Samantha Okazaki

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Samantha Okazaki Brooklyn-based lifestyle photographer + videographer who specializes in family, maternity, and couples.

Yes it’s insanely last minute but I guess I’m offering Motherhood Minis this Sunday!?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀I polled my stories and yo...
04/15/2026

Yes it’s insanely last minute but I guess I’m offering Motherhood Minis this Sunday!?
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I polled my stories and you all said you’d be down so here we are, four days out and sign ups are live! Honestly this just feels right for my first day back at work from “maternity leave” lol might as well just rip the band aid off in the most chaotic and fun fashion!
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We’ll do these shoots at my in-home studio here in Santa Monica (because let’s be honest that’s about as far as I can muster in a week’s time and also for having a newborn)!
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Motherhood Minis are ideal for you and their little ones, your growing belly, or even you with your own mother. Spouses will sit this round out!
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Studio minis are $350, booking link in bio.

Our shimmer of light, Ellis Terumi Okazaki-Peterson, joined the crew earlier this month and our lives are sweeter, our h...
02/15/2026

Our shimmer of light, Ellis Terumi Okazaki-Peterson, joined the crew earlier this month and our lives are sweeter, our hearts are fuller, and our family is complete. Little boy, you are everything we could have hoped for and so much more.

While looking back at the past year and forward to the new one, you know what I realized that’s so classic Sam™️??⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀...
01/22/2026

While looking back at the past year and forward to the new one, you know what I realized that’s so classic Sam™️??
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I’m big on goal-setting, and this past year I set up a bingo board for myself. 24 boxes with the goal to accomplish at least 5 of them. (You’ve seen bingo, you get it.) And throughout the year I had been steadily accomplishing goals, both big and small, in hopes of crossing off my bingo.
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But here’s the kicker: I forget what I told myself the “prize” would be once I actually finished it 🤪
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I’m so proud of what I’ve crossed off (and for the record I got THREE bingos!!!) but like….now what??
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Unlike a traditional list of resolutions, knowing I would not achieve every single goal was a great practice in letting things go, reprioritizing, and finding new little side quests along the way. And then I guess in the end (because I accidentally forgot to give myself a prize lol) it was a surprise lesson in learning that not everything deserves a medal; not everything has to be win or lose.
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Some of my highlights:
Doing a catch on the trapeze
Saving literally *thousands* of dollars by cutting out Starbucks and Amazon
Coming to terms with the fact that the majority of my fitness goals simply had to go unaccomplished this year (very freeing once it settled in!)
Selling my NY apartment
Taking a pottery class
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I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to goal-set this year at all, but either way I think I might skip the bingo board this time…

To new adventures 🩵 Wishing you all love, joy, and a sprinkle of chaos this New Year!
01/01/2026

To new adventures 🩵 Wishing you all love, joy, and a sprinkle of chaos this New Year!

Going through and archiving my client photos from this fall and I just have to brag about how fun my Minis were this yea...
12/19/2025

Going through and archiving my client photos from this fall and I just have to brag about how fun my Minis were this year??? I know that’s a hot take for a lot of photographers, but Minis don’t have to be boring! I feel like a lot of us are people-pleasers and there’s a certain expectation to create the “perfect” posed photo for our clients’ holiday cards, but if you let go of that I genuinely think it’s possible to infuse a Mini with joy, funk, and beauty. Thanks to my wonderful 2025 Mini clients for letting me be myself!
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Welcome to the — We’re a community of alumni connected by our love for cinematic storytelling. We find beauty in the narrative depth of daily life, and while each of our styles is beautifully unique, we all share the same goal: to weave light, composition, and emotion into a photograph that feels like a remembered scene.
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Our stories may be different, but each one is worth telling.
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I can’t wait to see the story you share. Next up is:

With the majority of my 2025 shoots behind me, I think I can officially say it: This might have been the hardest busy se...
12/11/2025

With the majority of my 2025 shoots behind me, I think I can officially say it: This might have been the hardest busy season I’ve ever had??
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I mean it’s tough to manage on a normal year, but we got straight slammed with the back-to-back preschool illnesses, had to deal with rescheduling shoots because of rain (in LA!?), and fell deep into the blackhole of my various - and very long - third trimester OB appointments.
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Add in the emotional rollercoaster of my LA bestie moving across the globe and our family was hanging on by a thread there!
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Just trying to stay happy and present and afloat these days 😮‍💨 I’m always so deeply thankful for a busy client load but between us I can’t wait to savor the upcoming slow season!!

Look I’m gonna be so honest with you all…I forgot about Black Friday again this year. I simply don’t know how all the ot...
12/04/2025

Look I’m gonna be so honest with you all…I forgot about Black Friday again this year. I simply don’t know how all the other photographers I follow are out here promoting awesome sales in the middle of busy season?? You are superheroes!!
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I’d like to blame it on my pregnancy brain but this is deffff not the first year this has happened hahah who am I kidding.
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Best I can do is offer a discount in the print store, so if you’ve shot with me before go take a look at your galleries (everything is open for this week!) and spend your little hearts out with 15% off all products.

Jumping on the grid to say that I’m still here!! I’ve been inspired recently by a group of truly amazing photographers a...
11/07/2025

Jumping on the grid to say that I’m still here!! I’ve been inspired recently by a group of truly amazing photographers and I’m hoping to get better at sharing my backlog of images. I feel like I average posting 1 out of every 50 shoots lol so the bar is low for me to step my game up 🤪 who knows, maybe you’ll even see a carousel or two outta me before the end of the year!?
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Welcome to the — We’re a community of alumni connected by our love for cinematic storytelling. We find beauty in the narrative depth of daily life, and while each of our styles is beautifully unique, we all share the same goal: to weave light, composition, and emotion into a photograph that feels like a remembered scene.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Our stories may be different, but each one is worth telling.
I can‘t wait to see the story you share. Next up is:

Happy Halloween from my favorite bunch of weirdos!! 🍌🤪💛
11/01/2025

Happy Halloween from my favorite bunch of weirdos!! 🍌🤪💛

Just a friendly (and humbling) reminder that even your professional photographers can have chaotic, hilarious family pho...
10/27/2025

Just a friendly (and humbling) reminder that even your professional photographers can have chaotic, hilarious family photo shoot sh*tshows!
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A throwback to this time last year…
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• I decided to curl my hair 5 minutes *after* our photographer showed up. (Which btw did not hold at all!)
• I did NOT plan our outfits in advance and nothing fit Emi, who was in-between sizes.
• We rushed out the door to try and catch whatever light we had left…but still had to pit stop for coffee? Priorities.
• We were going through a barfy phase and Emi threw up not once, not twice, but THREE times during our shoot 🫠
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And still it was so perfect??
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With the help of our most patient, carefree, talented photographer, and my dear friend, we laughed through it all and the sunset was one of the most spectacular gifts we’ve gotten in a while. I can’t wait to look back on these photos and crack up over the backstory!
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And THAT’S why photos are so fun - they don’t have to be “perfect” to be a great memory.

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Los Angeles, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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