Joy's Birth Day

This was the most special session I've ever shot.


Capturing the moment when ...
a baby breathes their first breath and lets out that newborn cry
a parent sees their baby's face after 9 long months of waiting
a grandmother sees her first granddaughter arrive...


These are sacred moments.
And why I love what I do.


When Jenny first asked me to shoot the birth of her second child, Joy, I admit I was intimidated. First of all, Jenny is a very talented photog and second, um, hello, it's a birth!! But I was also very honored and grateful that she would trust me with such an intimate moment... 


Although there are a ton of images from that day, here are just a few glimpses, shared with permission from Jenny....

Joy's big brother Evan (in picture frame above) was staying with his grandparents and was coming the next day to visit his little sister for the first time....

I'll be sharing some images from their first meeting in the next post~

Sometimes it's so hard....

to get out of bed...
Especially on a Monday morning.

Lots of things to post, but so little time...up next, a very special session... can't wait to share it with you!
Happy Monday~

Enjoying Today

Read a moving, thought-provoking article today on being a parent and wanted to share it with you...


I hope it encourages and challenges you as it did me. 


Reminds me of a quote from a book I read last year - 

"Children need to be enjoyed and valued, not managed.

We often focus on the problems of life rather than on the possibilities for enjoyment and learning available to us.

When we are too busy doing things for our children,

we forget how important it is to simply be with them."

- from "Parenting from the Inside Out" (Siegel, Hartzell)

Wow, how convicting.

And because no post is complete without a picture, here is a snapshot of my youngest watching her bubbles fly away...pure joy!

Oh Family Session - Full Post

I love suspenders. I think it adds a bit of charm to babies and older men alike.


But I loved them 10,000 time more after this session.
Because...
1. They were red with polka dots.
2. His mommy paired it with a matching bow tie.


I think I actually squealed when I saw him...ladies, you know you want to.


Looking forward to shooting his one year old party, styled/coordinated by my talented friend Jane (who has a brand new website by the way!) and with many long hours put in by Evan's mommy herself. If you haven't already, hop on over to Jane's Facebook Page and click "like" to see more of her work.


Audrey and James, thanks for letting me capture your precious family of three~ 

Oh Family Session - Sneak Peek

So. Cute.

Evan, you had my heart at plaid. 

(This was literally one of the first frames I shot - what a pro!)

More to come from this beautiful family~

Imamura Family Session - Full Post

A look back at a session shot this past summer in Seattle...


Taryn and I went to the same high school (Go Islanders!) and I bumped into her randomly one day, right before we moved to California. We were both shopping for maternity clothes and both very pregnant with our second at that time.... and now, two years later, it is so awesome to reconnect with her and capture her family! Love it when that happens.
Taryn married her high school sweetheart Devin, and they have two beautiful kids who just ate up the camera with their smiles. 
Enjoy~

It started off....

...so warm and cozy inside...

but the girl still insisted on taking a walk in the rain.

This one was unsure about the whole thing.

The one thing she was sure about was holding her own umbrella.

This extended our walk for, oh, about an eternity, and resulted in a very wet Sako.

Walking in the rain is such a simple pleasure and I forgot how much I missed it!

(Now all I want to do is curl up on the couch and watch "Singing in the Rain"  - isn't Gene Kelly so charming?)

I can always count on the girls to remind me to enjoy the "little" things.

Thank you God~