pascale wowak photoblog

Che

Oh how this little guy always manages to steal my heart.  He has the MOST magnetic smile EVER.  Seriously gonna be a heartbreaker this one, no doubt.

I've had the distinct pleasure of photographing him since he was a newborn and he is so incredibly photogenic and camera friendly.  His personality is so vibrant and he is so full of energy!

I got a bunch with mom this time too and so glad I did.  These may be some of my favorite mom/son pictures ever.   They have the same zest for life!  LOVE IT!

How can you not look at this face, that smile, those lashes and not want to take this guy home with you?

Sarah, I know the rain delayed this shoot a bazillion times but it was great to finally see you and Che again!

ENJOY!!!

  

Emerson, Aiden & Kaisa

Oh my!  I don't even know where to begin with this shoot!  First of all, mom Kirsten is one of the nicest people I know and I am so lucky to call her my friend.  She always makes me laugh and, really, is there any greater gift?  So that, in and of itself, would be enough to guarantee a delightful session.... BUT, wait, there's more!

She also happens to have the sweetest husband and most deliciously photogenic and unbelievably cooperative children on the face of the planet.  This family has been through a lot over the past year and it brings me great joy to have been able to capture so much happiness and good times.  What I love most about Kirsten is that she doesn't take anything for granted and maintains a very healthy sense of perspective every single day.  Simply put, she APPRECIATES everything in life.  She is always my source of good juju vibes! :)

On a side note, I have to mention that it was totally FREEZING that day, as in ARCTIC temperatures!  We were all soooooo cold but the kids were amazing and even though little Kaisa was none too pleased with the frigid air, she pulled through as well.  She was our little popsicle, right Kirsten!? :)

Emerson and Aiden are twins and everyone knows how much I love photographing twins.  Emerson was an absolute delight to photograph and, seriously, I could photograph that girl all day long and never tire.  She ROCKED the camera.  A PRO.   Aiden was the sweetest boy and was so willing to participate in everything we did, and so darn handsome to boot.  Kaisa was the little feisty one who kept us all on our toes.  She is quite the character that one and her "forced smile" look had me rolling in laughter.  

At the very end of the shoot we grabbed a couple shots with their longtime companion and family member, their 13 yr old dog Leo.  What a sweet, sweet dog.  Made me all that more excited for us to get our pup! The last shot of Leo eagerly running towards them as they call out to him, all smiles and love, totally made me get all choked up.   

This was, without doubt, one of my favorite sessions of the year and I am so happy to have been able to be a part of all the magic that happened that day.

The slideshow is a small fraction of all the awesomeness that occurred out there but a good sneak peek.

Kirsten and Andrew, I hope you love the images.  :)

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW 

Samara & Camille

Oh how I love these guys!  This is another one of my FAVORITE families that I have been photographing for the longest time.  Heather is the most stunning mama's on the planet (I could photograph her all day long) and her girls are ADORABLE and Danny is the best guy for all his "girls" (not that he has a choice, being that he is totally outnumbered...hahaha!).

Samara is almost 3 and Camille is 1.  Samara, well, she is QUITE the character.  That girl knows how she feels about things, let me tell you!  And she makes my drama queen Ellie look like an amateur!  She CRACKS me up.  Seriously, I was laughing out loud while editing these pictures from all the many "looks" I got from her.  I definitely see an academy award in her future, no doubt! 

Camille is the sweetest, happiest, CHUNKIEST baby EVER!  Can you believe she is over 25 lbs!!! Her thighs are beyond delicious and her cheeks are squishable to no end.  Just a happy little buddha baby.  

We laugh because both girls look so much like their daddy, but I can totally see Heather's personality come out of them both.  

We rescheduled the shoot to avoid the big rain storm that came in on Friday (this was my second shoot reschedule for the week!) and am so glad we did because it was YUCKY the next day.  PHEW!  

 So, this shot was one of the very first shots I took and the look Samara gave me was very telling, something along the lines of: "Oh yeah, lady, you better BRING IT cuz it's ON!"  That smirk!

  

Cassandra, Sabine & Zoe

Oh yeah, and their fantabulous parents too!  I get to photograph this family every year and it's always such a crazy, fun filled, LOUD experience.  These girls have energy to spare and are as spunky and strong willed as my Ellie (so obviously I am totally at home with them).  Someone walking by even commented that we sounded like a group of 20 people from far away.... Um, yeah, that would be us 6 people....  he he....  What can I say, I am loud and energetic too!! :)

Birds of a feather....  Any-whoooo, Peter and Jolene are some of my favoritest people on the planet.  I just really click with them and am totally at ease chatting with them.  They are straight forward, no nonsense kinda folks and that's my comfort zone for sure.  So, basically, we hang out, we engage, we deliberate, we negotiate, we trick, we cajole, we laugh, we act goofy, we act ridiculous, we laugh some more and we squeal...alot.  And it's a happy kind of exhausted when it's all said and done.   I'd say this was, so far, our BEST shoot yet.   The girls are such characters and I really feel like I got a chance to capture their very distinct and individual personalities.  Even though Sabine and Zoe are (almost 3 yr old) twins, they are VERY different.  And the dynamic between the three girls is constantly shifting.  

I would also be remiss in mentioning that Peter is quite possibly the BEST reflector holder I've EVER had and if he ever wants a side job working as my assistant, he's hired. :)

I really love this family.  And not just because they gave me wine at the end of the shoot.  Really, I swear.  And the wine?  Oh, did I fail to mention that Peter and Jolene are half of Demuth-Kemos Wines?  Their wine is THE.BEST.EVAH.  Hands down, some of the best wine I have EVER tasted, and I'll admit to being a total wine snob wannabe.  When it comes to wine and dark chocolate, I don't mess around.  

So, yeah, if you ever see the Demuth-Kemos label on the wine list at a nice restaurant, I can assure you that it's a sure thing for being *all kinds of awesome*.  

Ok, enough jibber jabber, Jolene & Peter, THANK YOU for being such great friends, clients, partners in crime.  Enjoy your images :)

  
 

* one little side note as you start watching the show, Zoe was determined NOT to smile and doing EVERYTHING in her power to hold back her smile no matter what we said/did, and as a result the funny faces coming from her really WANTING to smile but REFUSING to acquiesce are soooo funny to me.  Having said that, we did eventually break her down.  Ha! *

TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW CLICK HERE

The W. Family

I've had the pleasure of photographing this family several times over the years and it's always so much fun.  When we have done the newborn sessions I have driven to them (they live way up in the north bay) and when we do the family sessions, they drive all the way down to me.    We always have loads of fun and this was no exception :)

Louie is 2 and his baby brother Owen is 1.  These boys are sooooo lucky to have Allison as their mom!  She is the quintessential "boys' mom."  She doesn't mind getting dirty or bugs or worrying about them getting hurt.  She just rolls with whatever is happening.  At one point we accidentally stirred up an ant's nest and there were like, seriously, a gazillion ants climbing ALL OVER Allison and she nonchalantly and calmly brushed them off as I am hopping all around trying to shake the (much fewer) ants off me.  HA!  

Gotta love her!  Allison, I know you've been checking your email about a thousand times a day since our shoot so I will keep you waiting no longer!   Here are just a FEW of my favorites from our session!

Allison brought these knit caps and I went bonkers, look at those big eyes and chubby cheeks: DYING.

 

The K-L Family - Part 10

Yup, you read that right.  This was my TENTH shoot with this family!  They were one of my VERY first "real" clients ever.  I am just tickled pink that I have so many long time clients that have stayed with me throughout the past 4+ years.  And when you get to your 10th shoot with a family, well, you are practically FAMILY at that point, dontcha think!?

In fact, when I rang the doorbell, I heard massive squealing and little voices calling out "pascale-eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" from inside.  Then when I came in I was tackled with hugs and unbridled joyfulness. Now, if that isn't a great way to start the shoot, I just don't know what is. :)

This family initially hired me when their oldest Quinn was a newborn.  They then had two more little ones (girls), Reilly and Tyler.  Yes, three kids in four years.  I couldn't do it!  But this amazing couple handle it all with an incredible bond, wonderful teamwork and a wicked sense of humor.  They are my kind of peeps, let's just put it that way.  I love the whole family to pieces and our shoots are always filled with laughter and good times.  

