Dance like there is no one looking…well, except me and my camera…

Meet Kayla, Rocklin High class of 2010, dancer extraordinaire.  And meet Kayla’s boots!  She had some great ideas for what she wanted her senior portraits to be, so off to old Sac we went.  It was a perfect weather day and once again I was overwhelmed with photographic possibilities here.  Kayla was great at climbing, walking, and jumping on things to keep in character with her footwear.  Boots for some, tap shoes for others…perfect!  We finished off back at the studio for a moodier dramatic look with that snazzy blue dress.

Thanks so much for another great adventure. 

The Beard’s have been visiting us since they were expecting Baby J (you might remember mom in hubby’s firefighting turnouts in her maternity images).  When they told us they wanted to do something a little different for their second Bebe session, we were all ears.  They mentioned their pea coats and wanting to go to historic Roseville; we were excited!  We just loved those shots, but were just as excited about photographing J in dad’s turnouts.  We photographed him in his helmet as a newborn and they want to continue the theme throughout each of his first year sessions.  Can’t wait to see him standing in the boots next time around!  Meet the Beard family (again):

We met the Burton family several years back when big brother was just a newborn.  Fast forward a couple of years, and here we are with little Miss R!  One of my favorite parts about what we do is having the privilege of getting to know families as they grow and mature.  R was as cute as can be, and big brother M was quite the ham.  Before we know it she’ll be back and walking (or running!) for her 1-year session….until then, meet “baby” R:

Meet Chelsea, class of 2010.  Not to sound like a broken record again, but here’s how you do it folks.  Chelsea had the hair, the makeup, the clothes, and most importantly, the sense of adventure. I continue to be impressed at our senior portrait design consultations how organized and well planned these seniors (and incoming seniors) are with the look of their session.  Chelsea was no exception here.  A perfect pairing of clothing & makeup with the environment.  She was also masterful at giving different expressions, and it was quite fun giving her “scenes” to act out. Chelsea also brought her entourage of expression coaches and clothing consultants:) who were a big help, thanks!

Thank you Chelsea for another inspiring session, you were wonderful!

Some faves.

Meet the Daane family.   Well, so did I…

I’ve known Beth from our local photography organization here in Sacramento for some time.  Probably had a dozen conversations with her about our respective families and finally I got to meet the rest of them.

It’s always interesting what kind of preconceived notions people have about having their portraits made.  Some are nervous, some are excited, some are anxious, but I will say without exception that when they are open and honest with each other, wonderful things happen.  They certainly did here.

Beth, I can’t thank you enough for allowing me this opportunity and for your sincerity in these images.  And thank you for letting me peer into the bond of your family. You are beautiful!

I love it when clients have specific locations in mind for their senior portraits, and I really love it when the locations look like this!  Meet Bridget, Oak Ridge High class of 2010.  Bridget decided to have us up in her neck of the woods for her portrait session, and the day was perfect…so was the light.  She also brought along a personal make up artist to help with different looks during the session, very cool!  I had a great time here and Bridget made things easy being so comfortable in front of the lens.  She was particularly good about acting out “scenes”, especially the “I’m lost and wandering around in this gorgeous dress” story:)

We ended with a few photos on the balcony and Marti (mom) was kind enough to serve up some spinach dip, pita chips and mini hot dogs…perfect way to end a session.  Thanks so much!

Today our “baby” turns 5.  It’s hard not to get sappy and sentimental at times like this.  It’s so cliche to say how time flies and in the blink of an eye babies turn into young ladies, but it’s SO true!  Five years ago today we had no idea who this baby girl would become; what her personality would be like, who she would resemble, and the role she would play in our family.  Well, we have learned much about her in five years.  Our Teagan is so full of life, energy, humor, wit and compassion.  She is the funniest kid I’ve ever met, can be so stubborn, but the next minute melts your heart with love.  We keep asking her why she’s growing up so fast, and her reply is always the same: “Because I want to grow up.”  Slow down, sweet Teagan.  Enjoy each day (and she does!).

Here is her actual birth announcement we sent out; the photograph was taken when she was 3 weeks old.  The images below are very recent.  In fact, the ones outside were taken just a couple of days ago.  She was modeling some dresses for the Silver Spoon, so the session also became her five-year portrait session.  She did a great job but was much more concerned about the little ladybug she found and was holding in her hands most of the time we were out.  The last couple in the hat were some fun outtakes from the mommy & me promo session the girls and I did last month.  As much as I love every one of these images of her for different reasons, James and I both agree that the last one pretty much sums up our little girl.  Happy Birthday Teagan!

San Diego beach sessions are here!  We are excited to announce that we will be in San Diego and offering beach portrait sessions between June 22-June 25.  There’s just something magical about portraits at the beach, and now is your chance to get “enchanted” portraits by the sea!  We will have a limited number of sessions available, so please call soon for details (916-759-8140).

While we were in San Diego earlier in the year, we were lucky enough to photograph the lovely McGuckin family.  We met the McGuckin’s when big sister was a brand-new baby; G was the first newborn we ever photographed!  Over the years we have not only photographed this family on multiple occasions, but also grown to call them friends.  Suffice it to say, we were sad when they moved to San Diego….until I got a call from Scott telling me he wanted to surprise Janelle with beach portraits for her birthday.  Anyone who knows us at all knows that we visit San Diego several times per year (James’ family lives there and we used to, too!) and welcome requests for portrait sessions while we visit.  This session was one of those that just had everything going for it:  a perfect day, gorgeous family, and more love than we can describe.  The session took place on Coronado Beach with Pt. Loma just off in the background, which was especially cool because both Scott and Janelle attended Pt. Loma University.  We were thrilled about everything surrounding this session, but most of all, just the chance to get to see some old friends/clients in such a gorgeous setting!

If you’re looking at the images wishing you could have portraits like this someday, stay tuned….very soon we will be announcing San Diego sessions for June!