pascale wowak photoblog

Elisa, Peter, Kenzi and Bodi

Many of you will recognize this adorable family as I have the opportunity to photograph them several times a year.  I adore them.  Kenzi is one of the most expressive children I have ever met.  Every shoot ends up being: The Many Faces Of Kenzi.   So stinking cute.   This was my second to last shoot before my big reconstructive ankle surgery bright and early tomorrow morning.  I had a mini headshot shoot tonight which I will be editing right up to the wire before going in to be sliced and diced!  As I was doing this shoot chasing Kenzi and Bodi around and being able to play with them and keep up with all the twirling and dancing and bubble popping I found myself very grateful for my mobility and I can't wait to be off the dang crutches and back in form to do what I do.  It's an active job and that's one of the things I love most about it.   I've had people ask me if I use a tripod when I photograph and it is so utterly beyond my imagination to ever be able to be that stagnant while I shoot.  I love moving and switching gears and changing angles and rolling with the punches.  Kids are active little beings.  Kenzi and Bodi are the perfect example of this and being able to keep up with them and their moods and their moments is the most fun aspect of what I do.  Well, that and capturing those magical snippets that make their parents happy!  Kenzi is SO sweet with her little brother, doting on him, hugging him, kissing him.  Just so tender.  And I really wanted to capture that because it's ridiculously sweet AND because she's insanely cute when she puckers her lips to kiss him.  You'll see what I'm talking about when you scroll down.   I just love this family.  Elisa & Peter, thanks for the fun, once again! Can't wait to see you guys after my recovery!  I hope to be fully operational to keep up with everyone at the beach next time!  xoxoxoxoxox

Brendan & Claire

This is my second time photographing this adorable family and I just love them so much!    I'm super excited that I get to see them again later this year!  By then, Claire will likely be walking and it will be a whole new scenario!  I particularly love the dynamic between Brendan and his baby sister.  Clearly, I am partial to the big brother/little sister pairing, for obvious reasons...  And I maintain my belief that that particular pairing results in the sweetest, most accomodating, gentle-spirited older brothers and incredibly feisty, diva-ish, bossy little sisters.  My theory holds true nearly 90% of the time!  Claire is still too young to see if that particular dynamic is at play here but I can absolutely attest to Brendan being super sweet, gentle, protective and tender with his baby sister.  When we had her on a tree stump and mom was not, in his opinon, holding onto her quite sturdily enough, he was very clear to point out his distress over that fact and demand that *someone* hold her and wouldn't let go of her until someone did.  He's ridiculously sweet with her.  The whole family is just all kinds of awesome sauce.  How many clients can you joke around with that their kid has hoarding tendencies!?  LOL!  Brendan was definitely in hoarder mode during our shoot and had us in stitches!  They also brought me the MOST DELICIOUS all natural homemade macaroons from their family's store in Fremont called Sweet Orchid Patisseries.  And I will fully admit to being a macaroon SNOB.  Most macaroons here just pale in comparison to the ones I've had in France but these were the REAL DEAL!  So yummy.  My kids and I gobbled them up.  They also have gelato there too!  I think the kids and I will just have to swing by there on our way to visit my mom in the East Bay very soon!!!

Janice and Jonathon, thank you so much for spending your Sunday afternoon hanging out with me!  I had a blast and can't wait for our next shoot!  There are some real sibling gem shots in this batch, I was loving them as I was editing your shoot!  Your two kiddos are utterly fantastic! Love you guys! :) 

 

Avery, Quinn & baby Morgan!

You all probably remember the super fun pregnancy shoot I did just a few weeks ago for this beloved family!  Well, baby Morgan just made her appearance into the world and she could not possibly have been welcomed into a more loving and happy family!  They are as lucky to have her as she is to have them!  Avery is being such an AMAZING oldest sister and little Quinn is adjusting to her new role as "no longer the baby" quite well!  Mom and Dad, as always, are handling all the adjustments and lack of sleep with grace and humor.  I just love them so much!   The shoot was very "fly by the seat of your pants" because it seemed every time we were  gearing up for a specific shot, something caused us to re-arrange, switch gears, change things up.  We just went with the flow.  As I was setting up the backdrop Quinn and Avery were playing on the cushions so I grabbed some cute shots even though I wasn't done setting things up.  Cuteness waits for no one. :)

Later, as we were trying to get a very specific hands shot that we get with every new addition, Quinn was insistant on being behind rather than in front, it led to some really cute shots and I was rewarded for not hampering the unfolding of the events.  I also want to remind other photographers that while you are focusing your attention on a certain shot (ie: here I was shooting dad & baby Morgan), I always keep an eye on what else is going on behind or around me, and was able to capture a great shot of Avery.  Don't get locked into tunnel vision.  Keep observing all around you!  

Newborn shoots are notoriously challenging with siblings involved but this shoot was fun and everyone was working so well together.  Carly and Kevin, after three times of doing this together, I think we are just a well oiled machine at this point!!!  Love you all SO MUCH!  CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  *smooches*

ENJOY your sneak peek!  Just a few favorites, plenty more to come... :)

Anna & Alex

While staying up in Seattle this past weekend, I got to spend lots of quality time with my dear friend Amy.  Amy is one of those remarkable women who is just a "steady as she goes" kind of person.  On the one side, she is a solid, dependable, reliable, level headed and straight-forward gal.  One the other side she is incredibly funny, playful, creative, artistic, fun loving, and an absolute joy to be around.  Amy is a pragmatic straight shooter which is something I absolutely love and admire about her.  She's also the most generous, kind, compassionate and thoughtful person you will ever meet.  A devoted mother who is practically single handedly raising her two beautiful daughters while her fabulous husband is gone 6 months at a time on tours in Afghanistan.  This gal does it all and she does it well.

 Amy has been a rock for me over the past 2 years offering emotional and tangible support as I navigated a most challenging transition in my life.  I could always turn to her and know she would give me well thought out and practical advice.  When I was planning this trip I was super excited that I would be able to get images of her and her daughters to send to her husband and put on her walls.  Little did we know that her husband was planning a surprise trip and showed up just a little over a week ago for his 3 week stint back home. The timing could not possibly have been better!  I was able to capture images of all FOUR of them together, a very very very special moment in time for them.  The day was dark and gloomy but the mood was not, and everyone had glowing smiles!  You'll see that Amy has a thousand-watt smile that could light the universe!  Her girls, Anna & Alex, are two of the cutest, sweetest little bugs on the planet and I just completely fell in love with them.  I so enjoyed watching the special relationship they have with their dad even though they don't get to see him as often, it's clear how near and dear he is to their hearts.

 We did most of the shoot indoors at their home because it was just so cold and dreary outside but did venture out for a few minutes around their neighborhood before realizing that the girls were not feeling the outdoors.  By then, two hours in, they were done with the shoot but we still managed to grab some family shots on the couch.  I had to do some creative lighting techniques because there wasn't enough ambient light and using flash would have cast shadows on the wall behind them due to the proximity so I played around with a technique I developed a while back.  It worked well enough!   I'll be coming back up to the area in April for another shoot with another friend who lives up there and I am so excited to capture her family too!

 After our shoot we drove into Seattle to help Jayme get all set up for her fashion show and then had a rocking time there.  The next day Amy & James showed me and my James around Seattle for the speedy gonzalez tour in the 3 hours we had before needing to head to the airport!  It was just a truly amazing and wonderful weekend!!!  Amy & James, thank you for being such amazing hosts! I hope you  love your sneak peek!  Your girls were beyond adorable!  Love you and your family so very very very much!!! xoxoxoxoxoxox

Avery, Quinn &....?

I have been making magic with this wonderful family since very soon after I launched my photography business.  I have been able to photograph each of their (now three!) pregnancies and it's been such great fun!  They are a goofy, active and energetic bunch.  I always know that our shoots will be full of laughing, running, playing, and definitely have a dance party of some sort thrown in at some point.  I love so many things about this family but what I love most is their deep appreciation for LIFE. And LOVE.  And TOGETHERNESS.  They truly understand what's important in life and don't fret the small stuff.  They focus on their priorities and their priorities are each other.  There is a solid foundation of love and respect upon which the entire family has been built and they've never lost their sense of humor and goofiness along the way despite how exhausting it is to have two littles and jobs to juggle and all that comes with life in general.  If anyone can handle, with grace and humor, three kids 5 and under it's Kevin and Carly.   When we were walking down from the parking lot and I was commenting on how gorgeous the light was, Kevin turned to me with the biggest smile and proclaimed: "I'm just happy to be alive!"  And that pretty much encapsulates their constant, ever present joy.  They are just HAPPY.  Through and through.  Happy and playful and light hearted and loving and compassionate.   There is a gentleness about them that is just so utterly palpable.  It's always such a joy to be around them and be able to participate in the goofiness and encourage the displays of their inherently playful nature.  Engaging with each other and connecting is their "happy place", this is what they focus on.  You can just sense that they don't get swallowed up by the nitty gritty details that bog so many of us down.  Their sense of persepctive is firmly in place.  Their commitment to each other is unwavering.  I see them as a model of how I want to live my life and the kind of relationships I strive for.  With my kids and with all my other relationships in my life.  They are just truly fantastic people and it's an honor & delight to have them as clients and friends.