This is really "lifestyle" photography at its best.  The shoot was done at their gorgeous home on the oceanside cliffs on a day with PERFECT light.  Just mellow, carefree, hanging out in the backyard, front driveway and their quiet street.  Dad had spray painted this entire roadway (with stop signs, parking spaces and the WORKS!) in their large driveway and I swear, it made me want to get on one of those trikes and go for a spin myself!! :)

Quinn and Reilly are like Fric and Frac, Bonnie and Clyde, Tom & Jerry... very very tight bond and practically inseparable.  Very affectionate with each other but also very rambunctious.  They are so funny.  And Baby Tyler is quite possibly the HAPPIEST baby I have ever met.  When I initially narrowed it down to my "keepers" I had over 200 images.   Yeah.  It was reeeeee-diculous.  I spent hours just figuring out which ones to edit! :)

So, needless to say, with that many shots, I had to do a slideshow and this is still a FRACTION of all the final shots.   I told Tara that the family really needs to work on not being so photogenic.  It's becoming quite problematic for me.  :)

Tara and Bryan, it was, as always, a total pleasure.  ENJOY!

 
 

TO VIEW SLIDESHOW CLICK HERE!!

Adam & Matthew & their fabulous parents

I met this family a few years ago when they were living here locally and got to photograph Adam (aka: Gap Baby) when he was still a little peanut.   A peanut with the BIGGEST BLUE EYES YOU HAVE EVER SEEN.  I was so sad when they moved over 2 hrs away because I assumed it meant I would no longer have the opportunity to photograph them.   But, they proved me wrong in my assumption.  Every year since then they have made the LONG trek (with two youngens no less) all the way down to Santa Cruz to have me photograph them.  If that just isn't the biggest honor, I just don't know what is.   We do the shoot, they have dinner down here and then they proceed to drive back home over 2 hrs away all in one day.  It really blows my mind that they do this just so I can take their annual pictures.  Touching, humbling and marvelous.

The thing is, I look forward to this shoot ALL YEAR LONG because it is hands down always one of my all time favorite shoots every year.  We laugh until our sides are sore.  Or at least, mine are sore, I guess I should do more crunches, huh?

Naturally, Adam STILL has the most stunning blue eyes and little brother Matthew was blessed with them as well.  These kids are gorgeous.  And funny.  And sweet.  And I just can't get enough of the whole family.  They just totally "get" me and what I am trying to achieve with my photography and when I tell them I'm going to lay down on the ground and I want them to walk over me with their kid in the air they don't look at me and think "she's completely lost  her mind!"  Instead, they don't bat an eye and go "sure!" and hello?! How cool is that?!  

Julianne and Marchus, you make my world go round (ha!) and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to drive nearly 5 hrs total in one day just to come see little ole me.  {bowing humbly}

We had entirely too many incredible shots so I made a slideshow with just a sampling of some of my favorites.  And since we had the cowboy theme going I decided to use a country-ish song to accompany it!  Click the link below to view the slideshow, ENJOY!!!

[A couple quick notes before you watch the slideshow, I told mom that Wilder Ranch was very rustic and that if she, maybe, perhaps, had the inclination and desire, she could dress them appropriately... and did she ever.  The boys had matching cowboy boots and cowboy hat, TO DIE FOR CUTE.  Love.  Also, when the family was sitting on the stairs Adam suddenly lept out into the air, from four stairs up, OVER mom and out towards me.  If mom had not had those amazing LIGHTNING fast reflexes that she has, the fall would have resulted in a very bruised and battered face/head - at the very least.  Mom literally grabbed him mid air and held him tightly enough to reel him back in and stop him from falling flat on his face.  It was like watching a superhero in action. Amazing.  And yes, of course, I caught it all on film and the ensuing laughter from Adam thinking it was the funniest thing in the world.  Ah, to be the mother of two daredevil rambunctious boys!  Nerves of steal, I tell ya...... ] 

 
 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Three Generations

 THREE generations of women, together, playing, creating memories, and me in the mix capturing these moments.   Tanya was one of my VERY first clients ever.  She hired me even though I really still had no clue what I was doing but she took a leap of faith by choosing me to capture her pregnancy for her.  One of my favorite pregnancy images is from that shoot (stunning woman leaning back with purple scarf and beautiful body curves). 

I can either choose to look back on that entire shoot now and cringe at how many technical errors I made throughout it, or, I can revel in how much I've grown and improved as a photographer and recognize that despite my inexperience, I still had the "eye" needed to get some lovely shots.   Then again, Tanya was SO easy to shoot, a former model with an amazing body and innate comfort in front of the camera.  I could not have asked for an easier subject!

Well, fast forward 4 yrs later and Tanya and I literally bump into each other at the Wharf to Wharf this year and re connect.  I was able to squeeze her in due to a cancellation and voila: a family shoot with her daughter Simone and her mother (who also happens to be her neighbor!).  These three are very tight knit.

Simone is hands down the most spunky, lively, feisty, energetic little ball of joy I have ever met.  She radiates a zest for life and had me laughing nonstop.  It was a super fun shoot and I think Tanya and I would both agree that keeping up with her during the shoot counted as a second workout for the day, right!?  Also, I'd like to add, that whom she gets her energetic, vibrant personality is fairly obvious......  :)

OK, enough jibber jabber, this was a most delightful shoot and I'm thrilled with the resulting images.  I feel they really capture the dynamic in this trio.  Lots of fun!  ENJOY!

  

The K. Family

If I told you everything that transpired during the course of this photo shoot you flat out wouldn't believe me! Seriously.  So, I'm just going to get straight to it and show you the slideshow and let you enjoy these images! Deborah and Charlie, it's always a memorable experience. I wonder how the kids will top it next year? :) 

 
 

  CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW

Renee, Coral & Bailey

I know Renee because her adorable daughter Bailey goes to school with Gavin and is actually in his classroom this year.  We attended a mom's soiree a while back consisting of the moms enjoying cocktails on the back deck of our friends gorgeous property (with a stunning view of the mountains no less) while the kids ran loose like wild monkeys.  If that doesn't sound like fun, then there is something seriously wrong with you! Hahahaha :)

I had the opportunity to photograph Renee and her two daughters, Coral & Bailey, last week and BOY did those girls work the camera!  They BROUGHT it!  I *love* when confident women of all ages work the camera.  I start squealing and saying things like: "Oh, yeah, work it girl, work it!"  I'm not shamed to do that.  I'm passionate about what I do. :)

Anyways, here are just a few favorites from an amazing shoot.  Bailey is the cutest kid on the planet with the sweetest disposition, Coral is the quintessential California Girl with dazzling smile included, and mom is H.O.T.  This trio was on fuego.

ENJOY your images ladies!!

  

Karen, Evi & Olin

I first met Evi when we were both taking pre-natal yoga classes together (taught by our mutual doula when I was preggo with Ellie).  It was a great group of women and although I stopped being able to come to Yoga classes after Ellie's birth, I did end up launching my photography business shortly thereafter  initially just as a means of getting some "me" time out of the house while I looked for a "real" job!   I was thrilled to have Evi call me last year when she learned I was doing photography so I could do a shoot for her, her partner Karen and their son Olin who was born just a few weeks after Ellie.  

I was so happy to be able to photograph them and hang out with Olin, who is such a sweet and smart little boy.  We all had a great time last year and I was so happy when they booked me for another session this year.  I love those annual photo shoot traditions that I have with so many of my clients.  In fact, the vast majority of my shoots are repeat clients from over the years, which is also symptomatic of me booking up so quickly and early in the year because my long time clients know to get their slot booked asap!  Having said that, I am (luckily) able to squeeze in new clients periodically and create new "annual tradition" bonds with them as well.  

Olin was just as sweet as always and Evi and Karen are always such a pleasure to be around.  The shoot was as seamless as they come.  Olin was so funny.  And, despite Evi warning me that he HATES the camera, I saw no signs of this as I went around my job of sticking my camera in his face! He was GREAT!  :)

Here are just a few favorites from the shoot.  Karen and Evi, ENJOY!

Olin showing off his "magic trick."

The S. Family

When I do a shoot with a family for the very first time, I really prefer to do it at their home because I have found that children are at the most comfortable on their own home turf when meeting someone new.   They love showing me around, introducing me to their favorite stuffed animals and being asked to jump on their beds.   So, when this family contacted me for a shoot I suggested that I drive all the way out to them rather than have them trek all the way over to Santa Cruz for a beach shoot.  I had a feeling it would be the best arrangement and it worked out beautifully.  I even suggested we do a little "activity" at the end of the shoot consisting of making/baking cookies!

People will frequently ask me what "tool" I own that best helps me capture the images I take.  Is it my snazzy new Canon 5d Mark II, my top of the line "L" series lenses, my beloved reflector, my up to date Photoshop CS4 and PS tricks I've learned with much invested time and energy, the actions I've created/used and fine tuned over the years???   My response is always the same: nope. It's TRUST.  Plain and simple.  It's the relationship between me and my subjects, that interaction between us. 

Without doubt my #1 tool is that connection.  When parents trust me, they leave me with their kids and let me do my thing and that's when the magic happens. Every single time.  Marta and Richard did exactly that.   The second aspect of trust, and the most important one, is the trust that kids seem to naturally have towards me.  For whatever reason, and I have yet to pinpoint exactly why/how, kids just totally TRUST me, they open up to me and are able to let loose with me in such a way that I nearly always get their total and complete cooperation.  Kids dig me as much as I dig them.   

