cupcakes for everyone!
Celebrating 1 year as double scoop photography (3.5 years total). I totally think this occasion calls for a cake or something…….as if I need a reason to have cake. I am thinking funfetti cake with strawberry frosting. Festive, right? I pretty much ignored the last anniversaries, but this one is just crying out for some attention. Or maybe that is just me. 
I have met such wonderful people this last year….many that I have had the good fortune to see more than once. I am so grateful for trust and support that I get from all of you. I wish I could say thank you to you all, individually……with cupcakes!…but that is not really practical, so this will have to do.
Thank you for an amazing year.
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Don’t forget about the anniversary mini sessions.
do they make ambien for babies? ~ ladera ranch – newborn session
This was yet another newborn session where the star of the show refused to sleep. No amount of feeding, rocking, bouncing, pacifier-ing, or patting could keep this little guy asleep. I am beginning to think that babies find me suspicious. Like, if they slip off into slumber, I am going to start shoving their family’s valuables into my camera bag. Nothing could be farther from the truth, babies, I swear! Or maybe, they just sense that if they fall asleep that I will take pictures of them naked. I mean, now that I think about it, that is a valid concern. Would you go to sleep if you knew someone was going to be photographing you naked? Probably not. Good point, babies, good point. But babies are just as cute when they are awake, so we made it work.
This is Declan, and his proud parents Jennifer and Ara. His sisters Kellie and Paisley were not a part of the fun this time, but you can see them here. And Jennifer wrote a note for Notes Girls Write that you can read here.
family photo session, corona ~ welcome, braeden
I have sort of a love-hate relationship with facebook. It is pretty hateable, for a lot of reasons…..but……how could I not like something that brought me to shooting a session for this awesome family? That adorable face is Irelyn. Cute, right?…but she is not just a pretty face. She is also an amazing conversationalist. As we sat, cross-legged on the floor, discussing all of the important things in life, she informed me that her favorite place is Costco. Naturally. When I asked her why her favorite place was Costco, she shared that it was where she got a favorite dessert. Possibly raspberry tortes, but I left my English to Toddler dictionary at home, so I can’t be 100% certain. I know I got the raspberry part right for sure. Now, anyone that loves a place solely based on its provision of delicious food, is someone that I can relate to. And if I didn’t despise all things raspberry, I would be tempted to make a trip to Costco to taste test what she was giving such a glowing recommendation. But getting those nasty little seeds in the middle of a tasty dessert just sketches me out. Plus, cooked fruit is gross. But…if she has a suggestion for something chocolate, I’m all over it.
Aside from being cute and a pastry connoisseur, Irelyn is also a new big sister to Braeden. Both Irelyn and Braeden have some pretty fantastic hair. Irelyn’s is in tiny, perfect, springy spirals….and Braden’s? Well, Braeden’s is just amazingly impressive for a kid that is only about a month old.
Braeden’s dad, David, is from New York. The Bronx, to be exact. I am not much for using props in my sessions……please don’t ask me to take a picture of your pregnant belly, with wooden blocks balanced on it…..or your one year old with a styrofoam birthday cake……but I just could not pass this one up. Look at him with all of his Mets gear! It turned out to be one of my favorite shots of the session.
Natalie and David…thank you for welcoming me into your home and allowing me to photograph your family. You are both so sweet and fun, and the love you have for each other is apparent within just a few minutes of talking with you. Your kids are beautiful and so lucky to have the two of you as parents.
Also…the Random Super Happy Fun Button, up at the very top of the page, is updated with new things fairly regularly. Like right now, in fact. Don’t forget to check it out.
Welcome, Ryan
I have been having the hardest time blogging lately…which is weird, because, usually I like hearing myself talk. Really, I do. I talk to myself all of the time. I talk while I am working. I talk while I am driving. I started blogging in 2005, under some delusion that the internet needed to hear me talk, too. Considering that I have the attention span of a fruit fly, it is amazing that I stuck with it…with a small hiatus or two….for as long as I have.
Lately, I have not had much to say. But I guess that is the beauty of this being a photography blog, right? I really don’t have to say anything. Just post the images. It just always feels so naked to me without words……even if, when written, it is stripped of all of the flailing, Italian hand gesturing, which everyone knows is completely crucial to getting your point across.
But I am pretty sure that the next sweet little guy and his family are enough all on their own……So, without any more unnecessary words…..Meet Ryan.