Carly & Kevin, here is your sneak peek with just a few favorites of mine.  I cannot wait to meet your new addition, find out his/her name and see you all as your newly expanded family unit! ENJOY the sneak peek!

Norah, Leah & Caleb

For full disclosure I should mention that Amanda is a friend of mine so my affinity for her family is not purely professional... But, if you knew them you'd love them too!!!  They're a wild and crazy bunch and just because I love to torture myself I suggested they bring their "slightly" overweight (he didn't used to be, some adorable baby *cough Caleb cough* has been feeding him food from his high chair the past four months) and somewhat not really trained dog to the shoot, just to add a little more spice to the day.... lol!  Listen, I love chaos.  I love kids.  I love babies. I love dogs.  Yes, it was pandemonium and yet I was still in my happy place.  Besides, how often do you get to hear a dog who sounds like a sea lion everytime he sees another dog walk by him?  Incredibly entertaining!  Amanda is the kind of mom I try to be.  That perfect balance of caring *deeply* for her children and wanting to raise them to be amazing human beings coupled with just enough chill factor that she's never wound up over the little things and yet is totally able to be firm and fair with her kids. She doesn't sweat the small stuff but she's totally on top of the important things.   She's got this mothering thing down.    I probably won't have any of this figured out until I'm a grandmother so I'm just kinda banking on the fact that I will be the worlds best grandma and my traumatized and ruined children will forgive me for screwing them up only because I am making up for it with my mad grandparenting skills.... that's kinda my game plan at this point... :)

I just really enjoy this family.  They know how to have fun and live life.  They've got a GREAT sense of humor.  They are playful and carefree and you just sense that they appreciate life, and that's an incredible gift you give your kids, you know?  Plus, HELLO PHOTOGENIC MUCH?!  Gah. Dimples, freckes, baby squishableness.... I was in heaven.   Amanda & Andy, here's your sneak peek, so glad we got a BEAUTIFUL day for this!  Love you guys!!!

The M&M families

I've been photographing these two families together, doing essentially three shoots at the same time, each family individually, both families together and also the cousins all individually, within their respective family unit and all the cousins together, for YEARS.  It's a December tradition for all of us! These gorgeous girls are sisters and grandma (their mom) gifts them this combined shoot as their Christmas gift each year.  Of course, she gets great images of her most favorite people out of it too so EVERYBODY is happy!  Best gift ever, hands down!  Here is a quick sneak peek of just a few favorites out of a gizillion images.  I don't offer these combined shoots anymore, they're entirely too much work, but I do it for these guys because I love them with all my heart.  The boys are super sweet and everyone works so well together that we are a well oiled machine. :)

At the very end I was treated to the oldest cousin (AJ) doing an impromptu dubstep dance routine for me.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE fan of dancing in all its forms and I was BLOWN AWAY by this boy's MAD skills.  Seriously, he is gifted and FEELS the music.  I was beyond impressed and there's no doubt in my mind that I will be able to say one day: "I knew him when he was but a wee lad and I was the one who photographed him growing up!"  :)

This was my last shoot of the year so I want to take a moment to heartily wish everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Enjoy the sneak peek grandma. :)

 

The W. Family

It was such a delight photographing this family whom I've known for several years but never had the opportunity to photograph until now.  My son Gavin has been in the same class as Christian for ages as they both attend the same small school.  They're good friends and love to hang out together.  I knew going in that this shoot would be a breeze because: 1) Andrew and Christian are incredibly good looking boys and 2) They are also incredibly well mannered and polite.   Throw in two photogenic, sweet, loving parents and it's a recipe for a fantastic shoot! And that's exactly what transpired.  We had insanely gorgeous weather and the boys were total sweethearts.  The deep, palpable, quietly strong love between Kerry and Jim really moved me.  There was such genuine tenderness, love and respect between them.  The way they looked at each other and held each other.  Such an ease and comfort, signs of a couple who have been together forever and whose love only gets stronger with every passing year.  Those two boys are so lucky to have that in their life, it's a great role model for them of what marriage should look and feel like.  I remember telling Kerry afterwards how special that was and how privileged I felt that they were comfortable enough around me to be their true, authentic selves.   I really enjoyed my time with this lovely family and I hope they love the results!  Kerry & Jim, it was an absolute pleasure!  ENJOY your sneak peek, I'll bring your package to school pick up this afternoon!  Sure is handy living so close to your clients! :)

 

Kenzi & Bodi

My last shoot with this family yielded one of my all time favorite sibling shots and I always look forward to the new locations all over the Bay Area that we get to play at when I'm photographing this adventurous family, from the Asian Art Museum in SF all the way down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  We've explored so many fun places!  We lucked out on the Aquarium shoot because we got there on a Monday morning before the crowds, on a sunny day, after a weekend of rain.  So, we were able to really maximize the spaces available to us and let the light dictate our shooting breaks.   Elisa did a MARVELOUS job picking out some really fun, classy outfits. She dressed Kenzi & Bodi with a "star" theme without it being overly matchy-matchy or Holiday-overloady.  I also love that Kenzi and her mom were wearing the same black sparkly TOMS shoes!  We got a ton of great shots so I struggled to narrow it down for the blog sneak peek, but here are a few favorites.  Great seeing you all Elisa & Peter! MUCH LOVE!

Jolene, Peter, Cassandra, Zoe & Sabine

I"ve been photographing this family FOREVER.  And I look forward to our shoots every year with great anticipation because we always make an adventure out of it.  Jolene & Peter give me FULL artistic freedom.  I can literally do whatever I want.  They trust me implicitly.  The girls are always full of spunk and life and it's just FUN.  This year they asked me what had I always wanted to do family shoot-wise but never had the opportunity to do.  I told them I'd always wanted to take a client and just walk around downtown Santa Cruz and shoot wherever I felt inspired, whatever captured my eye, whatever doorway or light or sculpture or alley or staircase drew me in.  Just sorta walking around and winging it.  And they were totally up for it!  YAY!  So, that's exactly what we did!  Jolene also managed to get permission for us to shoot inside the MAH museum which was pretty neat.  And at the very end we grabbed some fun shots in the VW Eurovan which is an integral part of their family life (lots of camping and road trips with this bunch) and it just rounded out what was a really inspiring shoot for me.  I love doing new things and this was just what I needed to invigorate me.  I loved it and the girls seemed to have lots of fun with it too.  

Jolene & Peter, thanks for always trusting me and giving me the leeway to just do my thing.  I think you'll love the results!  ENJOY your sneak peek!

Love you guys!

Adam & Matthew & their big blue eyes.

This beloved family drives all the way down from Napa just to see me.  It makes me feel like a million bucks because I can't personally can't stand any road trip over an hour with my two kids sooooo yeah. :)

When Julianne and I were planning this shoot, she was debating about whether or not to bring their new addition to the family, a Great Dane mix rescue pup.  Naturally, my canine loving self practically insisted she bring Rex.  And I'm so glad they did.  He's a great dog and I have a MAJOR affinity for the relationship between a dog and its "little people" so I was smitten from the get go. 

Adam and Matthew are two of the most rambunctious boys I have ever met.  From the minute their feet touched the ground after leaping out of their car, they didn't stop scaling, jumping, climbing, leaping, and tackling.  They are ALL BOY.  It was kinda like herding cats trying to get them to focus on me but I know these boys well enough by now that I know exactly what works and doesn't work and was able to dig into my repertoire of potty jokes to capture their attention.  Hey, I never said a shoot with me would be a  dignified affair.  I only promise that you'll love the images. :)

And, I'm hoping Julianne and Marchus love these.  I think it's our best set yet.  Even with the black eye and knocked out tooth on Adam.  LOL!  And this is just a couple weeks after getting a cast removed.  And sustaining a myriad of injuries leading up to the shoot.  Julianne knew better than to reschedule based on the knocked out tooth and black eye.  She knows with her boys that the injury at hand is likely LESS than what COULD POTENTIALLY be awaiting down the road if we tried to reschedule! LOL!!!  Those boys are nonstop!  My heart skipped a beat several times thinking I was about to witness some incident that was going to result in a trip to the ER.  Julianne is the perfect mom for them because she doesn't even bat an eye all the while I'm about to pass out from holding my breath and turning blue because I stopped breathing as they jumped off a boulder 10 feet off the ground.  I think having a super duper cautious and overly safety conscious boy has made me forget what NORMAL boys do! hahahahaha!

