We knew we were in for a treat with this lovely family the moment we met with T (aka session stylist!).  She was so excited about capturing this time in their life and the adorable stage little T was in (almost a year old and about to walk).  Often it’s hard enough to figure out outfits for a family session, and T spoiled us with two amazing sets of clothes for them!  Her clothing choices are the epitome of how to coordinate but not match outfits.  In addition to the great clothes, little T was in the BEST mood and made the session so much fun.  Meet the Yanchuk family:

We met the lovely Dirven family at our very first Vintage Valentine event in 2010.  We have seen them every year since–lucky us!  We feel especially fortunate to get to photograph them, as they travel from over 2 1/2  hours away to come here!  I always know that they will show up with great wardrobe, as mom likes to show their style and personalities off in the portraits.  We actually made these portraits at the end of last summer (yep, we’re that behind on blogging!!) on a beautiful August day.  Hard to believe in just a few short months they’ll be back for their next family portrait!  It’s been such a treat getting to watch these kiddos grow and change, but one thing has stayed the same–their sweet relationship with each other.

Happy New Year!  Now that the holidays are over, we are so excited for our annual Vintage Valentine event.  We have added the most amazing wardrobe and accessories ever (thanks to our talented friend from Wrapped in Clover).  This year’s look revolves around our gorgeous new vintage blue angel wings, incorporating soft creams, tans & splashes of blue.  We also have a selection of adorable vests, bow ties and caps for boys to coordinate (not shown–call for sizes) with the new look (our classic pinks and browns will still be available as well).  We will be offering beautiful custom Valentine cards and other newly designed offerings made to showcase your timeless portraits.  These sessions will fill quickly, so please call early to reserve your date/time.

We are overwhelmed with the support shown this year once again for our Toys 4 Tots Santa portrait charity event.  We were thrilled to see nearly 300 families and collect such amazing toy donations from our generous community!  We also want to thank our co-sponsor, Northern California Dance Conservatory, for their help in making this event a success.  Below are just a few highlights from last weekend’s event.  If you attended, please don’t forget that your prints will be available for pickup (at the studio)  this Tuesday, Dec. 18 from 11am-1pm and Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 4-6pm.

I can hear the sleigh bells already!!  Just in time for the holidays, Santa will be visiting the studio as we co-host our annual Toys 4 Tots Santa Portrait charity event with our friends at Northern California Dance Conservatory.  For one new, unwrapped toy donation per family (minimum $20 value please), you will receive a beautiful 5×7 portrait of your child(ren) visiting with our lovely Santa.  The event will run over 2 days and no appointments are necessary (see below for details).  The prints will be available for pick-up at our studio on Tuesday, Dec. 18 11am-1pm, Wednesday, Dec. 19 4-6pm.  Purchased digital images will be emailed by Wednesday, Dec. 12.  PLEASE choose the option to have your print mailed to you if you are not positive you will be able to pick it up.  We have so many orphaned prints from last year that were never claimed–so sad!!  To make the event run as smoothly as possible, and for your convenience, please fill out our online registration form, print it out, and bring it with you to the event–this will save you the time of filling it out in person.  Click HERE for online registration.  We can’t wait to see everyone on Dec.8/9!

We thought we’d whet your appetite a bit for the big Costumes & Cans post still to come with a few of our own girls.  We get so busy with our Costumes & Cans charity event each year at this time that getting our own kids into the studio in their costumes is a bit of a challenge (code for–we didn’t even get them in the studio in their costumes last year!).  I was feeling pretty guilty and decided we could squeeze it in today between school, homework, and Teagan’s guitar lesson.  The girls were excited to get in full costume with hair and makeup (which may not even happen to this extent on Halloween since Reilly will be at gymnastics until at least 6:30pm!).  Our 10-year old, Reilly, chose a gypsy/fortune teller costume and Teagan chose a flapper costume, even though she has no idea what a flapper is! (the power of sequins and feathers for a 7 year-old!).  Teagan was so impressed with herself that she requested to be on next year’s promo piece for our Costumes & Cans event!  Here are a few favorites…they each chose their full-body individual images here–we are getting a taste of how picky girls can be about themselves in portraits!  Happy Halloween!!

We were thrilled to first meet the Beard family when they were expecting their first little miracle, baby J.  We first started with their maternity session (some of you might recall momma in hubby’s firefighter turnouts!) and then documented J’s first year.  We were thrilled when they announced that they were expecting baby #2, who we are debuting here.  We love photographing and spending time with the Beard’s, who we now feel fortunate to call friends, not just clients.  Baby P’s newborn session was no exception to the magic that always seem to happen during their sessions.  They always come in with a few ideas that seem to translate into gorgeous!  We love their willingness to experiment and go “outside the box” when it comes to their portrait sessions.  We should mention that the darling image below of the brothers laying with dad’s gear happened spontaneously–when we mentioned to big brother that it was almost his turn, he went over and leaned down over the baby, thumb in mouth and all!  Love him!  Meet the Beard family, again!

Happy 4th of July! (sorry it’s a bit late–we were in San Diego visiting family for the past week+).  For those of you who have followed our blog for a period of time will recognize this family–we’ve been photographing them for 4 years now–and it never gets old!  We’ve ventured from Napa to Tahoe with this family, and for their last family session decided to stay in our neck of the woods.  This family session also doubled as Miss V’s last Bebe session, and she was in fine form!  On a side note, in case you’re ever wondering how to do light-colored clothing well for a family session, it doesn’t get any better than this!  We were a bit nervous about the 4 kids near water in their nice clothes, but somehow we all managed to keep them at bay with just throwing rocks into the water.  Thanks again (and again!) to the Ferrell family for entrusting us to capture these precious moments in your family!

Photographing the Granner family was several years in the making, so we were thrilled when it finally came to fruition!  Jami called me a few years ago when she was expecting little Miss K, inquiring about maternity portraits.  Unfortunately those didn’t end up happening, as complications forced her to bed rest.  Fast forward a couple of years, and I was so excited when we heard from her to bring her kiddos to our Heirlooms & Expressions summer portrait event last year.  It’s always interesting to watch the interaction between older kids and little ones, and this was such a treat, as big brother and big sister doted on little K, as she clearly had them wrapped around their little finger! 🙂  Jami then decided to bring the whole gang back for a complete family session, where the loving nature of this family came through even more.  It’s definitely a testament to great parents when you see great teenagers.  Thanks for sharing them with us! (and of course, little Miss K, too…she’s a show-stealer!).

It’s that time again!  We’re thrilled to announce our 4th annual Mommy & Me Portraits for the Cure event.  This is an opportunity for all the moms out there who are often behind the camera to finally get a great portrait of themselves with their kids, all while donating to a wonderful cause.  We will be photographing on the background shown here, so please plan clothing accordingly (the background is lighter with pale pinks and greens).  Our biggest rule of thumb when it comes to clothing choices is to make sure you aren’t mixing lights and darks too much.  We will have prints ready in time for Father’s Day–hint, hint!  Hope to see you there!