About Me
The gal
behind the lens
With years of experience and a calm approach, I'll help you feel comfortable so your photos reflect who you actually are.
Smiling blonde woman with glasses holding a DSLR camera with telephoto lens, sitting outdoors in a lush green park.
About Erin
Hi, I'm Erin.
I'm a portrait photographer based in Lompoc, California, and after fifteen years behind the camera, I still get excited every single time someone trusts me with their story.
I photograph high school seniors, families, newborns, couples, maternity, and branding. Seniors are my heart. Always have been. There's something about that season of life, big and uncertain and electric, that I never get tired of documenting.
I spent a long time feeling invisible. Photography gave me a purpose and a voice when I thought I didn't have one. Now I get to do that for other people, every single session.
“There's a lot of beauty in people that goes unseen. I believe it deserves to be noticed.”
When people feel safe, they let their guard down. When they let their guard down, that's when the real photos happen. Creating that space is the part I take seriously.
If you're looking for photos that actually feel like you, you're in the right place.
About My Work
Timeless portraits.
Soulful connection.
Golden hour, honest color, and the moments between the posed ones.
01
Natural light
Golden hour makes everything better — soft light, less squinting, no harsh shadows. Just you in the best possible light. I plan sessions around it whenever I can.
02
True to you
Natural skin tones, real color, clean composition. I edit for you, not for trends. Twenty years from now you shouldn't cringe, you should reminisce.
03
The in-between
I do pose you, but that's not really what I'm after. It's the moments you don't know I'm still shooting — when your mom says something, when you look at your partner, when your kids are just being kids.
A Little More Erin
The stuff they don't put
on a résumé.
01
Morning ritual
Coffee. It must be the perfect shade of brown — that's how I know there's enough creamer. Too much: hot creamer. Too little: battery acid.
02
Comfort food
Gyoza in a curry broth over white rice with Trader Joe's onion crunch on top. Yum.
03
Most-played right now
"End of August" and "Willing and Able" — Noah Kahan. The whole album makes me feel like childhood, if you could feel it.
04
Last real laugh
My brother talking about how we were as kids. Always makes me laugh.
05
Skill I wish I had
Taking things less personally. Is that a skill or a personality transplant? Asking for a friend.
06
Biggest other hobby
Poetry. I wrote it in high school and it was so healing. Found it again — just as therapeutic.
07
Always in my car
Cough drops and tissues. Getting older makes your nose drip and the tickle in your throat follows. Love aging.
08
Worst habit
Self-doubt. Self-deprecation. Anything negative about myself. Working on it.
09
Last thing that wrecked me
Hamnet. Done. Period. It broke me. But what a movie.
01
Camera bag essential
My reflector. I may never use it but I always bring it.
02
Shot I keep chasing
Breaking the creative ceiling. I'm not sure what's on the other side, but I know I haven't gotten there yet.
03
Learned from a client
Stop trying to make clients into someone else. Find their personality and work with it.
04
Location I'd shoot every day
Santa Ynez Botanical Garden. Every single day and I don't think I'd ever run out of angles.
05
Sign a session is going great
Real laughter. It means they've let their guard down, they're trusting things, and that's the sweet spot.
06
My editing style
Color, natural skin tones, no trends.
07
Advice to first-year me
Don't wear hot pink to a session unless you want your clients to have hot pink skin.
08
Underrated shooting time
Dawn. Never done it, but I've seen that light and I think it would be stunning.
09
Photo I'm most proud of
All of them. They've all taught me, hurt me, loved me, haunted me, and pushed me.
01
Best kept secret in Lompoc
The murals. They are pretty amazing.
02
Favorite drive
Highway 1. Very little traffic, amazing views, and possible photography locations around every bend.
03
Surprised me about living here
How our weather lets me shoot outdoors year-round. Except hurricane-like winds or downpours. Otherwise, we're good.
04
My coffee order
Upside-down Caramel Macchiato with almond milk and light ice. Every time.
05
Weirdest session request
