so much for choosing me as your photographer! I had so much fun hanging out with you and I can’t wait to see where you go with your photography!

Enjoy! (by the way, this first one is one of my favorites!)

So pretty!

We found this cool heart on the wall, how perfect.

Love, love.

Another favorite!