Babies are Cool
Meet Ivy. Ivy was born less than two weeks ago, and yet she already has more hair than either of my kids had on their one year birthday. And every hair is in its place, too. Not exactly sure how someone that spends the majority of their time sleeping manages to avoid bed head….I take a 20 minute nap, and I wake up looking like I stuck my head in a blender….but look at her.
Ivy is a pretty lucky girl, because aside from great hair, she also has a pretty awesome big brother and big sister. They kind of like her….which is a pretty good thing, as far as siblings go. I think after 7 years, my son has finally worked up to tolerate, as far as his sister is concerned. Lord knows how long it will take to achieve like. When she was ten days old, I am sure he would have stuffed her in the donate box, had he thought of it. Ivy has got it made. Sweet, big sister, Emma, was helping mom dress Ivy…and not even like that scary, two-year-old trying to help, but damn near dislocating a shoulder, or gouging out an eye in the process, kind of help…..she was gentle! and careful!
For half of the session, I could not stop referring to Ivy as Emma. Now, I am horrible with names, but not that horrible. I realized that it was because, in the two previous sessions I have done for this family, Emma was the baby. Allow me to illustrate……
On the left, is the last time I saw Emma, last year. On the right, is from this weekend. Holy moly, dude. Almost makes me want to start singing Sunrise, Sunset in sympathy for her parents. But that would be creepy. I would never do that. Out loud. Again.
I don’t have a big brother, but if I did, I would want one that was this nice to me. And I want to make it clear that this sweet moment was totally unprovoked. He really looked at her like that, on his own…and really took her little hand and kissed it, just because he wanted to. It was so sweet that it managed to break through the hard, crusty exterior of my grumpy, jaded, little heart. That sounded way grosser than I intended it to. It was cute is all I’m saying. Like little, pink kitten nose cute….Like little, howling puppy cute. Ok, I think you get it.
Aside from being a great big brother, Ethan is also a pretty impressive photographer. Last session, I gave him one of my cameras, and had him help me shoot some of the session. He was nice enough to help me out again, so look for some of his images on here soon.
This session also had the added bonus of having their Mama and Papa visiting….
I think I may have mentioned before, that any time clients have me do multiple sessions for them, it is a great feeling. Like a Sally Field…”They like me. They really like me”…..kind of feeling. Super cool. It makes my day. Sean and Joyce, thank you for allowing me to photograph your family again.
Welcome, Lia
I have been lucky enough to photograph this family a few times. Well, they just added another member to their family…..With a daughter as sweet and smart as their first little girl, I can see why they would want more.
Meet Lia….
Ailah is not really big on the hugging and touching and kissing thing with her new sister. In fact, I was told that the very brief moments she interacted with her during the session, were the most she had touched her since she came home. And, FYI…asking….”where is the baby’s nose?” is perfectly acceptable….but..there is never, ever going to be a good outcome if you ask…”where is the baby’s eye?” Mari, Ailah’s mom, realized this, and avoided asking….but…that didn’t stop Ailah from pointing them out anyway. Both of them. She just wanted to make sure she fulfilled her sisterly duties regarding Lia’s education.
Indigo is a great ad libber. You should have heard him improvise through all of the scary and hard to understand parts of the Peter Pan book. I especially liked……”because Peter Pan liked Wendy….as a friend.”
Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph another happy moment in your lives, Mari and Indigo.
Time Warps and World Domination
That adorable face belongs to Chloe. I met Chloe this weekend, while shooting the weirdest session I have ever done…um….the cocker spaniel in the tutu, excluded. But…it wasn’t a bad weird…just a weird weird. Let me explain. Chloe is the daughter of a friend of mine, Vuong, and his wife, Paula. I have known Vuong since we were 11. Eleven. It was very surreal to be standing in his kitchen, holding his baby girl, and looking at my son, who is about to turn 13. Thirteen. My son is older than I was when I first met Vuong. Man, did I feel old. And…weird. But I may have mentioned that.
Vuong is also one of the smartest people I have ever known. As I kid, I was sure he was destined for world domination. Apparently, ruling the planet was not his thing. But, he did meet an awesome girl that is as funny and smart as he is. And, after almost 14 years of it being just the two of them, they added Chloe to their family. When I asked what the biggest change that having a baby brought, Paula said something along the lines of…having to get used to having a new master. Interesting…and true in so many ways. Well, Vuong never became ruler of the planet, as I had predicted, but there is still Chloe. I think her face would look lovely printed on all of the new money, don’t you? Once she masters crawling and eating solid food, look out world.
