This was my first time shooting where I was told that I was in a neighborhood of  other types of shootings…but the colors and textures all around me just about made up for it. This was a fun and unexpected shoot of a new friend I met at a photography workshop back in May. She has been living here from Sweden and wanted a shoot of her family in the City before they moved back home. We met at the incredibly cool-why have I never been here before-Clarion Alley and the colorful art made my heart skip a beat. We then took a walk down Mission St…a block or two around 16th that were a little crowded and probably a wee bit rough to be so obviously out of place with my giant expensive camera out, but I was completely in photographer mode and didn’t let myself think about it or notice it. I was in the zone and too busy watching these city kids navigate the streets on their skateboards and anticipating the next brick building location that Dad was leading us to. He was right it was a very cool building…from what I understand there is a certain kind of “photography” or videography going on inside this building that would curl my hair, but the outside has become an unofficial skate park of sorts and made for a great backdrop. This was one of those times where I realized how much I love shooting in new locations, I enjoy not knowing what is coming next and not having a plan for what I’m going to do. This was an adventure, much different than anything I’ve ever done before…but these photos are still “me” and better than that, these photos are totally Linda and her family. I hope that these photos will remind them of the happy memories they made while living in SF. Thanks again Linda!

I love this face….I actually love all of the faces this boy makes…. he is growing up so quick this one….I guess they all do, but I have to confess that this guy has an extra special place in my heart. I feel so very lucky that  I’ve been able to watch him grow right before my eyes. He had just turned one when I was honored to photograph him for the first time....

I loved this first shoot…and I loved that Mom wanted to include a special gift that he received for his birthday.

To my delight…Mom called me when he turned 2…and I chased him a little more...

and enjoyed when he showed off an artistic birthday gift from that year..

This year his gift was a little bit more noisy…

But this boy and his mom and dad were just as adorable and in love with each other as the first time I photographed them. Maybe it is because I live a life where one boy is the center of my everything…but I am in love with the shots with Luca in the middle of Mom and Dad.

Speaking of love….

sigh…

I  can’t wait to do it again next year…no, I take that back…I can wait, he’s growing up too fast as it is!! Besides, I’ll surely bump into him and Mom in Target like I usually do, between now and then!

This day when mom asked if it was ok to “just shoot at home”…I said of course, I love to shoot at home…and then she showed me the yard. I’m sure that my face betrayed me as I tried to act casual and professional. Talk about amazing, waterfront with beautiful decor and furniture for outdoor living everywhere that I turned. It took me a few moments to realize that there was also a dock (and I didn’t even know about the boat until later).

Add to the amazing location a beautiful couple, an active and adorable boy and a totally cool dog and I was pretty much in heaven.

I’m so grateful to have been invited into this home and into this family for the afternoon!

I was so excited after photographing this beautiful girl when she was a baby, that I was asked to come back and shoot her and her cute baby brother. If I were to tell you that this was an easy photo shoot, I’d be a big liar.  2 year olds and 6 month olds have minds of their own…and on occasion they are not on the same page as each other or as their Mommy or their photographer. Individually shooting them actually was quite easy, I mean look at them…they are gorgeous and wonderful. But together? They wanted no part of cooperating at the same time…and after 2 tries where Mom and I both broke a sweat and stood on our heads and literally danced like crazy people to Justin Beiber, I realized that it was ok. I am always harping that my photography is real and not posed and I do all that I can to create images that are true to the core reflections of the people I shoot. And these little people, were independent, opinionated, beautiful, and completely typical of their ages….a perfectly posed portrait would not have been true to me, or to them, and as I went through the shoot to edit I realized that even more. I love these images…and I hope that Mom and Dad do too.  So here they are, blue eyed  beauties…that mom and I joked were “cry babies”. I appreciate them putting up with my dance moves and bribe attempts, and I hope that I get the chance to photograph them as they grow and change and go through new phases.

Below they are set to music that mom selected….and as I watch the slide show I totally forget Justin Beiber and see only the moments with 2 little ones that will pass way too fast.

I thought that I would start sharing a few more personal photos over here as well. So here are a few quick ones from Easter.

Easter is not a big holiday around here. We enjoy a little egg coloring, the bunny brings some goods. We talk a little bit about Jesus and Heaven and Gratitude and we hang out with the people we love most. I know it is probably blasphemy, but my favorite part is the coloring eggs. It is our one little family tradition…the three of us making a mess and randomly colored eggs. I these photos of stained fingers that are no longer pudgy and small…goofy smiles that have gaps from teeth falling out instead of coming in. I love that we have this time and hope that even though Easter is a pretty mellow holiday and my boy is more big than small, that we can keep this one little tradition for many years to come.

At 2 years old now, he is moving pretty quick…and full of plenty of his own ideas. Many things about him remind me of Todd at that age and it makes me smile inside to know how much fun his parents are having now, and how much fun they will continue to have. Boys rock. And boys and their Moms are pretty special to me.

And ok…boys and Dads are pretty cute too…especially when those boys wrap their arms around Dad’s neck with such gusto…

And speaking of gusto…someone did a pretty good job of getting into squeezing both Mom and Dad too…he is just too much..and so clearly the center of the universe, as well he should be.

We had a blast and there are many more images on the way….but for now, here are a few more of my busy little friend and his cute parents. (Mom’s dress and shoes almost killed me…she looked fab)…and speaking of shoes…they weren’t still for long, but I got em’…

And then we did a little art project…and ate a lollipop and otherwise ran around like crazy people!

Thanks guys…more to come soon!

Click on the green arrow below for the musical version!! Thanks again to Jenny and family for inviting me along!