Each year it breaks our hearts to tell someone that we can’t fit them in for a family portrait session in time for the holidays, so this year we decided to give an early reminder to anyone thinking about scheduling family portraits between now and holiday-time.  In other words, do it now! :-).  We are already scheduling sessions into November, but it’s definitely not too late.  Please give us a call or shoot us an email if you would like to schedule your session or your portrait design consultation (for new clients).  The best time for a family portrait is NOW.  We are so often reminded of how precious (and often short) these moments of life can be, and what better way to preserve them with beautiful, timeless portraits?

We’ve been photographing the Ferrell family long enough to know that it’s always going to be a fashion treat whenever we see them, and their last family session was no exception!  The session was also for Miss V’s 2-year portraits, so she got a special wardrobe change.  We couldn’t help but grab a few of big sis while she was changing, and those turned out to be some of our favorites from the day.  The boys were just so happy to get a chance to run around that they had no time to help James with his “light tests”, wink, wink…:-).  We are so honored to have become the Ferrell’s family photographer, and each time we’re with them we’re reminded of the most important part of what we do–the wonderful people we get to know!

We thought that as the mercury rises it would help us all cool off to see images from a much cooler time of year, when sweaters and jeans are in order! (ahhh…we can always dream…Sacramento folks, just remember how great the Fall is here when the temperature rises to 107 this weekend!!).  Just call this “throwback Tuesday!”

This session with the Zander family was the conclusion of their second Bebe Collection, this time with Miss C.  We went to one of our favorite nature locations, which I love because it looks different all throughout the year, depending on the season.  Mom (Heather) always does such a great job bringing a variety of hats and hair accessories, and even one for herself this time!  It has been such a treat watching this family grow, all the way from their first maternity session.  Did I mention that Dr. Zander is also our dentist?  Not only are we fortunate for them to share their beautiful family with us, but he also keeps mine and James’ teeth healthy! 🙂  Meet the Zander family, again:

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!

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.

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.

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!!