Olivia at home...

You may remember this beautiful family from their maternity/family session just two weeks ago.  Well, Karina had baby Olivia last Sunday and yesterday I got to spend the morning photographing this new, lovely family of 4.  Olivia is just as beautiful as big sister Sienna and also just as sweet.  So instead of my usual long-winded ramblings, I'm going to just jump right in and show you just how beautiful this entire family is.

Sweet feet

Miss Olivia

Karina, Sienna, and Olivia share a moment.

And of course, Doug and all of his girls :)

And finally...one of my new favorite portraits ever!

Karina and Doug, thank you for welcoming me into your home (which I LOVE by the way) and  letting me capture such a special time in your lives.  Congratulations to you both, and to big sister Sienna.  

Twinlove! Meet Aven and Easton...

This morning was a very special morning for me.  Today I got to {finally} meet and photograph Aven and Easton - the beautiful twin babies of Allison and Marc.  Aven and Easton were due June 9, but decided to prove that they were running the show and made their debut on April 28.  Mathematicians know that that means these little tikes were preemies, which could have meant a whole bunch of trouble for their health and doctors anticipated a long hospital stay.  But once again, they had to remind us who was in charge!  These two have such fighting spirits - they were released from the hospital waaay ahead of schedule and are both so healthy and strong.  They certainly have the lungs and the appetites to prove it ;)

Soooo...I know you all could care less about what I have to SAY.  It's all about the photos right?!  So let's just get to it...

20 fingers and 20 toes!

The handsome Easton.  Hint: take a real close look at that glove ;)

I have a feeling these beautiful blue eyes are gonna get him in trouble with the ladies someday!

And let's not leave out the little beauty - Miss Aven.

Some more twinlove!  I love this one because I think it looks like Easton's telling Aven that everything's going to be OK.  :)

Allison and Marc, thank you for inviting me into your lovely home and allowing me the honor of photographing Aven and Easton.

Baby on board...

Today I had the chance to meet and photograph yet another awesome family.  Karina and Doug have an amazingly adorable two-year old named Sienna, and are expecting a new little girl...in about a week!  She was on the fence about getting maternity shots done, but I'm so glad she jumped right on in because she has such a beautiful (in every sense of the word) family.  Karina also happens to be an amazing artist - you can check out her amazingness here. 

Well what are we waiting for?  Let's get to those sneak peeks!

The beautiful mommy herself.

The adorable miss Sienna.  Doesn't she look like a doll?

 

Doug and Karina - working it! 

Karina, you make pregnancy look easy and nothing short of beautiful.  I had such a great time with you Doug, and Sienna today, and I cannot wait to meet your little girl on the way.

Lucky...

Vanessa and I go way, way back.  Good ol' CP alum - we went to the same high school, graduating only a year apart.  I bet if I told her then that she would marry the man of her dreams just two years after I graduated, she would have laughed that big, happy, infectious laugh of hers and told me I was silly.  But that very thing happened.  10 years ago Vanessa and Jair married in Heritage Park, and to celebrate such a wonderful event, we went back to the exact spot where they exchanged "I do"s.  Can you get any more romantic than that?  Well...Jair can, but more about that later.  If I could sum this couple up in three words?  Fun, affectionate, and loving.  It is very clear in the way they interact, both verbally and physically, that they are still in love all these years later.

Ok, enough chatter.  Let's get to the goods.  Here's your sneak peeks...

I love that they decided to go for a vintage, victorian-esque look, and I'm finding that the black and whites are really working.  See for yourself...

Can you say gorgeous?

Vanessa - I titled this post "lucky" because at one point when I was photographing you, Jair whispered in my ear that he was so very lucky to be married to you.  See...I told you he could up the romantic anty.  ;)

Jair and Vanessa...I hope you both enjoy your sneak peeks, and here's to another 100 years.

Introducing our 2009 Sweet Face Contest Winner!

Some of you may remember this contest I announced a couple of months ago, in order to celebrate the launch of our website.  Well, yesterday I got to shoot the winner of that contest, two (almost three) year old Hayden.  He and his momma made the drive all the way from Long Beach for our session; unfortunately, getting a little lost along the way, but that proved to be a blessing in disguise.  See, when I showed up to our meet spot, the May grays were in full force.  But by the time they got there, the sun had just started shining through the clouds.  I like to think it was waiting for Hayden, to make sure we could get great shots of this adorable little guy!

Sonya, thank you again for making the long trip down for our session.  It was such a pleasure to meet both of you.  Hope you enjoy your sneak peeks!

Before we get to Mr. Hayden and the rest of the sneak peeks, I just want to say to Sonya, "I TOLD YOU SO"! ;)  Momma thought we could photograph Hayden without her getting wet.  Ha!  By the way, is she not freaking gorgeous?

Proof that mr. handsome can hang with the real models!

Umm yeah - do I or do I not get to shoot the most adorable kids?  If this ain't a sweet face, I don't know what is.