In the end, we got amazing shots and everyone had fun! Wooohooo!  And so glad Rex was a part of it!

Julianne & Marchus, thank you so much for making the long trek every year to see me.  I love your family!!!!

ENJOY your sneak peek!!!

Juliette, Arianna & Joshua

I've been photographing this family since the oldest Juliette was just a tiny baby.  In fact, Juliette and my Ellie are born just two weeks apart.  We are going on our 8th year of doing these annual family shoots! Deborah and I first met when they lived locally here but they soon moved to Carmel and thankfully kept having me come and chronicle their family as it grew.  And did it ever grow.  Deborah had three kids literally back to back.  And looked utterly fabulous doing it.  You'd hate her if she weren't so likeable! lol!

All three kids have very strong personalities.  Juliette is the one who I can reliably depend on to be my assistant and is very mature for her age.  She takes the job of eldest very seriously.  Arianna is unusual for a middle child as she is less interested in keeping the peace and mediating as she is stirring the pot!  She is full of fire and spunk and lots of life in that little body of her.  Joshua is more on the quiet side, probably used to being overshadowed by his two boisterous sisters.  He repeatedly tried to convince me that "he just doesn't know how to smile" and kept doing pouty faces for me.  I eventually broke that wall down.  Turns out he's a little rockstar in the making and all you have to do is ask him to sing to bring him out of his shell.  Soon, the smiles were flowing all around.  

Deborah & Charlie, enjoy your sneak peek!!!

Brendan & Claire

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting this family for the first time in the comfort of their home.   It was quite fortuitous that Brendan is crazed with Legos seeing as my 10 yr old son has been since he was about 2 yrs old and I am an official EXPERT in all things Lego.  Brendan and I hit it off right off the bat.  Baby Claire was about as sweet, happy and adorable as they come.  Mom and Dad were all kinds of awesome chill.  Needless to say, we had a great time hanging out at their house, playing, and getting to know each other.  I do so love coming to my clients homes (especially new clients) and photographing them in their element and finding the best light and locations within the confines of their property!  It's a wonderful challenge and I've found that kids are always so excited to show me their favorite spots and toys.  Makes for a great shoot! 

Janice & Jonathan, thank you so much for the extremely warm welcome and spending a couple hours with me!  It was great fun and I hope you love your sneak peek!  xoxox

Ava & Bella

I've been photographing these two girls ever since Ava was a wee pup and Bella since she was in utero.  They have such different personalities but both girls are full of spunk and fire.  It's never a dull session!  We did the shoot at their home this time and the light was magnificent and the rolling hills as a backdrop could not have been more lovely as the sun was cresting the mountaintop.  The light and scenery coupled with their effervescent personalities made for a fabulous session, despite all the characteristic Ava-antics I've come to expect.  In fact, if she ever stops being her Ava-self, I may get all depressed!  Bella was definitely trying to be the "pleaser" during this session and I feel like this was the first time she wasn't overshadowed by her super "big personality" sister.  She was owning the camera in her own right!   They're gorgeous girls and I got some really great shots including a cameo appearance from dad's old Chevy Nova!  Tiffany & Don, I hope you love your sneak peek!

Estelle & Sebastian

And their amazing wonderland they call home!  I so look forward to this shoot every year.  For starters, the kids are crazy cute and precocious.  Then, you add in some really nice parents.  A super sweet Polish Tatra Sheep dog named Sartaj. Then, the piece de resistance, you top it all off at the most stunning mountaintop home located on several gorgeous acres which comprise the property at Abounding Harvest Farm.  

This year it was uncharacteristically hot due to a heat wave and it was, like, about a billion degrees that particular day.  Seriously, it was well over 100 degrees at their home.  CRAZY HOT.  But everyone rallied like champs and we made the most of the sweltering weather by staying in the shade and maximizing the soft, stunning light once the sun crest behind the hilltop and washed their orchards in the most insane bath of luscious light you could ever ask for.  

I couldn't get enough of Sebastian, who is absolutely edible right now.  Honestly, full on nom-nom-nom material.  Too bad he wanted nothing to do with my camera.  But I still managed to get what I wanted.  I'm persistent like that. :)

And Estelle was her usual vibrant, feisty, delightful self, all wrapped into one very animated and joyous package!

Daniel and Nancy, it was a pleasure as always.  Can't wait for next year! :)

 

Ellie, Ben, Annabel, Trixie & Teddy

Five of the most well behaved, photogenic, cooperative, delightful children you will ever meet.  An absolute photographer's dream.   Most photographers would probably cringe at the prospect of trying to photograph 5 siblings but clearly they've never had the pleasure of photographing these kids.  This was my third time having the honor of capturing them on film and it was just as wonderful as the last two times.  I seriously cannot manage to self regulate with this bunch and always end up taking way too many pictures.  They just make it SO easy!!!  It's like shooting a J Crew catalog.  Gorgeous, each and every one of them.  And sweet as can be, too.  I'm already looking forward to our next shoot.

Joanna & Ned, thanks for producing and raising five of the greatest kids on the planet.  I love your family!

ENJOY your sneak peek, there's TONS more! 

Kenzi & Bodi

If you follow my blog at all you will have to recognize this family as I get to photograph them several times a year and I've chronicled every step of their journey as they've expanded their family first with Miss Kenzi and then the addition of Mr. Bodi, who just turned 1 and was the occasion for this particular shoot.

We were blessed with incredible weather, a gorgeous location and two happy kids!  Which, of course, means two very relaxed and happy parents too!  Admittedly, the lollipops may have helped but truly, they were smiling even BEFORE the lollipops made an appearance!  All in all, a most delightful and wonderful shoot with some fabulous images as the end result! YAY!  

I get to see them all again in December, at which point Bodi will be walking and that should add a whole new dimsension to our experience! LOL!  

Elisa & Peter, enjoy your sneak peek!  Love you guys!

The S. Family

I've been photographing this family since the very early days of my photography business.  It's been such an honor to be able to chronicle this family as they've added little ones and then watch as the little ones grow.  When I first photographed them, their son Conor was just a young dude and now he TOWERS over me and is off to college.  It's completley disconcerting.  I'm struggling with it all to be quite honest.  Pam & Josh have been so kind to the kids and I, having the three of us over for dinner to welcome us to the new neighborhood when we moved down this way after our big life transition.  It was so incredibly kind of them and hilarious to watch Isabelle (the youngest) fall head over heels for my Gavin.  Crazy cute! 

They wanted to do the shoot in my small village close to where I live and I was more than happy to accomodate that.  I love Capitola.  It's just a really great little beach town.  Vibrant and full of color and laid back appeal.  We worked our way around the village stopping here and there and grabbing shots as we went and ended up on the beach just as the sun was setting.  It was just another gorgeous California day with a beautiful family to photograph.  The girls are SUPER comfortable with me so I get to bear witness to all their goofy faces and silly antics.  This group is a lively bunch and there's never a dull moment!

Josh & Pam, it was a pleasure as always, thank you for once again letting me capture these memories for you.  I love our annual tradition!  ENJOY your sneak peek!

Cameron & Chloe

I've been photographing this family for a while now and Jennifer and I have become close.  We try to grab Zumba classes together when we can (admittedly, I have not been able to go since my ankle injury and it will be a while before I have the range of motion needed to return, BOOHOO!) and she came over and helped me get a design plan set up for my backyard right after I had moved in.  She's super sweet and her family is awesome.  Her husband Steve is an INCREDIBLE carpenter, his work is truly amazing.   This particular shoot of ours was a trade and I'm so glad I have such wonderful people in my life to do trades with!

Here is a sneak peek of Cameron & Chloe from the other day.  They are adorable together.  At one point when I was photographing Chloe alone and Cameron was off climbing a tree, Chloe got all teary eyed and when we asked her what was wrong she said: "I want my budder."  So we called her "budder" to come assist me in photographing her and she was ALL smiles once again.  They absolutely love each other and Cam is super tender with his little sister.  It's pretty darn cute.

ENJOY!

Austin & Sydney

The day before I was scheduled to leave Austin, I got to spend some time with a friend (Hola Amber!) who lives a 2 hr drive from Austin.  She drove all the way down just to spend a few hours with me.  It was so great hanging out with her and getting stuck in a massive neighborhood street water battle in downtown Austin's bar district on 6th street.  People were dumping buckets from the rooftops, water gun snipers out the windows, gobs of water balloons tossed back and forth at the main intersection... Even the bartenders would run out with a water balloon, launch it across the street and then run back inside to their bartending duties.  I'd never seen anything like it but it was all kinds of awesomesauce.  That day Heather and her family were at a birthday party and somehow the subject of professional photos came up and a mom at the party was lamenting the fact that she did not have any professional shots of her sweet little baby girl who at 9 months was at the IDEAL age for photographing.... well, seemed to make sense to get me in on the conversation and so via texting we set up a mini shoot the very next day with Heather's friend Jenn and her two ADORABLE kids Austin & Sydney.  The shoot was scheduled for the crack of dawn the next morning since I would be flying back home later that day.  The weather was INSANELY muggy, hot and humid so much of the shoot was indoors which worked out beautifully since Jenn & Victor have the MOST amazing and gorgeous house and the kids have the most awesome rooms so I was in photographer heaven.  Austin was incredibly comfortable in front of the camera and took exactly 1.2 seconds to warm up to me and start mugging for the camera! LOL!  Sydney was a little more cautious of the stranger with the  big apparatus all up in her grill (typical of that age) but she lit up whenever her brother was in the room or next to her to make her feel at ease.  They were SO cute together.  

