Downtown, family fun | san diego family photographer

I just love this family. How could I not? Take a look for yourselves...

They know how to have fun...

They can strike some fierce poses...

And my goodness are they just the most beautiful family!

Finley, two weeks old | Pacific Beach newborn photographer

Finley first made her debut on this blog about a month ago, when her parents and I got together for their maternity session. I just met her this past weekend and can already say I love everything about this little girl. She is gorgeous, sweet, calm, has awesome parents, and was totally ready to be photographed - and she's only two weeks old! Here are a few of my favorite images from the newborn session with this sweet, new family of three.

See...total stunner and not even a month old yet.

What better way to start Spring than photographing a gorgeous newborn?

A walk for the mind and the spirit!

Hi readers! I am writing you today to tell you about an upcoming event that I am participating in that is both very important and very exciting to me. It is NAMIWalks for the Mind of America, NAMI’s signature walkathon event that is being held in San Diego, CA at Balboa Park: 6th / Quince / Balboa on April 17, 2010.

I will be walking with my head up; proud to know that every step helps to further research and treatment for those suffering any one or combination of the many forms of mental illness. More specifically and personally, I'll be walking with the hope that it helps get us closer to finding the cause and hopefully one day a cure for dementia and Alzheimer's - an illness that has recently begun to tighten its grip on my grandmother.

I would like to ask you to come and walk with me or to donate to support my participation in this great event. Visit my personal walker page to sign up: http://www.nami.org/namiwalks10/SDC/sweetface. There is also a link so you can donate directly to me online. Donating online is fast and secure, and I'll get immediate notification via e-mail of your donation.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the largest education, support and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those whose lives are touched by these illnesses. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers. The NAMI organization is composed of approximately 1100 local affiliates, 50 state offices and a national office.

The goals of the NAMIWalks program are: to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the fact that the mental health system in this country needs to be improved, and to raise funds for NAMI so that they can continue their mission.

NAMI is a 501(c)3 charity and any donation you make to support my participation in this event is tax deductible. NAMI has been rated by Worth magazine as among the top 100 charities "most likely to save the world" and has been given an "A" rating by The American Institute of Philanthropy for efficient and effective use of charitable dollars.

Thank you in advance for your support.

For more information about NAMI, please visit their website at www.nami.org

The Sofia and Maya show...

As a lifestyle photographer, I have gotten used to the idea that when it comes to shooting kids, they pretty much run the show.  Because, you know, I want to capture the kids doing what they do best...being themselves.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Heather, Chuck, and their pretty-as-all-get-out twin girls, Sofia and Maya.  At just over 14 months old, they are pretty much mastering the whole walking thing.  Couple that with their natural instinct to explore, explore, explore and it easily turned this session into a laugh factory.  I'm not sure I've ever laughed so much at a photo session.  I had such a great time photographing (yet another) beautiful family, on a beautiful day, in  beautiful place.  Gosh my job is SO hard ;)   Ok...enough of me, right?!  

Let's start with the stars of the show.  Maya's on the left; Sofia, right.  Are they not like, crazy adorable?!

I love this one because of Maya's "blue steel" ;)

And this one because I think Sofia was telling me I needed to use the ol' noggin a little more.  ;)

Daddy and Maya share a moment...

Let's not forget mommy and Sofia

Heather and Chuck, it was a real pleasure to meet you and the girls yesterday.  I hope you guys enjoy your sneak peek!

Beautiful day with a beautiful family...

As you might have noticed, the blog has been revamped!  Got a nice, nifty new flash header; posts are centered and streamlined, with all the links at the top and bottom of the page; and the most important change - BIGGER PICTURES!  Thank God, because the family I'm about to tell you about is too beautiful to be squinting to try to see.  ;)  Speaking of...let's get into their sneak peeks!

Most of this week, this morning included, the term "June Gloom" seemed to be in full effect.  It seemed that, at any given moment, the clouds were on the verge of opening up and letting the rain invade our space.  But by some happy miracle, shortly before I met up with today's clients, the clouds had a change of heart and ushered in miles upon miles of golden sunshine.  It's like they knew I was going to meet another amazing family today!  Chelsea and Michael are parents to two of THE most adorable little kids I've ever laid eyes on.  Seriously - just shy of 3 is miss Ella, and I'm telling you she has a face that belongs on TV - she could sell me anything.  Handsome little Quintin has the biggest smile, a sweet demeanor, and dimples that you could camp in (I can only imagine the trouble they will get him into someday!).  It's really not that hard to believe though, given how good looking mom and dad are.  I know I say it a lot, but it's true - I get to shoot the most beautiful families!  Ok...so enough of my late-night ramblings, let's get to the pictures!

The adorable Ella and handsome pops!

The cutimous maximus mr. Q and his ridiculously pretty mama.

I should also note - her eyes are naturally that amazing!  I did nothing to them in editing.

This one of Quintin is a little soft, but I just LOVE his face in it!

I know, I know: she's flippin gorgeous!

Chelsea and Michael - it was such a pleasure to meet and photograph your family today.  I hope you both enjoy your sneak peeks!

And now I think I'll follow in Ella's footsteps and treat myself with some ice cream.  ;)

Release Me...

Song of the day: Release Me by Agnes




I haven’t actually heard this song played on any US radio stations, but it gets plenty airplay on both of my fave UK stations (Kiss 100 FM and Galaxy FM), but Release Me is one of my current loves. Her voice is just so beautiful; it’s like your ears have won the lottery. I also find the title fitting as I prepare to release the new version of the blog. I promise it will be up and running soon, and hopefully you’ll all love it as much as I do.

What else am I working on? Well…photo sessions, of course. I have been happily busy over the last couple of weeks, with some back to back sessions. Good news is more pictures and more happy clients; the bad news is, I’m a little behind in editing. But I have one last client to finish up and we’ll be back on track. Though I will admit that I could probably use some better organizational skills…any ideas or tips from the readers that help you to stay organized? Please comment below.

I have two more sessions coming up this weekend (yay!), then taking a break and spending father’s day weekend in Las Vegas! I’m so excited to spend the weekend away with my hubby and some good friends in one of my favorite places on Earth. Can’t wait to turn my camera loose in the neon-lit dessert, and am planning on blogging about the debauchery trip when I get back.

Back to photography – I have room for one more session this month and I’m happy to say I’ve already even started booking into August. So if you or anyone you know is thinking about getting some portraits done, shoot me an email so we can get you booked! What are you waiting for...email me already :)

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.  

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.

One day 'til Mother's Day...

...but I did it again; got too busy to update yesterday so I'll be listing both yesterday's and today's versions of "why I love my mom".  So without further ado...

Two reasons I love my mom...

*I love how smart my mom is.  She always seem to know the answer.  Even if she doesn't, she works and does the research to find out what the answer is.

*I love my mom because of her faith.  Her faith in God; her faith in her family; her faith in people in general.   Most importantly, her faith in herself.

One last reason why I love my mom...

* I love my mom because she loves me.  I know, you're probably thinking well, she's your mom she HAS to love you.  But the fact of the matter is - no, she doesn't HAVE to love me.  There are women out there who are, in fact, disconnected from their children; who leave their kids behind, or stick around because they think they have to but resent and take it out on those kids, or even worse.  That's not my mom - my mom loves me, my brothers, my husband, and my daughter.  She is and always has been very present in our lives - affectionate, caring, and supportive.  She has been there through it all - making the bad good, and the good better.  And I am immeasurably grateful for her.

love you so much mom.

final mother's day post tomorrow - not just for my mom, but for all my mom friends.  until then...

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