Keeping Me on My Toes

Should I ever get too complacent, too comfortable with my work and the way my sessions tend to go, I need only schedule a session with a toddler to shake me up and remind me that things don't always go as we expect.

This little man was A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E, but he wanted nothing to do with getting his picture taken. He would be his sweet little self, and then as soon as my camera appeared he was off like a rocket. Or he was wriggling out of his mother's arms. Or he was scrambling out of the frame any which way he could.

Take a picture with his sister? No way.

A quick shot with mom and dad? Uh uh.

How about sitting still for half a second by himself? No thank you.

Like I said, he was a darling little guy (all the more reason to want to capture his sweetness in a photo or two). He just chose to spend our time together being a VERY TYPICAL TODDLER. And really, who would expect anything else?



He did like hanging with his dad for a bit. I love seeing their profiles together like this:



His sister was gorgeous (just like her mom), but she, too, kept me hopping. All sweetness and smiles, but as soon as she heard one shutter click, she was up and outta there.



She was out of this chair .001 of a second after I captured this. :)



And there's no posing to this one. It's simply someone truly in deep thought.



We tried hard for a family shot, and here's one we did get. I may actually have a couple of others once all is said and done.



Thanks, Z family, for a lively session. I know that we adults ended up pretty tired out, but I hope it was worth it for you in the end.

Hard to Believe It's November

Prior to this session, I was freezing my jobble-obble off at an event in town and thinking that it was going to be downright FRIGID at the beach. I even called my friend/client and recommended moving the session to another day. But that wasn't an option schedule-wise, so we went for it.

And it was downright gorgeous out there.

The setting was summer-beautiful, and we all got warm running around on the beach. It was hard to believe that it's almost Thanksgiving.









Oh, and I just remembered my promise to spotlight the gun show:



Again I say: November??!?

Early Thanksgiving

I spoke with an accountant friend the other day and compared this stretch between mid-October and early December to her life between March 1 and April 15. It's the busiest of seasons in the world of family photography.

I am very grateful to be booked up this season, don't get me wrong, but I also confess to feeling a little overwhelmed at points (especially when I look around my mess of a house and see what has fallen through the cracks while I've been 110% focused on the business). So I've tried really hard in the last couple of weeks to stop, take a breath, and remember all of the things that make me thankful.

One of those things, and I've blogged about it before, is my boys' love of creative projects. Once school started in the fall, they basically forgot about the Wii and dove into stretching their little brains through a million different self-directed activities. The house often gets destroyed (earlier this week, there were craft feathers in every nook and cranny of the downstairs), but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

They often use the time to expand on something they've recently done in school. Yesterday, Noah came home and created -- from scratch and completely out of his own vision -- a Thanksgiving scene, complete with table, food, Pilgrim, Native American and teepee.





He even fashioned a way to make it all stand up on its own (hint: there are popsicle sticks involved). I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that we may have a future architect or engineer on our hands.

So that's what I'm thankful for today. I hope that all of my family and friends and anyone who stops to read this little blog (thanks!) has much to be thankful for as well.

Alright. Time for reflecting is over. Back to the photo editing...

Pure Joy

When it comes to pure, unadulterated joy, there is nothing like hanging out with little kids.

And the kids I got to hang with yesterday?

JoyFUL.

At times they seemed to be bursting with it.

Their smiles were contagious and their laughter was so sweet. It was so much fun to catch up with these guys and spend some time playing on the grass, in the leaves and at the playground.





Mom was smart and tossed some bubbles in her bag. Miss E's expressions epitomize wonder, excitement and fascination, don't you think?







And this last one is special to me, because it was the first time I used this little prop that my dad very thoughtfully purchased for me not long ago. Doesn't she make great use of it?



That's it for now. It was a busy weekend, and I'm pooped. :)

Grungy Fun

A good friend of mine asked if I'd photograph her family in a less traditional environment this holiday season.

You see, this particular friend grew up in these parts. In addition, she's been diligent about getting a family photo in every year. As a result, she's pretty much been there, done that with regard to nearby photo locations.

I'm really glad she went for the non-traditional thing this time around, as I really like what we captured. Here are a few favorites from our mini session...





And I really, really like this one. Just so different.

Such a Big Boy Now

Back in April, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting M and taking her maternity photos. It was so much fun, and I left her place looking forward to hearing about her baby's birth in about six weeks.

I got a call two days later.

Our mutual friend called to tell me that unlike us, Baby T didn't have plans to wait around for his due date and was born that Easter weekend. After a moment of panic (did our session cause her to go into early labor??) and asking our friend if all was okay (it was), I asked the friend to keep me posted.

