More Family (Session) Fun

This was my second opportunity to photograph the T kids, and once again, it was a blast. They are goofy, serene, creative, sharp, thoughtful, energetic, patient, and impulsive (in a good way). All wrapped up in two special packages.





And they even laugh at my jokes. Bonus points!





This year, the other family members got in on the act as well. Miss A had plans for the cat, too, but that didn't quite work out...



Thanks again D, S, G & A!

Apples! Apples! Who Wants Some Apples??

So my little buddies turned one (sniff), and we capped off the year with a very memorable session this morning. There was a bee sting, an incident with some motor oil, and a very soggy lawn. BUT. None of that compared with the fact that it was a day of record-breaking heat.

When I watched the news this evening, I learned just how hot it was.

What do you think of 115 degrees?

Yup, it was THAT HOT.

Our session took place around 11:00 a.m., so perhaps it was only 100 at that point. But believe me, the boys' mommy and I felt every one of those degrees.

The boys themselves were tremendous sports, considering. Maybe they're used to being little models... After all, this was our twelfth session. Whatever the reason, they hung in there like champs.

We went in with a fairly loose plan. We'd discussed overalls and a tractor and there was something about a wheel. We covered those bases, to be sure, but my very favorite images came from the end of the session. In fact, we were close to hanging it up when we happened on a crate with some loose apples, and we got THESE:



Holy moly, that was some cuteness. But the non-apple stuff was pretty darn cute as well.











I'm so glad that we could cap off the year in such a memorable way, and with such sweet images for their mommy and daddy. THANKS, T & B!

More Fun with Friends

Since going into business about two years ago, I've been lucky enough have many sessions with good friends. Each time I do, I am reminded how fortunate I am to have so many friends that support me and my ventures. I mean, they could sit back and say, "You go! Nice work!" and that would be great. But they book sessions and they get spiffed up and they make the time to work with me.

And I'm very grateful.

This morning was yet another one of those sessions (and I mean "yet" in the best possible way). These guys also soldiered on despite record heat that practically melted me into a puddle of uselessness. Suffice it to say, the cold-weather outfits were abandoned for more sizzling temps-appropriate attire.

Thanks, guys!

A Privilege

This week I had the unique opportunity to photograph a beautiful family at the Santa Margarita Ranch. The ranch is privately owned and not open to the general public, so it's safe to say that I've been looking forward to this one for a long time (since we had to cancel because of illness about a year ago, in fact).

The session was a blast, and not only because the location is a photographer's dream. The R family is so fun, and so sweet, and such fantastic sports. Special props to dad, who in many ways served as the photographer's assistant that I so dearly need on days like this.

Here's the sneak peek (and it's really just a taste of the incredible backdrops and lighting that we got to use). What fun!















Thanks again, R family. You rock in so many ways!

The Tough Guy & His Lovely Ladies

I will remember this session for a long time to come. The subjects are close friends of our family, the location was new to me (and gorgeous!), and the aftermath was... well, eventful. Let's just say that they're one understanding and special family.

And gorgeous as well. They were the perfect group to photograph in this lush setting. And these are just the first set of outfits. Gotta love that!











Thank you, guys. For everything. I am so looking forward to getting your gallery online and into your hands. ;)

It's Starting to Feel Like Fall

The days are getting shorter, the weather is (finally!) warm, and I'm busy shooting and editing family sessions. It is really starting to feel like fall.

Saturday's session was a family with two boys, and Sunday's was a family with two girls. Different locations, different experiences, but both a good time.

Here's a preview of the first one. Handsomeness abounds.











Stay tuned for a couple more previews in the next few days. Yep, fall is definitely here...

Are You Ready for Some Football??

To say that my younger son is obsessed with football right now is a bit of an understatement. He lives and breathes it, and we're currently working on his new football-themed room (complete with life-size wall stickers featuring himself and his favorite San Diego Charger).

Every single night, he begs us to go outside and play football with him. (I guess that serving as both quarterback and receiver can get a little taxing.) The other evening, his sister said that while she didn't want to play, she'd be happy to serve as his cheerleader. Then she dashed to her room to get herself styled out.

This is what she came up with. Apparently, she could only find one pom pom, but she was felt that a hula skirt made a perfectly acceptable substitute. Thank goodness.





And the QB with his cheerleader:



Think that I'll be able to embarrass them with those photos when they're older?

