Newborn Baby Photography, Bay Area, California

 

 

You are looking at my first godson, Patrick, who came into the world on April 4th. Although I live on the opposite coast from his mom, my best friend Emma, it was an unexpected blessing that I was there when he was born, in the middle of the night. Meeting him only a few minutes after his arrival was far and away one of the biggest blessings of my life. Babies bring such sweet joy. 

Of course, having me as a godmother means only one thing: So. Many. Photos. Baby Patrick posed for his first photo shoot at only 4 days old! He's a natural, clearly. I can't wait to watch him grow, camera in hand.

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Bay Area Engagement Portraits

 

  

 

Last week I was in Boston for the birth of my godson. Serendipitously, my oldest friend Sarah and her husband Mike were there at the same time and we all got to meet baby Patrick on his birthday! Blessings abounded throughout trip; my heart was full. 

While Patrick was still in the hospital, Sarah, Mike and I took a quick jaunt to Cape Cod one afternoon. None of us had ever been, so we just set off without a particular destination in mind. It quickly became apparent that Cape Cod isn't misrepresented in the movies...it looked like a Diane Keaton rom-com everywhere we looked. One of the houses was called "The Grey Ghost"! Very scenic. 

The three of us ended up at a lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic just as the sun was beginning to set. Hello, golden hour! This particular beach felt like Tatooine from Star Wars: sandy and moon-like. The barren horizons really excited me, and luckily Sarah and Mike are always up for an impromptu photo shoot. I hope these pictures are good mementos from their vacation. (Click the photos to view them larger.)

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Girl Group pt. 2! Bay Area Portrait Photographer

   

   

 

  

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Girl Group pt 1! Bay Area Portrait Photographer

 

 

Girl group! These are my friends Katie, Kim, Michaela and Sylvia. Michaela and I share a love of beautiful photography; we often send each other links to wedding photographers' websites. She is an accomplished make up artist and we worked on a shoot together last October. During the shoot, we were both so excited to work with each other, and we kept saying "I wish we could do this all day!" So we made it happen!

I'm blessed to know such gorgeous ladies; really, all I want to do is take pictures of my friends all day. One night when we were all out, Michaela and I threw out the idea of a shoot. Everyone was excited! Combined, we have a lot of talents (photography, make up, accessorizing) and we were eager to put them to work for beautiful results.

A flurry of emails sent back and forth about sets, outfits and soundtracks confirmed that they were just as excited for the day as I was! We had a sleep over the night before so we could get going bright and early the next morning. We meant business! I was so happy to work with friends who wanted to have their picture taken. All of my friends indulge me, but the enthusiasm of these four definitely impressed me. 

The day of the shoot we made sets, painted nails and waited our turn for Michaela to do our make up. My excitement went from Turbo to Turbo: 2 Extreme after Michaela did my make up. She is so talented; I have honestly never looked better. I just hoped that my photography could capture her amazing work! 

The day was LONG. We took over 600 photos! Sylvia's husband Mike made us burgers and Michaela fell asleep in the chair. Luckily, the results were worth our exhaustion. I think the photos are incredible! 

Do you have a group of friends who would have a blast getting made up, putting on cute outfits and being models for a day? Contact me!

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Bay Area Portrait Photography, Half Moon Bay

         As a native Wisconsinite, the idea of going to the beach in February is radical. Insane, even. But this year the bay area is experiencing a mild winter, which means only one thing: day trips! Disneyland, Half Moon Bay (twice), Santa Cruz...I cannot get enough of the ocean.

       Today my friend Katie and I hopped in the car with no clear destination and made our way down the peninsula. First we found a weird dog park/wind park and then after a minor fender bender we found ourselves in Half Moon Bay. To be honest, I could build myself a shack out of driftwood and a tarp and live on that particular beach for maybe 3 months. A song wrote itself in my heart the first time I saw that beach. Anyway, it was a pleasure to be back. We arrived towards the tail end of the golden hour, and we sipped up what light we could. I like the results!

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Baby Photography, Bay Area, CA

What a muffin! This is Calla, my cousin's three-month-old baby girl. I met her for the first time before the Christmas holiday, and she is just a treat. So well behaved and sweet natured; a daddy's girl, for sure!

My mom and I stopped to visit her one last time and I brought my camera to take a few pictures. Still in her jammies, she was all snuggles and smiles. Her face reminds me of those vintage Gerber baby ads from the 50s, so during the editing process I chose to keep that look in mind. What a doll!

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Oakland San Francisco Portrait Photographer Flapper Baby

Happy babies and happy new year! I spent the last remaining weeks of 2011 with my friends and family, doing what I love most: taking pictures. A number of people contacted me for shoots while I was home in Madison, and I couldn't have been happier to spend my holiday creating memories with them!

The precious face you see above is my friend Ellen's new baby, Lilia. The day of our shoot was a gray, overcast day; I was worried that we wouldn't have enough light to get good results. My worries were quickly put to rest, though--this little girl had enough light to brighten the whole room! Not quite six months, she was full of personality and such fun to photograph. I hope she likes to dress up when she's older, too--I can see some fun photo shoots in our future! 

So many more shoots to post...stay tuned! 

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