Casa del Herrero is more than a historic estate to me. It is the backdrop for my family’s story, a place where generations of my family left their mark.
My grandfather, Ildo Marra, came to the Steedman estate in the mid-1940s, just after the war. He was hired as a gardener and chauffeur, and over time, he became the head gardener, tending the land for over fifty years. He and my grandmother raised their two daughters, my mom and my aunt, in the side cottage next to the main house. Both of those daughters would later marry on the property. To me, the Casa isn’t only about Spanish Revival architecture or lush gardens, it’s the place where my family’s lives unfolded.
When I was growing up, the estate had already begun its transition. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steedman, Medora Steedman Bass, rarely visited the property since she lived elsewhere. By the time I came along, Medora had passed away and her children were in the process of establishing a private foundation for the Casa. That transition took several years before the estate officially opened to the public in 1995, just a year before my grandfather passed away and my family moved off the property.
As a child, I went to Mt. Carmel School just blocks away. Most afternoons, I found myself at the Casa. I ate figs and mandarin oranges until my hands were sticky, climbed trees, and wandered pathways like they were secret corridors. The estate wasn’t the bustling cultural landmark it is today; it was hushed, almost private, kept alive by a handful of gardeners. The fountains bubbled, and the air smelled of earth and roses. It felt like the world belonged only to us.
When I was a teenager at Anacapa School, I began to carry a camera around. My photography elective gave me an excuse to study the details that surrounded me there. I practiced on the bronze lions perched on railings, the bursts of patterned tile, the way light shifted across ornately carved pots and whitewashed arches.
The gardens became my classroom. I learned how to notice texture and light, how to pause, and how to translate beauty into an image. Looking back, I think the Casa was teaching me long before I called myself a photographer.
Casa del Herrero is layered in history. Many of its furnishings and design details came from churches in Spain and Portugal, carrying stories from across the Atlantic to Santa Barbara. Even as a child, I felt the gravity of those details; the painted wooden statues, the heavy carved doors, the bright tile fountains echoing in the courtyards. They left an imprint on how I see the world, not just as an artist, but as a person.
Today, returning to the Casa as a professional photographer feels full circle. I photograph surprise proposals, couples, families, and events here. Each time I walk through its gates, I see the beauty of the estate and the echoes of my own story.
Families play in the same gardens where I once ran. Children chase each other down the paths I knew by heart. Parents pause to hold hands under the arches. When I lift my camera, I'm preserving something much bigger than a single afternoon. I'm helping people write their own chapter in a place that has held so many before them.
As a little girl, I knew the Casa as quiet and private. Now, I watch it alive with laughter and celebration. Families gather, children tumble across lawns, couples mark milestones. It is profoundly moving to see my community enjoy a place that was once so tied to my family’s daily life.
Photographs have always been how we hold time. I still picture the old black-and-white images of my grandparents at the Casa in the 1940s and '50s. Those photos remind me of the love and care that always existed here. When I deliver a photo album to a family, I think about those images being pulled off a shelf decades from now. A grandchild asking what life felt like back then. And the photos answering with sunlight, with gardens, with connection.
This is why I call my work a legacy business. I am not simply lining people up and asking them to smile. I am creating space for families to be themselves—messy, joyful, connected. I want them to love the time they spend in front of my lens, and to have something tangible to return to again and again. An album that becomes an heirloom. A photograph that keeps love alive across generations.
Returning to Casa del Herrero as a photographer fills me with gratitude. Every image I take here bridges the past and future. My grandfather’s hands in the soil. My small footsteps in the gardens. A family today laughing under the same trees. Stories continue here.
Tristin Tracy believes families connect best outdoors, exploring nature together. She is a photographer for families looking for a joyful, artistic, and modern photography experience. tristintracyphotography.com
Casa del Herrero offers docent-led tours by reservation only. Docent-led tours are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 AM and 2 PM throughout the year. casadelherrero.com