Rustic Family Photos~ Starting Off the Christmas Photo Season

I love it when families are ahead of the game and want to get their holiday photos out of the way long before they start their holiday shopping. But then again, the Smisko Family is used to being prepared. As a food blog writer (her blog is Imperfect & Fabulous, Tales of a Recovering Perfectionist- click to link), Lauren is used to being ahead of the game. And with such an adorable family, it was my pleasure to start off the holiday season with them.

Rustic Christmas- Sometimes You Have to Mix it Up!

We all love beach Christmas photos. Who doesn't love to send out photos of you and your family having fun on the beach, in the sand? Especially to those relatives who live where it snows! We live in Southern California, we have to brag a little. But sometimes it's fun to mix it up. Living in Southern California, we have so many different backdrops to choose from- especially here in South Orange County! This year I did a lot of Christmas card photos at rustic locations. I love the way they turned out! And best of all, so did my clients.
This adorable family is a busy one! Mom is the owner of She Bloom Clothing- the one I take the catalog photos for and all three of her adorable kids are super active. Glad we were able to pin down a date!

Lucas~ Beach Photos

Another one of the kids I have seen grow up! This guy has come to see me for over 5 years as well. We've done his photos at the park, at the park with his dog, in his back yard and at the beach. But one thing remains the same- he is a whole lot of fun. He's never crazy to see me (Mom makes him get his photos done. There aren't too many boys over the age of 5 who are excited to see me at first!), but we always have fun. Such a goof ball!

Christmas Mini Sessions- the Helgeson Boys

This years Christmas Mini Sessions were a hit. Both days booked up quickly with both old faces and new ones.
Our first sessions took place on the beach in Dana Point. These two boys have been coming to see me every year for the past 5 years! Its been great watching them grow and change. Mom and Dad get thrown into the mix every few years too, but this was a boys only year.

Christmas Photo Time- Mini Session Dates Announced

It's time to get dressed up and get photos taken to send out on Christmas cards and print off for Grandma and Grandpa as presents.

This year you have 3 options! You can do a regular session, a mini session or a mini mini session!

What is the difference?
Regular sessions do not have a specific time limit, can be done at the location of your choice, can include up to 10 people and pets for no extra charge and you can change outfits to get different looks.
Mini Sessions are 20 mins each at a predetermined location at a predetermined time, for immediate family only (mom, dad and kids), no pets and no outfit changes.
Mini Minis are also time limited- to 15 mins, at a predetermined location and a predetermined time, designed for smaller families or just the kids and no pets.

This year Mini Sessions will be held on Sunday, October 12th at the beach and Sunday, November 2nd at the park. The cost is $150 and includes 5 digital files of your choice. Additional digital files and prints can also be order from your own online gallery.

Mini Minis will be held on Saturday, November 8th at the park. The plan is to have these be more "stylized" with a Christmas/winter theme and some fun props. The cost is only $49 and includes one 5x7 print of your choice with options to purchase digital files and additional prints.

Times are limited on all three dates! So if you are interested, contact me as soon as possible to secure the date and location of your choice.

Family Photos~ Fun at the Pier

 Family photos at new locations are always a challenge, but add in the fact that they were taken during one of the busiest weekends for taking Christmas photos and you have a crazy situation. There were 5 or 6 other photographers vying for the perfect shot in the posts of the San Clemente pier! I have to say that it was all quite civilized, but still a little crazy.

Family Photos ~ Just the kids

I have been photographing this particular family's Christmas card for the last 5 years. This year mom and dad opted out of the photo and had me just photograph their son. ( I personally do just the kids on our Christmas card every other year.) I don't think he thought it was the best of ideas ;) Maybe it's the age?

Family Photos~ FIrst Photos of the Season

The first Christmas session of the season ended up happening on a very warm day! I just wish the rest of the summer was this warm! No, it had to wait until the very end to get warm, right when we were all ready for fall!! In fact, it was so warm, I Instagramed it! Luckily, the photos don't show just how toasty it was in San Juan Capistrano... the Abadie Family looks great!

Christmas Mini Sessions

It's that time of year again... time to start thinking about Christmas photos! Because of so many weddings, I only have a few weekends to try to squeeze family photos into. So I am only going to offer one day of Mini Sessions this year- Sunday, September 29th. 

Mini sessions are a shorter version of a regular session, but because of the time limits they are limited to immediate family only. Because they are shorter versions, prices for both the session and for digital negatives are also a little smaller. Please contact me for information on pricing as well as available time slots.

My Family Christmas Photo- Oh So Fun!

Every time I photograph a family and they get all stressed out about how their kids are behaving, I try to convince them that they really aren't that bad (and most of the time I really do mean it!) and that I have photographed lots of families and tons of kids and it is just what happens- no big deal. Now, all that goes right out the window when it comes to photographing my own girls! They are monsters! 

There is always a big blowout before we ever even leave the house! This time my oldest said she wasn't going and to just take the family photo without her! And my youngest burst into tears because she wanted to wear something different then I had pick out! Then the two bicker all the way there! So for the 20 minute car ride to the location I chose for this years Christmas photo I had to ask myself "Why? Why and I doing this?" over and over!

The answer is so that I can hang this on my wall and enjoy my family every day! Don't they look sweet snuggled up together! We're all just lucky it's a photo and not video! 

Merry Christmas!

More Family Fun

These guys are such a sweet family and another family I have seen year after year. I can't believe how all of these guys who were such little kids have grow up! Soon I'll be doing their senior photos! Amazing how time flies!

Love Those Lashes

Once again, another face you have seen year after year on my blog. This guy has the greatest lashes! And he's another one who is going to break a few hearts. Such a sweetheart.

Brothers

These adorable brothers have been seen here on my blog quite a few times as well. I got to photograph them again this year in this fun rural setting. It's fun to see the same families year after year to see how the kids grow. These two are going to be heartbreakers real soon!

Holiday Photo Time Again

I've been crazy busy with all the weddings this year! I love "second shooting" as it's called in the industry- working for other photographers, photographing weddings under their studio's name. It's been so great to be able to photograph so many beautiful people in so many amazing locations! But the wedding season is winding down.... it's time for Christmas card season! Let the fun begin! And it did with these adorable girls. I've been photographing them for the last 3 years and I just love to see how they have grown and changed each year.  

Hurry Hurry Hurry!