Photographing the wonderful Dawson family was a treat, in so many ways; so sweet to see three little girls doting on their baby brother; so breathtaking to watch two loving parents adore their 4th baby as if he was their first; so fun to see a family full of girls welcome a boy!  I can’t say enough about how lovely, caring, and genuine the Dawson family is.  They (and all of our wonderful clients!) are the reason why we love our job and count our blessings each and every day.

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:

It’s that time of year again!  We’re so excited to announce this year’s Mommy & Me Portraits for the Cure charity event.  All of the event specifics are below, but we thought we’d share a few extra details here because we know there are always questions that come up.  First thing to consider–clothing!  We will be using the grey background shown below, so they sky is the limit as far as color options.  Bright, dark, and deep colors look great on this color, but pastels can work, too.  We would suggest avoiding white, as it can appear a bit stark against this darker background.  Since this is a Mommy & Me event, the question often comes up about who can be a part of this portrait; this event is specific to “moms,”  but grandmothers are welcome as well.  The beautiful 5×7 print you will receive  will be available for pickup at our studio on Friday, May 31 from 11am-1pm and Saturday, June 1 from 10am-noon only.  There will also be an option to have your print(s) mailed to you for a small handling fee if you choose.  That’s about it for the details, so we hope to see you on May 19 to help a cause near and dear to our hearts and receive a beautiful portrait at the same time!

Meet Kolbie – class of 2013.  A lovely day for senior portraits, Kolbie braved her way through many mosquitos to get these fabulous shots.  Thanks for all the dancing and jumping, you were great!  Here are some faves.

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.

It’s that time again!  We are looking for a select few energetic fans or our work to represent our studio for class of 2014 high school seniors.  Just fill out the information HERE and we will send you all the information about the benefits of our Spokesmodel program.  We will just have a few Spokesmodels per school so apply soon!

Hard to believe we’re talking about Valentine’s Day when it’s not even Christmas yet, but it’s just around the corner!  This January we will offer our 4th annual Vintage Valentine mini-sessions, and we’re more excited about this year’s stylings than ever!  If you’re at all familiar with any of our previous Valentine events, we will still have our lovely pinks, browns, and neutral angel wings and tutus available, but this year our new look starts with these gorgeous, vintage blue angel wings.  Our talented friend of Wrapped in Clover custom made tutus and dresses with interchangeable belts and flowers that are in a word, exquisite.  This post is just a sneak peek of some of the details of our new wardrobe to whet your appetite; the actual promotional images and information will be posted closer to the new year.  We did, however, want to give you all the opportunity to mark your calendars, as the event will take place January 17-19 and will sell out quickly.  Can’t wait!!

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.

Finally!  Some images from Holli’s downtown session.

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!