Our little star is turning one...

This weekend my niece turns one year old. She is the squishiest, softest, sweetest, most adorable thing...pretty much ever. This past Saturday, we all gathered to celebrate the first year of her life and children and adults alike had a great time. The party was held at this awesome little place called My Gym in Eastlake; it's basically a gym for children, with lots of cool toys and activities (ie trampolines, a ball pit, rock-climbing wall, games, gymnastics, and more)! I heard a few adults wishing out loud that they had a gym like that for adults! lol

Anyway, I'm so excited to watch my niece grow. She has already changed so much and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for her! She is just a little ball of light - making her name so very fitting.

Ok, so let's get to the fun! I, of course, took a ton of pictures but I'll just share ahem...a few here.

My brother made this amazing dragon cover for the swing. He's a regular Martha Martin Stewart! lol

Two cakes - one strawberry lemon made my brother (which was very yum). And the other, passion fruit mousse, courtesy of a family favorite, Hans & Harry's. We use them a bunch - even used them for our wedding! This is the sun from Ni Hao Kai-lan (party's theme)...

Thomas and Cynthia, congrats on surviving the first year! I know it is a bittersweet time as your baby grows into toddlerhood, but I promise there is so much more fun around the corner (especially now that she is mobile!). I love all three of you so much!

It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown...

With Halloween just around the corner, and noticing that most of my friends had already started posting pictures of their wee ones at the pumpkin patch last week, I figured it was high time for me to get my munchkin out there. So after much pondering and research (ok...maybe 5 minutes and a random google search), we headed down to the local Pumpkin Station. There we met up with my brother and his family, and let the girls go. They had a ball - petting horses (which were really three goats and a llama), running through the cornstalk maze, and of course, picking out their pumpkins.


Feeding a "horse"...

Some of us may have been a tad hungry?

I'm actually really excited for Halloween. Looking forward to taking Beans trick-or-treating for the first time, plus she's going to be cute as all get out in her costume. You'll see...of course.

Sweet Flair...

...aka the Holiday Portrait Special!

With the summer soon coming to its close, it’s time to start thinking about your family's holiday portraits! And for the holiday season, Sweetface Photography is partnering with Photo Flair Designs to offer you a sweet deal on your holiday photo cards. Just book your photo session with Sweetface Photography between now and Thanksgiving and you're entitled to:

35 or more standard photo cards for only $0.90 each! {Regularly $1.25/ea}
or
15% off 50 or more press print cards {Regularly $1.80/ea}
and
Complimentary set of matching return address labels

This is a great deal and I can say from personal experience, that Photo Flair Designs offers both great product and customer service. I've used them for my daughter's birthday invitations two years in a row, and our family plans on using them for our holiday cards this year! You can view samples of their work here.

So don't wait a moment longer! Email me today to book your holiday session!

A *star* is born!!!

My niece has made her debut into this world! Stellina (Italian for "little star") is GORGEOUS!!! Mom and dad are both doing well.

Our family is blessed and happy...not to mention busy. So I've got to run, but I'll leave you with this sneak peek.





Of course...a ton of photos are forthcoming.

Take care!

Sneak Peek for little miss A

This past Saturday, I met up with the H family. They wanted to take some photos in celebration of little miss A recently turning 2! As a mom to an almost two-year old, I knew I was in for a *busy* shoot and A did not let me down. As soon as they put her down, she was off and running. You gotta love the excitement and wonder of a two-year old. Makes for some fantastic shots. Well...that and her amazingly blue eyes. So without further ado, here are some teasers from the session. Hope you enjoy!

And one of my faves. Talk about your water conductor! :)

I had a blast photographing you A...and your little lamb, too.

Summer fun in SD almost always involves water...

In prep for a shoot I have coming up soon, we took Beans and Geeg down to the local mall to play in the chalk garden and water spouts. It was a hot, sunny day, so it was a perfect way to not only test out the location, but also to cool off the girls and WEAR THEM OUT! ;)

Geeg was a little more hesistant to get in...but she still had a blast!

Afterward, we all had lunch in the food pavilion, where I managed to catch Beans' newest "face". I have no idea where she got this from...but she cracks me up! It is so fun being her mom.

Teasers for T&C

I'm going to be an auntie and I am beyond excited. Yesterday evening, I had the honor of photographing my "baby" brother and his girlfriend, who are equally (ok...maybe a teeeeeny bit more) excited!

Hope you like your first peek...








Back with more soon...

