The Team

Professional photographer Kendra Okolita founded Clickin Moms in 2008 as a social forum for women to discuss and share their love of photography. Over the last four years, Kendra has assembled a vibrant team of over two dozen women and expanded the original 100 member forum into an educational program, retail site, and the photography industry’s largest female social network and subscription based community of female photographers. Shooting with a Canon 5d mark III and an assortment of lenses, Kendra says, “my own photography tends to be very in-the-moment/lifestyle. I prefer un-staged and real moments and I’m giddy with excitement when I capture them. I love clean and bright processing or moody black and white.” She loves spending time with friends and family – especially her husband and four children – and being “the #1 fan for the kids’ soccer, baseball, football, and dance.” She also enjoys reading, running, sun, hugs, and coffee.

Duke graduate and former attorney Sarah Wilkerson joined Clickin Moms as a member photographer in 2008 and quickly became a leader in the community. In 2010, she held CM’s first forum-based workshop and spearheaded the development of CMuniversity, an online photography school that provides educational programming to over 2000 photographers each month.Together with Kendra, Sarah has led the evolution of the company’s mission, program development, and position within the greater photography community. She currently resides in Colorado Springs with her Army JAG husband, three sons, one daughter, and two dogs. Sarah shoots with a Nikon D4, enjoys tilt-shift and atmospheric black and white work, and instructs CMU’s upper level composition courses (Elements of Design, Composition and Creativity, and Story and Vision). In her free time, Sarah loves research and writing and enjoys lattes, mojitos, flip flops, and reality tv.

An ideal day for Houston area resident Jodi would begin with time alone to sip a cup of coffee in an early-morning, quiet house, then follow with a lazy day spent with her husband and their three kids, Tex-Mex for dinner, and end with a clean kitchen and a glass of wine before heading off to bed. She enjoys working out, cooking, reading and of course, photography. Her photographic style tends to be mostly lifestyle but also includes loose portraiture and high school seniors. When asked how she got started in photography she says, “I had a defining moment when my oldest was two. One afternoon, I was watching her play in her little kitchen and I wished for a photographer who would come into our home and follow us around for the day making beautiful pictures out of our ordinary, every day life. I didn’t know of anyone who did that sort of thing so I became that photographer for us.” Jodi shoots with a Nikon d700 and a variety of prime lenses.

Multi award winning photographer and Canon shooter Jen Bebb began her career as a wedding photographer 13 years ago after assisting her husband during a friend’s wedding. It was during that wedding where she fell in love with capturing the true and genuine moments between family members. When not shooting weddings or speaking at conventions, Jen prefers to spend her time at home in British Columbia with her husband and two sons being active outdoors with sports like lacrosse, tennis, or skiing. During her rare down time, she prefers to dive into a good book or continue to learn to cook.

Although she was raised in Virginia, Cameron now resides in Atlanta with her husband Bill. Her love for magazines is at the root of her career as she was named editor-in-chief of Professional Photographer, PPA’s official magazine in January of 2002 where she led the magazine to a 2009 Grand GAMMA for best magazine in the Southeast and General Excellence awards four years in a row. Prior to her years at PPA, Cameron was managing editor at Cartoon Network magazine, helping to launch the Atlanta-based network’s first publication. Cameron also served as the managing editor of Digitalsouth, and senior editor of Nielsen’s Display & Design Ideas magazine, focused on visual merchandising and design. Needless to say, handing her a stack of magazines, and throw in a lemon-lime seltzer water too, makes her one happy woman.

Currently located in Lincoln, California with her Air Force pilot husband and two sons, Megan uses her Nikon d700 and various lenses to capture soft, clean, lifestyle photography. When asked about her lifestyle approach she says, “I love to watch my kiddos learn new things and explore the world. I think that my enjoyment in quietly observing them has had a huge influence on the way I see through the lens and ultimately capture the scene in front of me.” Although her past includes spending time in ballet classes and showing Arabian horses, her present consists of being outdoors with her family, Moroccan oil, caramel decaf lattes, an immersion blender, and snack traps. Megan is the instructor for Lighting 201: Mastering Natural Light Indoors.

