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.

I'm So Excited to be Able to Share!!

I'm so excited to be able to share this image from US Weekly! I was so incredibly honored to be able to second shoot this wedding for the amazingly talented Christine Bentley from Christine Bentley Photography. I have been working with Christine this last year as her second shooter but was still honored and shocked to be asked to join the team of amazingly talented photographers who attended and captured the moments from this day! I don't post most of the work I do with Christine. She is an incredible wedding photographer and I want the spotlight to stay on her for her talent... but I had to share this one! The three part series will air on September 2nd on Bravo.

Seniors~ Sara

Isn't she beautiful!? No only is she beautiful, but she is smart and sweet (most of the time). My baby is a senior! Graduating Valedictorian and heading off to University of Santa Barbara in the fall. I can hardly believe it! Congratulations Sara! I can't wait to she what you do with the world and all the opportunities that await you!

 

Senior Photos~ Brett

 Brett is such a great guy. I can say that because I've spent a lot of time around him lately... he is my daughter's boyfriend. Sweet, smart and athletic, she made a good choice :) Unfortunately, Brett will be going off to Buchnell University in Pennsylvania in the fall while my daughter will stay on the West Coast. They get along so well, I won't be surprised if they find a way to meet up every chance they can get. And you never know what the future holds. Congratulations Brett on getting into such a great college! And for getting on the water polo team.

Seniors~ Sara and Brett

Ok, ok... I really did Sara and Brett's photos together at the same location, on the same day, but I wanted each of them to be able to have their own post. But I have to post a few of the two of them together too. Like I put in Brett's post, they will be on opposite coasts come September :( They get along so well... I take that back, he puts up with her so well that it's sad to know they will only have Face Time and emails soon. Hard to say what the future holds... only time will tell.

Seniors~ David

 David is heading off to the The California Maritime Academy to study  Engineering in the Fall so he wanted to be sure to capture his love of the ocean and boats for his senior photos. With Dana Point Harbor right in our own backyard, that wasn't too difficult :) And with such a great smile and easy going attitude, it was a pleasure to photograph him for his senior photos! Congratulations David on making it into the Maritime program!

Seniors~ Alexis and Whitney

I had a lot of photographing best friends Alexis and Whitney. I dragged these two through glass and mud and bugs and they didn't complain once.  These two have been friends for years and I was so honored to be able to capture the bond they share. I've know Alexis since she was in kindergarten! And she is just a sweet today as she was when she was 6. Congratulation Alexis on your admission to Washington State University! I know you will do great!

 

Senior Photos~ Echo

I love this location and the light on Echo's hair. Doesn't she have the cutest name? I'm so honored to be able to photograph her senior photos. I've know Echo for a few years now, as she plays lacrosse with my daughter. She is such a sweet girl (unless you run into her on the lacrosse field!), funny and smart. Echo is heading off to the University of Santa Barbara in the fall! Congratulations Echo! That's a heard school to get into!

Family Photos~ Crazy Boys!

A friend of mine asked if I could take a few photos of her boys for her and of course I said I would love to. Our husbands are good friends (yes, it's a bromance type of friendship!) and we do things together all the time. Gavin, the youngest is my husband's god-son and I gave him his first bath! So I know these boys pretty well.

I know them and they know me, but I was totally unprepared for what came next! Gavin cried THE ENTIRE TIME. It was comical! As soon as his feet touched the grass until we gave up and headed back for their house, he cried! But by the miracle of miracles, we got one photo of all three boys together and you would never know the work that went into it! (I snapped the individual photo of him in his own backyard without his brothers around).

Here is a sneek peek at what most of them looked like! It was actually really funny after a while!

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!

Senior Photos- Hannah

I'm excited to be getting more senior photo opportunities lately! Senior photos are fun! Multiple outfits, sometime multiple locations and fun attitudes!

I'm putting together a Facebook page and one of the first things I'll be doing is awarding free senior sessions as prizes, one for each local school- Dana Hills, San Juan Hills, Capo, San Clemente, Aliso Niguel as well as the private schools J Serra, Capo Valley Christian, Saddleback Christian, St Margarets, etc. I'll add the link as soon as it is live.

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.  

Whew! It's been a long time..

I used to be such a good blogger! Look at me now :( Part of the reason I haven't been blogging is because I have been working mostly for other photographers. They call it "second shooting" in the photography industry. That is working for another photographer, under their studio name, but without the long hours sitting in front of a computer editing. I love it!! I get to do what I love- photograph people, but don't have to do what I hate- sit in front of a computer for HOURS on end! :) And as most of the second shooting I have been doing is wedding photographer, I do mean hours.
Another reason I have not posted anything in a long time is because I do not promote myself as a wedding photographer, but that is exactly what I have been doing all spring and summer. Lots and lots of weddings! Again, mostly as a second shooter. But because I have had so many people ask me lately if business has been really slow, I decided I would go ahead and post a little sneak peak at just some of the work I have been doing lately.

At least 10 weddings and a couple family shoots under the belt this season. I've been lucky enough to work with some truly gifted wedding photographers! And have shot in some truly spectacular venues. Ouu, and my photos have even been published in a wedding magazine! (Under the photographer's name I was working for)
So look at my blog and think, "Wow, she must not be doing any photography lately", it's just that I am doing it under an assumed name ;)

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day