Erin, Jesse, Norah, and Peter Rabbit

Yesterday afternoon, the weather was beautiful - sun shining, temperature nice and warm.  Yesterday evening, the skies decided to stick their tongue out at me, crank the cold wind up and hid the sun behind a mass of clouds.  Still, I met up with yet another gorgeous family and we decided to ride it out and see what we could make of the session.  Erin and Jesse are parents to Norah and have a little boy on the way, who they've taken to calling Peter Rabbit.  :)  Can I just say I am SO glad that we decided to go for it?!  Immediately after each session, I always do an initial run through and make a list of the photos I know I want to use.  Going through their images I was stoked - by the time I finished the initial list, I had more than double the amount I normally have.  TONS of great images to use...but then it helps a lot when you have a family as beautiful as this one.

Here are your sneak peeks!

They say a photo is worth a thousand words.  But sometimes all you really need is one, and this one, I'd have to say, screams "joy".

I just love how Jesse is looking at Erin in this one.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking.  I get the most beautiful clients, don't I?  Take a look at Erin working.  it.  out!!!

Erin, Jesse, and Norah - I had a great time photographing your growing family yesterday.  Even had fun helping miss Norah find seahorses, seashells, rollie pollies, and ants!  Looking forward to meeting your "Peter Rabbit" this summer!

Happy Mother's Day!

Well today is Mother's Day - a day we set aside just to celebrate and honor our mothers.  If you've been reading the blog this past week, you know I've sort of been honoring a little every day over the last week or so.  I know it's been said that the day has become too commercialized and that may be true for some.  But I've always felt that no matter what the big greeting card companies and florists may be thinking on their end ($$$), what really only matters is what you're doing on your end.  This and every holiday is about what YOU make it, and for me, today is specifically about my mommabear.  

Today we'll be going to mom's church and then going to out for a family dinner.  Maybe even going out to catch the new Star Trek movie.  Hopefully all of you get the chance to spend time with or at least talk to and tell your mom's how much you love and appreciate them today.  

As I look back on my life
I find myself wondering...
Did I remember to thank you
for all that you have done for me? 
For all of the times you were by my side
to help me celebrate my successes
and accept my defeats? 
Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
good judgement, courage, and honesty? 
I wonder if I've ever thanked you
for the simple things...
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared? 
If I have forgotten to express my gratitude
For any of these things,
I am thanking you now...
and I am hoping that you've known all along,
how very much you are loved and appreciated. 
Author Unknown 

And to close, A Song For Mama for my mom and all of my friends and readers who are moms.  Happy Mother's Day!

A Song For Mama @ Yahoo! Video

Why not a mini for mom and dad?

Both Mother's day (May 10) and Father's day (June 21) are fast approaching. If you're still at a loss for what to give the 'rents, consider giving them the gift of portraits! Limited-availability mini-sessions will be offered on Saturday, May 2, starting at 4:00pm at one of our beautiful beaches.

Aside from making a great gift for mom and dad, a mini-session is the thing for you if you've had or recently had a session with Sweetface Photography but would like new images for the season or to mark a milestone, but not wanting to schedule a full session. Or maybe you've been meaning to try a Sweetface Photography but just haven't gotten around to it. Or maybe you're a friend of a client who's photos you've seen and want a taste of what I have to offer! Or maybe you just want a few gorgeous images of your kiddos. Whatever the case, our mini-sessions wont compare to the full session experience, but they are PERFECT for a little sample of what I have to offer.

Each mini-session costs just $75 and includes:

Approximately 30 minute session (please inquire about pricing for groups larger than four)
10-15 images in a private online gallery
Complementary 8x10 print and 10% off your order
A CD with 3 low-resolution watermarked images for sharing via email, facebook, et al.


If you are interested in booking a mini-session, just send me an e-mail.

If you prefer the luxury of a full custom session, my calendar is filling up fast! Shoot me an email and we'll get you in...one way or another!

It's that time...

~ VOTING CLOSED ~

Sorry I'm late getting to this, but you can blame Cox Cable for this one. As many know, we moved this past weekend. Our internet/phone/cable was supposed to be set up on Saturday, but apparently they didn't turn it on. Sunday we called it quits a little early because we were all beat; it was then we realized our services hadn't been activated. So hubby called them and after making him run up and down the stairs to test all the jacks in every room, they still couldn't fix it. They couldn't get a tech out to us until yesterday, frustrating me even further. Oh well - I'm just glad they were finally able to get us up and running.

So all that said, let's just put it in the past and look to future. There are more important things to think about - like who is going to win our Sweet Faces contest. We got lots of adorable entrants - so cute they all are, I'm just glad that I'm not the one who has to decide who the winner is. Voting starts now and since we were delayed in getting this up, the final voting day is now moved to Sunday, April 5.

So here's how it works - in the comment section, post the number of the photo you'd like to vote for. Remember, only ONE vote per household, per day. Make sure you tell your family and friends so they can get in on the voting, too! Please note that in an effort to maintain fairness, no 'anonymous' votes will be counted.

So without further ado, I give you your Sweet Faces contestants...

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2


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5


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7


8


9


Good luck to all the contestants and happy voting!!!