Vuong and Paula, it was great seeing you again. We really can’t let our yearly dinner lapse for 8 years again. If the next time I see you guys, Chloe is 8, it will totally mess with my mind.
I take great care in trying to select a song that not only compliments the images, but works for the family as well. I picked the song for this slide show, after having a conversation or two about the changes having a baby can bring…including the loss of an awesome media room, that has pretty much every electronic device I have ever wanted…plus a wet bar. You are good parents, Vuong and Paula. If I had that media room, one of my kids would get the under the stairs closet for a bedroom before I would give it up.
The song is “You Ruined Everything” by Jonathan Coulton. If you have never heard of him, you should check him out. And listen to all of the words to the song before you lynch me, based on the title.
Aubrey – Newborn Session
That pretty, little head belongs to Aubrey. She was just about 4 weeks old when these were taken…and…it is kind of cool, because I first met her family, for a family session, when her mama had just found out she was pregnant with her. And now she is here….all born and stuff….and well…ok, well, I just think that is kind of cool, ok? Like the….”hey! I photographed you when you were the size of a grain of rice!”…..kind of cool. Or something.
Although she is sleeping peacefully in that last shot, she spent most of the session…not quite as content. She had better things to do than get her picture taken, and was not really loving the disruption. I get that. Oh, do I get that. I am not big on disruptions either. It is not appropriate for me to cry and scream when I am disrupted, though…..or so I have been told. Enjoy it while you can, Aubrey.
This is Jake. Jake is an awesome big brother. Aubrey is one lucky little girl. Aside from being a fantastic brother, Jake is also becoming quite the expert fisherman. Next time you see him, ask him how big the last fish he caught was. He already knows how to tell a good fish story.
Cute Baby Slideshows…Now With More OCD
I spent, literally, no less than six hours…probably more like 8….trying to find the perfect song for this slideshow. I tend to do that. I also tend to frantically email or text my friend, Lynsey, and ask for song help. She suggested this Uncle Kracker song about 30 minutes into my song search. I thought it worked well with the images, but I usually go with stuff that is a little less mainstream. I just knew there was the perfect indie song out there. I just knew it. Pssh. Yeah. So…for the next two days, I spent an amazingly ridiculous amount of time scouring rhapsody and itunes…..listening to practically every song ever written…..only to come right back to freaking Uncle Kracker. No, it is not all indie or obscure, but it fits, right? Dude, if you don’t think so, please do not tell me…..I have just gotten my stress induced eye twitch to subside. I can not go there again. So, yeah. I tend to have some slight OCD tendencies. Tiny. Small. Microscopic. (Quiet, Lynsey, I can hear you laughing from here.) But the slideshow is done….and it has a cute baby in it…and other cute kids, too….so there is that. From now on, everyone’s slideshow is getting an Uncle Kracker song. It could give me hours of free time back….or…..probably just hours to obsess over something new. Does my logo look crooked to you??………
Welcome, Tate Andrew – Newborn Session
This is Tate. He is exceptionally cute, don’t you think? Of course, I may be a little biased….Tate belongs to my cousin Andrew, and his wife, Juliann. I was in Arizona this weekend to meet the newest addition to their family. I drove 6 hours for this session, and didn’t even charge them my travel fee. See? I can be nice sometimes. I just don’t want people to get too used to it.
Tate is just as cute with his eyes open.
This is my cousin, Andrew. We used to play GI Joe and Legos together. Now he is a dad. Of three. That seems like it will be keeping him pretty busy….I wonder if I can have his Legos.
Juliann, looking beautiful, as always. She was more put together just days after having a baby, than I am on any given day, right now. I would be more annoyed by that, if she weren’t so sweet.
Tate is not the only cute kid Andrew and Juliann have….. Just look at Shiloh and Ryder. (Yes, they are all wearing AC/DC shirts)
Andrew and Juliann, it was awesome seeing you all, and meeting Tate. Thank you for letting me hang out with you guys. May there be many synchronized naps in your immediate future.
I am Sure My Camera Bag is Big Enough…
This is Adeline. I tried to keep her after this session. And I am not in the market for any more kids, believe me. But if you would have met her…you would have probably tried to keep her too. She does a mean Hokey Pokey and likes Cheerios…..even when promised goldfish crackers, only to find there are none. Hate it when that happens. Goldfish crackers are pretty awesome.
