Wonder Twins

Here are a few highlights from Friday's session with the adorable L&L, 8-week-old twins who were sweet as can be.

I should also note that these little sweethearts have perhaps the most flawless skin I have ever seen. I often hear from new parents that they want to have their newborn photographed but are concerned because of baby blemishes or self-inflicted scratch marks from those itty-bitty-but-super-sharp fingernails. I am always quick to point out that these things are very, very common and can be easily edited out. No need to have that talk this time, though. These two were amazing!













While both babies obliged with quick naps that afforded great posing opportunities, they decided that is was definitely NOT COOL to sleep at the same time. Ah, well -- we managed a few shots of them together and awake. This one makes me think of those Saturday morning cartoons, and the refrain, "Wonder Twin powers, activate!"





C, I look forward to sharing your entire gallery with you soon. Thanks again for the opportunity to photograph your little angels. :)

Stubborn, Stubborn Tree

For awhile now -- since about the beginning of January, really -- I've been waiting for winter to wrap up and spring to arrive. For a few days last week, we had a ridiculously lovely stretch of weather that even found our family hanging out at the pool. But it was short-lived, as the weatherman predicted and as we all secretly knew it would be.

So I went back to charting the course of winter and the advent of spring my usual way: by watching the trees in my front yard. In the fall, the leaves turn colors (don't let anyone tell you that there's no fall color in California; it's just that you find it in individual trees). Then, as rain comes and the winds pick up, the leaves blow and swirl and end up all over the ground. For the record, this began happening more than a couple of months ago.

After the leaves fall, as we learned in kindergarten, the trees are bare for a stretch before bursting forth in the buds and blooms of spring. But this is where it gets confusing and a bit disconcerting for me.

MY DARN TREE STILL HAS LEAVES.





I started marveling at this about a month ago, after we endured a wicked set of storms over the course of a couple of weeks. I mean, these storms toppled trees that previously stood fifty feet tall. There's still carnage from one cypress covering a big chunk of my son's playground at school.

But this little amber (I think it's an amber) is stubbornly clinging to a bunch of its leaves. And its little pokey thingies.



Fortunately, it IS starting to sprout signs of new growth... which just adds to my confusion.



First that silly groundhog, and now this. I may just have to start listening to the weatherman.

Six-Month-Old Sweetie

Last summer, I was grateful for the opportunity to photograph little Miss C and her family just a few days after she was born. Yesterday, she was back for her six-month photos. Yippee!

She struck me as looking so much like a little doll when she was here the first time. (In fact, when editing those newborn shots, I once actually mistook her for the doll we used to pose her big sisters.) I found out yesterday that she has grown and changed a bit, but she still has that precious doll-like quality about her.



I think she looks so adorably thoughtful here:



This was a dress worn by both of her big sisters at the same age:



And her mom indulged me and let me use the antique water trough that typically holds our family blankets.







J, it was fun to catch up with you and I'm glad that you've got yourself such a sweet, easy-going darling for a third baby!

Mini-Session Previews, Part 2

As promised...






(yes, my daughter snuck in there... it was her good buddy, after all)





And lest you think this guy all business...


I present just a few of his many dance moves:


And his bro had to show his playful side, as well.


Thanks to everyone who made the mini-sessions a blast for me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A few weeks ago, I wished for some sunshine and a little color in my life. Boy, that wish sure came true.

First, I had a big dose of giggles, smiles and COLOR during my studio mini-sessions. Despite only being advertised here on the blog, I had a great response and got to photograph a variety of fun friends.

And today, the sun really came through. The family and I did a run over at Cal Poly this morning (a fun, though slightly disorganized, event that I'll have to blog about in the coming week). The wind blew something fierce, but by afternoon it was downright gorgeous outside.

It turned out to be a bright and cheerful Valentine's Day.

To celebrate the holiday, here's a peek at a few of the mini-sessions. I'll have to post the preview in two parts, as I've got to scoot and get ready for a V-Day dinner out. ;)











I know this isn't in color, but I just loved it too much in black and white:















And I just had to give this one a vintage-y look:



Check back tomorrow for the rest of the previews!

Little Lovies at 4 Months

My little buddies hit four months recently and came back for their monthly session. I can't stress enough how incredibly SWEET these guys are.

It was a rough morning for Mama leading up to our time together, and I have to say that a teeny tiny part of me was relieved to see a chink in the armor. This woman handles all of the stress and chaos of her new life with such grace and poise that I was starting to wonder if she knew some secret that the rest of us don't. ;)

Here's a nice big preview to thank her for all her efforts yesterday. (And I'm sending you many good vibes for smoother sailing in the next few days, T.)















It's almost like he's waving, "Bye, bye until next time!"

Bubbly Brood

Recently, I had the pleasure of taking Baby A's newborn photos. As I mentioned in that preview post, she's the fourth child born into this family, and her mom thought it would be fun to get some photos of all four kids together. (But shhhh... It's all a V-Day surprise for Dad.)

These munchkins are so much fun to be around. We did this session at their house, and the three big sibs were all about helping me. It started with schlepping in my stuff. They proved their toughness by hauling in bags and boxes much larger than their little bodies, and they were eager to race back out to the car for the next load.

When we got down to the business of taking photos, they were again great sports. It was actually pretty amazing considering that Miss E, the oldest, is just five years old.





We got some fun shots of the big kids while I was there, and I'm looking forward to sharing the whole lot with their mom really soon.







Love those guys!