I had the loveliest time photographing this fun family/engagement shoot. What made it all the more fun was that I had just had my own engagement session and was about to get married – so I was in that mode!  Now that my own wedding is done, I had a blast editing the photos for this lovely couple and their two children – one of each!  There is something wonderful about blended families and this was such a seamless blend – they kids seemed as if they’d known each other all of their lives and everyone got along swimmingly!  You would never even know that it was super windy and FREEZING cold! They were down visiting for another wedding and wanted some photos taken at the beach. I guess wedding season is ramping right up!  Enjoy your sneak peek guys – I loved how your images turned out!

I was so excited to meet this lovely family for our session. Sara contacted me over Facebook and I felt like we connected right away! She had some awesome and touching ideas, including bringing along a balloon to represent their daughter Allison who was born stillborn a year ago this July.  It was a beautiful sentiment and came across very beautifully in a visual sense as well.  And the love between Sara, Andrew and Maddie was so apparent to me, and so very easy to capture!  I can’t wait to photograph this amazing family again some day!  Enjoy your sneak peek and your gallery that will be released today!

This fun family was not only super photogenic – but they had me rolling with laughter from almost the very beginning of our session through the very end!  And I love it when a family is up for anything. Usually I have to keep suggesting poses or other combinations I want to try, but not with this group – they had lots of their own ideas and everyone was willing to keep going until the sun went down!  No one seemed the least bit unhappy to have to be there having their portraits taken!  It was a fun and refreshing session for me, in spite of the windy weather and the crowds on the beach! I’d be thrilled to photograph this family any time! Enjoy your sneak peek “H” family!

Memorial day weekend was a fabulous time for a wedding. But I never would have guessed it would be my coldest outdoor session of the year so far! It was so cold and windy down by the Huntington Beach Pier!  But this adorable family smiled the gloom away and we were able to get some beautiful photographs to commemorate the wedding between Cody, Karlee and of course the beautiful little Sailor, who was quite the trooper in spite of the wind and cold.  They came all the way from Wyoming to tie the knot here in sunny Southern California.  Enjoy your photos guys!

I had a delightful time taking portraits for Janice – for the occasion of her new book that will soon be published!  This is the fourth author I have done head shots for, and I will be doing another next month!  Is that a new niche for me? Given that I love to read so much, I hope so!  Janice was a police officer prior to her stint as an author, and wanted to have a few shots with her badge as well…by the way – those badges are really heavy!  If you would like to know more about her books, here goes:

Accused – available now!
Abducted- coming this summer!
Tyndale House Publishers

Also available at major on-line retailers The Brinna’s Heart Series
The Kevlar Heart
A Heart of Justice

It was with utmost pleasure that I had the opportunity to photograph Brutus, who belongs to a very good friend all the way back from high school days!  One session actually became many, as Brutus came along to visits at the house, and several visits to the beach with my kids in tow… My kids just love Brutus – they are always so excited when he comes along when Brandy and Jim come to visit.  He’s so wonderful and patient with the kids – he even lets Audrey sit on his back and ride him like a horse!  These photographs are from our first session at the dog beach, in Huntington Beach, Orange County.  We’ll have to show more from our “later sessions” sometime down the line.   Brandy’s Christmas gift from me was some framed portraits to hang on the wall in her brand new house, so this isn’t exactly a sneak peak – more of an opportunity to share her adorable puppy with friends who aren’t close enough to visit the awesome new place!  Enjoy the photos of Brutus – they always make me smile to see them – and the kids do too!

Was super excited to see the “V” family again this year as not only were they super gorgeous to photograph the last time around (I mean, can you believe those gorgeous eyes?), but they also had a new little addition for me to meet! And while I didn’t think it would be possible, he was every bit as charming and adorable as his sister.  And speaking of which, that girl has one big sense of adventure!  She wanted to run right out into the ocean, in spite of the chilly temperatures and stiff wind we all braved at the Huntington Beach Pier that day. Since neither of the kids were thrilled about sitting still for lots of formal poses, we got a lot of candids…which is really just the way I like it anyways!  Can’t wait to see this beautiful family again!  Enjoy your sneak peek, Kim!

After finishing studio portraits in their Huntington Beach  home (see previous post), we decided to venture out to the beach for some more casual, relaxed portraits.  But our usual sunny August weather was quickly disappearing as a huge & ominous cloud bank came rolling in from the South. We headed North away from Huntington Beach toward Seal Beach and stopped at such a lovely new location just beyond the Seal Beach Pier at River’s End.  I loved the little pile of sand dunes with tufts of sea grass growing on them – it gave it a real Eastern seaboard feel… And we certainly had some dramatic skies to work with – we barely beat out the monstrously dark cloud bank in time to get a few priceless shots (I’ve included a shot of that at the bottom of the post, as it was quite impressive).  The older two Lhasa Apso dogs came with us to complete the family portraits.  They were quite darling additions!  Enjoy your sneak peek! Gallery will be up today as well!

I was so delighted when a client from one of my favorite sessions from last year called me up to have portraits taken again this year. Last year it was with her niece and nephew – this year with her husband and four adorable Lhaso Apso dogs!  All of them were totally adorable, and apparently very used to having their portraits taken by their “parents” – except for the new black puppies – this was all new to them!  Sitting still for pictures wasn’t highest on their priority list, but their older (white) role models set great examples for them (they were so very well behaved!) and we were able to snag a few shots of all of them together! We started out setting the studio up in their home to get some more formal shots of all of them together, as well as a few head shots… then we ventured out to the beach for some more casual & fun pics – those will be in the next “sneak peek!”  For now, enjoy these studio shots taken in their home.

So, I think this family wins the award for being the best sports ever! They traveled here from out of state to enjoy a fun family vacation, and ended up being sick for most of the week. After rescheduling twice due to fevers, vomiting, and various other ailments we were able to get together on what was possibly the coldest and windiest night of the year at the Huntington Beach Pier. Even I was freezing in my jacket! And the wind was just crazy! But in spite of everything, we still managed to garner a few smiles and happy moments! Enjoy your images “C” family- they were well earned!