In her role as eastern regional manager at Professional Photographers of America/Professional Photographer magazine, Karisa was the top-performing sales person in 2011, setting a new territories sales record with her performance. Previous to her move to outside sales, Karisa led and coordinated all of PPA’s vendor-focused marketing and promotional campaigns and packages in her role as manager of Advertising and Sales/Strategic Alliances. Prior to her 10 years at PPA, Karisa served as promotion and design manager/ad rep at Daily Eastern News, and as advertising coordinator for the Village News/Southwest News. She is head over heals, sparkly ones to be specific, in love with her two amazing children. She also loves Margarita Fridays with her husband, commercials, mexican food, and painting and then re-painting her home in Atlanta.

Stacey, a Modesto, CA resident, has been a lover of photography since the 8th grade but “didn’t really start to delve into this art until the last couple of years.” With her Nikon D700 and assortment of prime lenses, her photographical motivation is to capture the essence of her children which are most commonly her subjects. When not divulging in photography, she enjoys the occasional good book, sleeping in, and spending time with friends, usually a lunch date or a movie. Stacey also admits to loving her huge washer and dryer where she can get the piles of laundry for her husband and 4 children done “splikity split.”

Jennifer has been in love with photography since her first Kodak disk camera. She enrolled in many photography related classes while in art school and has gone on to create a storytelling style that she loves because, as she describes it, “it’s real, it’s messy, and it’s fun” with her Nikon D700, F100, Holga, and a few lenses. Although she took some photography courses, she holds a dual degree in Graphic and Industrial Design. In her own words, “My style is typically quite clean, with strong hierarchies and just enough visual noise to keep it interesting. I truly live and breathe design — I secretly critique motion graphic sequences at the start of movies, pick my wine by the label art, kern poorly set type in my head and absolutely love what I do.” Among her other loves are knitting, running, rooftop gardening and going on adventures with her husband and two young boys.

Residing in Minnesota with her husband and three children, Amy has “always had an appreciation and interest in photography, but my beautiful children inspired me to pursue photography and for that I am so grateful.” Shooting with a Nikon D4 and varying prime lenses her “first priority is capturing the fleeting moments of childhood. I love photographing my own children and showing them how much I love them through the images I create. I also enjoy capturing the connections between family members as they interact in unique locations.” Picnicking in a state park with her family or searching for vintage treasures at antique shows is how she likes to spend her day off but she also enjoys volleyball, gardening, a good book, compassionate people, and watermelon. Amy is also the instructor for one of CMU’s newest workshops, Shooting 101: First Steps With A DSLR.

Living in rural Oklahoma with her firefighter husband and their three children, April chooses to use her Canon 5d mark II, 35L and 100L to second shoot weddings and capture her children in their day to day life, which includes homeschooling, pretend play and snuggling up to watch a good movie. Although she dove into photography after the birth of her first child it wasn’t until her second child was diagnosed with life threatening food allergies that she realized how fragile life is and the importance of capturing daily memories that you may or may not have a chance to photograph tomorrow. April is also the instructor for CMU’s workshop Shooting 201: Exploring Creative Photography. Other than photography, April likes to cook, read, decorate and organize.

Family, including husband Sean and their two daughters, is number one for Kathryn, followed by “friends that make me laugh so hard I cry, Coke Zero, chocolate and hugs from my girls.” Kathryn loves to read and write, when she’s not cranking the music while her girls splash in the pool. With her Nikon D700 in hand, Kathryn prefers to sit back and watch while she “captures life as it happens.”

Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2010 changed the way Ashley viewed both life and photography. “Our lives can literally change in an instant and that idea has affected my photography because it’s made me want to document my kids’ lives even more than I wanted to before I was diagnosed” she says. And although she loves traditional portraits of her kids, Ashley’s true love is lifestyle photography and being able to “capture them as they are in their everyday environments. For me, it’s the best way to document them – who they are, where they’re at in their lives, what their interests are, what makes them ‘them.’” Ashley is relishing her now cancer free life with her husband and their two children in Kansas City where they truly love being together and playing outside as a family. She enjoys cooking and baking, despite her claim to be unskilled at both. Twizzlers, ice cream, Doritos, coffee, pedicures and a good novel are her guilty pleasures. Currently, Ashley shoots with a Nikon D700, 50 f/1.4 and 24-70 f/2.8 and is the instructor for the CMU workshop Shooting 201: Lifestyle Photography with Kids.