Snapshots from Our Weekend

Inspired by the phenomenal Tara Whitney, I decided to share some snaps from our weekend, ShakeIt-style.

We headed up to the family cabin for a fun weekend and the Pacific Grove Triathlon. Brian did his first Olympic-distance tri, and we were so proud of him. He was THE MAN. As for me, I'm a sprint-distance kind of girl, and Grandma Dadi opted to 5K it.

Let's Talk Clothing for Family Sessions...

When it comes to family sessions, in particular, I am often asked for input on wardrobe choices. And that's completely understandable. I mean, it's not everyday that we try and get every member of our family spruced up and looking good... and looking good TOGETHER.

I figured that the blog would be a great place to post the advice that I often give by phone or in person. Regardless of whether you're planning a session with me, it may help you to have these tips in your back pocket this fall.

Let me preface this advice by saying that there is no one magic formula. And these tips are simply what I believe, based on my own experience photographing families. Ask someone else -- even another photographer -- what you should wear, and you may well get a different answer.

I was out this week looking for some things for my own family to wear in our photo, and I thought that they would provide a good illustration of my main points.

POINT ONE: Start with one or two neutral colors.

In our case, this was navy. Specifically, it was a navy dress that I picked up from crewcuts during a sale a couple of months ago. I love it, and I've been keeping my daughter from wearing it too often so as to minimize the potential for yucky stains (something her clothes meet up with quite often). If you don't want to go with navy, think about black or gray or brown.

Then I took a trip to Old Navy. This store is great for putting together outfits that are coordinated but not match-y, and usually at a pretty good price. Which brings me to...

POINT TWO: Add in a "pop" of a bright color or two.

In our case, this was a lighter blue and a bright green. And I broadeded my neutral palatte to include gray.

Here's how I arrived at that decision: I went first to the boys' department and hit the sale racks. There was a nice collared shirt on clearance, which is white with very thin navy and green stripes. Then I checked the $7 polo shelves. I grabbed a navy shirt in my younger son's size. I'd hoped for the lighter blue, because the navy shirt means he probably can't be right next to his sister in the photo, but they were out of that in his size. No big deal; navy is fine.

(And please excuse the cruddy quality of these photos; I wasn't too worried about making them technically beautiful.)



Then I found a pretty little gray sweater for myself -- also on clearance. And after that, I found a couple of pullover sweaters that would work for my husband. I was feeling a bit indecisive, and both of these included the navy and brighter blue. (He never buys clothes for himself and needs new sweaters, so in this case getting two was practical.)

Wouldn't the cream-colored one look good in a photo of just the two adults?



Now, at this point, you may be thinking that this is all well and good, but you don't want to buy new clothes for your whole family. That it's just not in the cards. I totally get that.

Which is why I urge you to surf Old Navy and J. Crew and The Gap and any other clothing sites that you like. Often, they show groups of kids or mixed ages together, and the clothes they are wearing obviously photograph well together. Maybe you already have something similar, or you could borrow something from a friend who does.

POINT THREE: Have fun, and don't hesitate to toss in an extra accessory or two.

These items may or may not work in a group photo, but they could be fun to add in for other shots. My son's shirt -- the one with the thin green stripes -- doesn't really have a lot of green, so I'm not adding any more of it into the family photo. But tossing a green scarf around my neck and some cute and funky striped leggings under my daughter's dress can change things up and open up fun options for mom-and-daughter pics or pics of either of us with Mr. Long-Sleeved Shirt.



Again, you absolutely do not need to purchase new things for your whole family. Starting with a neutral color or two, and then adding in a brighter color or two, can often be done with what you already own (or can borrow). I just opted to pick up a few things on sale that we needed or would make great use of anyway.

Besides these tips, here are a few others that I typically share with families. Again, these are things that I've found to be true in my own experience.

-Avoid overly busy or loud prints or graphics. These can be distracting in photos. Loud black and white prints, for example, will take away from the lovely face above it.

-Same thing for big logos. Same reason, plus they can date your photos.

-Wear clothes that are "you." That is, don't wear something -- or put your kids in something -- that isn't something that you'd normally wear. My own sons love collared shirts, but my brothers HATED them growing up, and you could usually tell in pictures.

-Don't wear clothes that are too small or tight or uncomfortable. It's hard to be comfortable and natural when your clothes are pinching, and clothes that fit into that category (no pun intended) usually don't look flattering in photos, anyway.

