Upon getting to know the Pimentel family at their portrait design consultation, we knew it would be fun capturing the dynamic of this loving family and the different personalities that make it up. They decided to have their portraits made in Old Sacramento, as it holds special meaning to them for various reasons, including it being the spot where mom and dad first met many years ago. When we showed up to meet them, we were blown away at how fantastic they all looked! We loved the style and colors they chose, and the girls all took part in choosing their outfits as well. It was truly a family affair, as grandma & grandpa came along to help out with the family dog and carrying any extra clothing ,etc. We had a great time, going from one end of Old Sac to the other and loved the enthusiasm they all exhibited. Their excitement and effort definitely show through in their portraits–we couldn’t be more thrilled with how they turned out, but more importantly, the Pimentel family loved them ,too!
We are back! Sorry we’ve been offline for a bit, updating some behind the scenes stuff on the blog. So happy to be back here sharing the wonderful people we are privileged to work with. The Cameto family holds a soft spot in our hearts, as we have been through the journey of two maternity sessions, their first baby’s first year and beyond, and now baby sister’s first year is underway. Since we did their first maternity session in the studio, we all decided to go for something different and venture outside. It was gorgeous and as always, the wardrobe was perfect! (way to go Sarah!) This session also doubled as young G’s three-year portraits. As all sessions seem to be with this family, it was simply magical. Fast forward a short bit and we were thrilled to meet the newest Cameto, Miss G! Her newborn session was not too long before Christmas, so it was only appropriate that a few “seasonal” shots were captured, which worked perfectly for their birth announcement/holiday card. It’s hard to believe that very soon we’ll be seeing baby G for her next Bebe session–can’t wait, as I’m sure it will be fantastic! Meet the lovely Cameto family–again:
Reilly is in fourth grade which means she is studying the California missions this year. One of her assignments is to visit one of them, and we chose the Mission Santa Barbara. Before that, we decided to make a 3-day detour to my favorite place on earth…Disneyland!
The first two days were remarkably crowd free and we all had our fill of rides and attractions. The third day was leap day and the park was open for 24 hours. We did not know this when we booked, but it was a huge event with thousands waiting at 5am for a chance to enter the park early. I left Stef & the girls in bed and made my way into the two block line. I have been to Disneyland many times but have never seen the sunrise there, it was quite special. I walked the park for an hour and just explored, something I used to do when I went with my parents, but this time of course I took photographs.
I’m proud to say the girls went on every ride we asked them to this time and never chickened out. Their highlights were the Aladdin stage show, World of Color (an amazing night time show in California Adventure), and the chain swings. It was a fantastic time.
NERD ALERT Non techies can stop reading now: My Fuji X-100 review starts here. I know this camera has been reviewed ad nauseum but I thought I would give a perspective from real world use. Ever since I sold my last Leica M7 years ago I have been searching for an “every day use” camera that I take with me wherever I go(Stef gets quite annoyed when I bring the 5d and a few lenses to dinner). Most small digital cameras just don’t have the quality or features I like but when Fuji announced the X-100 last year they got my attention. I won’t go into the features of the camera as that info is widely available and much better described than I could do here. I carried the X-100 every day of our trip and enjoyed using it. So here is what I liked:
The camera is SMALL. Having this little thing around my neck was quite liberating compared to my big Canon and a zoom lens. I saw hundreds of people in Disneyland with a big DSLR/lens around their neck and couldn’t help but smirk a little as they all eyed mine. I hardly noticed it and it never got in the way on any of the rides. I knew lighting situations were going to be all over the place so I shot exclusively in aperture priority mode with auto iso. With a few clicks of the exposure dial, this method worked wonderfully most of the time. I also almost exclusively used the viewfinder to frame and shoot. I prefer shooting that way (instead of the lcd) and it just makes me feel more connected to the scene.
Now, this is not a camera for quick grab shots or rapid fire shooting…and I like that. The design and operation makes you think about your shot and, slow down. I took easily half as many pictures with this camera as I would have with my Canon, which made things much more enjoyable to go through when we got back.
In use: My main goal with this camera was to document our vacation. While it did that very well, it was also very fun to use! Hard to explain really, but I haven’t had that much fun with a little camera since my Leica days. The act of framing, getting exposure, and waiting for the decisive moment was a great experience for me. The lcd screen seemed just “ok” and got the job done for reference, but it’s certainly not the brilliant 5d lcd. I found the camera very easy and intuitive to compose and focus, again not lightning fast but fast enough for my needs that week. The manual aperture ring is right up my alley and in no time I found myself constantly fingering it preparing for the next shot. While I’m not a flash user, there were a couple of occasions where I just couldn’t take a risk (the girls getting Goofy’s autograph in dappled light). The little Fuji does a pretty nice job balancing the flash with the ambient, I was quite surprised.
Focus: Apparently this has been quite a polarizing topic regarding this camera but I can honestly say that in the over 700 frames I shot that week, I think about 4 shots missed focus. Sorry Mr. Kelby, sounds like you got a bum unit. My method was pretty simple: If I was shooting at f2 and needed critical focus, I used the EVF. Shots f4 and smaller I switched to the beautiful OVF. This really worked well for me. Of course this is a smaller sensor and only an f2 lens and granted most of my shots were at f4 outside in bright light, but I just did not experience any of the reported focus gremlins.
