I am the face and noises behind the the photos you see here. I am a grateful mama to my wild little ones, Bodie and Bostyn. Currently you won’t get me to shut up about—Jesus encounters, empowering mamas for their birth, surfskating with my wild littles, root cause healing and the next homeschooling adventure.
When I’m not documenting motherhood stories, you can find me covered in sand and sweat chasing my babies and dreaming up what we’re gonna make for dinner.
My name is Zo'e and I’m happiest when churro’d in warm sand by the sea. I am a motherhood story photographer, serving in Orange County, CA. Growing up in San Clemente, I began my photography journey shooting surfers from afar. Although I’m shooting different stories these days, the surf, sand, and stoke are still in my aesthetic style.
I fell in love with maternity and newborn memories long before I became a mother myself, but becoming a mama made me truly enveloped me in all the ups and downs of motherhood—from conception to postpartum. After my daughter’s birth, my purpose was solidified. I knew I wanted to change her narrative of birth to something that she’s empowered and created to do.
When I started witnessing and photographing more births, I knew I had the honor of fulfilling that desire for other mothers, too. I know God gave me passion, focus, and talent photographing/supporting mothers and their loved ones during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
My story is just one. Every mama has her own story to tell and if you are wondering if that is you—IT IS. You deserve it, mama.
It’s my number one priority to create a safe and familiar space with you, before you even step in front of my camera. I don’t show up to shoot, I show up to share. In my experience, being photographed by a friend is always more fun than being photographed by a stranger.
I’d prefer friends over clients any day, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
My transition into doula support was very natural once I became invested in documenting births. I love and revere birth and I naturally work as a member of the birth support team, first, before photographer or artist. I owe all that I am and all that I have to give to God and believe there’s such a gap from God in the birth experience for many mothers. I am very open and bold about my faith, and anyone who knows me knows I am a prayer warrior kinda doula.
A birth journey with me includes a deep getting to know each other, so that I can best support mama or parents to be and protect your family’s sacred birth space. This includes 2 prenatal meetings, constant communication during pregnancy, a prayer-centered mother blessing, and 1 postpartum visit.
Approaching birth can be so overwhelming whether it’s the first time or the fifth time. Mama’s needs are different every time from education resources, to local practitioner referrals, to juggling finances, to building the village to surround you postpartum. Having a doula and a network of doulas has blessed my birth experiences, helped me heal from broken circumstances, and enriched my life so much. The heart of my holistic outlook on birth and healing is that God designed our bodies to carry, deliver, and nourish our babies with such intention and wisdom, so I always search for simplicity when it comes to approaching the wild journey that is creation itself. Culture will cause confusion and fear to the most vulnerable and part of my work is peeling back layers of how we can best learn to release those fears, listen to our bodies, and journey through birth from a place of peace. I only wish to help mothers feel empowered, supported, and connected to God in their journey carrying and bringing their babes into the world.
Not only is Zo’e an amazing mama photographer, she has a beautiful soul. She shared mama mantras with me that I’ve been reciting daily to get ready for the big day. She shared her experience with breastfeeding during our shoot and reassured me that my body is made for this. And during the whole shoot, she hyped me up and made me feel like the most elegant mama. This pregnancy has taught so much about the importance of support, trust and an open heart. I’m so happy that I had the chance to capture the last few weeks of pregnancy with her and grateful for the connection we made. Thank you Zo’e!!
Jayda Walker
My husband and I cannot express how grateful we are for Zo’e and her roll in the beautiful birth of our baby girl. She did so much more than capture this experience for us. She was kind, supportive, and brought an energy that perfectly matched what I needed. She made a point to connect with me prior to the birth in order to learn specifically what I wanted from my birth experience as a whole, not just in the photography portion. She was available night and day, even with a little baby of her own; checking in and offering support when she could. She came straight to the hospital at 4am when we were admitted and stayed all day cultivating connection, capturing perfect moments, and never once taking away from our time. The photos she captured were breathtaking. It’s as if she knew exactly which moments to grasp. She even sent a few straight to my phone before ever leaving the hospital! She was a critical part of my support team and I cannot imagine a better human to forever be a part of our family through this experience.
Kierstin Mcclane
We are SO thankful we were able to get Zo’e to capture these amazing moments in our life! She photographed our maternity and newborn shoot and we are obsessed with all of the images!! She gave us over 200 edited photos, got them back to us very quickly, and was super responsive to any questions I had! On top of that, she made my husband and I feel comfortable which made the moment and looking back at our pictures that much more enjoyable. I cannot recommend Zo’e enough for anyone that wants to make sure they have a dream photography shoot for moments you never want to forget!
Irene Pollock