This is Adeline with her mother, Catherine. I could write a whole lot about Catherine, but I already did that for the Notes Girls Write blog, because she wrote her own note for the project. It was taken the night before she deployed to Afghanistan for a year. And had to say goodbye to Adeline. You can see the note and read more about Catherine and Adeline here.
Ok…now see in the next image? She is all upside down and cute? Well, I am kind of responsible for that……um…well, not the cute…but…the upside down part. And I am afraid it may be a long time before her family is ever able to take any upright pictures of her again….I am basing this on the fact that, when I went back to shoot Catherine’s note image, that as soon as Adeline saw me with camera, she immediately turned herself upside down like this.
Here, I have video to prove it.
And, that voice you hear saying, “Say cheese!” is not me. I never do that. I am anti-cheese. Well, not cheese itself, I like cheese (especially in goldfish cracker form)…but…anti having your kids say cheese for pictures. (Which reminds me, I am about to start adding some posts with some tips for taking better pictures of your kids when you don’t happen to have a stranger with a camera following you around your house. Look for those to start next week.) But…considering how cute she looks saying cheese, how could I possibly object?
And while I have got you here, why not watch the full slideshow of Catherine and Adeline’s session?
Brotherly Love
This weekend I got to do a newborn session with the youngest baby yet. Emma was only six days old. She was tiny and perfect…and also? Wide awake. Which can complicate things a bit. Emma has an older brother, Kevin. Kevin is adorable and sweet…and still kind of warming up to this whole new baby thing. I don’t blame him. It has only been a few days. I know he is going to be an awesome big brother.
Ok, so this next shot may be my favorite image from the session. POKE! No worries…no babies were harmed in the making of these photographs.
In all fairness, his mom asked him, “Kevin..where are the baby’s eyes?” Yeah…lesson learned. Next time, maybe where are the baby’s toes or where is the baby’s belly would be safer.
Asleep, at last.
If She Couldn’t Convince Me…..
So many times, when women are around newborns, they talk about how it makes them want another baby. There is just something about their tiny, little fingers and toes that causes some sort of biological reaction. Yeah…um….I am not one of those women. I am perfectly content with living the rest of my life without ever holding a sleeping baby, of my own again. Never putting another itty bitty hat on a sweet little bald head. Never seeing the first real smile or hearing the first little belly laugh again. Um..yeah…..completely….fine…with… th…
Ok, wait a minute…..I also will never have to clean up another diaper explosion……carry a diaper bag…or chisel hardened teething biscuit from a high chair tray, ever again. I will never walk around all day, with a spit up stain on my back, that I did not even know was there, until the cashier at Target pointed it out to me. Not that that ever happened to me or anything. Ahem.
So, while I am totally not ever going to fall prey to baby fever from holding a newborn, I do think they are pretty awesome. And this one was no exception.
Meet Madison. (Yes, Madison’s mom and dad are in a few of these images too, but, I don’t think it would hurt their feelings at all, if it were Madison that really captured your attention. )
Madison’s mom, Leigh, has just started her own business, making baby blankets and burp cloths, and things, with a military theme. See the quilt she made in the third image up there? Be sure to go pay her a visit at Baby Battle Rattle.
Sneak Peek – Darby is Nine Months Old!
You may remember Darby from her 3 month session and her 6 month session. Well, even though it seems impossible that it was six months ago that I got to meet her…it’s true. This weekend was her 9 month session. She has been busy over the past few months too. For starters, she got herself some teeth. She is hiding them behind the cool new trick she learned to do with her lip…but they are in there.
She also figured out how to pull herself up on the furniture…
And was pretty darn pleased with herself…
And would you look at this??
But! The very coolest thing? Well, I was told that Darby had been working up to crawling, but hadn’t quite done it yet. Well, she must have been saving it for the camera, because, all of a sudden, off she went, like she had been doing it forever. She crawled for the very first time while I was there! Funny thing is…while you can’t see it in this image, she is crawling to…a bottle of beer. Mom suggested it, and she was right…it totally worked. There’s a little tip you never see in the parenting books, right there. Best part? Dad went to get a bottle of beer, and came back with a Bud Light (I think)….and mom exclaims, “No! Not that one! Get a good one for the pictures!” What did it end up being, Brenda and Neil? Guinness?*
Grandma was visiting for this session.
I am really excited to see Darby for our next session. One year old? Holy moly.
