“Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.”
- Edward Abbey
Ara lives in Portland with her San Francisco-native husband, Nathan, and their two cats/kids, Rosie and Fib. They do a lot of hiking and exploring, and always make time for at least one amazing breakfast on the weekends.
Being a true child of the Pacific Northwest, Ara began her career in photography as a stress-relieving escape to nature from her corporate job. She spent her weekends hiking, visiting named and unnamed waterfalls, getting muddy, finding wildflowers, chasing sunsets and going to the beach. On most of her business trips to other states, she found a way to run away for at least a few hours to see some local wonder or attack a bit of backcountry.
Not long after her immersion in landscapes and cityscapes, Ara fell in love with photographing people. Capturing a fleeting moment, being a part of the best day of someones life, documenting love and passion and tears of joy, and making images of the true connections between people became as fulfilling as any sunset or waterfall. She loves the relationships she has with her clients, and the wonderful parts of their lives she gets to share.
With an eye for beauty and the moments that matter, Ara photographs with a combination of photojournalism and artistic posing. She believes that you should never invite a stranger to your wedding, especially in your photographer. She believes in telling stories, not just taking pictures.
Ara loves to hike, camp, dance (and go to Zumba), write, go to plays, read fabulous books, go on roadtrips and sing loudly in the car. She is a bit crazy about Vera Wang, Rivini, Banana Republic, REI, Danskos, cats, long walks in San Francisco, really good food, and waterfalls.