Jenn & Victor, thank you for welcoming me into your gorgeous home on such incredibly short notice and letting me capture these images for you of your adorable children!  I had a really great time and it was a lovely shoot and great way to cap off my stay in Austin!  

ENJOY your images!

Declan & Vivienne

Ah how I so very much enjoyed my time in Texas with this family.  If you read my previous post you'll learn more about the fun stuff I got to do on this trip to Austin.  But this blog post is all about Heather, David, Declan and Vivienne.   I love them all!  Declan is the sweetest and brightest and most charming little 4.5 year old on the planet.  Vivienne is full of spunk, fire, life and killer smiles (when she is willing to dole them out! She's quite judicious about that! Lol!).  Declan is so tender and sweet to all those around him.  He has no qualms giving hugs and kisses and is just a really gentle spirit not to mention incredibly bright.  He has impeccable manners and was always delightful to be around.  Vivienne reminded me a lot of Ellie: feisty, determined, and a force of nature.  That girl knows what she wants and she's going to find a way to make it happen.  But she was also very affectionate and spent much of her time on my hip with her little arm wrapped around mine for stability.  We had a special little bond.  I had the distinct pleasure of doing bedtime stories with both kids every night, something I absolutely LOVE doing, and it was so cute to have them cuddled up to me as we read.  It made me not long for my kiddos quite as badly as I was getting my "mommy dose/cuddles" through them!  

This shoot was quite spectacular insomuch that we did it at two totally different locations with two entirely different sets of outfits and two different times of the day (to account for the inhuman heat and humidity)  So, the first part was at the crack of dawn and the second part was at the end of the day.  Despite this accomodation for the weather, I was still completely drenched in my own sweat at the end of each shoot.  I just never quite acclimated to the heat and humidity.  In my defense, it was the hottest time of the year and they were having uncharacteristically awful humidity.  In fact, the day of our shoot was (luckily) the best of the 5 days weather wise as we had storms, clouds and even rain one day.  So, we totally lucked out!

I was tickled pink that I had been able to scour the area with Heather the day prior and visited a ton of potential spots so I could pick my favorite two.  I think we had two incredible locations and I even got to go shopping with them to finalize their outfits and make sure everything was absolutely perfect!  If any clients ask me how to pick out outfits that work well together without being crazy matchy-matchy, I am going to direct them to this shoot because the outfits were spot on.  Yay for teamwork!!! :)

Ok, enough chitchat, onto the sneak peek!  Heather & David, thanks again for hosting me and making my stay so wonderful!  I especially loved being up at 1 am sitting at Heather's computer designing new matching ringtones (based on the Dexter soundtrack) while laughing our butts off at our OCD-ness of making sure it started and ended at the precise spot we wanted it to.  That pretty much was a total highlight for me.  So very US! Lol!!!  LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

A quick shout out to Julie of ZOZOBUGBABY for Vivienne's first "look", how insanely cute is that dress!?!?!

And here's a quick iphone picture that Heather took of me during our shoot while I was photographing Declan and Vivienne spontaneously sat in my lap, resulting in me giving her some major loving.  Look at that smile.  Trouble with a capital T that one...  :)

 

Ashley & Bryce

This was my first time photographing this beautiful family but it was so naturally easy from start to finish that it felt as though I'd known them forever!  It helped that I already knew Amy from her attending one of my workshops and had already briefly met her kids.  Speaking of which, her kiddos were absolutely adorable and totally cooperative not to mention that even dad was really "into" the session which is always a treat for the photographer!  Even their super duper sweet lab Chloe was able to participate!  I think Amy got her Mother's Day/Birthday gift combo in spades! :)

Amy & Shaun, thank you for hanging out with me on that absolutely gorgeous day!  I hope you love your sneak peek!  ENJOY! 

 

Daniel & Hannah

I absolutely ADORE this family.  I look forward to our shoots in ways that borderline on unhealthy. Ha!  Seriously though, these kids are just a BLAST to photograph and the entire family has a great vibe, energy and ease about them.  They are so real and authentic and so genuinely a happy bunch.  I soak up their dynamic and truly hope that my son and daughter have the same wonderful relationship that these two have and that I have half the confidence and skill in parenting that their parents have.  They've done a remarkable job with these two (now teens! where did the time go!?) and I attribute that to the fact that they are such a rock solid couple with clear boundaries and yet blessed with a wicked sense of humor.  They're all kinds of awesome sauce.  :)

Lesley & Agustin, it was a pleasure as always.  Thank you all for courageously braving the ridiculously cold wind, frigid temperatures and gloomy skies!  I appreciate how you all brightened the day with your sunny dispositions and great attitudes!!! :)

 

Benjamin (& his big brother Lucas)

Nearly 3 years ago I was at this incredibly sweet family's house taking newborn pictures of Lucas.  This time I was there to capture memories of their newest addition to the family, little Benjamin.   It was such a time warp for me to be able to talk and interact with Lucas considering the last time I had seen him, he was just a few days old!  And boy did we talk!   Mark my words, this little boy is the next Steve Jobs, or something equivalent...  I was completely captivated and beguiled by his brilliance, expansive vocabulary and inimitable witty charm.   This boy is, quite simply, amazing.    I found myself wanting to stay long after the shoot just to have the distinct pleasure of being able to continue to interact with him and observe, in awe, his brain working in ways I've never seen a nearly 3 yr old brain function.   I was utterly and completely mesmerized by this child.  Before I left he drew me a picture, of a section of a train, not the whole train, because he intended to do different parts on different pieces of paper and then mail them to me one at a time so I could slowly assemble the full train.  I had him sign the drawing for me, which he happily did.  It's on my fridge.  And one day, when he's famous for discovering the cure for cancer or finding a way to turn mud into renewable energy, it'll be worth a pretty penny! HA!

But, I digress.  Little Benjamin is likely to be just as astute as his big brother because he only slept for a few minutes out of the 5 hrs I was there.  He spent most of the time awake and alert and intensely observant of his surroundings.   

Mom and Dad are two of the sweetest, kindest, warmest people I have ever met.   There is possibly no greater feeling than to have a client look you right in the eye as you are saying your goodbye's and have them tell you, with unmatched depth of sincerity and appreciation: "thank you for your art."    In response, I'd like to thank them for a most delightful shoot and having had the opportunity to capture some fabulous moments for them because they were willing to be so authentic, open and genuinely themselves with me.  It's THAT recipricol relationship and symbiotic dynamic which creates the art you see here. 

Much love to you F. family and ENJOY your images!

Elliot & Leah

These two cuties could not possibly have been more cooperative or angelic.  Total sweethearts with a deep and genuine affection for each other.  It was a most enjoyeable, easy and delightful shoot.  They were all smiles from beginning to end and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Plus, the weather, location and lighting were also absolute perfection.  Shoots just don't really get any better than this.  Thank you Laura for such a great afternoon with your lovelies! :)

Oh, wait.  One word:  FRECKLES.  *swoon*

ENJOY!  (oh, and yes, Elliot got all muddy before we even started the shoot but mom and I both thought it was just so HIM that we left it alone!)

