We met the lovely Cubias family last fall (pretty sad that it’s February and we’re still not finished blogging from before Christmas!) and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and their adorable kiddos.  Mom did an awesome job on their wardrobe selections, and we just loved the girls’ hats and big brother’s colorful scarf.  The girls were like supermodels and seemed to quite enjoy being photographed; I think they would have stayed longer if we had let them!  A fun fact we learned is that their daughter goes to the same pre-school as Teagan (our youngest), so we often see each other there during morning drop-off.  Meet the Cubias family:

We’ve been photographing this family since big brother was 2, I believe, and now little sis is going to be 2 later this spring!  They came for their annual family holiday portrait, as well as to capture Miss G’s new skill–standing!  We always have the best time with them and are so thrilled to see them each and every time.  The kids are always in a good mood….I wonder if there are good bribes involved?? Just kidding…they’re awesome kids no matter what!  Meet the Pham family (again):

When we met with Natasha last fall to discuss the portraits she wanted to have made of her family, we were excited on so many levels; first off, she is sort of family–she is my (Stef) aunt’s step-granddaughter; and second, she brought the coolest clothes to her consultation!  We knew if was going to be fun when she had so many ideas of looks that she liked, not to mention the fact that on the day of the session, she and and her daughter went to our friends at Article Salon (in the Fountains) to have their hair done especially for their portraits.  On the day of the session, the weather was perfect and the kids were superstars.  Miss A was a mini-supermodel and was up for changing clothes and looks as many times as she could squeeze in.  Little N was not quite as into being a supermodel as his sister, but he still did awesome nonetheless!  If I remember correctly, this session ended not because we ran out of outfits to change into, but because we ran out of light outside!  They were such a fun family to photograph and it shows.  Meet the Vasilopoulos family:

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!

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!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season filled with food, fun and family.  Just thought I’d share a few of my favorites from our Toys for Tots Santa portraits.  Again, it was a great time and we really appreciate all your participation.

Merry Christmas!

When we first met the Perry’s and they mentioned they had a vision of family portraits having fun in Old Sacramento, we knew we’d be in for a treat. While we watched the weather forecasts with anticipation that it might rain the day of  their session, we forged ahead with hopes for decent weather.  In the end, the weather was perfect with some awesome cloud cover (a huge rainstorm came through the very next day!).  Little Miss A was such a trooper as we traipsed all over old town; she was oft-reminded of the ice-cream cone she was promised.  We photographed until it was dark, and even then, we caught a few last shots.  We had such a great time with the Perry’s, and all I have to say is bravo to momma for hiking all over cobblestone streets in those snazzy heels!

This week we had one of those experiences that we’ll always treasure, as this year marks the last of it’s kind for us–the preschool Christmas program.  Teagan attends Adventure Christian pre-school, as did big sis, Reilly.  We just love the school and the staff, and they really put on a cute Christmas program with the three and four-year olds.  Teagan decided she wanted to wear the black and red pettiskirt from our studio; it’s big and bold, just like her personality!  She did a great job and enjoyed the performing in the show, but I think she had  more fun running around the courtyard with her friends afterwards.  The last image here is with her BFF at school…she and Teagan are like two peas in a pod together.  So sweet!