Last week James and I were in San Diego for the SPA event 2010 (SPA is short for Senior Portrait Artists).  This organization attracts some of the most talented high school senior photographers in the country and hosts one of the premier educational (and social!) events of the year for photographers.  After James attended last year’s SPA event in Las Vegas without me and came home completely fired up, there was no way I was missing this one (especially because it was at the beautiful Hotel del Coronado).  Aside from meeting up with hundreds of others talented photogs and hearing loads of great speakers, a main attraction and highlight of the event is the competition, which many of the attendees enter each year.  This was the first time James entered the SPA competition, which included categories for senior girl and senior boy folio (a composite of multiple images from the same subject) as well as a single-image kids competition this year.  Now, James has entered and done well in competitions before, but never anything quite like this.  After all of the folios and prints have been judged, they are displayed all over tables so everyone can look at all of the entries.  James felt quite intimidated when he saw the caliber of artists entering the competition.  You can imagine the thrill we both felt when his name was called not only once, but SEVEN times at the awards ceremony!  I thought he might pass out from the excitement (or the weight of all of those beautiful statues!)!  I’ve included a photo of James with six of his gorgeous (and heavy) glass statues (the biggest one shattered in shipping and is being replaced), as well as a few of the winners.  The awards he won are as follows:  Top scoring folio; First Place girl folio; Judge’s Choice senior folio; People’s Choice folio; People’s choice single image; 2nd & 3rd place single image kids.  James is so humble and if you know him, you know that he would never go out of his way to tell you about this amazing honor, but I can’t help myself, mainly because he works so hard and I think it’s so well deserved.  Way to go babe!

The McNaughton family was one of those few lucky folks who happened to come to us during the PERFECT weekend in November for fall family portraits.  The weather was great, the leaves were at their amazing colorful best, and to top it off, they wore super cool clothes!  Miss L and Mr N were at that age where you really just follow their lead and see what’s next, so that’s exactly what we did.  The image of N in the corner of the red wall was one of my very favorites from the session, for so many reasons, but mostly because you can almost see the wheels spinning in his head, thinking about exactly how many seconds he’s going to stand there until running to his next locale.  Lovely family=lovely images!  Meet the McNaughton’s…

We first met Erika and her mom Lise when her brother came to us a couple years ago for his senior portraits.  Adam’s session was pretty special for me so I knew Erika’s would be no different.  But let me back up a bit.  Within seconds of meeting this wonderful family, Stef and I knew we were in for an experience.  Lots of love in this family…lots.

At Erika’s consultation we talked about a lot of things, but couldn’t quite decide on a location.  So we set that aside for a bit and literally minutes before we were done it came to her.  A special place that Erika spent a lot of time at throughout her childhood.  So off to the nature preserve we went!  The day of the session the sun was glowing beautifully, Erika looked amazing, and Lise got lots of excersise(doing some yoga while we were photographing).  Probably the most special part for me is when brother Adam showed up for a few frames.  Erika was already “on” but when he jumped in she just lit up.  Standing in the tall grass together, she started singing and soon Adam joined and before long neither of them could keep a straight face.  It was something to see, and I feel privileged to have been there.

Thank you Lise, thank you Adam, and thank you Erika for an experience I won’t forget.

We first met the Keenan’s for their consultation when mom was only a week out from her due date with baby J.  Dad called me and wanted to surprise his wife with newborn portraits for her birthday.  What a guy!  It’s always fun to meet a couple before the baby is born and then only a few short weeks (or less) later to have them back with a new member of their family.   Miss J came back when she was brand-new, and she was the sweetest little thing.  She’s one of our Bebe Collection members, so before we know it she’ll be back showing her smiling and sitting skills…can’t wait!  Meet the Keenan’s:

It seems like Christmas was yesterday and now we’re already looking ahead to Valentine’s Day!  We have an exciting event planned with a special look and special offerings to go along with it, including custom Valentine cards featuring your little angels.  This will be slightly different from our events in the recent past at the Silver Spoon in that these are actual mini-sessions and you’ll get more time in front of the camera.  With that comes the opportunity to view the best images from the session, all styled in our signature vintage look, and choose your favorites at your private in-person ordering appointment at our studio.  Feel free to bring your own clothes or borrow from us and the Silver Spoon….little boys would be darling in simple jeans and a plain shirt, a cute vest or blazer, or an adorable newsboy cap.  Don’t forget to make an appointment at CJ’s Cuts for Kids right next door to the Silver Spoon to get that fresh haircut or fancy portrait hairdo before you come in for your session.  Please call us to schedule your session time and to ask any questions!

When we met Krista for her portrait design consultation and discussed what type of portraits she was hoping for, she suggested we photograph her young family at her mother’s property.  After she began explaining the acres of vineyard and orchards where a few years ago she and her husband got married, we were super excited!  Not only do we love venturing out to new places, it’s also a treat to photograph a family at a place that’s special to them.  When James and I arrived at the location, we were overwhelmed with the litany of awesome places to photograph the Fenske’s.  It was especially fun following the kids around and watching them explore their own private wonderland.  Meet the fun Fenske family!

We met the Ellis family earlier in the fall (yep, we’re still that behind on blogging…thanks for being patient people! :-).  When they came for their design consultation, we knew Miss S was going to be a treat to photograph.  She was only about 17 months old and seriously one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!  The day of the session was even more incredible, when S did everything we could have hoped and more.  I have never seen a child that young listen so well and not disagree about any of it.  James and I could not get over it, and could have kept her here all day!  (Okay, mom and dad were awesome, too….even if Miss S did overshadow everyone that day!)  We’re so excited for this family as they await the arrival of another sweet baby girl in a few months….good luck to you and we can’t wait to meet the new baby!