I'm also a hopeless neatfreak, lover of nostalgia, Jesus, classic country, and heavy weights.
Hi, I'm René,
black-and-white-obsessed photographer of love.
About me
With twenty years of experience, I never lose sight of the fact that long after we are gone, these moments will remain. To be the one who says "this moment matters, this one stays" is a tremendous privilege, and one I hold with great care.
Today, my work centers on everything we hope to never forget: our family, our newborns, and the love between a husband and wife. In addition to portraits, I accept a limited number of select weddings.
My mission? capture love. preserve legacy. for now and generations to come.
It slowed me down. It softened me. It gave me a reverence for the ordinary: babies in window light, toddlers underfoot, families simply being together. I understand now, in a deeper way, how fleeting these seasons are and how meaningful it is to preserve them. These children, these families, are building legacies in real time.
I still hold a deep love for wedding photography, especially for couples who believe in the long haul. Marriages rooted in Jesus, and in the belief that what they are building matters. I accept a limited number of weddings each year, alongside my work with families, babies, and anniversaries.
Becoming a mother changed everything.
I didn’t know it then, but I was already doing what I still do today: making the most of what I had and paying close attention to people. One headshot (with a desk lamp as a key light) led to a wedding, which led to another, and by the time I graduated from college, photography wasn’t just a side passion. It was my path.
I’ve now been a professional photographer for nearly 20 years. In the beginning, I photographed anything and everything that came my way, always learning and growing with each session. For 11 of those years, I specialized exclusively in weddings. Many of those seasons allowed me the privilege of traveling the world, documenting weddings and anniversary sessions in places like Jerusalem, Tasmania, Iceland, Italy, Hawaii, the Canadian Rockies, and throughout the United States.
It all started WITH A KODAK EASY SHARE, A DESK LAMP, AND AN INNATE LOVE FOR BLACK & WHITES
I think often about the photographs passed down through generations. The ones found in cedar chests, albums, Bibles, and along the gallery wall cascading down your parents’ stairwell. I’m proud of my own family’s story, and I’m mindful that the images I create today will one day shape how future generations understand their story. To say, “this moment stays,” is a responsibility I do not take lightly.
I grew up in a small town in southern Colorado and have since found my way back home after years in the Bay Area and Scottsdale. I’ve been married to the love of my life for twelve years, together for nearly twenty, and we’re raising our two children in this season of slower rhythms and deeper roots. My faith in Christ informs how I see the world, how I love people, and how I approach my work: with gratitude, intention, and love.
Legacy is the thread that ties all of this together.
in the best of both worlds. Compromise. And that the difference is in the details. It's those details people subconsciously notice that take your work from good to great.
I believe...
I'm an Enneagram 2: a Helper. "Twos exemplifies the desire to feel loved, to connect with others in a heartfelt way, and to be a source of benevolence and love in our world. Twos are easily the most people-oriented of the Enneagram types. They focus on relationship and feel best about themselves when they are meaningfully engaged with others.
Twos are genuinely interested in other people and in the details of their lives."
Enough said.
A fun fact about me
Get to know me
I love hunting and fishing. I drive a truck, wear a baseball cap about half the time, and can whistle so loudly it will stop you in your tracks. Though I was born and raised in Colorado, I spent a couple of years living in Alaska — one of the greatest adventures my parents ever gave us kids. And yet, I also love Tiffany & Co., a good Napa Cabernet, a house full of plants, beautiful interiors, and wandering old European cities. I cook from my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook, wake up before the sun most mornings, and believe the best homes are the ones filled with music, laughter, and photographs of the people you love.
You'd be surprised to learn...
I’m a Colorado native and a minimalist at heart. My go-to outfit is a white t-shirt and blue jeans. I find real joy in organizing and creating calm, open spaces – it’s my version of Xanax. In a previous life, I even worked in a vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
I savor the little things and believe in making the occasion; never be afraid to open the good bottle of wine just because.
Did you know...
