Kickin' it with the kids

With Mother's Day right around the corner...tomorrow in case some of you forgot...I thought I would highlight a great gift that was given to a Mom (and Grandma)!

As a present to their Mom, her two sons got their families together for pictures with Grandma. It was a great session and tons of fun.



The twins were just adorable...


...but their brother made sure that we all were having a great laugh too!


Don't worry...we got the "behaving" picture too.


And not to be out done by their cousins...the girls were perfect angels.


Mostly....

But being outside at such as great location as Gamble Garden Center in Palo Alto kept the smiles coming.


So if you get a chance, head over to the park and enjoy the scenery...and the people watching.

Getting Fancy in a Red Tutu

Shilio was as cute as a ballerina in a red tutu could be and became the dancing queen when the music began! Her Mom and Dad got some great family portraits for their Christmas gifts but also thought ahead to bring the cutest little tute and set of pearls ever! Shilio was a complete doll and so wonderful to work with!

Family Fun

I always try to have fun when I am photographing. However, it helps a bunch if you have a family that is also full of fun and are willing to try out some crazy poses!

Of course, with any fun, you have to start with the basics. A family that is happy and smiling!

Kids with their personality shinning through.


Parents often put their kids first, but they deserve to be center stage too.

Now sometimes to get the family all looking and smiling all at the same time I bribe them with candy. This is what happens when someone finds the candy jar and gets their own candy. ;-)

And then after that the kids were all ready to pose to get more candy...even if it was just a "normal" pose.


All in all this was a great time and I'm happy that the family had as much fun as I did. Plus there will always be candy here if they want it!

The best things come in small packages

At the Family Portrait session with Julie's family, I was greeted by a shy little guy as he walked into the studio. But thanks to his helpful family (and a stuffed animal) he soon warmed up to me and was making me laugh most of the session!

Here are some photos from this really fun photo session.





Thanks to all of you for making this Family Portrait session a ton of fun!

Forgotten Photos

How many of you have taken snapshots on your point and shoot camera and forgotten about them and then months later discovered the photos in your camera? I hate to say it but I was one of those people. Imagine my surprise when I found this little camera in the bottom of my purse loaded with pictures that my husband and I had taken several months ago.

These photos are what professional photographers would call "I was here" photos. They are not the photos that win awards, are shown to prospective clients, or displayed on your wall above the fireplace. But they are the photos that you look back on and say "Wow! I'm so glad that I took that photo to remember that place or that person years from now".

So grab your cameras, take lots of photos of your friends, families, and place that you will travel over the next couple of months and be sure to download them! I hope you enjoy these photos from my forgotten shots....

This is wine country in the Russian River area. We take a yearly trip with our friends Dave and Gayle to enjoy great wine, good food, and of course lots of laughter. These photos were taken outside the Mounts Winery tasting room.


We always stop at Unti Winery! And they have a great picnic area with roses and benches to relax on. And Gayle was gracious enough to pose for this photo op.


My Father in Law is a wonderful man and understands you should live life to its fullest! So don't forget to eat dessert!

And enjoy great wine and food with family.


So stop the excuses of not getting your picture taken by friends and families and jump in the photo! You'll thank yourself (and so will your friends) later!

Relax and Have a Laugh

I am a professional photographer and I hate having my picture taken. I know, who knew. I prefer to be behind the camera not in front of it. And I find that most of my adult clients are the same way (kids on the other hand have no problem posing for the camera). Therefore I wanted to give some tips on how to take better pictures (as the subject).

1. Smile
Smiling relaxes you and even if you are nervous, you'll start to loosen up a bit.



2. Laugh
Laughing is the best medicine, even if you're not sick. It does help if your photographer is a little silly (like me) to help you laugh. But to help even more, think about something funny that has happened to you, a movie, cartoon, even what you're boss would look like in clown costume.


3. Tickle
No not the photographer! If you are posing for a picture with another person and you have found your internal zen master and have relaxed, but they haven't, give them a tickle. It will be fun for you and loosen everyone up a little bit.



4. Jump
Lastly, if everything else fails jump...as in jump in and just so it (as Nike says). One day you'll look back and be glad that you have this picture and wish that you had more. So stop worrying about how you look, how you want look, and how you wish you looked and just jump. You'll be really glad you did!

Family Gatherings

I had the wonderful opportunity to hang out yesterday with a family that I wish I could call my own. :-) Not only are they amazingly photogenic but they are so much fun to be around!