 

 

Kianna & Jaxson

These two little lovelies belong to my dear friend Jenny.  I get to photograph them every year and it's always quite the adventure!  Jaxson is at his absolute most charming when he is laughing and loving on his sister. He is SUCH a good big brother.   Feisty little Kianna has perhaps the most perfect, adorable, little mouth I have ever seen in my life.  Which is made that much cuter when she puckers up to blow you a kiss.  *swoon*

Jenny, thanks for bringing me to your favorite family spot and letting me hang out with you guys!  I hope you love your sneak peek.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!!! :)

Lily, Maya & Rowan

This is another long time client family of mine whom I just recently had the pleasure of visiting again for the arrival of yet another little girl in the family!  Three gorgeous girls!   I think I captured approximately three BILLION amazing images, so it was really incredibly hard to narrow down the sneak peek.  I had to just accept that many personal favorites would just have to wait for their eyes to see them when they get the CD package.   Lily and Maya could not have been more cooperative and ridiculously cute.  I was able to get an inordinate amount of stunning sibling shots which can be (let's be honest here!) incredibly hard with a 4 day old newborn, a 2 year old and a 4 year old.  But they were DELIGHTFUL and fun and responded so fantastically well to my antics. In fact, mom had warned me that Maya refuses to have her picture taken and when I initially asked her to let me take her picture she responded with an emphatic NO!  Two minutes later she was mugging like crazy for my camera.  So, yeah, that was certainly rewarding!  :)

Kim and Doug, thank you for welcoming me into your loving home a mere 4 days after giving birth to little Rowan!   I had a great time with you all and hope you are thrilled with the images we created that day!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

Kenzi& Bodi

I just adore this family to bits!  We always do our shoots at a new location and since we do several shoots a year, that means we get to go on lots of adventures together!  This just may be my favorite one with them (with the possible exception of our very first shoot together when Elisa was pregnant with Kenzi, which I hold near and dear to my heart).  We did the shoot at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

I need to give MAJOR props to the director and staff at the museum because they were uncharacteristically accomodating and welcoming.  The director even gave us a mini tour to show us some spots with good light seeing as all the gallery areas are obviously too dark for natural light shooting and flash isn't allowed in the gallery rooms.  There is usually so much resistance from museums and I've experienced some really unfriendly staff at other places but they were absolutely wonderful here.  I plan on coming back with my kids during Christmas break because the museum is STUNNING (designed by the same architect who did the Musee D'orsay in Paris, which happens to be my favorite museum in Paris) and the exhibits running right now are fabulous.  So, I'll be back in a couple weeks for personal reasons!

I absolutely loved this venue and although you wouldn't think a museum would be the best place for a almost 2 year old and infant, we somehow totally rocked this session.  Kenzi does this crazy cute stuff with her mouth/tongue and I captured several of what I call "the  many faces of Kenzi."   Her baby brother could not possibly be any cuter either.  Elisa and Peter, I hope you love this sneak peek.  I can't wait til our next adventure!

The M-M families

I've been photographing these two families both individually and together since my first year in business.  I've chronicled all their pregnancies and every new member of the family!  The two moms are sisters and their mom (Hi Grandma Cindy!) gifts her daughters with this "joint" shoot every year for Christmas.  Naturally, I am completely biased here, but is there any greater gift a mom/grandma can give?  Think about it, she gives her daughters amazing pictures of them and their families AND she also gets amazing photos of her beloved daughters, their respective family units, all of them together and last but not least, her adored grandchildren!?  Win-win!

With FOUR boys 6 and under, it can be a bit crazy at times but these kids have grown up together and are more like siblings than cousins.  They absolutely adore each other and there is an incredible comfort level and closeness between ALL the members of both families.  That coupled with the fact that I know them so well and they know me and my style/approach so well makes for an impressively smooth shoot, all things considered.  

Shannon and Adam, Jennifer and Mike, and Grandma Cindy of course, ENJOY your sneak peek!

Quinn, Reilly and Tyler

My long time blog readers will recognize this absolutely beautiful family as I have been photographing them 2-3 times a year since I launched my business 7 years ago now.   It's practically serendipitous that we are now living in the same town as it makes it possible for us to now connect outside of our "shoot dates" as well.   Our kids all have the same energy (read: high) levels and get along great.   I've quite literally chronicled these kids childhoods and I am incredibly attached to them.  I definitely feel like I am part of the family!   When Tyler went through some life threatening medical issues last year I was terribly worried and by that same token I am incredibly pleased to watch her recovery and progress since then.   This family is just as rock solid and amazing as they come.  I am delighted to call them my friends.  Tara & Bryan, so glad we switched the date around in anticipation of rain, PHEW!!!  Hope you love your sneak peek! :)

Adam & Matthew & their fantabulous parents

Yes, I realize that's not a real word so just work with me here ok!?  I first met this family many years ago when I had just recently launched my business and little Adam was this BEYOND gorgeous Gap Model-ish baby with the BIGGEST blue eyes and LONGEST lashes you'll ever see.  None of that has changed and his baby brother Matthew was blessed with the same traits!  You could stare at their eyes for hours on end.  Absolutely mesmerizing.  Several years ago the family moved far away and yet they continue to come down once a year to keep up our tradition of me doing their annual family shoot.  I cannot even begin to express how much of an honor it is for me to be able to do this and to have them dedicate an entire day to traveling down just to see me.  It's pretty much just the most amazing feeling.  And Julianne is just so my kind of gal.  This woman is just incredible.  She's strong, smart and courageous beyond words having slayed dragons left and right the past few years.  I hope she knows how much I admire and look up to her.  I adore the whole family and look forward to our time together every single year.  

This time we went to Henry Cowell State Park and we were blessed with the MOST amazing light.  Just stunning.  We walked around the park and Julianne and I would spot the most delicious pockets of light at the same time.  Marchus was given reflector duty and rocked it out.  He knew exactly what I needed, which comes from years of doing this together, and I didn't even have to guide him through the process.  He just did a magnificent job.  So, between the stunning light, the gorgeous family and the perfect weather.... aaaaah heavenly!!!    I love you guys and I hope you like your sneak peek!!!  *muah*

Michaella, Isabelle & Connor

I love my adventurous client/friends!  Our shoot was scheduled for what turned out to be a very rainy day and due to mutually crazy and conflicting schedules, could not be rescheduled.  But that didn't deter Pam and Josh!  No way Jose!  She set everything up so that we had permits to shoot at the Conservatory of Flowers in S.F. and we met up there to get  this party started!  

Now, I would be lying if I said there weren't any unexpected setbacks.  Turns out the Conservatory is very small, and VERY dark (especially on a rainy day), and VERY humid (the kind of humid where I had to wipe the condensation off my lenses every 3rd shot), and very GREEN (icky color casts to contend with)... And the girls were definitely feeling a bit like caged animals rather quickly due to the crowds and confined space.... But, despite the "issues", we totally rocked it out and MADE IT WORK (I was channeling my Project Runway mode).  I did have to use OCF flash for the entire session which is not something I usually do but there was no other option because of how terribly dark it was inside the conservatory.  There wasn't even enough light to bounce back with a reflector, so very limiting in scope of lighting options.   

Fortunately, Pam and Josh took it all in stride and didn't let the setbacks get the best of them.  When the rain would let up for a few minutes we would rush outside and grab a few shots and then run back in when it came back down.  We were definitely flying by the seat of our pants throughout this shoot, ebbing and flowing with the best of them!   I think we went through Plan A, Plan B and Plan C within the first 30 mn!  It was all about improvising and working around whatever came in the way of us getting the shot!  :)

Then, after all that hard work they even took me out to dinner (so sweet!) and we had a lovely time enjoying super yummy food and great company.  THANK YOU S. FAMILY for a great time in the city!

I hope you love your sneak peek!  And thanks Connor for indulging me and being so easy to photograph!  Those dimples of yours will serve you well in college....  :)

Love you guys!

Te'a & Remi

Words cannot even begin to express how much I love this family.  I've been photographing them since shortly after I launched my business many moons ago.  We've really gotten to know each other as friends over the years.   Renata and Kevin have been such amazing support systems for me over the past few treacherous months and I just love them to bits for all their help.  Renata has the biggest heart and I just always love spending time with them.  The kids and I spent Halloween with them this year and it was so much fun.

This family just has the greatest sense of adventure and a total Carpe Diem approach to life.  Renata travels a lot internationally due to her work and she's just one of those fabulous people who has such a great global perspective on life and the world at large.  I picked "Big Jet Plane" as my song choice for their slideshow specifically because of how adventurous they are and how when I'm with them I always get the sense that they are on this fantastic journey together, enjoying life to the fullest and having fun in the process.  They think big and they live in the now.  I just love that so much about them.  As a family, they're playful and loving.  As a married couple, they are unequivocally supportive of each other's dreams and aspirations.  Their passion for life is a delight to behold!  :)

Plus, not only do they make me laugh so hard my sides ache the next day, but they also seem to appreciate my own twisted sense of humor so I can always let loose with them, which is incredibly refreshing!   R-K family, I LOVE YOU!  And I hope you love your sneak peek!  Oh, and THANK YOU for the amazing meal you sent home with me to feed me and the kiddos that night, it was RIDICULOUSLY good!!!! *muah*

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW!

 

Cassandra, Zoe and Sabine

This time of year brings along with it my long time clients/friends which is just always such a treat.  I've been photographing the K. Family for many, many years and it's always an adventure!  This year we went to the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga which is a favorite venue of mine.  The girls, while all so very different in personality, do have on thing in common: they are all forces to be reckoned with!  They have strong personalities and strong opinions and wrangling them can be somewhat akin to herding cats (ergo my choice of accompanying song, hahahaha!) but despite the pandemonium, we always manage to create magic and get those great shots!  Phew!  I love these three girls. Little Zo, in particular, is my cuddlebug and muse.  She cracks me up with her adorable little facial expressions and wise, soulful eyes.  Sabine is quite the character and I love her spirited little personality.  And Cassandra always entertains me with her wicked smart thought process and funny sense of humor.  And yes, Zoe and Sabine are twins, and yes, I have SO many twins as clients! I LOVE TWINS! :)

In fact, the biggest source of chaos this year was MY fault, as I realized at the end of the shoot that I had inadvertently locked my keys in my car, and that the magnetic Hide-A-Key had someone popped open and the spare key was missing.... ARGH.  Jolene and Peter so graciously called AAA for me and hung out with me a solid 30+ mn until AAA got there, even though they had three very hungry and tired little girls ready to go home.   I am SO grateful to them!