Richard had warned me that while Alice was very bubbly and outgoing, little May would probably need some warm up time.   No such thing was needed as both girls were angels the entire shoot from the moment they woke up from their naps and found a stranger in their kitchen!  They were charming and delightful little girls.   So, there you have it, that's my "secret weapon". :)

Mom and Dad wanted the focus of the shoot to be almost exclusively on the girls so while we did grab a small amount of family shots at the very end, the vast majority of the images were of Alice and May individually and together.  Alice looks so much like her mother and has been blessed with her luscious olive skin tone.  May looks exactly like her father, with soft blonde wisps of hair and creamy skin.  (See, Richard, creamy sounds much better than pasty, doesn't it!?)  She looked like a perfect little porcelain doll.  Gorgeous.  Both were as photogenic as they come.

We started out with their favorite stuffed animals and moved down to the front doorway.  I tried not to do an embarrassing "happy dance" when I saw the brick walkway.  I LOVE brick.  Passionately.  And the light there was sooooooo nice because the sun was reflecting off a white house across the street!   Then we wandered, played, made cookies and came back to the front door for the final set.  

Marta and Richard, a pleasure meeting you and your girls, enjoy the slideshow!   

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

The R. Family

There are some families you just TOTALLY click with from the get go.  Something about the vibe, their energy and the combined spiritedness of all the people involved in the photo shoot that makes it magical from beginning to end.   That was certainly the case with this family.  We'd never met before and within minutes I felt like I'd known them forever.  The kids (Alex, Ethan and Olivia) were so full of energy and zest for life.  We laughed throughout the entire shoot and I spent much more time just catching candid moments than doing any kind of posing. And, OMG, all three kiddos had the most luscious curls and beautiful eyes.  The kids could not have been easier or more fun to photograph and the parents could not have been more gracious or pleasant to be around.    At the end, while I was "posing" them near the water, a rogue wave came up on us and like the "seasoned pro" (muah hahah) that I am, I continued shooting (while getting a bit wet myself) resulting in some hilarious shots which ended up being some of my favorites.  Having said that, I had entirely too many favorites for me to do a regular blog post so I decided to do a slideshow for this one.  I think it really helps showcase the energy and joyfulness of this family.  Lots of laughter.  Lots of love.  This is just a very close knit, loving and animated bunch.  Thank you R. family for all the entertainment you provided!  A pleasure meeting you all. :)

I picked this song to accompany the slideshow because Dan and Allison just celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary and just being around them you can tell they are clearly still madly in love with each other.   So wonderful to behold.   ENJOY!

{ CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW }

Jack

I had the best time ever with this delightful family.  Little Jack is not only a total miracle baby (wonderful and heart wrenching story there by the way) he is also just the brightest, sweetest and most charming little dude ever.  I got so much lovin' from him (hugs and kisses galore) and he was making me laugh the entire time.  ADORED him.  And his folks are pretty darn neat too so it was all just about as easy peasy as it gets.

Jack was giving me his "cute face" right out of the gate and it had me in stitches. This little guy is just such a special dude, talking to me nonstop, taking my hand to show me things, trying to figure out how all the mechanical stuff we encountered worked.  Very curious and inquisitive little man with a mind blowing vocabulary.   Just way too much cuteness stuffed into that little body of his!

Maggie & Conor

These two have the bluest of blue eyes!  I've been photographing this family for a couple years now and I still get that "OMG" jolt when I look at their eyes.  Mesmerizing.

We hadn't done a "beach" shoot yet so we decided: "Let's do the beach!"  Well, that proved slightly problematic insomuch that neither child wanted their feet to touch the sand...... hahahahahaha!

Next year, NO beach.  Also, dad had been gone for a long business trip so Maggie and Conor were particularly clingy and just not at all interested in being put down or separated from mom/dad in any way.  So, we just went with it and I got a lovely collection of candid shots capturing the wide range of emotions we witnessed and then, finally, at the very end of the shoot, we we were able to get the much coveted, stellar sibling shots we didn't think were going to materialize.  Wooohoooo! :)

Maggie was *slightly* apprehensive at first....

Diane & Kayla

Diane and Kayla were among my very first clients that first year I was officially in business four years ago and it has been such a delight watching Kayla grow up.  I cannot believe this girl is entering first grade next week.  Sigh.  TIme flies.  Kayla has always been a spunky, lively, fun kid to be around and I basically cannot get enough of her.  I could fill up memory card upon memory card in a ridiculously short amount of time.  She just is the perfect little model.  Her feisty and fun personality is RIGHT up my alley.  This time grandma also joined us for a handful of shots and it was great seeing all three generations of girls cuddled up together.  Even though I was hobbling around with my soft cast, this shoot could not possibly have been any easier.  It was the perfect shoot for my "condition" and I really appreciated Diane being willing to change the location to a spot that required minimal walking over our initial choice that would have had me trekking quite a bit,  It all worked out perfectly.  Thanks to Diane, Kayla and grandma for a wonderfully fun shoot!

Kayla comes ready to work it right out of the gate.  Love that kid.

Ryan & family

I had a morning shoot this week with Ryan and his parents.  I rarely do morning shoots for a variety of reasons (other than indoor newborns shoots of course) and the strong likelihood of thick dense fog is one of those reasons.  So, while driving to Wilder Ranch that morning and seeing the drizzle all over my windshield and the thick fog (mixed with residual smoke from the still burning big Lockheed fires) I'll admit to being very concerned about the light situation.  In terms of photography, I don't really like the fog.  It steals all my light directionality from me and makes everything so BLAH.  It works better if you are doing B&W imagery than color but I am so used to working with my reflector to manipulate the direction of the light that I feel totally let down on a foggy day.  Fortunately, mom has a strong preference for B&W so I decided to go ahead with the shoot.  

The key, of course, is to never let them see you sweat right?  So, we just got right to it and although I was only able to bring out my trusty reflector for Ryan's solo shots (he is an active, spirited little boy!!) I was very relieved to still get my standard high quality shots that I expect from myself.   I'm a stickler when it comes to exposure and sharpness which can be really tricky on a very foggy day so I'm glad my now intuitive ability to read the "strength" of light came in so handy!

We started out with family shots since Ryan's dad had to leave for work and I really loved the dynamic in this playful family.  I am a sucker for families who are willing to goof around and be silly and have fun.  Ryan is clearly the apple of his parent's eyes and they truly and deeply ENJOY him which is such a gift for any child to have.  The day of his shoot was his 3rd birthday as well and you could sense the bitter-sweetness of having their "baby" growing up out of the toddler stage.

After dad left for work, we spent a little more time getting solo shots of Ryan (and some with his mom too) and I busted out the reflector.  THAT is when it got just totally magical for me.  The light I was able to get on him was PERFECT.  And I mean, PERFECT.  His big brown doe eyes and curly locks were softly wrapped in slightly golden light that balanced out beautifully against the soft misty background.  We only had a couple minutes of him sitting still at any given time so I really maximized it by shooting fast and furious and BOY did I get a TON of amazing shots.   I only pulled a few for the blog (I've been told my blog takes forever to load due to having so many images in each post so I am cutting back on my image selections, it's painful, trust me, as I want to show them all!) but you can see what I am talking about at the end.  WOW.  So, after this session, I've decided that I shouldn't hate the fog so much and that learning to just work with it can be really rewarding in its own way.  Sure, you can't get any glorious golden backlit shots, or dramatic silhouettes or fun with shadows etc... but, if done correctly, you can get all of this!  Not too shabby....  :)

Noha and Ed, it was a pleasure meeting you and Ryan!  ENJOY your images!

Kim D. & Family

So, this shoot was originally just going to be me and Kim, helping her celebrate an important milestone and it slowly morphed into including her parents, her brother and her incredibly sweet & adorable nephew and I AM SO GLAD IT DID!  Kim and her family are *totally* my kind of peeps.  So much craziness and laughter!  I honestly cannot remember laughing so hard on a client shoot.  This family is funny and zany and so full of life!  We structured the shoot so that the first half would be Kim and her extended family (ie: her mom and dad, her brother Forest and his son Keegan whom I was ready to take home with me) and the second half of the shoot we'd move to a second location and have it be all about Kim.  That girl can work the camera!  The shoot was actually really long but flew by so ridiculously fast that I didn't even notice how long we were at it until it was all over.  They were all such troopers.  I ended up with 60 blog favorites.... which is clearly more than my little blog can handle (30 per post is my limit) so I had to put together a slideshow rather than cut out so many great shots...and the slideshow is a FRACTION of all the shots we got.  Kinda crazy.  I picked the music because it's fun and really just seemed to truly represent this family.  They roll with the punches, just as the song says.  My favorite line, and this is for Kim (inside joke) is when he talks about how "she's in control."  {wink wink}

It was an absolute pleasure meeting you all, thank you for the ab work out, my not-quite-a-6 pack was killing me the next day.  But in a good way. :)

**** view slideshow here ****

The G. Family

I've been photographing this family since early in my photography business career and it's just so awesome to be able to continue to photograph my long time clients because the comfort level just gets to this amazing place after a few years where they truly are friends and I love it.   The whole time we were walking Dylan was holding my hand and it's just so sweet and tender, it could make your heart burst.  