And! Don’t forget! The winner of the contest for the free summer session will be announced tomorrow. My panel of judges is reviewing the entries this very moment….Well, maybe not this very moment, since it is actually 4 AM….but they have been, and will continue to until they come up with a winner…and I am hoping they are basing their decision on the amount of chocolate promised.
* No alcohol was consumed in the capturing of these images. Especially not by Darby…..so don’t go getting your panties in a bunch, ok? Ok.
Darby is 6 Months Old!
This weekend, I got to visit with Darby, and her parents, for her 6 month session. You may remember this sweet face and little bald head from her 3 month session.
Last time we did this, I was not exactly Darby’s favorite person in the whole world….but this time, she was a bit more tolerant.
At six months old, she has totally got this sitting thing down cold.
The last time I looked at myself this closely in a mirror, it gave me a complex. Now I avoid doing this at all costs……but, if you are this cute…I can see how it may be entertaining.
Oh, Miss Darby, it was a pleasure seeing you again. Thank you for putting up with me this time. I will see you in 3 months.
Miss Darby and Her Three Month Sneak Peek
This is Darby…
Darby just turned three months old. She has two awesome parents, who can’t get enough of her. Can you blame them?
For some reason, Darby, was not really into having her picture taken. I can totally relate to that…. I’m not a big fan of having my picture taken either. She was pretty upset, and had the most heartbreaking cry ever. Mom and Dad worked really hard to coax a smile, but it just wasn’t happening. Dad even took her into the pantry…which is actually a calming spot for Darby. Go figure.
Here they are discussing lasagna noodles and toothpicks….Whatever works, right?
The pantry helped a little, but what Darby really needed, was this…
We got some shots of her getting some much needed rest, and I managed to sneak in a few shots of the babies who came before her…
This is Sam.
This is Bodie…
They are absolutely as sweet as they look. I could have spent another hour taking shots of these guys, but Darby woke up, and was ready to smile! Sorry, Brenda and Neil, but you are going to have to wait to see those shots. Well….maybe just one……
Some Images From An Awesome Guest Photographer
A few days ago, I promised some images from a guest photographer, and I’m ready to deliver.
Meet Ethan.
You may remember him from the session I did with his family a few months ago Well, when I got to their house for their session, Ethan had his camera ready too. He had a lot of good ideas for shots of his own, and even did a little “second shooting” with me for awhile. I really wish I would have gotten him to take a couple of shots of me while I was there. I could use one for my bio page. So…without further ado, I would like to share with you, a few images from a very promising, young photographer….
This is his sister, Emma and his dog, Gillian…
A self-portrait, of course………
And this next shot is pretty cool, because Ethan and I were actually shooting together for this one. Here is his view……
And here is mine……
Thank you so much for sharing some of your shots with me, Ethan. Maybe someday, I’ll be second shooting for you!
Favorites
Okay, I finally decided to get my butt in gear and get posting again. I had been thinking about getting a bunch of my favorite shots from 2008 together for about a month now, and finally got it done. Now I have chosen these images simply because they were my favorites. They are images that, for one reason or another, make me happy that I could be a part of taking them. They are images that make me smile, and I hope that one or two of them will make you smile too. So here they are, in no particular order (that’s a lie, they are actually in some vague alphabetical order from my hard drive, but whatever…)…..
Itty Bitty Sneak Peek
This is Rachel. Rachel has more hair at four weeks old than either of my kids did at one year.
She also has the tiniest feet I think I have ever seen….
This is Ron and Louie. I think maybe they kind of like Rachel. What do you think?
Rachel was awake almost as much as she was asleep during our session. And she is just as cute awake….
Rachel also has a sweet sister, Bella, who was too busy having fun with her cousins to hang out with some crazy lady with a camera….so you will just have to take my word for it when I say she is beautiful too…and she is an awesome artist.
Thanks for letting me photograph your family Ron and Louie!
The Tiniest Sneak Peek Ever
Today I did a session with the most handsome guy I have seen in a long, long time. My husband doesn’t need to worry, though….he’s a little young for me. He was born a bit early, but is already up to 8 pounds!
This little guy made me work for it. Sure, he looks tired here, but he just would not go to sleep. That meant all of the cute sleeping baby poses were out, and we had to get creative.
See? Wide awake.
He may look like he is sleeping, but trust me….not sleeping. He kept one eye cracked open and on the crazy lady with the camera at all times.
