I wanted to share this sweet baby nursery with you. The big furniture items are from Restoration Hardware…which I just love! Pale gray is the most soothing of colors, perfect for a nursery. Other small items were purchased off Etsy, creating a simple room with little pops of yellow.
Enjoy!
This photo session was a long time coming. And it all started before this baby was even born. I did a photo session for one of his mama’s co-workers almost 2 years ago. They work together in Los Angeles and she saw the pictures and thought some day she’d like to have photos like that. Fast forward to this baby being born and quickly on his way to a year. His mama found me again through her co-worker and the rest is history!
I love the vibe of this park in the Los Angeles area. It’s just full of long grass and big trees and winding paths. Perfect for a little free-spirited family.
This sweet little girl was in my Long Beach studio for her newborn photo session a few weeks ago. She is number five (if you can believe that!) in a family of incredibly gorgeous children. Her big sister was photographed in the same studio in 2011. Click here (and scroll down) to see her newborn photo session.
She will be loved by so many. Blessed girl.
This past weekend, I was scouting around Long Beach and Huntington Beach for some new locations for photo sessions. We stumbled on this little spot in Huntington Beach and I love it. It feels like the country to me. Jillian’s dress and her mocs fit perfectly in the location. The dress is from Blue Pony Vintage. I got to meet the owner a few weeks ago when I was photographing her line of clothing. She has such great style– I love photographing her clothes!
//child photography in Huntington Beach
Today I’m over on Modern Parents Messy Kids talking about being a fun parent. You know the kind that breaks out in song, does a silly dance and is not afraid to embarrass themself. I have to work hard at being a fun parent. I’m the one that is thinking about what we’ll have for dinner and how I’m going to fold that mountain of laundry on my bed before it’s actually time to go to bed! But, it can be done. I have learned to be sensible and FUN!
While we’re on the subject, how cute is this mama and her little girl. This is a share from one of my recent Mother’s Day photo sessions in Long Beach.
For the past 4 years, I’ve done mini-sessions by the bay every June. I look forward to it. Long Beach’s bay is calm and serene. In the mornings, it’s like a water color painting. (Overcast is a good thing!) I hope you’ll join me this June 8 for a photo session down by the bay in Long Beach. To switch things up just a little, I’m also offering evening mini-sessions at the Seal Beach Pier the same day. If you like golden light over pale colors, this is your place! And the wood pier is a favorite of mine.
Here are the details…30 minute session (I’m adding more time so we can walk around a bit) $100
(check out the website for print and digital prices)
The first four clients to book their session get not one, but TWO free digital images!
June 8 8:30am-10am
June 8 5:00pm-6:30pm
Here are some sample photos from the bay, including the little life guard chair and the old wood boardwalk. Also, here are some other photos from Long Beach’s bay from last year.
Here are some sample pictures from the Seal Beach Pier…including the rustic wood pier and that lovely golden light over the water!
When is the best time to take newborn photos? Well, as a photographer, I would answer within the first two weeks. Why? Newborns under two weeks old tend to be very sleepy and easy-going. If they are fed and warm, babies don’t mind that they are not being held during the photo session. They also don’t mind being held by siblings. As newborns get older, they start to mind these things! They want to be held at all times- and preferably by an adult, thankyouverymuch. Another reason that babies are best photographed within the first two weeks is they look more like newborns. They curl up with their legs tucked under and their tiny little hands like to be up by their face. As newborns get older, they stretch out and don’t like being confined so much.
But, sometimes, for whatever the reason, newborns can’t be photographed within the first 2 weeks. And that’s totally okay. Of course newborns can be photographed at 4 weeks, 6 weeks even 8 weeks. I might have to work a little harder to get the baby to sleep, or into a curled up pose, but oh-is-it-worth-it. Older newborns have filled out a little more, so they have chubbier cheeks and baby rolls. Adorable!
This sweet little newborn is the daughter of a client and friend. She was 4 weeks old at the time. For other ‘older’ newborns, see Baby Michael’s newborn photos at the end of this post. Also Baby Coco’s newborn photos with her big sister.
Today, I wanted to share a photoshop tip with you that I learned years ago. People sometimes comment about the way the eyes pop in my photos. So, I’d like to share how to get eyes that ‘pop in a photo.’ But, first, I want to start off by saying a few things…
A. I’m not a photoshop guru. My philosophy in editing is that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I am self-taught, so just because I do it this way, doesn’t mean it’s the RIGHT way.
B. There’s no substitute for good light. You want to light your subject’s face with clean indirect light. If it looks great to start, it’ll look amazing with a few tweaks. But, you never want to try to ‘fix’ a photo.
Here’s the secret…the dodge tool. The tool can be found in your tool palette and it looks like a lollipop! At the top of your toolbar, select the midtones in the range option and set the opacity to 30%. I dodge once or twice right in the middle of the eye. Don’t over-do it, you can get an ‘alien look’ very quickly. Play around with the settings for different eye colors.
Are you starting to feel summer creep up on us? It’s around the corner! And so are the summer mini-sessions at Rascals To Rebels! I’ll be at the store June 1, from 10am to noon and June 2 from 1pm to 3pm. Spend $50 at the store to get a complimentary 15 minute session on either of those dates. The store is filled with cute summer clothes that will look perfect on this backdrop!