Plus, Lori and I are both talkers so we were chatting a mile a minute in between shots, so funny! 

Dylan and Brody are the sweetest but also liveliest little boys.  They have such a zest for life and are so curious about everything.  It's very cool to witness the transformation as they grow and see how their sibling dynamic changes as they get older and can interact with each other differently.  It's such a privilege to witness these life changes with my clients over the years.  

We started out with mom (aka Lori) as she needed a few new head shots.  Lori is a scrapbooker extraordinaire and is involved with several awesome scrapbooking sites.  You can see here blog HERE.  I'm always blown away by the designs she comes up with.  

Then we hit the little trail that runs behind their home and ends up at a big playground.  The perfect place to live!

What I love most about Lori is that she doesn't necessarily want that "perfect" shot with everyone looking all tidy and, well, perfect.  She really wants me to capture her kids as they are.  To capture their essence, their little mannerisms and the little faces they make that she sees day in and day out.  And that's my favorite thing to do.  Capturing real life, the stuff memories are made of.  Years from now when she looks at these shots of her boys together she will remember this moment in time as if it were yesterday.  I LOVE these sibling shots!  I still got the perfect shot, see below, but I also got the REAL life shots which made me laugh out loud when I saw them.

A little brotherly love....

So, if there's one thing I'm really good at, it's making little boys laugh hard. :)

Showing me their ages on their fingers :)

Dylan's face is so funny in this next shot.  Classic.

So, I thought of doing something funny here and asked mom and dad to kiss and asked the boys to make an "OOOOOOH!" face.  Kinda brilliant methinks.  I knew Dylan could pull it off because he is so expressive and such a character, it was an added bonus when Brody totally played along with it too.  IN LOVE with this set.

Such a beautiful family!

The best part of knowing your clients so well due to having photographed them over the years is the comfort level everyone has with each other, obviously, but also how LOW stress the shoots are for the parents.  Wanna know what I saw Lori and Jeremy doing behind me while I was photographing the boys?   Having fun with the kids' toys!!! hahahahahahaha

I love everything about this next shot.  EVERYTHING.  I don't even know why, I just do.

That face is sooooo Dylan.

Brody's smile is THE BEST!

So the lighting here was terrible but I wanted this shot.

Quinn, Reilly & Tyler

This family was one of my very first "real" clients ever, as in not friends or family letting me experiment on them!  It has been incredibly rewarding to be able to continue to chronicle their family throughout the years including the addition of two little girls to the mix.  I'm so very fortunate to see them twice a year because I can really stay connected to them that way and watch the transformations (big and small) that the little ones go through such as going from crawling to walking or babbling to talking.  It's a JOY to witness!

I absolutely adore photographing this family and beyond being incredibly photogenic, they are just a really fun, easygoing, happy, down to earth family and that's what I always try to capture for them.

I ended up with an insane amount of great images and considered doing a two part blog post for their session but decided to force myself to narrow it down to a few (um, does 40 images count as a few?) favorites for blog posting purposes.

I wanted to get a lot of images of Tyler since the last time I took pictures of her she was just a few days old and they change SO much in just a few short months.  She is in full teething mode right now!

And yet still SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY!

Big brother Quinn.  His eyes are the most amazing shade of green.  

I'm surprised I even caught this shot as he was bolting out of there wicked fast!

And last but not least, little miss personality, the one I can never get enough of, Reilly.

This next shot is in my top 5 favorite sibling shots EVER!!!

I got a whole sequence of shots here that I just love. :)

This next shot makes me feel all kinds of wonderful when I look at it.  I just absolutely love *everything* about it.  

My long time clients have learned to expect me to ask them to do some completely ridiculous things and the reason why love them so very much is because they don't even bat an eye when I ask them to do stuff anymore.  They just let me "play" and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but at least I always try to do something "new" and different at every shoot based on what dynamic is happening at that moment.

Declan

I had a shoot last year with this little guy that was SO INCREDIBLY EASY it was pretty ridiculous.  I kept pinching myself.  He literally smiled the ENTIRE time. Happy as a clam.  In fact, if you've been to my website you've probably seen my splash page with the little boy in the toy airplane...that's Declan!  

So, it goes without saying that I was thrilled to see him (and his wonderful parents) again this year.  I would be lying if I said things were quite as easy this time around *but* let us remember that a 17 month old toddler is a whole different ball game!

Mom sent me the sweetest email afterwards and I think she was genuinely concerned that I had not gotten a single decent shot.  My hope is that if you look at these images you would never know that we experienced what shall forevermore be referred to as a case of the "explorer cat obsession" with a touch of "I'm totally going to play you guys" and a dash of "I am way smarter than you think!"  :)

Even though we had to work a bit harder for them this time around it's still totally OK because it was soooooooo worth it.  We still got the "money" shot and we still laughed our butts off throughout the entire shoot chasing Declan around!  At one point I ran around the backside of a building to try to grab a shot of Declan making his escape around it and when he saw me run into his field of view I thought for a moment that he might have a heart attack.  I was afraid he was going to burst into tears (from having been so shocked/scared) and instead he just laughed at me (after he had fully recovered from the shock of course) and ran off the other way.   

Heather and David, I know you were a bit worried that I had not captured a single one of his amazing, infectious smiles but I hope that when you look at these you'll see that it was most certainly not all in vain!  Declan is a super duper bright, spirited, energetic, healthy, vibrant, funny little guy with the most charming smile on the planet.  And we captured all of that because, in the end, we outwitted, outlasted and outplayed him.  So there.  Now where's our million bucks?  :)

This is the point where we figured out he was totally "playing" us with his little "woe is me-drama" routine because less than a nanosecond after the pout started: "CAT!"  Soooooooooooo funny!

His eyes are the most amazing color!  A mix of hazel and green with yellow highlights.  STUNNING.

Mom was swinging him upside down which is a notoriously challenging shot to nail but I got really lucky!

Crazy about these!  I've got a whole series of them on the CD. :)

These next two are my favorites from the entire shoot.  LOVE them!

Oliver

I first met this family when I did their maternity shoot two years ago.  And here is the little ball of energy that was in mom's belly at that time.  Oliver is a very bright, active and incredibly charming little guy.  He did not stop moving.  Like, at all.  He was so full of life and exuberance that he just kept running up to me and throwing his arms around me in a tight hug and screeching with delight. Quite possibly the sweetest thing ever.  Oh, and picking flowers for me too.  My heart was all mush.  They just don't come more lively and animated than Oliver.  Thing is, I'm kinda sorta pretty high energy too so we got along swimmingly :)

We started off at the tractors which might have been a mistake since it was hard to get him away from the tractors (ha!) but we managed somehow and went exploring all over the place.  Oliver's mommy speaks to him only in Swedish and to hear his sweet little voice speaking fluently in Swedish and English was beyond adorable. I'm really sad I didn't seize the opportunity to speak only french to my kids when they were tiny (I have a ton of excuses but won't dwell on them here).  I am trying my very best now to get the kids some serious exposure to my native tongue.  

All in all, I'm pretty sure I got a legitimate workout chasing Oliver all over and working every angle to get him to focus on me.  I'm truly impressed by moms' stamina keeping up with this little guy 24/7!  

Patricia and Leonardo, I hope you LOVE these images!!  ENJOY!

Did I mention he has the MOST luscious curls EVER!?

This next one is one of my favorites because of the expression on mom and dad's face as they watch their son run around.  PURE LOVE.

Oliver does this hilarious thing when he runs where his left arm shoots straight up into the air.  I had to capture this for all eternity!

How beautiful are these two?

This next one cracks me up.  It was taken a nanosecond after this last one but you can see how much ground he has covered in that split second!  Oliver does not like being contained for more than a millisecond and I actually think this next one is just so much more representative of him, as fast as a bolt of lightning!

Love.

This next one is my favorite of the day.

I need to mention that mom did the most amazing job ever with the outfit coordination.  I was beyond happy.  She took Oliver's shirt as the decider and then took the two main colors off his shirt to decide her shirt and her husband's shirt (and matched them perfectly) and then took the accent color on Oliver;s shirt to add her sweater.  A photographer's dream.  I should add that Patricia is an artist as well.  