I put together this little slideshow to showcase some of my favorites from our session.  J & P, ENJOY!!!

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Alex, Ethan & Olivia

Oh how I love me some Alex, Ethan and Olivia!  Truly no words for how awesome this family is.  I so look forward to our time together!  Then, you include their new 8 month old French Bulldog puppy Xavier into the mix and I was in total heaven!  But wait, there's more!  Try adding their newly purchased historic home in Palo Alto!?  DREAMY!!!  The house was just about to undergo a total, massive renovation so it was in complete disarray and "haunted house" empty which meant we couldn't do much inside (yet) but the porch and doorways were insanely awesome.  I cannot WAIT to come back when the house is completely remodeled.  It's going to be breath-taking....

It should also be noted that due to conflicting schedules and the busyness of life with three active kids, this particular shoot was crammed in in-between picking up the kids from school and rushing them out to their afterschool activities so needless to say we had a whole lot of shooting to do in a VERY short amount of time.   Quite honestly, with any trio of kids other than these three, it probably could not have happened.  And certainly not with these results!  But with Alex, Ethan and Olivia it was a breeze!  

I just wish Allison and I could have had more time to chat about our mutual boot fetish! HA! :)  Alas, I also had to go get my own kids!  Needless to say, the shoot was fantastic despite the time constraints and we rocked it out in record time.  These three never cease to amaze me with their witty, funny, playful, genuine and all around incredible selves.  Xacier just added a whole new element of fun too!  That dog is HILARIOUS.  First, he reminds me of Yoda.  Second of all, he PURS.  Yes, he PURS!  Third, he follows Allison around just like Kooper follows me.  That total adoration boy puppy dogs have with their human moms.  SO CUTE!  His facial expressions were to die for.  I was laughing so hard I blew a few shots with camera shake because of the faces he was making.  Incredibly expressive!

Allison and Dan, enjoy your sneak peek.  Your kids rock!  P.S. I can't wait to see the new house when it's all done!  I'm inviting myself over.  Just so you know.  :)

Samara & Camille

There are many reasons why the Fall is my favorite season and one of those reasons is because I get to photograph my long-time clients/friends.  They are the ones who, come January every year, book me out nearly a year in advance for my coveted Fall session dates.   My Fall sessions are always the first to book up completely and it's ALWAYS my long time clients who know how quickly those slots go so they grab them all!   It thrills me to no end because come the Fall season I get to see all my favorite families, the ones I have watched grow and chronicled over the past 6+ years.  It rocks my world basically.

And this family is no exception.   I LOVE them.  The girls are beyond adorable.  Mom and Dad are super sweet and totally "into" the shoot.  There is always such a happy, easy dynamic with them because we are also close friends and the girls are really connected to me as I am with them.   It's really just like old friends hanging out.  And those are my favorite shoots.  

Samara is a little ham when it comes to the camera.  Incredibly cooperative and not remotely camera shy.  A photographer's dream.  And Camille is a little fiery thing, not as interested in posing but full of spunk and personality.  Together, they just make my camera happy. :)

Heather and Danny are two of the nicest, sweetest folks you'll ever meet.   The first week I moved me and the kids into our new little cottage, Heather dropped by with her girls to deliver two days worth of vegetarian meals for us.  She has a heart filled with goodness and light.  Her caring and thoughtful gesture made my heart swell with appreciation and love.    I'm grateful every day for the amazing friends and clients I have.  Without them there is no way I could be making it as a single working mom.  So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

ENJOY your sneak peek of your BEAUTIFUL family! There are TONS more on the DVD!  LOVE YOU!!!

 

Estelle and Sebastian

I get to go to this family's AMAZING home and property every year and it's pretty much a photographer's dream.   The house itself if beyond cool, with a converted silo turned into a living space (house was featured in Sunset magazine years ago), and then the house sits on acres and acres of farmland with wild ducks, a Koi pond, fruit trees, veggies, a big dog (Sartaj), a bunch of adorable cats, etc....  Nancy and Daniel run and operate their farm which provides produce for a local CSA called Neighbor Farms CSA.  If you do not belong to a CSA yet and you are local I highly recommend you check them out, it's an incredible program and Nancy and Daniel are two of the nicest, hardest working folks I know.  It's just the two of them and they work their tails off managing the acres of harvesting they attend to year round.  

So, not only is the property nestled atop the gorgeous Los Gatos mountains but Daniel and Nancy have combined their love of nature and art with metal work sculptures throughout the property, an outdoor brick burning pizza oven, tire swings, you name it.  It's just a haven, truly.  

The last time I was there Sebastian was just a tiny little baby so it was truly a delight to see how much he had grown and changed.  He now looks like the spitting image of his father!  And Estelle has matured into a very verbal, poised little girl.   They're an incredble family and I look forward to our shoots every year.  This time we explored a new area of the property and went down into the woods a bit.  The light was GORGEOUS and by using a touch of OCF I was able to get rid of the greenish yellow tint that you get down in there and was able to produce beautiful images.   Poor little Sebastian was not feeling 100% that day so we weren't able to see as much of his normally extremely happy and exhuberant personality but he still gave us a few doses of that beyond charming smile of his.    In the past Estelle has not been all that interested in having her picture taken but this time she was quite the little star.   It was a really fun shoot!

On my way out Nancy gave me home made vegan chocolate chip cookies for my kids.  I'll admit to having eaten three of them on the way home which is fortuitous because when I walked in the door to relieve the babysitter the cookies were gobbled up faster than lightnening with nary a crumb left behind!  Daniel also very sweetly gave me a huge pile of freshly dug up Naked Lady bulbs straight out of his garden, which the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed planting in our new little backyard the next day.  THANK YOU SO MUCH Nancy and Daniel! 

Here is your sneak peek, there are TONS more on the CD!

ENJOY!!!!

Aiden, Emerson & Kaisa

FULL DISCLOSURE:  Mama Kirsten is one of my bestest friends and I am very close to her family.  Her kids are friends with my kids.  Even our doggies are friends.  So, yeah, there's definitely a comfort zone there!  But aside from the fact that we are all near and dear to each other's hearts.... I can unequivocally say that this family is just AMAZING.  And I am qualified to say that because I know them so well.

 Side note: Aiden and Emerson are twins and it just occurred to me that I actually have a LOT of twins as clients.  Which is fortuitous because I happen to have a very strong affinity for twins.  /side note.

Kirsten is my rock.  She's the friend you turn to when you're in a quandary and you just don't know what to do, how to cope, what path to take or what to say.  She always, and I mean always, knows the right thing to say to get you back on track.    Maybe it's the nurse in her but she's just the most genuinely caring, thoughtful, considerate, "let me help you fix this" kind of person I know.  They just don't come more authentically GOOD-HEARTED than Kirsten.   But, least you think she is all rainbows and fluffy bunnies, this girl also has a wicked sense of humor and is sharp as a whip.  She looks so sweet and demure (on the outside) and then she'll say something and it will make me laugh so hard I'll nearly pee my pants (ok, admitttedly, that's easier to do these days, post-childbearing, sorry, TMI) mostly because I'm so taken by surprise that my sweet, sweet, sweet Kirsten could possibly say something like that!  I just love her.  :)

So, yeah, I love her, I love her husband, I love her kids.   The five of them look like a Gap ad.  They have personality in SPADES.  Yup, needless to say, the shoot was a BREEZE.  A huge thank you to Valgeen for letting us use her gorgeous backyard for the shoot, it was the PERFECT backdrop.  The weather/lighting went through three totally different stages during the shoot, it started out super cloudy, then the sun came out for a bit and then the fog rolled in really heavily at the end.  It actually rained the next day so we were incredibly blessed with the amazing light and weather conditions that day! PHEW!

Ok, I could go on and on and on about how much I love this family but I'm going to let the intimacy of the images I took speak for themselves.  I hope you can see/feel my love for them in how I captured them and engaged with them.   I actually used two fixed lenses for this entire shoot (something I rarely do with kids, especially 3 active kids) because I know them well enough to be able to predict where they'll be and how they'll react.  I also knew when to direct, when to pose and when to step away (far away) and just be an observant documenting the events as they unfold.  At the end of the shoot they had an impromptu, HUGE leaf-battle.  I got far out of the way (hey, I'm no dummy!) and sat on the ground and just captured it.   I loved how Kirsten wasn't worried about ruining her perfectly coiffed hair or how the kids were going to get covered in dirt and bugs and leaves and get tons of stuff in their hair.  She just lives in the moment and rides the wave.  Best mom ever.   When I'm having issues with one of my kids I always ask myself: "what would Kirsten do?!"  No joke!

