A Star is born!
This picture and the one below are from a casual session I did with my niece and nephew over Mother’s Day weekend. I will be posting a set later, but in the meantime I wanted to share this beautiful little girl and her SUPER younger brother in the post below.
My niece in this picture loves to pose for the camera, dress up pretty and ham up activities. She would be perfect as a little actress. For now, I will be her paparazzi.
The 3 Amigos
Say hello to the Three Amigos! The little on in the middle, Sarah, thinks she runs the show, so I let her sit in the middle to make her happy. The one on the left, Skippy, is Sarah’s brother. He is a happy Teddy Bear and will do anything you ask him to because he loves you. The one on the right, Squiggie, is Skippy and Sarah’s cousin. He was visiting this Easter weekend and these three had a great time playing!
I had to snap this shot as a reminder of these little guys since Squiggie had to go home. It isn’t the clearest, I had to hurry because they don’t sit still long. Besides that, I love this picture because these guys are such good boys… and girl 
Here’s to man’s best friend!
This time, it’s for real…
This last week I was honored when a good friend asked if I would photograph his family portrait. Of course I said YES, that was a no brainer. But, with that answer, this was no longer a fun hobby to take “meaningless” pictures…I had to deliver for a family’s memories! So, needless to say, nervousness set in. I was pretty calm until the day of the shoot – the importance of not screwing up really set in!
However, this family is one of the nicest you could ever meet and made me feel like one of them. The atmosphere was very casual, calm, and playful as you can see in the photos. The time of day in these shots was a little later than preferred, making the light a bit harsh, but I think they turned out good considering that fact. After the “official” family shots, we all kinda just hung out on the beach during that beautiful CA morning. This gave way to the kids playing and the other family members getting involved. I was able to capture a few candid shots of a family just enjoying each other. It was awesome.
I think the family thought I was doing them a favor, but in reality they were doing me a favor by helping me to really focus on delivering something worthwhile. And for that, I say “Thank You!” Below is a sample of some of the shots. Click for bigger versions.
Playing in the Rain
There was something magical about this sight to me. Maybe it was the fact that these children were playing carefree in the rain and this reminded me of a carefree time in my life. Or maybe it was the dramatic natural sunlight breaking through the forest canopy. It probably had a little bit to do with both of these reasons. Right when I swang my camera up to capture this photo, the young girl stared right at me, as if waiting for me all along. I had a pretty long zoom on my camera, so I wasn’t very close, which made all the more intriguing.
Family
While visiting my family for Labor Day, my favorite niece and nephew were on the loose! They are fantastic kids, always having fun and always being loving. I miss them already! Here they are in full Caleb and Bella effect [oh, and I snuck a couple shots from around the house that caught my eye too ]
Bella having fun
Caleb
Caleb looking at Aunt Ifeta in anticipation of the next game
Concentrating on something super improtant
Having a blast in the pool
Father and Son
Having a blast
Our diving board that is older than me
Birdhouse
She has a peaceful look
Bella just after she “fell” in to the pool
Just before she “fell” into the pool (she was dunking her head)
Caleb not exactly sure what I am doing, but nonetheless, content with it
This is Bella immediately after she put her makeup on…