This next one is my second favorite of the day.

Happiness is a mommy who will spin you around and around and around... :)

We finished off by going to say goodbye to the horses. 

Nathan

About 9 months ago I went down to Carmel to photograph this little angel who was just a few days old.  We had a wonderful time and I was excited to be able to chronicle him as he grew up.  Sadly, his daddy (who is in the military) was soon thereafter sent to Virginia and I figured I wouldn't be able to see them all again in person.  I was sad.

Then, Jean called me several months ago and told me she was coming back to the Bay Area on Mother's Day weekend to visit her mom and could we schedule a shoot?  OF COURSE!!!!

I was so excited to see Nathan and his mommy.  Not only is this the absolute BEST age to photograph, he is just CUTE as a button.  His mama is downright gorgeous too.  They make my job EASY PEASY.

We did a morning shoot and I was able to find some pockets of incredible light.  Nathan was being Mr. Serious and Jean and I were laughing so hard at his stoic demeanor you'd think he'd laugh just watching us fall apart.  He was totally controlling himself too because the minute he'd start to laugh he'd abruptly stop, reign it in and look at us like: "Oh you almost got me there!"  But, we managed to eventually break him down!  Sure, we were acting like fools but hey, you do what you got to do, right? :)

Jean, it was so wonderful seeing you both again.  Nathan is still the same angelic little boy he was when I first met him.  You two have that impermeable, sweet, exclusive bond that little first born boys have with their mamas.  I would know.  I have the same gig going with my boy. :)

ENJOY YOUR IMAGES!  I hope to see you all again really soon.  Sending my thoughts and prayers your way for Jeff as he heads out to Iraq.

Nathan was a bit apprehensive at first... (and yet still so stinkin' cute!!)

OMG could you just gobble him up???

The back story here is that just before this shot he had picked up a small rock and was about to put it in his mouth when I gently took it away from him.  Then he picked up a second small pebble (in his left hand) and immediately looked at his mom like: "you gonna let her take away my choking hazard again????"  So funny!

OK, so could these two possibly be any more gorgeous???!!!

Taj & Levi

I first met this family a couple years ago when Taj was just a newborn so it was with great delight that I got to see them all again and meet the latest addition to the family, little Levi.  It was like deja vu for me because Levi looks EXACTLY like Taj did and I think I must have mentioned that to them about a hundred times.  :)

I love this family.  They are fun, easy going and totally willing to roll with the punches.  Even though we hadn't seen each other in a while there was a total ease and comfort throughout the entire shoot.  

I've been cramming to get these images edited for Adrienne in time for Mother's Day, I really wanted to surprise her with them in time and I'm so glad I managed to pull it off.  I can't think of a better Mother's Day gift! Well, actually, other than cleaning fairies coming every week (ha!).....  If my husband read my blog I'd add a "hint, hint" to the end of this but since he doesn't, I won't waste my breath.... :)

Adrienne & Dan, I had the most delightful time hanging out with your family.  I think these images really capture the essence of all the love and laughter that is surely evident to anyone who spends any amount of time with you all.  

I had the hardest time picking my favorites for the blog.  As I was copying and pasting my "blog favorites" into a separate folder I had to start over when the folder had 45 images in it after my initial selection process.  My blog already takes too long to load up as it is, I really can't show more than 30 per post.  So I had some seriously hard eliminating to do....  Fortunately, they're ALL on the CD!

ENJOY your images!!!

I love watching the transformation in the kids I shoot, most of them start out really apprehensive about the process and by the end they are laughing and playing and having fun.  This picture pretty much sums up how most kids start out, not really sure what to make of me and my big camera.

What I love about this next one is it's almost like I wasn't there.

I would normally never include the next image but OMG it is sooooooo funny and I know Dan & Adrienne will appreciate it for what it is.  Hilarious.  Probably one of  my favorite sibling shots. :)

LOVE this next one!

I really wanted to play off the shadows.

Our second attempt at the sibling shots...

But how sweet and tender is Taj? 

I love how this captures a fun little game that Taj plays with his mommy, such sweet memories for them!

This last series of images are amongst my favorite ever taken with a baby this age and were done as a last minute "let's grab a couple more shots" after I had put all my equipment away in the car, except my camera of course.... ADORE these.

Daniel and Hannah

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting this family and hanging out with them for a couple hours.  Daniel and Hannah are two of the most charming, delightful, well rounded and polite kids I have ever met.  They also happen to be at a super duper wonderful and easy age to photograph.  I ADORE this age.  So much cooperation!  So much fun! :)

I was also able to try a few things I had wanted to do but was waiting for the right family to do it.  They were the right family and it worked out great!  The sun was still VERY high when we got started so I had to really work around the harsh light.  We managed and got some really great shots.  And boy did we laugh a lot. 

This family is so playful and tender with each other, I really enjoyed watching them interact.  I kinda felt like a fly on the wall, getting to witness how they relate with each other; seeing the sweet glances between mom and dad, the inside jokes, the playful but loving ribbing between the siblings.  I was pretty much ready to ask them to adopt me by the end of the shoot.  But I guess I'm a tad bit too old for that huh? :) 

Ok, here are just a few favorites from many, many images!  ENJOY!

Could  they be more adorable?

Hannah and all her faces, she was cracking me up!  Such a bubbly personality and a big smile to go with it.  

And Daniel is so photogenic!

Freckles!!!  me love.

I absolutely adore it when kids laugh so hard that they close their eyes.  I am in love with this shot.

Such a cute sibling interaction series!

I am crazy about the dynamic in this next one.  The easy and comfortable way little sister is laughing and squishing herself into her big brother and his happy body language, it's so sweet and totally reflects their relationship.  Love it.

(As a side note, with my two little ones currently unable to share the same breathing space without arguing with each other, I think I am going to relentlessly harass Lesley until she gives up her secret for having kids who actually get along.  Sadly, mine used to and then just recently decided that they just MUST bicker every 2.5 seconds, all day long.... Sigh)

In case you were wondering where those good looking kids came from...voila.

This one makes me laugh so hard, the kids were doing their "thinking man pose" at the same moment and I grabbed it just in time.  

pure joy

Juliette, Anna and Joshua

Deborah was one of my VERY first clients almost four years ago when I launched my business. We immediately clicked and became friends.  Her Juliette and my Ellie were born only 2 weeks apart.  In that time, Deborah has had two more children and moved twice!  Although she is a bit of a drive away now, I am lucky enough to see her a few times a year with our photoshoots and we even get away just the two of us for the occasional lunch out!  We did this last session at their house, which is something I love doing.  Kids are so happy and at ease in their homes.  They are playful and most likely to be themselves throughout the whole shoot.  We had a really great time!

Deborah and Charlie, enjoy these images!

I started out with Juliette.  She is the most outgoing of the three and we have a really great connection.  I have found that some kids do best 1 on 1 alone with me and Deborah has always been really cool about letting me and Juliette go off and do our thing.  It works out quite well!

We started out with a little hopscotch.

then some twirling

then some pretty shots for mama

then we went off and explored a bit

then it was baby Joshua's turn, I could gobble him up.

and then, of course, the requisite naked baby shots!

gobble gobble gobble

poor little guy was teething so bad but it's also so cute!

Then, it was Anna's turn.  Anna is generally the shy one but she was all warmed up right off the bat!

Then we did a few family shots, which were assisted by my uncanny ability to make silly faces and maintain focus and composition while also taking the shot.  It comes in pretty handy.

then mom busted out the lollipops as a grand finale

These two are too good looking for words.  

Mairin & Sean

Love those Gaelic names!  [hello, gavin!?]  I had the pleasure of meeting Mairin and her baby brother Sean for the first time this weekend.   We got super lucky with a nice break in the weather and had a really fun time just playing around trying different things.  I know mom is anxious to see the preview so I'll just get right to it and stop the chitchat! :)

Here are my favorites:

the obligatory (and hilarious) sibling hug-choke-hold...

When Lauren told me that Mairin loved to twirl I immediately had a vision in mind for a family shot.  It worked out exactly as I had planned.  You can't see their expressions in this small format but they are just superb!

so sweet!

in love with these next two...

could she be more stunning?

and could he be any cuter?

the whole series of shots I did here in the trees with Lauren and the kids are my favorites of the whole shoot but I just put two here due to space constraints!

Te'a & Re'mi

Wooooweeee! Calling Te'a energetic is an understatement!  This girl is so full of life and high spirited beyond belief.  Dad was wearing himself out keeping her entertained and was covered in mud by the end of the shoot.  In fact, we were all a pretty sorry-lookin' bunch walking back to the car, but it was certainly not in vain :)

The last time I photographed this family, mom was pregnant with Re'mi and we were able to really capture that special time for them.   Unfortunately, little Re'mi was under the weather and super tired this time so we weren't able to get as many shots of her as we would have liked but Te'a more than made up for it with her exuberance and ease in front of the camera!