Anyway, enough blabbering, click on the link below to watch the slideshow.  Be patient, it's a REALLY long one so it takes a while to load but trust me, it's worth it.  :)

ENJOY!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW

Norah, Leah & Caleb

This is one of my long time favorite families!  I just lurrrves them so much!  Norah and Leah are always in RARE form and I can predictably expect a FULL array of expressions and antics.   The girls are lively, funny, witty and always give me more than enough "material" to work with.  They feed off me and I feed off them and together we create magic!  Also, as you will see, the girls have the most INSANELY GORGEOUS eyes you will probably ever see on this planet.  I have NOT in any way enhanced the color of their eyes.  This is the real deal folks.  Truly mesmerizing.

Also, this time there was a new little brother in the mix!  The family welcomed little Caleb just three weeks prior to the shoot (which is not an age I usually photograph for newborns for a variety of reasons, one of which we discovered when this big boy couldn't fit in any of the baskets, hahaha!) but Amanda didn't want a highly stylized newborn shoot, rather she wanted images of Caleb seamlessly integrated into the family shots and a much more natural, intimate approach, so that's what we focused on and I loved it.

Amanda & Andy, I know you know how much I adore you guys but thought I'd mention it again here just to make it all official-like.  :)

I hope you love your sneak peek!

CONGRATULATIONS again on Mr. Caleb, he's absolute perfection.  May I have him?  (*smile*)

*** CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW ***

McKenna & Shane

I've had the pleasure of photographing this family a few years now and besides the fact that they LOOK like a Gap Campaign ad, they also happen to be the nicest, sweetest folks ever!  I love them!

Our original shoot location was deeply entrenched in fog so we turned around and quickly decided to head to Natural Bridges which looked like the ONLY spot in all of the Santa Cruz/Monterey Coastline that wasn't fogged in.  And by some incredible miracle, it remained for most of the shoot the only little pocket of sunshine while the fog merrily rolled in ALL around us, just feet from the coastline.  It was almost freaky to have a full 360 degree circle of fog all around us and to be in this little pocket of glorious light.  On a few occasions the fog did roll in a smidge at which point I busted out some off camera flash but soon enough, that soft, stunning, slightly diffused light was streaming back in and we worked it!

The kids were a blast and McKenna, as always, was my little muse.  She is such a delight to photograph!  She's really grown up so much since the last time I saw her.  *sigh*

Michelle and Scott, thank you for a magical afternoon of light and laughter.  I hope you enjoy your sneak peek.   And I'm already getting excited about our location plans for next year, it will be AN EVEN GREATER ADVENTURE!  :)

In this first little series, I wanted to play with their shadows right off the bat while the sun was still strong enough to produce shadows because I could tell it would simmer down in just a matter of minutes (which it did) so each family member had a chance to strike a pose when it was their turn and then I created a little collection of those 4 images for the 4 family members.  I think it would look really fun framed with the 4 individual shots all lined up consecutively!

 

Mia & Chiarra

I've been photographing these girls for several years now and they are such cuties!!!  Their mom is absolutely stunning (if I could make my curly hair do what her hair does I wouldn't want to chop off all my curls) and we have such a good time observing the girls' dynamics with each other and trying to figure out the emotional minefield that is little girls and trying to gain their cooperation but making them THINK it was their idea! Ha!  Things were a little touch and go at first but the day was saved by a bunch of dandelions.  PHEW! :)

Mother nature seems to be confused because the coastal June Gloom has extended well into August now.... major bummer.  So, we did not have an iota of sunshine to work with but we made the most of it.  Little Chiarra was SO COLD and it was breaking my heart.  When you weigh as much as a small sack of potaties and have 0% body fat, you can get cold fairly easily!  Poor little bug.   She was a trooper though and powered through until the very end as we were losing all our light and her sister Mia was running through the waves in her dress.  

I adore this family and look forward to our shoots every year.  Victoria, I hope you love your sneak peek!  Give the girls kisses from me!  :)

 

Five delightful kids and their wonderful parents!

I had the distinct pleasure of going down to Carmel last week and meeting a family of SEVEN (!) in order to photograph them in and around their home and grandparent's home (just down the street).  Not only do I love meeting new families, but I particularly enjoy BIG families!  It's so much fun getting to know all the uniquely different personalities and dynamics within the family with five kids.  Ellie (16), Ben (12), Annabel (10), Beatrix (8) and Teddy (6) were absolutely the most polite, well mannered, and easy going kids!   Besides being incredibly photogenic (it would be practically impossible to take a bad picture of these kids), they were so genuinely loving and sweet with each other while still being playful and acting like real siblings do.  It was a pleasant surprise for me to have mom and dad (having never done a shoot with me) completely trust me and leave me to my own devices and inspiration.  They always seemed to know when to "disappear" so the kids would focus on me and not be distracted by them.  I LOVE parents who trust me right away like that.  Thanks Joanna and Ned!

Carmel is, of course, a superbly beautiful area with gorgeous homes and a stunning beach.  Sadly, that particular day was frought with icky, foggy, overcast weather, the kind of light which has no warmth, tone, richness or directionality to it.  Not my favorite but with some handy dandy reflector work and supplemental flash, in addition to finding good little pockets, we were able to completely overcome the bad light situation.  It certainly helped that grandma and grandpa's house had AMAZING areas with texture and rocks and doorways, steps, windows etc... LOVED it!

Ellie and Annabel were PROS with the reflectors and it was wonderful having them as my official assistants, and it took all of me not to speak to Ellie in a sing song voice like I do with my OWN Ellie! Ha! :)

Needless to say, with a family of seven, I just ended up with WAY too many great pictures for me to do a regular sneak peek, and I had to put together a little slideshow of my favorites.   To the S. Family, I hope you and the kids had fun at the shoot.  ENJOY your images!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SLIDESHOW!!!

Quinn, Reilly and Tyler

This family was my SECOND ever "real" clients when I officially launched my business 6+ years ago.  I *instantly* fell in love with them and hoped beyond hope that they would love their pictures enough to hire me again (even though I truly had a lot yet to learn about photography).  Fortunately, there was enough "heart and soul" in my image creating process to make up for my lack of technical expertise and they did hire me again.  Phew!  In fact, I've been able to photograph them a few times a year every year since that first wonderful shoot.  I've been able to chronicle and document every major milestone for their now THREE kids (!) and it's been the biggest honor for me to be able to do that.  I am VERY bonded to those kidlets and simply adore mom and dad.  I consider myself very blessed that they found me.  :)

Little Tyler has gone through a really rough year medically speaking and so it was just so fabulous to see her bust out some of her famously HUGE smiles.  They are truly contagious.  You can't look at that girl smile and not be grinning ear to ear yourself.   She still has a long recovery ahead of her but she just keeps getting better each time I see her and it warms my heart to witness the undeniably strong and powerful love there is in this family, across every family member.  And it also extends beyond their tightly unit family unit, so much so that the grandparents have been huge sources of emotional support throughout the stress of the past year.  It just so happened that Bryan's parents were in town when we did this shoot (they had been visiting for several weeks all the way from South Carolina!) so we were able to include them in the shoot as well!  It was a pleasure meeting them and I hope they love the images we captured despite all the chaos! Ha! :)

Bryan and Tara, you know how dear your family is to me.  Thanks for letting me play the small role I get to play in the journaling of your family's memories!

ENJOY!

 

Ava & Bella

This is another family I have been photographing since the very start of my business 6+ years ago and it's always such a treat to get to hang out with all of them!  The girls are super duper effervescent and full of spunk.  I absolutely adore mom (who is always TOTALLY prepared for just about anything) and dad is quite handy with the reflector.  We make a great team! :)

The girls are absolutely gorgeous and Ava is somewhat of a muse for me.  I adore photographing herand I especially love her "look" in B&W images.  Her big doe eyes and long, luscious hair.... Love!  And little Bella has the most charming smile EVER, dimples and all.  I could just gobble her up.

And if just the fantastic shoot wasn't enough, mom sent me home with a ton of goodies including the most irresistible Marini's caramel chocolates and some organic dark chocolate bars (my fave! she knows me well!)... and I'm starting to wonder if my obsession with dark chocolate has become a wee bit too transparent!?  Should I do more to mask this lusting? Needless to say, the chocolates were quickly consumed during the editing process.... yum! 

Thank you L. family for a fabulous session!  ENJOY your images!!!

