A family photographed at Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim, Orange County

Orange County · Six Weekend Dates

The Weekend Matinee

Fifteen minutes, one good location, and a gallery of your people looking like themselves. Six weekend dates across the fall and into December, at three of my favorite spots in Orange County. No planning, no wardrobe spiral, no whole-day commitment. Just show up and be in it.

Six dates · Oct 11 through Dec 5, 2026 · Booking is open

Book a Matinee
or join the list

The Session

Short session. Real pictures.

$295

25 edited images · six weekend dates

$100 holds your spot, non-refundable · balance due a week before

  • Fifteen minutes in the best light of the day, morning or late afternoon
  • A location I've already scouted for how the light falls that week
  • Up to six people — and the dog doesn't count
  • A simple plan for the fifteen minutes, and prompts to keep everyone moving
  • A private gallery of 25 edited images, all of them yours
  • A styling and prep guide sent ahead, so you show up ready

Twenty-five images, and they're all yours. Nothing to pick between, nothing to unlock.

Book a Matinee

How These Feel

Warm, a little nostalgic, and actually fun.

Fifteen minutes is short, so a Matinee runs on a plan, and that turns out to be the whole trick. Everyone together first, then mom and the kids, then dad and the kids, then the kids on their own, then each of them, then just the two of you. Once that's in the bag we play.

That's the part everybody remembers. Running at each other, chasing around the parents, a sneak-attack tickle, the twirl, whoever's horsing around. Give kids something they actually like doing and they stop performing, which is when the good frames happen.

What you end up with is your family the way it really is this year. Warm, honest, a little nostalgic, and yours.

The 2026 Dates

Pick your date.

Three favorites around Orange County, two dates at each. Four run late afternoon into the golden part of the day and two are quiet weekend mornings, one family at a time so nobody's standing around waiting their turn. Showtimes are on the booking page.

Redwood grove

Carbon Canyon Redwoods

A rare grove of towering redwoods, tall and hushed. Nothing else nearby looks like it.

2026

Sunday, Oct 11Afternoon Sunday, Oct 25Afternoon

Garden greenway

Jeffrey Open Space Trail

A landscaped greenway with easy paths and shade trees that turn late in the year.

2026

Sunday, Oct 18Afternoon Saturday, Dec 5Morning

Lake & bridges

Yorba Regional Park

Willows, footbridges, and open water, in the weeks the trees are at their best.

2026

Sunday, Nov 8Afternoon Sunday, Nov 22Morning

See showtimes & book

The List

Hear about it first.

Openings when someone reschedules, any afternoons or mornings I add to the season, and next year's dates before they show up anywhere else. That's the whole list. A few emails a year, nothing else.

Start to Finish

How a Matinee works.

01

Claim your spot

Pick your date and take whichever showtime suits you — they're all on the booking page. $100 and a quick agreement hold it, that part's non-refundable, and your styling guide comes your way with the exact meeting spot and where to park.

02

Show up and be in it

Fifteen minutes in the good light. I'll guide you the whole way with a simple plan and easy prompts, and the real moments happen on their own. Show up a few minutes early and we'll use every one of them.

03

Your gallery

Within a week a private gallery lands in your inbox with 25 edited images. All twenty-five are yours to download, print, and share. Nothing to choose between and nothing left behind a paywall.

Good to know.

Is this a mini session?
Yes. That's exactly what it is, and I'd rather say so than dress it up. Fifteen minutes, one spot, one family at a time. What it isn't is a conveyor belt — you get a location I've scouted, a real plan for your fifteen minutes, and the same way of shooting I bring to a full session. Just less of it.
How is it different from a full session?
Time and range. A Picture Book or a Side Quest gives us longer, room to move, a change of scene, and a much bigger gallery. The Matinee is one location, fifteen minutes, 25 images. It's a first chapter. If you love how it feels, the full session is where we tell the whole story.
What time are the sessions?
Four of the six dates run late afternoon into the best light of the day. The other two, November 22nd at Yorba and December 5th at Jeffrey, are weekend mornings starting at 8:30. Exact showtimes are on the booking page — four on each date, with a short break in the middle. They're different for every date because each one is built around that day's light, which is why the October dates start mid-afternoon and November, after the clocks change, starts earlier still. Pick whichever slot fits around naps, practice, or whatever else your weekend is doing.
How many people can come, and can we bring the dog?
Up to six people, and the dog doesn't count toward it — bring them wherever the location allows, and I'll confirm that for your date when you book. The six is a real limit rather than a soft one: these run one family after another, so there's no way to go long without taking it out of the family behind you. It covers most households, whether that's two parents and four kids or a couple with grandparents in the mix. Bigger group than that and a full session is the right call — I'd love to talk about it.
What holds my spot?
A $100 retainer and a quick agreement. It's non-refundable — holding a showtime takes it off the calendar for everyone else, so I need it to mean something. The remaining $195 is due a week before your date and runs through the same booking page, so there's nothing to chase or remember.
What should we wear?
Once you're booked, you'll get a styling guide with everything you need. The short version: coordinate, don't match; lean into texture and warm tones; skip the loud logos. Two notes on the weather. Both October dates are up in Carbon Canyon, which is inland and can still run genuinely warm in the afternoon that time of year, especially if the Santa Anas are blowing — so don't over-layer the kids. The two morning dates in November and December go the other way: it'll be in the fifties at 8:30, so bring a layer that comes off easily for the photos, and expect wet grass at Yorba.
What if the weather turns?
A little soft overcast can be beautiful, so most days we shoot. If we're facing an actual storm, I'll move you to another open showtime at no cost. If nothing suits, I'll sort you out another way — you won't lose your session to weather.
How does the gallery work?
Within a week of your session a private gallery lands in your inbox with 25 edited images. All twenty-five are yours in full resolution, ready to download, print, and share however you like. There's nothing to choose between, no window to beat, and nothing held back for an upgrade. It's the whole set.