It's pretty much all action shots in this family, not only because that's what they prefer but because that's just how they are, full of unbridled energy and spunk!

The flower field was really gorgeous and perfect for Te'a's bubbly personality.  

ENJOY your images!

yes, she is licking her baby sister.  that's what baby sisters are there for.

I love this next one, she and dad were racing and she didn't wait for him to say go, leaving him in the dust, she's cracking up and dad is the lone small figure way in the background going "hey!?"...

not afraid to tackle daddy....

this next one has me in stitches...dad was joking about how he knew exactly where he stood in this family full of girls....

Cooper

First, I love that name.  Second, I love this family!

We had our first shoot when they were pregnant and it was such an easy, fun shoot.  Then we had another one when Cooper was a newborn.  It was a bit more effort to be sure but still, fairly uncomplicated.  Then, this last one with Cooper at a year old and WOW that little boy has serious ENERGY!  

We all worked up a major sweat chasing him around.  Sarah had described him as "on the go" and that's pretty much the perfect description.  He is all boy and all movement.   I felt confident calling our shoot my official workout for the day! :)

Cooper has the most contagious smile and charming disposition.  Mom and dad are just the most fantastic folks to work with.  We had a lot of fun and much laughter, which is just my favorite kind of shoot!

Sarah & Chris, I hope you enjoy all your images, we certainly earned them!!!

this next one is perhaps the only millisecond he stood still for the entire shoot! But one of my favorite grab shots of him.

The lighting in the next series looks like I used a gigantic softbox, which in effect, it pretty much was since it was a large, white, strongly lit (by the sun) building facing them.  DELICIOUS light.  You can see the perfect catchlights even in this wide angle format.  Yummy.

If only you knew what I was doing to keep him entertained while being held (contained) by his folks... look, even dad was enjoying my antics!

Cooper had some initial playful protests to being plopped down in the vat of ivy but with our great enthusiasm we were able to convince him it was the BEST PLACE ON EARTH!  Wooohoo!

Doing his best TOUCHDOWN impression, hilarious!

Goodness, don't you just love little boys???

Absolutely crazy about this next one.  To me THAT is Cooper.  Moving, smiling, free, happy and independent.

This next set is a favorite pose of mine.  It is "controlled" but still allows active kids the freedom to have fun and enjoy the process.

It might be hard to tell in this small format but his smile is just RADIATING.  So charming this one.  And mom's boots almost steal the show!  Love it.

You can see how playfully he is engaging his mom to chase him, looking back to make sure she is still trying to "catch him".  It so captures a little boys' relationship with his mom when they are being goofy together.  So sweet.

This next shot is probably not "wall portrait" worthy but it makes me laugh out loud.  He came up to me to give me the stink eye for hiding his ball behind my back.  The camera was actually down in my lap and I just pointed it up and clicked the shutter, not expecting it to be in focus.  A total lucky, funny, shot.

I just love how Chris is looking at his beautiful wife in this next one.  Pure adoration.  They make such a great team.

Trevor

Trevor's mom, Shannon, has a huge appreciation for art.  She has collected art from all over the world and has an amazing eye for photographic imagery.  We love the same "styles" and totally were in sync as to what she wanted for this shoot.   Shannon loved the idea of railroad tracks so off to Roaring Camp we went!  I haven't done a shoot there in ages beacause the last time I was there with clients we were all attacked by the geese so I kinda lost my taste for it, but I knew it wasn't goose mating season and that we'd be safe this time around.  It was a gorgeous day too!

Shannon really loves Trevor's pensive, soulful looks so I was sure to capture a bunch of those.  We walked around quite a bit just exploring (it was his first time there) and enjoying the weather and scenery.  Trevor has the most amazing cow brown eyes with LONG lashes which make his soulful looks even more endearing.  We got some really fantastic shots!  Here is a small sampling.  Shannon and Rob, it was a pleasure meeting you guys and hanging out with Trevor.  I look forward to our many shoots we have scheduled this year.  ENJOY!

I love how mom's hair is just being wind blown into this frame enough to have her be a part of the shot without being in the shot.  Plus the way he is nuzzling into his mom is just so cute.  This was actually the very first shot I took and it was supposed to be a "throw away" shot where I was just showing Trevor how the camera works etc... Ended being one of my favorites! Love that!

Shannon brought bubbly and sparklers for a New Year's themed shot and the look on Trevor's face in this one is priceless!

It wasn't quite dark enough for the sparklers to show but Trevor liked them!

I loved Trevor's little one eye squint look I got from him alot. So him being a goofball!

We had loads of fun with shadow shots.  First I had just Trevor jump and then I had all three jump.  

 

 

Such a beautiful family!

those eyes!

waiting to sneak up on dad!

playfully wiping off mom's kiss, so funny!

I adore this next shot :)

Ayla

I love that name!  Ayla is such a kick.  She had me in stitches with all her funny facial expressions.  I could not have asked for a better family to transition back to "work" with.  We had a blast!  I had a hard time narrowing it down so here is a scattering of images that stood out amongst the many, many awesome shots we got.

Erin & Ryan, thank you for the laughter! ENJOY your images!

oh my goodness! SO cute!

I love how tenderly she is caressing her dad's face on this next one...

and this is my favorite one of the shoot, don't ask me why, but it makes me laugh out loud!

this next one is pretty funny too!

warning, this next shot could make you want more babies...

I LOVE this next shot of Erin and Ayla, so sweet!

Erin really likes silhouette shots so we played around with those.  Ayla is catching some serious air on this next one!

I don't usually convert silhouette sunset shots to B&W but I like how this one turned out.

People will often ask me how I know when the shoot is over....? Well, it's usually pretty obvious....

Thanks guys for a SUPER shoot :)

The K-L Family

This family is one of my very first "real" clients that I ever had shortly after launching my business, as in not falling under the "family and friends who are just indulging me while I practice on them" category.  Little Quinn was just a newborn at that first shoot.  And they were just the coolest people, we instantly clicked, and I remember going home that evening after the shoot on a total "photographer's high".   That refers to those shoots (which luckily for me are more often than not) when everything is just amazing, the clients are just wonderful, the kid(s) are having fun, the light is incredible and everything is just clicking.  Since then we've had many more shoots together, they've just had their THIRD baby, and despite the pandemonium of three kids under four, we had a blast.  It seems that all we do is laugh but remarkably I also happen to take pictures during our time together.  

We were feeling a bit ambitious and did a mini newborn shoot for Tyler before tackling the family shoot.  Tyler looks EXACTLY like Quinn at that age.  

Reilly and I have the total photographer/muse relationship.  I could photograph this girl ALL DAY LONG.

I tried to get some fun shots of them in this mirrored ball thingy but they were not nearly as interested in it as I was... But I did get a shot of me! :)

Dad was making popcorn for a little pick me up and apparently he was taking too long (see below) but for me = a golden opportunity for my favorite shot of the day.

His eyes are so incredible. Mesmerizing.

The K. Family

Deborah and I have been friends for 4 years now and I cannot believe how much has happened in those 4 yrs.  For starters, she's had THREE kids in that time frame! I adore this family and was so sad when they moved away from the area.  However, I have been lucky enough to photograph every new arrival (which has been fairly frequently!) as well as their annual Holiday Photos.  That said, as soon as things settle down a bit on both our ends we are determined to find a way to spend more time together.

I miss you guys.

Juliette is her oldest and she and my Ellie are just a couple weeks apart in age.   When miss Juliette and I get together, we create some serious magic!  Juliette has the most vibrant, charming and contagious smile around.

Do not be alarmed if you suddenly have the urge to gobble up this baby.  Do not adjust your screen.  It is simply the power of "Joshua".  

and little miss 'Anna just wanted to be chased, so we chased! 

she's so beautiful!

such a little flirt and that SMILE!

gobble, gobble, gobble....

well, hello hot stuff!   

The P. Family

This family is another one of my long-time families.  I've done a great deal of shoots with them, ever since little Luci was in utero.  They are always up for anything and we get to really "play."  They totally trust me and just go along with all my crazy ideas as well as suggest some great ones of their own.  It's a relationship that just flows smoothly and therefore results in the greatest of images.

Luci is one of my favorite little muses and her early and expansive vocabulary combined with utter precociousness totally remind me of my Ellie.  

Kathy, I know you think the photo gods were not smiling down on you for this shoot (due to a slight comedy of errors throughout the day leading up to the shoot!) but I think you will be pleased with the results and forget the earlier trauma of the day!

Love you guys! Enjoy!

oh, look at the sweet, demure little toddler walking so delicately, like a little flower...

and this is my favorite of the day....hello luci!