Lisa has more than 11 years of experience in magazine design. At only 21 years old, Lisa became Vancouver Magazine’s youngest art director, where she received her first Western Magazine Award. In 2003, Lisa moved to the United States to work as the deputy art director for Outside magazine. In 2006, she joined Martha Stewart Omnimedia as the senior art director for Blueprint and Weddings magazines. While working for Martha, the Society of Publication Designers named Blueprint “Magazine of the Year” in 2007.

As an author, speaker, and instructor of CMU’s Off Camera Flash workshop, Michelle has a strong desire to teach others about photography. While her specialty is weddings, portraits, and commercial work, her goal is to capture “the best version of reality” for her clients. She is a Nikon photographer who spends her time in both Pennsylvania and Maine with her husband and two boys and enjoys spending time with them skiing or hiking in the mountains whenever possible.

Armed with a Nikon D700, several Nikkor primes and the Tamron 28-75, Monica focuses on children and newborn portraiture in the Seattle, Washington area, despite her disdain for the rain. She also has a love for macro photography and is the instructor of CMU’s Intro to Macro photography workshop. And although Monica is a Mac girl, she is madly in love with her Microsoft employed husband, their two young daughters and the family’s Maltipoo, Scout. She enjoys kickboxing and DIY crafts but would much rather spend her day off “laying on a hot, sunny beach reading a magazine while sipping a fruity beverage.” When Monica stops by Starbucks, her OCD nature tends to surface and her resulting order is a Venti Passion Fruit Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade with 2 pumps classic syrup.

Lynne is a lifestyle photographer residing in Orlando, Florida with her husband and their 5 children. “Living in Florida” she says, “has shaped the way I shoot. I either had to learn to embrace the sun with my images or stay inside. I chose the former.” Her original goal was to take better pictures of her sons’ football games and get good Christmas card pictures but Lynne has presently joined her former career as a teacher with her passion for photography and is the instructor of several CM workshops including Shooting 101: The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever, Shooting 201: Beyond the Basics, Vision 301: Finding Your Style and Processing 101: Lightroom Start-to-Finish. Lynne can’t live without AdvantEdge Caramel protein shakes, Mellow Mushroom pizza, Tijuana Flats, and ice. She also loves the gym, shopping, the beach and hanging out with her beautiful kids. Her camera bag is loaded with the Canon 5d mark III, multiple prime lenses and the 70-200L.

Instructor of CMU's newborn photography workshop, Alicia is a Canon photographer shooting with a 5d mark III and various lenses who resides in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and two pugs. While she’s always loved photography, she didn’t start her business until 5 years ago after the sudden passing of her father who inspired her. Specializing in newborn and children photography works perfectly for Alicia as she has been known as “the best tickler ever” and very patient. She also loves food, can’t resist a cold Pepsi or slurpee, and goofing off with her kids. At 5’0” she is the shortest of the CMteam members.

Minnesota wife and homeschooling mother of four, Caroline explains her photography which began in 2008 with her first DSLR as “ever evolving, but I have a special love for emotive black and white imagery as well as colorful landscapes and macros that are alive with colors and textures. My newest love is film and alternative process photography.” Her gear consists of a Canon 5d mark II, an assortment of prime lenses including a lensbaby and attachments, a Canon Rebel Film camera, and some Holgas. Caroline is the instructor for one of CMU’s newest workshops, Shooting 301: The Art of Observation. Photography may be Caroline’s passion but she is also a beekeeper, gardner, addicted to salsa and lime, dark chocolate, and loves traveling in her Airstream with her family.

