Maternity portraits are quickly becoming my favorite type of session (and it's not just because I'm expecting my own little bundle soon). There's just something about the joy and excitement that new parents are feeling as they anticipate their baby. When will he or she get here? Whom will they look like? For Keisha's maternity session, there was even more excitement to go around because it was baby #3 and her first boy! Her husband Jacob was of course over the moon to be having a son (though he'll still be slightly outnumbered by the lovely ladies of the house). Jacob and Keisha's 2 beautiful daughters are beyond ecstatic to meet their new baby brother. They would love and protect him, play with him and teach him (and probably torture him just a little, as big sisters often do)! Keisha picked a gorgeous shade of light blue for herself and her girls, and even had a lovely Harmony necklace to match. We got the family of 4 (soon to be 5!) together in Pacific Grove at a beautiful park location for their portraits and I just loved the way the light shined through the mossy trees. It was so pretty, I definitely want to come back to this location for more sessions!

I recently had the pleasure of working with this great high school senior named Deyvin. Due to changing school requirements, these days I don't get to work with Seniors as often as I used to. Deyvin's school has very specific requirements for their yearbook portraits: an indoor studio setting with the wardrobe choice of either suit and tie or cap and gown. And while these formal portraits can look really great for the yearbook, they don't always properly represent who you are this stage in your life. Your individual interests and style don't necessarily get represented when the entire set up is picked for you. That's why I was so ecstatic to hear from Deyvin's mother, who knew that when it came to actually hanging her son's portraits on the wall and sharing his graduation milestone with family, she wanted something else. After getting to know Deyvin a little bit and learning that's he's quite athletic and loves to be outdoors, we agreed on a beautiful park setting and got some of his favorite music queued up for the session. Here's how it turned out.

Before Digital Photography became what it is today, most households had a film camera.  And yes, I am just old enough to remember that very well. Whether it was semi-fancy model with an automatic zoom, or a cardboard disposable just for special occasions, film cameras were how we documented our lives.  In our house, there simply had to be a working camera within reach at any given time.  So our closets were generally littered with old cameras that had broken down or otherwise worn out their welcome.  Back then, there was no bigger thrill for me than walking down to the drug store and picking up the developed photos. 

Kids really grow up fast. I know that, and you know that, and every parent everywhere definitely knows that. So its really great when I get the chance to document a little bit of their growing-like-a-weed tendencies with an annual portrait session.

This month I had the opportunity to shoot family portraits for some friends of mine whom I'd worked with before. I'd last photographed them with their extended-family at the beach this past summer, and before that for a maternity session. Its really exciting for me to work with the same clients again and again to document their growing and changing family.

This time around our session was to celebrate their youngest son's first birthday. And what an adorable little man he is! Ollie was all smiles and big expressions for us, especially when he had the freedom to crawl and roam around! And his big brother was so good in front of the camera! Mom told me later that he had so much fun at our photoshoot he said he wanted to do one everyday! Talk about music to my ears! These were such adorable boys and a wonderful family that I hope to keep photographing for many years to come.