The E. Family

I think mom was a little bit anxious to see these images... Anytime you put together a toddler, a baby and a dog it's pretty much expected to be slightly chaotic so I was prepared!  Brady is a very high energy, full of spunk little guy.  And as is the norm with such 'on the go' personalities he had no interest in our little "agenda" for the day.  And poor little baby brother had ear infections and was feeling pretty miserable and did not want to be put down.  SO, it was perfectly understandable that mom be concerned about what we might have, or might not have, captured.

And yet, surprise-surprise, we actually got lots of smiles Becky!!!  We may not remember getting them but we got them :)

I hope you love these and the rest that are on the CD's.  It was a pleasure meeting you, your family and your parents.  ENJOY!

[for the technical background on these family shots, I had to use flash because we had run out of enough light for a group shot but I didn't want to blast head on flash towards them especially because of little Jakey.  What I did was have grandpa hold the reflector to my right and turn my mounted TTL flash unit head towards the reflector and bounced the light from my turned flash head, which was pointed away from them, onto the reflector which was diffused and then gently draped back onto them, giving me just enough boost of light to illuminate the shot without it being harsh or frightening for the little one and also eliminating any potential shadows behind them.  See below diagram.  Disclaimer: I can't draw to save my life]

Adam & Matthew

This is my third year photographing this delightful family and it's always such a pleasure to hang out with them.  I got to meet the newest addition this time (Matthew) and had the fantastic experience of hanging out with them at the stables/ranch where they keep their horse.  I strongly encourage my clients to use a location that has meaning to them or "fits" their lifestyle.

Adam was completely at home there and happy as a clam.  So despite being at an age where taking photographs is not #1 on the list of "fun things to do", we got great shots because he was so thrilled with his environment.  He even got to drive a REAL tractor around the barn..need I say more?

Adam and his baby brother Matthew share the same stunning eyes.  It was like seeing Adam all over again from when I first met him!

It was great seeing you all again! Enjoy your images :)

that's Nadya the horse.  Which also happens to be my middle name.  Which is pretty funny because I was always called "horsie" growing up because of my very large gummy smile...

i love the vintage toning in this shot and Nadya in the background...

this next shot is a good example of why I will be switching to a completely new blog server/system in 2009 with more SPACE for my horizontal images.  The look on mama's face as she looks at her boy, full of love and adoration, is not visible in this format, but trust me, it's priceless.

Matthew's facial expression in this next one is HILARIOUS!

Although I got a ton of super super fabulous sibling shots, I also got a bunch that had me in stitches when I was editing them... these may not end up framed on a wall but they will make a great addition to the scrapbook! here is a small sample...

dude, that's my face...

uh, what's he doing....?

Estelle

Such a cute little peanut!  Little Miss Estelle is a very expressive little girl who will be one this month.  Cute as a button, I might add.  She also lives in a rockin' house full of fabulous color schemes (which I was naturally very drawn to) and, if you can believe it, part of the house was designed out of a converted silo!  Simply amazing.  Plus  a view that went on for miles.  So, when you add one uber adorable little girl, great wall colors to play around with, accommodating parents who let me go all over their property...that equals fantastic photos!

Nancy, I hope you love these :)

Estelle just needed a couple minutes to warm up to me and my big ole camera but then she was all over the place!

i went completely gaga over this dress...

Gabrielle and Lucy

Gabrielle was such a kick, that girl ROCKED the camera.  I have so much fun with this age, and especially little girls who love the camera.  Ava (from last week) was just like this too.  Plus mama left me to my own devices with Gabrielle and as always that worked out just beautifully.  Kids are so different when mom is not around. I get TOTAL cooperation. 

Plus, mom had Gabrielle in the most perfect outfit.  The colors were awesome and the dots looked GREAT in B&W.  SO fabulous!   Gabrielle has a new little sister Lucy who is just so cute.  I could gobble up little ones this age.  They are cooing and smiling at this point and it just totally makes my heart melt!

I had WAY too many fantastic shots from this shoot so I was not able to narrow it down at all.  I finally just had to randomly pick some to post because I was spending way too much time going back and forth about which ones to choose...  So here goes a small sampling of the magical results :)

Kerry, it was a pleasure meeting you and your family!  ENJOY!

color, or,

bw?  I like them both!

still hot after 11 yrs of marriage, very cool.

I love how you can see Gabrielle checking out what we are doing through the screen door!

The P. Family

Debbie, Don, Eric, Chase and Austin.  I love these guys!  Debbie, Don and I go way back, in the days of my previous employment - pre husband and kids.  Debbie and I hit it off immediately.  I loved her spunk, quick wit and slightly rebellious attitude.  Hers was the voice that could either allow me to finally have a lunch break or send me the case from hell.   So, at work, I both loved her and hated her all at the same time.  But, off duty, we were just pals.  Plain and simple. She even threw me a surprise bachelorette party I specifically had asked NOT to have.  With friends like that...  tee hee.

We all went camping together once when her boys were really little and played a little flashlight tag... let me just say SOME people cheated.  I'll leave it at that.

Anyway, it was a real pleasure finally getting to take pictures of the whole group.  We don't get to see each other very often at all so this was a real treat.  And there was only one person who didn't really want to be there....I'll let y'all figure out who that was on your own.. haha!  

The boys are all so much older now it kinda freaks me out.  Debbie & Don, I love you guys and I had so much fun.  I don't think I've been around that much teenage testosterone & relentless ribbing in a while... :) 

there's a gizillion photos so I just picked a few favorites.

Azula & Zia

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while now may remember the images I posted a long time ago of my friend Sumita before her double mastectomy.  She is still fighting cancer with everything she's got and she is still my hero.

The last time I photographed the whole family was right before she gave birth to Zia so it was a real treat to get to shoot the whole family again.  I absolutely love this family.  Zia was being very serious and doing the "drama" thing but we had alot of fun with it.  We eventually wore down her resolve!

In fact, as I was driving to our designated location (UCSC) I noticed a building with  a stone covered wall in the shade and a brightly lit white building facing it.  So, yeah, I stopped in my tracks, called her up and said: "DETOUR!"  Honestly, when I saw that building and light configuration it was as if the sky opened up and the angels started singing or something, I was in heaven!  So we started off there and then headed up to UCSC to complete the shoot.  I'm so glad she was so flexible, we got some great images at our impromptu stop!

Sumita and family, I love you guys.  Enjoy your images! :)

these next two need to be hung side by side, LOVE THEM!

love the goofy glasses and ensuing giggle-mania!

a taste of drama...

Che

I've been taking photos of Che regularly since he was a newborn and he is just the smiley-est (is that a word?), happiest little dude.  Although he is entering the world of the 'terrible twos', his innately happy disposition was still shining though.  We got some classic big Che Smiles.

The weather was cold and the light was icky but lucky for me, dad totally figured out what I needed from him in regards to being my "reflector holder" so we got some stellar images of Che early on thanks to him.   Reflector holding is actually a bit of an art onto itself and if done properly it's amazing what it can do for your images.

Then I used a slight pop (at minus 2 EV mode, just to fill in shadows and add catchlights, a necessity on overcast days like this) on my external mounted TTL flash for the rest of them.  And it worked out beautifully.  :)

I love this little guy and am looking forward to photographing him again in a few months for his 2nd birthday!

We started off on the swings since that is Che's "happy place."

Che is amazing with the ball and racket.  He throws the ball up in the air and swings at it with all his might and actually LAUNCHES it 8 out of 10 times.  And his eyes are closed the whole time he is swinging too!  Absolutely hilarious!

And this next one here, folks, is what happens when you have overcast weather and you know how to use a reflector the right way.  Without the reflector = YUK.

With a properly positioned reflector = MAGICAL LIGHT.

the load up....

the swing with a hit!

have I mentioned how much I love my reflector?

I captured the most delightful triptych of this kiss with the lead up to it, way cute!

yes, he really is this cute!

Logan

This little dude could DANCE!   We were totally in stitches watching him boogie and get down.  The last time I saw them was a year ago so it's incredible how much he's changed in that time frame.  It is without doubt one of the best perks of this job, watching their little personalities emerge.  When I do shoots for them as newborns or babies, I can get a sense as to their disposition but their unique  personalities are not as obvious yet.  And then when I get to see them a year later I can without fail see that innate personality coming through.  And then a year later I get to see even more of it and I get to observe how it evolves through all the different developmental stages.  It's fascinating!  I've always been interested in child development and so this job gives me the ability to indulge in all that child psychology & observation.  It's so cool!

On a side note, it is TOTALLY unfair that the little boys are gifted with the most amazing lashes.  I need those!  Logan's eyelashes were unreal, when you see the close ups you'll see what I'm talking about.

We chased this little guy all around the gardens and worked around sunlight that was still a bit too high for my tastes but we had a happy little camper and that's way more important than superb lighting and a grumpy toddler!  