Courtney, instructor of CMU workshop Business 101: Hands-On WordPress Clinic, may not have been raised in a home with a camera but she has always loved photography and in her own words, “Once I got my first camera, my journey began. From living in England and capturing Alice’s Shop in Oxford to visiting the castles of Ireland, my focus shifted from places to people. Now I can’t imagine not capturing my every day experiences.” She captures her every day with a Canon 5d mark ii and varying lenses in a classic yet modern style. Residing in Atlantic City with her surfer husband, princess-clad daughter, and firetruck chasing twin boys, Courtney is a “self-proclaimed science geek” spending her days as a Chemistry and Physics teacher and her off time as a photographer. Her iPhone, morning black coffees, the smiles of her little kids, running the boardwalk, TOMs shoes, Anthropologie, and a fully loaded Kindle are many of the little things she loves.

Located in Boston’s North Shore, Sarah loves to spend a casual day with her husband, 3 kids and if friends are included it makes for a huge bonus. She’s always loved taking pictures but the photography bug hit big time a few years ago and the rest is history. In Sarah’s own words, she loves to “capture real moments. Spontaneous laughter, genuine smiles and even tears make my heart sing.” Motherhood is her ultimate inspiration. She states, “It doesn’t take long to realize how quickly children get big and I’m thankful that I’m able to capture the tiny details of our life. I treasure these images now and know they will only become more precious as time goes by.” Sarah also enjoys reading, running, laughter, flip flops, and red wine. Currently, she shoots with a Nikon D700, D7000 and various lenses and is the instructor for the CMU workshop Lighting 101: Speedlight for Beginners.

Although Megan started dabbling in photography when she purchased her first DSLR in 2005 it wasn’t until 3 years later that her journey took a deeper meaning and has defined who she is as a photographer. In her own words, “I lost my dad to kidney cancer. My dad and I had a great relationship–I feel so blessed to have had such a strong male figure in my life–he truly treated me like his princess. My dad had always been very interested in photography and many times throughout my youth he’d try to teach me a few pointers, but at the time I was more interested in being a teenager than a photographer. After he passed I realized how much those images that I had of him meant to me. My kiddos were so small and would never remember their Papa and I knew that the stories I told of him and photos I shared would help them create their own idea of the man that he was. It was like a lightbulb went off at that time and I knew I wanted to do this for other families.” In Folsom, California, where she lives with her husband and two children, Megan uses her Nikon D700 and an assortment of lenses to photograph in her bright, clean, and classic style. On her days off she loves to sip a can of diet Coke after a morning of sleeping in. Follow that with a little antiquing and you’ve got quite the day for Megan. She is also the instructor for CMU’s Lighting 201: Natural Light with Atmosphere workshop.

Happy wife and mother of two young boys, Lora enjoys life in the quiet state of Colorado. As a sophomore in high school, she began her photography journey with a roll of film and a darkroom. Her style has evolved over the years into the natural, timeless, and heartfelt photography that it is today. She is a Canon girl at heart shooting with a 5d mark II and both 50mm and 135mm lenses and loves to help others learn which she does in her Shooting 101: Posed For Success workshop. And although she proclaims to spending her days off as being lazy, Lora loves crossfit and running. Reading, music, and coffee are among some of her other favorite things.

Emma currently resides in the United Kingdom with her RAAF pilot husband and their 7 crazy kids. She loves any chance she gets to spend some one on one time with her children, watching a movie with her husband, or getting out and about and exploring new places. Emma starts her day with a Latte and can’t live without her earl grey tea, camera, iPhone, iMac, her hair straightener, and miso soup. Despite just recently, within the past few years, discovering photography as a means to document her children’s lives, she has always had a love for photography, “particularly black and white which stems from my love of black and white films when I was a child.” Her passion is black and white photography, often described as moody and earthy, and bringing out beauty from the most simple concepts. Emma arms herself with a Nikon D700, a variety of prime lenses, and a Lensbaby and is the instructor of the CMU workshop Shooting 201: Timeless Photography and Emotive Expression.