-In general, sleeveless shirts are not going to be your best friend. If you have rockin' toned arms, then great. Go for it. But in general, most women, in particular, benefit from a little sleeve. :)

That is most of my advice, all summed up and probably more detailed than you'd like. But if you still have questions, or want to talk over anything, I'm more than happy to help.

Surf Lessons

Ah, Labor Day weekend.

It really does feel like we're closing the door on summer. And just to rub it in our faces, Mother Nature dials up the gorgeous and we get spectacular weather at precisely the time that school really kicks in and soccer starts and we find ourselves running in a million different directions.

But we got this one perfect weekend, and we Clausens made the most of it.

My brother and sister-in-law schlepped down from San Francisco to spend it with us, and between hanging out at the pool, BBQing with friends, playing bocce ball at a winery with still more friends, grubbing on takeout sushi and riding bikes in the 'hood, we hit the beach for a surfing lesson.

My brother and Brian gave the boys a warm-up lesson in the pool the day before, and I'm choosing to believe that that's why I failed so miserably in my own attempts to hang ten. That, and the fact that they have lower centers of gravity and a much more favorable height-to-board length ratio. It was because of all of that.

Anyway, here are some shots from our afternoon at the beach. As you can see, it started out pretty foggy and cool, but then Mother Nature remembered that it was time to bring out the awesome.



The boys totally had the hang of it, especially this guy, who wanted to ride wave after wave after wave... until he decided that all he wanted was lunch.



Just for laughs, I share with you documentation of my own attempts:



Much cuter...



... and more impressive (even if the waves weren't)...



It always helps when you have your own personal steward to get you over the waves in your way.



Both Brian and I also practiced open water swimming, in preparation for the Pacific Grove Triathlon next weekend. (That's Brian's arm in the foggy boat/bouy/arm shot above.) We were a little unnerved but mostly amazed at the seals (sea lions?) that trailed him as he swam and bobbed all around during our surf adventures.

But we were MOST CERTAINLY glad to be out of the water when a crazy stream of birds -- THOUSANDS OF THEM -- made a beeline around the pier and then began dive-bombing at what must have been a bait ball.



Yeah, that was right where we'd been swimming earlier. And that photo doesn't even begin to do justice to the number of birds out there. Yowza!

Oh, and just because they're so rare (I know that may be hard to believe, but it's all too true), here's a Clausen family snapshot from our time at the winery later in the day. Thanks to our friend Ray for getting it done. :)

Fall Family Sessions Are Booked (yep, all of 'em)

Soon after sending out my recent newsletter and then blogging about it here, I filled all of my available fall family sessions. I'm very grateful and feel extremely fortunate to have such a great group of families scheduled this season.

Since I continue to get questions about availability, I wanted to post this update and let you know that, at this point, there are no further options for family sessions before the holidays. I do have a wait list, but in all honesty, I'm highly unlikely to accommodate everyone who is already on it.

I am continuing to schedule newborn and baby sessions, so if you're interested in booking one of those, please do get in touch. And I should take this opportunity to remind expectant moms that the very best time to photograph your newborn is within the first two weeks after birth, and I absolutely pencil in appointments prior to your due date. In fact, it's the only way to ensure that we can get together and capture that sweet bundle.

And apropos of none of this, I'm posting a snapshot of my little sous chef. (Woo! Two fancy words in one sentence!) Because what's a post without a photo, even if it doesn't relate?

14 Years + 4 Boys

This family is one of those that I've gotten to know personally over the last year or so. The little guy in the yellow shirt is one of my younger son's very favorite people in the whole wide world. I think that they originally bonded over a shared love of Super Mario, but apparently there are about 101 things that make little Mr. Yellow Shirt super awesome in my guy Noah's book.

So of course I've been looking forward to a long-time-coming session with the whole crew. But when I found out that the date our schedules intersected was their anniversary, I felt kind of bad. I mean, I just got to celebrate my own anniversary over escargots and glasses of burgundy. Surely they didn't really want to spend their anniversary with me??

But as I said, this session was a long time in coming -- one of those postponed by weather and at the mercy of our ballooning schedules. So it happened, and I'm so glad it did.

We met up first at a grassy area for some more "formal" family photos, but as you can see, these guys are all about running, laughing, playing, and having FUN. I decided that a handful of shots from our relaxed time at the beach was just what the blog needed today.



A & R, thanks so much for the chance to finally capture images of you and your boys. I had a ball.