The story behind my lens

"Hi — I'm Kim O'Brien, though those closest to me know me as Kimmy. I'm a wife to my darlin' husband, mom to two very active boys, and a photographer with a camera practically glued to my hands."

Photography has played a major role in my life from the very beginning — not just as a career, but as a calling. I grew up in front of the lens, spending my youngest years as a subject before the tables turned entirely. By the time I was about eight years old, my dad handed me his 35mm Minolta and taught me how to focus. I never really gave it back. From that moment on, I was shooting anything and everything I could find — people, places, moments that deserved to be remembered.

"As I got older, my passion for posing in front of the lens lessened and my love for taking shots grew."

What makes my approach different is the foundation I built on both sides of the camera. My early years as a model inform how I direct every shoot. I know instinctively how a person should stand, where the light should fall, and how to draw out the most authentic version of whoever is in front of me — because I've been there myself.

That empathy, combined with a genuine love for people and a lifelong eye for beauty, is what drives my work. Whether I'm trackside at a race, shooting a family at golden hour, or capturing a graduate's milestone across El Dorado, Sacramento, and Placer Counties — I bring the same intention to every frame: find what's beautiful, and make it permanent.