Such a pleasure seeing you guys again,

Enjoy your images!

This next one melts my heart.  He is reaching for his mom's hands and looking up at her with such adoration....sigh....

here mom and dad are trying to get their groove on and guess who shows up lickety split even though he wanted nothing to do with family shots before then!  He was not happy about anyone lovin' on his mommy!  My son used to scream "NO!"  everytime my husband kissed me!

the story behind this shot is soooo funny but I'm just going to let mom and dad get a good laugh here :)

Matthew

Such a beautiful family!  Matthew is two and two is such a particularly funny age.  They are so FAST and so wanting to do things their way.  It's a real blast working around their obstinate little nature and capturing their sweet, tender side.  Fortunately, Matthew is a little Cancer male which makes him extra sweet (my boy is too).  Plus, he is so stinkin' cute he'd probably get away with murder in my house.  Check out his little adorable mouth, I just wanted to squeeze his cheeks and kiss him! (Don't worry, I didn't).  Anyways, mom and I were so busy talking and laughing that we pretty much let dad do all the toddler wrangling (tee hee) but we did remember to take pictures too!  I loved the blue tones in their clothes so we tried to play off the blue as much as possible.  Matthew is half monkey (in a good way!) and was scaling up and down crazy high stuff and making my heart skip a beat with anxiety.  Good thing dad was there to keep the mommies mellow when it comes to that stuff... :)

Enjoy Christy!

so we told him not to poke his fingers inside the fence because of the chickens and then here on the next shot you can see his fingers are safely tucked into a closed fist as he suspiciously eyeballs the chickens! hilarious!

See what I mean?  Don't tell me you don't want to squeeze his cheeks and plant one on him too! :)

Pema

Freckles!!!  I *love* freckles.  LOVE them.  Can't get enough close ups of kids with freckles.  Have I mentioned I love freckles? :)

Pema was such a bright, curious, playful little girl. She had mommy's eyes and daddy's smile!  Sweet as could be and cute as a button so even when she would turn down my requests with a "no", it was said in such a gentle, polite and innocent way that I just wanted to hug her!  Hilarious!

We had so much fun, perhaps too much fun because when the shoot was over and we were heading back to the car she started crying because she wanted to stay! Melt my heart why don't you?  I could have taken her home with me... but Ellie would not have liked someone cramping in on her "cute factor" territory... :)

It was an absolute pleasure meeting you all, ENJOY your images!!  

the flare in this one is perfect, when you look closely you can see the individual rays of light, especially along the bottom right - stunning!

Natalie

Oh my, the many faces of Natalie!  My camera just *loved* this girl!  I could not get enough of her striking blue eyes and such unbelievable poise for a 7 yr old.  Such a delightful family!  This family actually grabbed my last available slot back in March, mom was laughing about how she thought something was wrong with my website because she could only find two available dates on my online calendar and figured it was a computer glitch...  By the time she called me, it was down to one!  She booked it and here are the results.  I'm crazy about so many of them.  I'm going to do a triptych for the home page of my website using the ones were Natalie is in the middle and the parents are in the blue doorways.  I got her laughing so hard at the end, I got a series of wonderful shots!  And her eyes, her eyes! Just lovely.  I think mom and dad were wondering if I'd ever stop taking pictures of her!  Enjoy your images!!

color or bw?

Kain, Asher & Zeah

I've always talked about how things get a bit chaotic when the kids outnumber the parents at a shoot and it really was the case here as well.  Now, chaos is very entertaining of course, but this was on a whole other level!  These guys "kicked it up a notch" (has anyone ever watched Chef Emiril, that's where I get that expression from!)  Perpetual motion folks.  Nonstop!  Mom even brought an outdoor bowling set, which in theory is a brilliant idea but sadly proved FAR too tempting for a three year old boy determined to "seek and destroy" any attempts by his older brother to set it up and keep it up long enough to actually attempt bowling!  And when the 3 yr old wasn't kicking it down the one year old would casually saunter by and pick up the pegs!  Hilarious!  So, needless to say, we moved on from that pretty quickly! :)

I think mom and dad are going to be very pleasantly surprised....

Enjoy!

Kevin & Jason

It is always such a pleasure to do a photo shoot with a family I've worked with before, especially when they just let me do my thing and trust me.  When that rapport and ease has already been established (even if it's been a year since our last shoot), it's still just a really fun process.  Plus, we have a small community (which is why I love living here)  and I see all these moms around town, our kids attend the same activities, we all go to the same events.  Not a day goes by that I don't run into a client/friend of mine somewhere around town!  Naturally, I happen to think I have the best clients around because they are all ladies I could totally hang out with any given day.  I just love that!  I feel really blessed and grateful for all the support and encouragement I've received over the past 3 years from the families in this community.

Plus, it's such a treat when the dads show up to the shoot with a great attitude, a desire to get some wonderful family photos and a willingness to have fun with the process.  Ladd went all out on this shoot, in fact, I think he might have temporarily thrown out his back while doing some wild and crazy antic for his kids!  So, I just want to say THANK YOU to the daddies who show up with a smile on their faces, I've had so many enthusiastic daddies lately and it really makes such a huge difference.   

I just love the light at this location, very warm and golden.  Perfect for those who prefer color images.

Oh, and before I forget, I'm in the final phases of launching my brand new LOGO (yipppeeee) which I will share with everyone once I get the CD.  It's just so "me".  The designer really "got" what I was envisioning so I'll be sure to share all her info too for those who have designing needs.  She's GREAT!   Naturally, that means I have to redo ALL my forms and ALL my packaging and my website and blah blah blah.  A ton of work and money, but it will get spread out over the next few weeks to make it more manageable.  I can't wait to show it to you guys!

Gina and Ladd, ENJOY your images and I'm sure you both slept hard last night!! :)

don't ask me why, but this last shot is hands down my favorite one of the shoot and it was also the last one I took!

Connor, Michaella and Isabelle

The last time I photographed this family, mama was very pregnant with Isabelle.  I remember we had the most dreadful weather conditions and despite this, the family was laughing with me (at me?) the whole time!  They just made the best of it.  Not much has changed, there is just a whole lot of love and laughter in this family.  So it was with great pleasure that we got to hang out again, this time with the newest addition to the family who is now a year old.  

I have to mention that all these fires, besides causing horrible air quality, has also been adversely affecting the quality of light out there.  I'm sure that for landscape and nature photographers it is with great joy that they are experiencing some really funky toned sunsets etc. but for us portrait photographers, this yellow tinted dark haze is a nightmare.  Thank goodness I shoot in RAW format and have much more latitude when it comes to my white balance but even with the ability to make certain changes and adjustments, the yellow tint was hard to completely eliminate.  Fortunately, with a family of little blondies it worked out in the end.  Still, I will be glad to get my normal outdoor sky/light colors and tones that I prefer working with.

Pam & Josh, it is always a pleasure and I'm so glad that Michaella was so amused with my goofy faces.  If only it worked so well with all kids!!! :)

p.s. I added all those movies to my netflix queue, thanks for the recommendations! 

Michaella sang me this awesome song about monkeys in a tree and a hungry crocodile that had me in stitches!  She is just 3 weeks younger than my daughter and they have hugely similar personalities.  Such funny little girls!

Samara

Isn't that the most beautiful name?! And such a great story behind it too.  This is my second time playing with this family and we all had a run for our money chasing around Miss Samara who knew exactly what SHE wanted to do, WHEN she wanted to do it and HOW she wanted to do it.  She was basically a younger version of my daughter so needless to say, I felt right at home!  It was also sweltering hot and I think we all lost about 5 lbs of water weight by the time we were done! :)  Mama has taken my photography workshop and has a real appreciation for great photography so it is quite an honor that they choose me to document their life for them.  I can't wait to see them again later this year.  Enjoy your images!!! :)

Cameron

This was such a delightful shoot!  Cameron is a 2 yr old boy with TONS of "boy energy" but also a very sweet, gentle soul, which is the most endearing combination! I thought my daughter was the only "talk-a-holic" toddler but Cameron had so much to say, it was like hanging out with my own little one!  I was really enamored with the little fellow.  He refused to do anything I suggested but he was so polite and sweet about it that I couldn't help but laugh!  I'm glad we just followed HIS agenda (which is really all you can do with that age range anyways!) because it made for some really amazing images.  Cameron is going to be a big brother in the next few months, you can't really tell since mom is so tiny, but there's a little baby growing in there! 

The love, tenderness and soulful connection I felt within this family totally warmed my heart.  It was a pleasure capturing theses images for you all, ENJOY!

p.s this first one cracks me up,  Dad is trying to convince Cameron to get on the horse and Cameron is just laughing his head off watching dad ride the "horse"... You can't really see his priceless expression in this small size format but this image DEMANDS to be printed out LARGE, it's one of my favorite all time shots.