meet tressa

my approach

I’m Tressa - Your Magic Creator, Photographer + more

I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was 6 years old and really never put it down. Doing artistic things from a young age has always brought me joy— from drawing, taking photos, playing music, writing, pretty much any hobby you can do with your hands, i’ve at least tried it. I started my journey of

taking photos professionally 10 years ago while finishing my art degree at UCLA and every day since I went full-time 3 years ago has felt like a dream. The fact that so many different people come to me to create something through my lens that will last forever, will never cease to amaze me.

Partner In Crime + my Go-To for everything

Trevor has been my partner from the very beginning, way before we were even married. When I was taking a black and white film class in college, he was teaching me how to manually use my film camera. He is the funny one, the film and camera expert, and when he’s not videoing your session or elopement, he’s being my second photographer! I love working together. He 100% prefers film to digital and loves his Pentax 6x7 II, so if you’re a—

lover of film, you’ll be instant friends. I don’t know how, but he stays active every single day and can quote almost any older Simpsons episode. Trevor actually went to film school to be a director of photography and loves movies so much he started a podcast about them (it’s called Cinephilia if you want to check it out). I don’t know what I’d do without this boy, but I’m so thankful to do what we love with one another! He’s super easy to get along with, so I think you’ll like him too.

meet trevor

dive deep into my personality

Based in S0Cal — always down to travel for love.

This is us.

lovers of travel + adventure together, hanging out at home, finding new places to eat, a deep & empathetic love for all animals, national parks, nature, hole-in-the-wall mexican food, film photos, epic views, our dogs, all of the cute dogs, san francisco, good candles, the desert / joshua tree, eloped in november 2018, scorpio (tressa) + cancer (trevor).

photographer couple posing for a photo at the top of the crouching lion hike in oahu, hawaii. green mountains and the ocean in the background

wedding photo of a couple embracing on a lake in oregon, with mount hood in the background — by Dawn Photo

couple hugging on a piece of old structure jutting out into the water in lands end, san francisco. part of sutro baths

tailor and dominic__by tressa scharf photo-325.jpg

Learn More About US.

Creating photos makes me feel alive + doing it for a living is the ultimate gift. I’ve wanted to do so many things with my life over the years, but photography is the one thing that has remained constant. Being able to connect with so many different people and create something that will last a lifetime for them is so special to me.
Aside from being a photographer, i’m not going to lie… i’m part of the lazy girls club and sometimes I like to simply lay in my amazing comfortable bed. Eating is definitely a hobby and I love cooking potato tacos, any pasta, lately i’m obsessed with air frying things and i’m the queen of salsa (I learned from my grandma). I was born on Halloween, which makes me a Scorpio but please don’t hold it against me, I swear i’m a nice person. I’m a fan of online shopping, decorating my house, The Office + Friends, the 10 minute version of All Too Well + lots of Indie Rock, watching anything funny, thrifting, and dreaming of house renovations and future homes. My dogs are my favorite and they make me laugh all day long while simultaneously driving me up the wall. Trevor and I spend a lot of time hanging out at home together but we also like traveling all over California and the US, going to Disneyland, eating good plant based food, and occasionally making fun of one another, lol.
His list of favorites: Michael Jackson + Prince, horses, big dog breeds, going to the movies along with a large popcorn (always), sour patch kids, Mad Men, boxing, working out / going to the gym, any oreo dessert, vinyl, Kodak Portra, video games, and sushi. Trevor was born in LA but his family is from Argentina and he’s fluent in Spanish. He will always be team film over digital, he even develops his own rolls of film in our kitchen. After trying and owning many different film cameras, his Pentax 6x7 II remains number one in his heart. He’s the only person I know who loves animals as much as I do and dreams to own an animal sanctuary one day. There are sooo many ways in which we are opposite, but together we make the best team.
When you’re in front of my lens, we are going to showcase your authentic self / relationship and allow you the space to be who you truly are while preserving how you felt in that moment. I enjoy capturing the in between moments that are true and authentic to your life; for this reason I would describe my style as photo journalistic or documentary, that is somewhat hands off, while stepping in to prompt you when needed. I’m here to evoke emotion in your images and help you feel everything you felt at that specific time in your life vs. taking a picture ‘perfect’ photo. EVERYONE is welcome here.