I got several reports during the next few weeks, telling me that T was a doll and was SUCH a sweet baby. In June, I got to see for myself.

Yesterday, I got to see what a big boy he's become since then. Despite his early entry into the world, he continues to thrive and remains a complete joy to be around. I think the only time he fussed at all was when I was holding him and turned in such a way that the sun got in his eyes. And by "fussed," I mean "squinted." :)

Without further adieu, here's Mr. T and his fabulous parents now:











And I just love how babies his age use ALL their senses to check something out. Even the big blue sky.



Until next time, guys!

Lovely Times Two

First, a little background on yesterday's session:

I've known J for several years now. She used to be a part of our bunco group, before she had kids of her own.

Given that 99.9% of our conversations on any bunco night revolve around our kids, birthing our kids, recovering from the birth of our kids, the cute little thing our kids did recently, how much we need a break from our kids, what's going on at our kids' schools, what we think the size of our kids' poop says about our kids (okay, so I'm not sure we ever did talk about that last one, but we probably discussed something like it)... well, I sometimes wondered if J occasionally got bored out of her mind or was storing up all of the graphic details and would emerge from the bunco experience a Super Awesome Mom, armed with knowledge of all the things no one told the rest of us before we became mommies.

Well, after spending time with J, her husband and her two adorable daughters yesterday, I realized that she really is a Super Awesome Mom.

Does it have anything to do with the extensive education we provided her?

I have no idea.

Probably not.

She seems like the kind of mom to whom it all comes naturally.

Anyway, here's the preview. And the two little beauties came with not one but two awesome outfits, making for some nice variety. This will be a fun gallery to put together.











And finally, a shot of the girls with their grandpa in his "car under construction."

Goofin' Around in the Backyard

When it comes to these guys, I can't help but go a slightly different route with my preview.

Yes, we got some sweet, traditional (posed) photos of these beautiful sibs... but don't you just love the dynamic among these three when they're just goofing around?











We even made them into bobbleheads. FUN.

Girls' Weekend

My guys went north this weekend to catch the Stanford football game in person (51-42, baby!!), and the girly and I were left on our own. She had big plans for our "girls' weekend."

I have had about a million things to do, but this is not a girl to go off and entertain herself. Beginning at 6:00 a.m., it was NON.STOP.CHATTER.



We made pancakes, we cleaned up the pancakes, we watched a cartoon, we tickled each other (a LOT), and then she told me what I should wear and how we should sit on the couch.



Where in the world did I get this girl??

Golden Hills

The hills around here seem to be covered with two things: cows and grapevines.

While my kids are thrilled with the big beasts who meander right up to the fencelines around our neighborhood and gaze out at us from under heavy lids, I prefer to take in the vines as we drive in and out (and in and out, and in and out).

The leaves on the vines are starting to turn golden and soon they'll all be gone. Fortunately, I got to take in the sight up close with some good friends yesterday afternoon.











By this time next week, or very soon after, things will look entirely different. And since the bare vines aren't nearly as interesting to me, I'll have to join my kids and stare at the cows.

Goodbye, Kelley and Map

Last night, we had to say goodbye to our beloved family babysitter, Kelley, and her husband, Matt (or Map, as we all call him in acknowledgement of Foxy's original mispronounciation).



Kelley and Matt have been a part of our family for a few years now, ever since Kelley was Noah's Special Buddy at the Cal Poly preschool lab. The two of them had a special bond, and she quickly became our regular sitter and a huge part of our kids' lives. Matt often dropped off Kelley's dinner while she was babysitting, and before long he was a part of the mix as well.

This summer, Kelley and Matt cemented their place as part of our family when they had the kids play a role in their beautiful wedding. (I'd add an image of the spiffed up group on the day of the wedding, but I've had some technical issues this week, and those photos aren't easy to grab at the moment.)

Anyway, Matt is a pilot and he recently got a job down in San Diego, so he and Kelley are packing up and moving out today. Matt's family is local, and they have lots of ties to the San Luis area, so they promise us that they'll be back to visit soon.

We will certainly miss them in the meantime. Good luck, guys!





***ETA: Alright, so in an effort to procrastinate and avoid dealing with the aforementioned technology issues, I dug up a few snapshots from the wedding. Not the greatest images by any stretch, but it's fun to look back at that day of celebration.





Don't they look proud to be a part of it all?



Oh, okay. Twist my arm. Here are a few more.









That's it. I've got to get back to my real work now...