Leah has always had an interest in photography and art but that interest increased when her dad, who has a great eye for photography, gave her her first digital camera. That interest skyrocketed after she quit teaching when her first son was born. When asked about her style Leah says, “my style definitely has a mix of lifestyle and classic elements…I hope to keep things modern but still timeless and I love adding a sense of humor! It took me a while to figure out what I loved and I think that’s part of my style…being all over the place and loving lots of different ‘types’ of photography.” Her style has continued to evolve, especially after the birth of her second son and she still loves to shoot newborns. Leah currently uses a Canon 5d mark iii and a variety of lenses. She shares a home in Dallas with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. They are anxiously awaiting the birth of her third baby boy! Spending time playing in the yard, taking a long walk, watching a good game, or eating a yummy meal with her family is the recipe for a good day in Leah’s world.

Armed with a Nikon D4 and an assortment of prime lenses, Jennifer enjoys photographing children and families in her own style, candid and full of natural expressions. When asked how she got her start in photography she explains, “I got started in photography in high school for photojournalism when we still used film and had to develop it in a darkroom. I never really pursued it until in college working on my degree in graphic design. We had several classes that required original photography and this re-sparked my interest in the craft! From there, photography was just another extension of creativity and art to me. Once we had our daughter, I knew I had to document her and all the details that I loved so much. It was my way of preserving her babyhood.” Other than photography Jennifer loves to read and finds cooking an elaborate meal relaxing. She also enjoys the show Friends, coffee, a nice bottle of wine, and spending time with her family including her husband, two children, and three stinky english bulldogs.

While shooting with her Canon 5d mark III and a few prime lenses, Megan prefers natural, low light to capture simple, emotive, and mysterious photographs which is reflective of her introverted personality. She got started in photography in 2007 while she was wrapping up a graduate degree prior to starting a family which now includes her husband and one son. Cooking, baking, and making her own soap are a few of the things Megan enjoys along with silliness, goat cheese, and quirky documentary films. Megan also has an undergraduate degree in Atmospheric Science and used to be employed as a meteorologist which explains her desire to go storm chasing with her camera in tow. Unfortunately, the thunderstorms where she lives in New York are not too exciting.

Melissa is a proud MWAC who gears up with a Nikon D700, prime lenses, and edits her “fun, childlike, and whimsical” photography solely in Photoshop Elements. Her goal both now and when she first began her photography journey in 2005 is to, in her own words, “remember my girls’ lives for them. They are so young yet growing so quickly. I know they won’t remember it all so I feel it’s my job to document it for them.” She is a self proclaimed goofball that loves reading, giggling, sweet tea, her iPhone, kisses, instagram, and having fun with her small family which includes her husband and three darling girls.

With her Nikon D700 and assortment of prime lenses in hand, Kristin loves to take portraits and describes her style as “organic and clean/pure with just a hint of whimsy.” She has an art/design degree from college and worked for years as a designer but like so many others really got into photography once she had children. In her own words, “I started to capture our family life, and somewhere along the line I got bit by the photography bug.” Her ideal day off would consist of shooting for herself, spending time with friends, and some quiet time alone curled up with a good ebook and possible a Starbucks/Tazo Iced Green Tea and chocolate. With her husband and three daughters, Kristin currently resides in Kirkland, WA.

Melissa is a portrait photographer based out of San Diego where she lives with her husband and two sons. Her high school darkroom is where her photography journey began and it has continually evolved over the years, especially after becoming a mother and realizing “that time flies so quickly. She currently shoots with a Canon 5d mark ii and a variety of prime and zoom lenses. I strive to capture not only the big picture, but also the little things.” Her passion is clearly her family and photography but she loves comfy pants, coca cola, Bon Jovi, movie theatre popcorn, and cheeseless pizza.

With her Nikon D700, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and 105 macro in hand, Lacey loves capturing “real moments” that will one day allow her subjects to look back and “remember the sounds and feelings behind the images.” With the exception of her cooperative and encouraging husband, her three small boys force her to keep her pictures “real” as they aren’t always up for posing. When not spending time outside in the fresh air on their property in Molalla, Oregon and having fun with her kids, Lacey likes to spend her time scrapbooking, blogging, cooking, baking, gardening, homeschooling and losing herself on the internet in blogs and CM. She loves her daily time with Jesus, which includes reading the bible with her boys, and the warmth she receives from a cup of Folgers with french vanilla creamer and her beloved space heater.

