Four Adorable (and active!) Children

One of the (many) reasons I am enjoying my newfound career as a children's/family photographer is that each session brings fun, new and interesting challenges for me. I had already been feeling pretty challenged shooting (photographically speaking, of course) families with three children but today's session -- with FOUR children -- definitely pushed me to an even higher level. It was tough but I was determined to capture that ever so elusive, seemingly unattainable shot with all four children looking cute in the same frame. With the help of the very patient, kind and sweet mom (and the assistance of more than a few skittles), I think we were successful! :-)

S: Your kids did fabulously today and really hung in there for us. You should be very proud of them. M and B were more cooperative than I could have ever hoped for. I just may recruit them to be my personal models as my own two sons seem to be pretty tired of my picture-taking excursions. E & T must also be commended as they did a great job hanging in there, even past naptime. Thanks for a great session!

Sisters

Today's session was modified slightly as the oldest sibling, the big brother, got sick and was unable to participate in our session. So this afternoon was all about the girls instead. We had so much fun playing hide and seek, tag, ring around the rosie ... and oh, yes, snapping a few pictures, too.

M: Your girls were absolutely adorable and so very sweet (yes, I will put that in writing!). Below are a few shots that jumped out at me from the files. Those big blue eyes of theirs just call out to me, screaming, "Look at me! I'm gorgeous!"

I'll email you when the rest of the gallery is ready. And will look forward to our next session with the rest of the family.













A sweet moment, frozen in time ... but oh, how I wish the twins had been looking at me here!


I'm not exactly sure what it is about this picture that attracts me, but for some reason, I am really drawn to this image. I love it.


We took some time to stop and smell the roses:

Beach Session at Paradise Cove

We couldn't have asked for better weather yesterday - sunny skies, seventy degree temperature and a gentle ocean breeze. The setting was perfect for a fun little photo adventure at Paradise Cove. And adventure it was! Chasing after four year old twin boys and a two year old baby girl sure is exhausting work. After all that running around, I was working up a sweat by the time we were done! :-)

S&J: thanks for meeting up with me and trusting me to take your annual family photos. I know you are very particular about your portraits; I hope I can come close to meeting your expectations. (I'm nervous about that!) You have a gorgeous family and you deserve fabulous images to reflect that beauty.

Enjoy your sneak peek below:













I know there's a police car in the frame, but I just loved J's fantastic smile in this picture so I had to post this for you:

Three Blond Boys

Yesterday's session with three little blondies and their parents was a lot of fun. Combine the family's great energy with the pefect lighting (close to sunset) and the beautiful backdrop (the family's gorgeous parklike yard) and ... Voila!! Gorgeous images in the making.

K&C: Thanks for having me come out to do your pictures. I had a great time and hope you like the pictures. From what I've seen far, I think you'll find some "cardworthy" pics in the mix. The rest of your gallery will be up later this week but hope these will tide you over until then...







This little thirteen month old was such a trooper. He got stung by a bee about thirty seconds after I arrived. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and continued on like a champ. Very impressive.


Look! All eyes on the camera. :-)


I just love this picture of your boys all snuggled up on the grass after a little wrestling-turned-snuggle-fest.

Family of Five

M&M: Yesterday's photo session was fun! Not only for me, but I believe for your kids as well. When I overheard L telling you, "This is the most fun I've ever had taking pictures!", my heart swelled with pride, more so than it would have had an adult paid me a similar compliment. Honestly. You can't make a third grader say something like that with that much enthusiasm and sincerity so I took her kind words to heart. What was probably a casual and passing remark between daughter and mother turned out to be a very meaningful compliment to me particularly since I'm still new in the photography business and building my confidence. :-) [Watch out, I may put her on my customer reference list soon. Ha!]

Now, let's hope the actual images live up to your expectations as well ... Here are just a few images to give you a taste of what's to come:




Can't you just hear L laughing here??


Hard to believe this little baby's off to college, huh?


Goofball and all, Mr. B did great (truly!) and even stayed still a couple of times, allowing me to sneak in a few shots. Phew! :-)




Sometimes, the best images don't have all eyes looking at the camera. I love the dymanics in this one:

Fun New Product: Videos

I've got several new items to add to my product offerings ... and I am very excited about all of them. I'm in the process of photographing and summarizing them, but in the meantime I just couldn't wait to show you this particularly fun item, the photography video.

Click below to see a fun example:

Waiting for Day 55

July 22, 2008 was Day 55. The day B would be reunited with his beautiful family. The day B would return home safely from his deployment to Afghanistan. For him -- and his family -- there was nothing like Day 55. And it was finally here.

I was absolutely honored and privileged to be witness to the homecoming of these Channel Islands Air National Guard deployers. The energy and excitement in the air could be felt by everyone. And it was truly an amazing experience for me, catching the first glimpse of the plane as it headed home and seeing all the families on the base waiting with heightened anticipation for their loved ones to step off that plane...

Thank you, M, for trusting me to document B's homecoming and for allowing me to take part in this special event. Below are a few highlights from our day:






I LOVE this moment. B is flying the plane pictured here and on the ground are his son and mother, waving them home.








And one more that deserves a little caption. M&B are enjoying their first kiss here. I just love this shot with M on her little tippy-toes while she enjoys smooching her hubby. :-)