What is custom photography?

An article by Marianne Drenthe

The photographic art you choose to place on your wall is ultimately the result of the vision of the photographer. This vision, coupled with what you wear to your session, the environment, the lighting, even the mood the subjects are in at the time of photographing creates the work that you will want to proudly display on your walls forevermore.

Your first step in the process is more about determining who you are, who your family is and then seeking a photographer that reflects your style. For instance let’s say your family is extremely outdoorsy and loves playing on the beach. You start determining what style you like, browse through photography website portfolios and determine if any of the styles exhibited there would be a good fit with your life and family style. You have already determined that you should probably seek out a beach type photographer (that is if you live near a beach) and then begin narrowing the field down a bit.

Finally after a bit of internet research, you have narrowed it down to two photographers who do what seems like solid work, the sort of outdoor beach look you desire. It is now time to ask yourself: Do you like photographer A’s style over photographer B’s style? Is it because the people in the images of A’s style are having a great time and it seems very caught up in the moment vs. B photographer more posed, looking in the camera images? If this is a case, you probably like LIFESTYLE photography or perhaps even take it a step further and define your desired style as a PHOTOJOURNALISTIC photography style. The photographer you probably should choose is photographer A because their style is very similar to the style you desire.

What custom photography ultimately is all about is choice and experience (as in THE experience). Custom photography is about finding someone who will photograph your family, give you devoted 1:1 attention without worry of the next ‘in line’ or the feeling of a crowded portrait studio. A custom photographer will typically show you a fairly extensive gallery culled to only show the good images that meet the photographers’ creative sensibilities. Often the images are fully edited images-color corrected with blemishes and undereye circles removed. Custom photographers are also known as boutique studios, offering a range of products and unparalleled service. Think Lexus vs. Hyundai, think Nordstrom vs. WalMart.

Custom photography should have you, the client and your experience in mind.

3-Day Breast Cancer Walk - Portrait Special

Need portraits for your entire team? Look no further. Group portraits are a great way to document your amazing journey. You can use these photos to print on your team t-shirts, include on your newsletters, emails, blogs, and/or team websites, or just for your own personal use and enjoyment.

Book a session with me and receive:
On-location session at the locale of your choice Group and Individual portraits One wardrobe change permitted Complimentary 5x7 (group portrait) for each team member High-resolution CD of images

Only $60 for the entire team!

(For groups up to 5. please inquire about pricing for groups of 6 or more)

Call or email me to book your session today!

Book a team portrait session by June 30, 2008 and I'll donate 10% to your team's fund raising effort!

Twas another hot weekend...

...and all through the house, none of us creatures felt like stirring, cause it was just too danged hot. But we managed to pick ourselves up and do a little something. The family gathered all our buckets and shovels, put on our bathing suits and sunblock, and made our way down to the beach to enjoy the Pacific. Of course - leave it to me to leave my camera in the car. Grr. Still, it was the little one's first real beach excursion and she had a blast.

Afterward we came back home, cleaned ourselves up (sand EVERYWHERE!!!), and got ready to go out to a nice dinner at Red Lobster. While daddy was getting ready, baby and I took advantage of the great sunlight and had an impromptu photo shoot. Here are some pics from that...

One hot weekend...

Let's face it...San Diego is probably the ideal spot in terms of weather. It is almost always nice and comfortable, and my eastcoast family frequently comments that they should move out here, because, where else can you wear shorts in winter? This past weekend was just another testament to the fantastic weather. It was actually quite warm...but not unbearable.



Saturday, the husband, the daughter, and I ended up spending a lazy afternoon down at Seaport Village. We walked around, gazed across the bay, listened to some local talent, ate a nice lunch, and enjoyed some great gelato (from Mondo Gelato...which, if you go, I suggest the Bacio and Peanut Butter...yum!). Here are some photos from the day...


























Sunday, my brother, his girlfriend, and her niece all came over and we spent time at the park playing with water guns. Beans didn't really get the concept, but she had a blast chasing after everyone and getting sprayed with the water. Apparently...that wasn't enough for the little ones, so we ended up in our pool for more H20 fun. Beans and Gigi had a great time...and (thankfully) were both pooped and ready to hit the hay by the time they were done eating dinner.













What happens when you bring a gun expert to a watergun fight... hahahaha







All in all...I'd say it was a great weekend. I got to practice with my new nifty fifty, spend time with my family, and eat gelato. Life doesn't get much better than this. :)