t may be the dead of winter, but I am dreaming of Spring, which is also the time of year when I offer my mother and child sessions.  These are my favorite sessions to offer because I personally know how hard it is to get out from behind our cameras and get IN those photos with our children.  It is so important that you take the time to get in the frame with your children;  it is something you will never regret doing and years from now, you and your children will be thankful to have these photos.  My approach to the session is geared toward capturing mom with her children in a natural and organic way; so, moms don't worry about whether or not your child will be cooperative. I am going to capture you being a mom and doing what you do best, nurturing and loving your child, no matter what his/her mood is.  So, expect to cuddle and hug those kids..a lot!  No matter how many times I photograph moms and their children, I am always moved by their love and bond. 

I am always honored when clients hire me to photograph their newborns. There is no time in life that is quite as precious as those first few days home with a baby. It is even more of a privilege  when I am asked to photograph my clients in their own homes. Lifestyle newborn sessions are the best way to ensure that the photos of your baby are unique, personal, and authentic. There is something about the way families interact with one another in the comfort of their own home that allows me to capture the emotions of that special time.

My first newborn session of 2018 was with this sweet baby boy, who was born just a few days after the New Year and promptly on his due date.  Baby P was wide awake for most of his session, which is always fine with me. I love images in which baby is awake and alert. Because my approach to studio baby photography is a soft and natural look, it is not a problem if the infant is awake; in fact, I tend to prefer those alert images because they always seem more authentic to me. 

Now that the busy Fall season has come and gone, I can finally catch up on my blogging.  I photographed so many beautiful children and families this season and had so much fun getting to know the families and photographing them. I also wanted to finally share a few photos from a few recent Fall family sessions and provide some insight into family photography for those who are considering booking Spring or Summer family lifestyle portraits.  

My last session of 2017 was a newborn session that took place right here in my Long Beach studio.  It was a brutally cold day on the day of Miss K's session, but thankfully my newly installed radiant heating system really helps to keep the newborns cozy and comfortable during the session.  It is so important that babies feel comfortable during a session and I use a variety of methods to ensure their comfort such as white noise, rocking, swaddling, and various other techniques.  The length of a studio session varies based on how well the baby falls asleep and how she transitions between poses.

he holidays have come and gone and although we are in the dead of winter,  Communion season is almost here and now is the time to book your photographer.   Communion Mini Sessions are the perfect way to document this milestone in your child's life.  A mini session can be scheduled anytime before the actual communion date.  Taking those photos before the communion day ensures that you capture beautiful portraits of your child in a natural and relaxed way, without the stress of rushing around on the day of the ceremony.

I am excited to announce my winter limited edition indoor sessions. Although it is freezing outside, my winter session has the look and feel of a Spring day.  This is not a standard mini session, but rather a special and limited session that I will offer on select days this winter.  The set is a gorgeous glowing white set with a beautiful canopy tent adorned with pretty cherry blossoms and floral vines. When I originally came up with this idea for the set, I had the idea of offering it as an opportunity for moms to get pictures of themselves with their children and offering it only as a  mommy and me session; however, once I built the set, I realized this would work for a mini birthday session, a six month sitter session, Valentine's Day photos, or even for beautiful and natural maternity photos. Like most of my studio work, the set has a very natural, classic, and simple look, which will allow me to create timeless images that capture your relationship with your children and your natural beauty. 

Now that the rush of the holiday season is over, I can catch up on my personal photography projects, which includes documenting my children. My approach to my own family photography is a lifestyle and documentary approach.  This is my favorite way to photograph a family, as it will capture the most personal and authentic images. I love capturing little moments and details that seem so mundane, but I know years from now will be priceless. 

Even though I love working with newborns and toddlers, a huge part of me is still connected to my career as a high school teacher and I truly miss working with my students; so, whenever I work with teens, I feel like I get a small part of that life back. Plus, I love that you can really get creative with these types of sessions and customize them to match the client's personality.  

Equestrian Portrait Session

This recent Fall family session was so special to photograph for a multitude of reasons.  One reason is because Alison is a former colleague of mine from my teaching days.  It is always a thrill and an honor to be able to spend time with my beloved colleagues, many of whom I worked with for over a decade, and document their family memories for them.  Secondly, this was Alison's first family portrait session with her beautiful two month old daughter. 

When I launched the newborn segment of my business two years ago, I gravitated towards the lifestyle genre of photography. I wanted to make the process of newborn images stress free for my clients.  My goal was to capture images for them that preserve all of those emotions that come along with bringing a baby home.   

5 Reasons why you should book an in home newborn session 

t is no secret that I am a Summer girl, but I also truly love the Fall. One of my favorite Fall traditions is our annual outing to the farms out east.  We try to get out there twice in the Fall, once for apple picking and once for pumpkin picking. These outings are especially important during this time of year because it allows me to have uninterrupted time with my girls during the rush of my peak holiday season.  

I spent a gorgeous September afternoon at the park with mom, her twin sister, and the absolutely gorgeous birthday girl, Miss V.    Mom had selected the most adorable outfits for Miss V, including a gorgeous bohemian style pineapple print dress.  She also brought along a beautiful birthday banner that coordinated with the dress.  The birthday girl was a pleasure to photograph and never cried...not even after two full outfit changes!  My favorite part of the session was when we took her cake smash photos.  Miss V loved the cake and had so much fun with it.  

Clean Look for Classic Mom and Baby Portraits

Because my goal is to focus on the simple beauty of the newborn baby, as well as the love between family and child, it just makes sense to utilize a neutral color palette.  These colors utilized for the background of the newborn sessions' all me to place an emphasis on that beautiful simplicity of those first few moments with baby.  The scheme also enhances that gorgeous maternal glow that every new mom seems to radiate.  These recent images taken in the studio show exactly why I love the neutral palette so much. 

Introducing the Simple Family Newborn Session! This session is perfect for all of those moms who want the in home look of newborn photos, but prefer to schedule their session in a studio. The second type of studio session is the Simple Family Newborn Session.

So now, Mom can escape and relax in the comfort of my beautiful studio space while I photograph her and her family interacting with baby. 

Brace yourself because you are about to see some images of a mother and daughter who are strikingly gorgeous. Now, I know that you might be thinking that it is not quite fair for one family to possess this much beauty in their gene pool, but they are also amongst the most  kind hearted souls I know. 

I recently photographed a gorgeous couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary.  From the moment I started the session, it was so abundantly evident to me that they were still very much in love and it completely moved me; like I said, I am a sap.  I hope when I am married for fifty years, my husband and I radiate that same love and affection for one another and I also hope that I look as amazing as they do. 

The vintage bed session is a great choice for children of all ages.  It has a classic and timeless look and features a beautiful authentic antique Jenny Lind bed, Anthropologie style bedding, and rustic holiday decor.  

As a children's holiday portrait photographer, I love to approach my sessions with the goal of capturing natural photos of children rather than stiff and posed images.    I love to capture a child's free spirited and inquisitive nature, so I knew I wanted to create a holiday mini session that would get the children involved in an activity.  One day while sitting at the beach watching my girls playing in the sand, I got the idea for a mini session involving a sand snowman that children could decorate.

There is nothing more perfect and beautiful than a newborn baby.  So, I like to keep things simple during my studio sessions and focus on that natural beauty of the newborn.  To accomplish a natural look, I photograph on neutral backgrounds and instead of forcing babies into awkward or unnatural poses, the baby is guided and positioned into poses that are natural, safe, comfortable and free of props.   If the baby does not want to be in a particular pose or position, I do not force the baby.  Ultimately, I want to create classic images of your child that will stand the test of time.