 

Taj & Levi

The last time I saw this family, Levi was a tiny little baby and the time before that older brother Taj was a newborn!  It never ceases to amaze me when I see families grow and evolve over the years how children's personalities remain essentially the same as they navigate through life.  It's something I get to experience even more dramatically when a year or more goes by between shoots and then I see just how much they have changed and yet how much they have remained the same.  It's a really cool thing, actually.  

Taj and Levi are really fantastic kids and it's no surprise considering how amazing their mom and dad are.  I so enjoy our time together and even though Levi kept me on my toes, we worked some serious magic thanks to the most incredible lighting (it was *perfect* that night) and everyone having a really chill vibe throughout. 

There's LOTS and LOTS of love in this family and I hope I was able to showcase this with the images I took.  Every interaction between mom and dad was one of loving, tender, supportive teamwork... just the way it's supposed to be.   At the very end, when the shoot was over and we were walking back to our cars, I spotted a little trail and a big arrow and I had to ask them to give me 5 more minutes (even though the kids were practically falling asleep at that point), and they indulged me.  I love the series I got here.  I especially loved the lemon we found and had fun rolling down the hill.  After all, when life hands you lemons... just send them rolling!  :)    Adrienne and Dan, it was a pleasure, as always.  ENJOY your sneak peek!

 

Cameron & Chloe

I just love photographing this family.  For starters, they're all gorgeous, which makes it easy, and they're really laid-back and chill, which makes it pleasant, and the kids are full of spunk, which makes it fun.  I just always know it's going to be fun and that as a group we will just all roll with the punches so to speak.    This was of particular importance for this specific shoot because despite an only 1-% chance of rain and sunny skies when I left the house for the shoot....yup, right in the middle of our shoot, when we were in an open field, a solid mile into our hike, it started to rain.  At first, it was just a light drizzle, which quickly turned to a sprinkle and then, rain.  So, here we are with two cold, wet kids.  And two cold, wet dogs.  And three cold, wet adults.  And yet, despite all the weather-induced adversity, we still had an absolutely lovely, fun shoot!  How is that even possible!?   The biggest surprise for me, having photographed this family for years at a variety of locations, was seeing how INCREDIBLE their house was and being in awe of mom's amazing decorating skills.  Each interior wall was a different color and yet they all blended in seamlessly, beautifully and with perfect integration of the wall art and ousted photographs.   The architecture, layout and decor of the house was a photographer's dream and I'm pretty much going to have to beg them to let me do the shoot at their house next year when we have sunlight so I can take full advantage of it!  :)

We were also incredibly fortunate that I had grabbed some fabulous indoor shots at the house before we took off for our hike (or, in my case, my hobble, since I'm still dealing with my knee injury) and that when we returned, even though it was dark and dreary outside, I was able to boost my ISO to 1600 and move some furniture around and use what was left of the window light to grab some more fun shots at the very end.

We also brought their two dogs on our hike which, as a big dog lover, was wonderful for me.  Hunter is 11 yrs old and sweet as can be, allowing 5 month old puppy Skylar to romp all over and use him as a constant chew toy.    The light outdoors was far from ideal and yet I still really enjoyed shooting in the forest, as there is just something magical about those redwood trees.  When we got to the field, I used some OCF to counter act the dreariness.  You'd never know it was sprinkling on us when we took those images!   

On the speedy-gonzalez trek back to the house, little Chloe insisted on carrying some of my equipment for a short period of time.  I assure you that I do not commonly employ child labor.  But she sure did look cute being my little 2 yr old assistant! 

I love watching the dynamic between Chloe and her older brother Cameron because it reminds me so much of the dynamic between my two.  The quiet, patient, introspective, philosopher-ish big brother and the crazy, lively, independent, willful, spirited baby sister.  They balance off each other really well!

Jennifer & Stephen, thank you as always for a superb time together.  I always look forward to our shoots!  ENJOY your images!

Alice, May & Baby Clara

It's become quite clear that every time I get to photograph this family, magic happens.    The entire family is an absolute delight to photograph but my relationship with the girls is truly something special.  It's just seamless from beginning to end.  The girls are full of vibrancy, joy and BIG personalities.  I can't get enough of them!  This time was particularly bittersweet for me because I was able to meet the latest addition to the family, little baby Clara, and also say goodbye to all of them as they are moving back to England in a few short weeks.   This just gives me one more reason to visit England next year, as far as I'm concerned....

We started out at their beautiful home and then headed over to The Elizabeth Gamble Gardens and finished off at Stanford, which has special meaning to Richard and Marta.   I was also blessed to have my own personal sherpa on-hand as Marta's brother was visiting from Europe and he graciously lugged all my equipment to alleviate my knee (which is in a brace from my knee injury/fracture/nerve damage etc..)   He was an absolute sweetheart, and so amazing with the girls.  He also happens to be Clara's godfather so we had to get some shots of the two of them together.  The girls clearly ADORE him so it was extra fun having him around.

We had so many amazing images that I put together another slideshow for them, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.   I am definitely going to miss you guys!!!

ENJOY your images! (be patient with loading, it's a biggie)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW.

 

Alex & Tess - mini shoot

Today I am posting the second of my 3 mini shoots from this past weekend.  This shoot was with a pair of siblings I had already had the pleasure of photographing in the past so I knew it was going to be easy because these two kids are incredibly photogenic.  Alex has lashes that pretty much go on FOREVER and a truly magnetic smile.   Tess is about as cute as they come.  So, together, they're absolutely adorable.  Their dad was the one who, after a very speedy gonzalez lesson from me, handled all my reflector duties for the mini session and he did a fantastic job.  I love when someone quickly learns to "see the light" and understands exactly what I need to make magic happen!  Thanks dad!  Here is a sneak peek preview of our mini shoot.   ENJOY!

Elliott & Leah - mini shoot

I had three mini shoots this past weekend and I'll be doing a blog post for each.  The first one here is with siblings Elliott and Leah.   They were SUPER sweet.  I know their mom pretty well (we trained for a triathlon together last year) and I'd interacted with Elliott and Leah before but I feel like I was able to get to experience a different side of them.  Elliott is a pretty rambunctious boy, full of energy, but he was a total sweetheart during our shoot.  Very cooperative and incredibly gentle and loving towards his little sister.  She was definitely the one who was pushing away his cuddles rather than vice versa which was pretty funny.  I remember Gavin and Ellie being exactly like that at that age.  I was delighted that we got some during the split second when SHE cuddled HIM!  Phew!  Leah was far more camera shy, not really interested in looking my way, but despite her more quiet personality we still captured some great smiles and laughter from her thanks to a quick shutter release response time! Ha!  Besides, my favorite ones of her are the one where she is looking away and another one where she is looking slightly off camera, without a big smile, but with a look of quiet confidence and sweetness on her face.  Smiles are great, don't get me wrong, but I also like those in between moments.  They're both great kids and I was delighted to have been able to spend a little time with them and capture these memories for mom and dad!  :)

And in case you were wondering, this absolutely stunning light was just a single, well placed, well positioned reflector.  It's all about taking control of the light.  :)

Agnes, Manon and Lucas

Today's post is the mini shoot I did for my friend Agnes and her two amazing kids, Manon (pronounced as best I can generate american sounds to a very french name: "mah-know" and Lucas (pronounced Luke-ah).  I absolutely adore these kids.  If my kids turn out HALF as wonderfully as these two have, then I'll be one happy mama.   They are super close and sweet and loving towards each other and yet still have that wicked sense of humor and edginess that their mom has.  It's a perfect combination.   Ellie and Manon were especially adorable together, as they progressively became glued at the hips with every passing day.  In fact, both girls (who both started off the week with super long hair) ended up getting the exact same haircut just one day apart while we were there!  They kept calling each other "twin".  It was SO sweet.  Manon was especially helpful as she would take time out of her day every evening to translate french kid books for Ellie so I could take a quick bath and then help Agnes get everything ready for dinnertime.  SO helpful!  

We decided to do the mini shoot at the park just down the street from their house.  It's a lovely, colorful, beautiful park and while the location was absolutely gorgeous; next time I want to do their shoot at one of the huge, impressive cemeteries in Paris.   Not only am I just slightly obsessed with the sheer magnitude and history of these cemeteries but I also think that locale would better match Agnes's personality.  So, that's the plan for next time! 

The afternoon of our shoot was tricky weather wise as we got rained on TWICE during the shoot during which time we had to seek shelter while we waited for the showers to pass.  In between the rain showers it was sunny though!  So, we had cloudy light, sunny light, rainy light and drizzly light all in the span of an hour.    Ellie was my assistant and as much as I adore her, it was clear why I never bring my kids to work with me!  She kept wanting to get into the shot!  Silly girl.  Regardless, we all had fun with this mini session and I hope Agnes likes them!  Here are just a few favorites from our shoot.

I was testing the light here, which I didn't end up liking, but I did like this sweet kiss. :)

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