Growing up Megan was always the girl with the camera and her obsession with photography kicked into overdrive as she photographed the beauty of Hawaii while on her honeymoon. However, it wasn’t until her daughters birth, and subsequent month long stay in the NICU, that Megan realized how important photography and capturing life’s fleeting moments are. When she’s not spending time at home with her husband, daughter and baby boy, she enjoys having a “girl’s day” filled with “spa appointments, shopping, good food and quiet time.” A quick glimpse in Megan’s camera bag will reveal a Nikon D700, several Nikkor lenses and a Lensbaby Composer Pro.

Like many first time Moms, Celeste fell in love with photography in 2006 when her husband gifted her with a new Canon Rebel DSLR to start photographing their first baby and their adventures as a new family. When asked how else her personal life has influenced her photography she responded, “In 2009, my Dad was diagnosed with leukemia which was the same day I came home from the hospital after giving birth to the triplets. At that moment I realized more than ever how important being able to share my children’s lives was going to be as my parents lived out of state and neither of us would be able to travel. I didn’t want my Dad to miss the little details of his grandchildren.” From there she began to search for ways to learn to become a better photographer not just for her but for her Dad. In April 2010 she found CM and has never turned back. She says once she switched to manual mode an entire new world of how to make art opened up which grew into her desire to learn how to capture beautiful images that were filled with emotion. Her emotive, dramatic and largely black and white imagery is achieved with a Canon 5d mark III and a few prime lenses. While she loves baking, she also enjoys her almost daily trip to the gym where she works out and takes a little time to relax. Celeste lives in southern Texas with her husband and four boys.

Maybe it’s because she’s “a bit silly” or maybe it has to do with her being “a child at heart” but Lisa has an incredible talent for photographing babies and children in her fun, clean and playful style with her Canon 5d mark ii, 50 f/1.4, 24-70L and 135L. Marseille, France is the place she calls home along with her two boys where they love to play in the countryside treasure hunting and inventing goofy games. She does enjoy some quiet once in a while where she can browse the web with her coffee and chocolate. Laughter is a must have, though, as she states, “a day without a good laugh is definitely a lost one for me.”

Nikon D700 and prime lens photographer Sarah lives in Mauritius with her husband and two children, one boy and one girl where she loves to shoot single subjects outdoors in natural light. Her obsession began in high school and although she started her college days at an art school, she eventually transferred due to being “disenchanted with the emphasis on studio photography and large format cameras” and received a master’s degree in writing in publishing and even admits to having a few partly finished novels on her computer. Her love of photography came flooding back when she received a digital camera after the birth of her daughter and she hasn’t looked back since. Sarah is a romantic and a dreamer and loves spending time with her family, cafes, the internet which keeps her connected with her family and friends, Italian food, and a glass of something sparkly.

New York City street photographer Stacey shares a love of travel and photography with her husband although she took photography a step further in 2011 when she began taking workshops to better her skill and ultimately take better photos of her son. Why street photography? Stacey says, “documenting moments that can’t be staged or repeated and finding ways to tell a beautiful story with strangers and the city as a backdrop is something I don’t think I will ever tire of.” Stacey is a Canon shooter, reader, smelly cheese lover, but not a fan of the kitchen unless it involves making Spanish tortilla which she learned to do while living in Spain.

Mother of two, Anne resides in France with her husband. With her Nikon D700, 50mm, 105mm, and lensbaby in hand, she focuses on emotive and authentic portraiture which she believes “both tells the story of the subject and the photographer.” Her main subject is her daughter who Anne says, “is my muse and my daily inspiration. Photographing her always teaches me something new.” In addition to photography Anne loves clay sculpting and enjoys espresso coffee scented candles, marshmallow bears covered with chocolate which is a French treat, the month of May, and heartfelt conversations with close friends. She is also an idealist who believes in good people and the power of kindness.

As a self proclaimed happy hobbyist, Allison minimally explored photography in her college years but didn’t get serious about it until 2004. Since then, she has completed several 365 projects and enjoys documenting her family, husband and two daughters, with a lifestyle approach. Ideally her days would be spent with friends and family, coffee, chips and salsa, and of course her camera, a Nikon d700, and assortment of Nikon lenses, mostly primes.