And of course there is the image quality. I am consistently impressed with the incredible quality this little camera puts out. So much that I have used it on several professional sessions. The colors are great and I’m more than comfortable shooting at up to 1600 iso.
So who is this camera for? Certainly not someone looking for a good point-and-shoot, there are much better offerings for that. The X-100 is designed for people who value the experience of making pictures. Using it requires some effort, and yes there are a few quirks, but overall it makes me feel a little bit more analogue in this digital world…something I need every now and then.
Meet Breanna, class of 2012. This was a rather interesting session in that it was our first near injury caused by wardrobe. Seniors take note, when borrowing shoes for your senior portraits, make sure they are not two sizes smaller than yours…
Those lovely boots Breanna brought were, well, a bit snug. We got to the alley, and in a very short time I noticed her face was a bit pale and she had to sit down. I looked down at the tight leather on her calves and said “We’ve got to get these boots off!” Two minutes later all was well, the color came back to Breanna’s face and…I got the shot!!
Despite this slight distraction, she really brought it to the session, wonderful expressions and acted like she had been shooting for years. Thank you Breanna for your your willingness to experiment and all your efforts.
Some faves.
Meet Chloe – class of 2012. A dancer, and fearless in front of the lens…Chloe was wonderful to photograph. Another example of what happens when you let inhibitions fly and get into the role. Dancers seem to excel at this and Chloe was no exception. A beautiful session, lovely hair & makeup, and fabulous wardrobe!! Thank you Chloe for all your efforts.
Some faves.
People like the Perry family are the reason we have the best, most blessed job in the world. We met them several years ago to photograph their young family and have seen them several times since for various things. When I got the call from Lindsey in October about the family portrait session she wanted to set up, I knew this one would take the cake as far as experiences we are allowed to share with our clients. She knew by what date she would find out if she was expecting their second child and wanted to use their family portrait session to surprise her husband with the news. The wheels were set into motion for planning the exact timing, location and wardrobe for the big day. We did a few family portraits right off the bat and then suggested Ashley change into her second outfit. While Lindsey changed Ashley, our job was to distract Taylor and get him in the position we wanted him for the big reveal without him getting suspicious. We had his back to where mom and daughter would walk from. You can see exactly what happened next here. James and I were standing quite a bit further back, wiping tears from our own eyes as we watched what was unfolding. The best part is that big sis had no idea what her shirt said or what was going on; mom just told her it was her “Big Superstar” shirt (they didn’t want to share the news with her just yet since they had literally just found out she was expecting). They also didn’t want Ashley spreading the news just yet. So here we are, being given permission to spill the beans–the Perry’s are expecting Baby #2!! They’re just past the first trimester and wanted to share it with the world. Congratulations you guys and thanks so much for giving us the unmeasurable privilege of sharing in the very intimate moment with your family. We love you!
Meet Brittany & Brandon – class of 2012. It’s not very often we photograph twins in our studio…let alone high school senior twins! When Brittany & Brandon came to us last July(yes, we are incredibly tardy on our blogging…) I knew this session was going to be a special treat. This was the first time I photographed a brother and sister at the same time for their senior portrait session. Brittany took the reigns of course and had all kinds of ideas with wardrobe and location. Brandon was a great sport and showed us some looks for some very cool images. Thank you both for a wonderful afternoon, and thank you Brittany for braving the cold water for a great shot. Some faves.
Meet Alisha – class of 2012. I love photographing musicians, especially watching them get lost in their instruments. Alisha was wonderful at this, playing like she was in concert…out in the middle of a field. Perfect, perfect wardrobe gave an album cover feel to her images and we couldn’t have asked for better light. Thank you Alisha for completely getting in the role here, you were fantastic! Here are some faves.
When the Krisa’s called and told us they had a new baby boy they wanted us to photograph, we were thrilled. We first met mom and little miss K several years ago at our very first Vintage Valentine event. Then when I changed to a new family doctor, Shannon happened to be the PA there. We were clearly destined to know each other somehow! So, you can see why we were so excited to learn we’d get to photograph the newest addition to their family, Mr. B. B was teeny-tiny when he was born, so mom wanted to wait until he had a little meat on him to do portraits. He was such a cute age, smiling and even sleeping for us! We’re excited that he’s part of our Bebe Collection and that we’ll see him again soon! Meet the Krisa family:
Just when you think the holidays are over–it’s time for Valentine fun! Once again we’re offering our exclusive Vintage Valentine mini-sessions, complete with custom made tutus, angel wings & headpieces. This year we’ve added a new vintage look, showcasing the blacks, reds & creams along with our traditional pinks and browns. The new wardrobe and accessory options we’ve added this year give us the largest selection of styles and sizes yet! Our wardrobe for girls is still a bit more expansive than for the boys (sorry boys!), but we have added some various sized vests, caps & a few shirts for the boys this year. Please inquire for sizing availability for your individual cherubs. We will also be offering gorgeous custom Valentine cards, along with newly designed offerings to showcase your timeless portraits. These sessions will fill quickly, so please be sure to call early to reserve your date/time.