Photos at an abandoned building. One senior jumped into a mystery pool of concrete and ruined his shoes. We did not know why there was a pool of concrete.
06
What clients don't know until they meet me
That I'm strangely comfortable to be around and can be pretty darned funny — which makes them relax and feel confident.
07
What I want people to feel
Happy. Excited. Nostalgic. If a photo makes you feel all three at once, I've done my job.
08
Most annoying session habit
I say "perfect" uncontrollably throughout the session. It probably adds up to 1,823 times. Perfect.
09
If I could photograph anything
The Central Coast in every season, every hour of light. I don't think I'd ever run out of reasons to keep shooting.
Off the Clock
Photographer capturing red-haired woman sitting by rose bushes on brick sidewalk at sunset.
Photographer capturing a woman holding sunflowers outside Calipaso on a brick sidewalk in a charming downtown shopping district.
Photographer shooting model on crosswalk in Solvang with windmill and dramatic cloudy sky.
Two young women with long hair photograph a scenic mountain landscape from a stone wall path surrounded by lush greenery.
Blonde photographer shooting a redhead student in blue graduation gown near a tree outdoors.
Blonde photographer kneels to photograph graduate in yellow cap and gown in open field.
Photographer shooting a young woman in white dress and red boots sitting in a dry grass field.
Photographer crouching to capture portrait of woman in purple dress sitting on brick plaza surrounded by greenery.
Blonde photographer crouching to photograph red-haired woman posing on green grass in park.
Photographer crouching on brick path capturing woman posing in rose garden at golden hour sunset.
Two women outdoors exchanging an orange fabric accessory, one wearing a yellow kimono over a white dress.
Two women stand together on a gravel path, looking at a camera near a stone wall with lush green hills in the background.
Blonde photographer shoots young woman in white dress and red boots at golden sunset.
Two people among twisted trees on leaf-covered forest trail in autumn.
Woman photographing a model in a floral dress on a crosswalk in a charming small town at sunset.
Photographer takes portrait of woman sitting at rustic wooden table by window in cafe interior.
Photographer capturing a smiling graduate in orange cap and gown in an open green field.
Photographer capturing a woman posing in a coastal marsh during a stunning pink moonrise sunset.
Blonde photographer captures redhead woman posing with sunflowers on a brick sidewalk.
Photographer shoots two girls posing near waterfront dock during golden hour sunset by the bay.
Photographer capturing a young woman in a white dress on a leafy garden path in autumn.
Blonde woman photographing a young brunette woman posing by a wooden fence outdoors.
Blonde woman crouches to photograph purple flowers in raised garden bed outdoors.
Woman tending to a lush raised garden bed filled with flowers and herbs on a sunny day.
Photographer captures graduate in yellow cap and gown posing on dirt path in grassy field.
Photographer crouching to photograph a young child leaning against a large oak tree outdoors.
Photographer kneeling on dirt path photographing woman in yellow graduation cap and gown outdoors.
Two women hiking on a leaf-covered forest trail surrounded by twisted bare trees in fall.
Photographer shooting a graduate in orange gown posing dramatically in a grassy outdoor field.
Photographer photographing a redhead woman holding sunflowers at an outdoor farmers market.
Blonde photographer captures man posing by large twisted oak tree branch on dirt path outdoors.
A vintage black and white photograph shows someone working behind a kitchen counter with shelves of canisters visible.

July 8th, 2025

The Artist

Personal
A dramatic black and white portrait composition with moody lighting and reflective elements creating an artistic effect.
elm — About CTA
Let's Work Together
I'd love to
photograph you.
If you're looking for photos that actually feel like you — warm, real, and worth keeping — I think we're going to get along just fine.
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Kind Words
"Such an amazing experience! She did such an amazing job getting my son to relax and have fun with his pictures! Pictures turned out absolutely perfect!!!!"
Katie Pendleton
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