Headshots
Families
Business Head Shots
Posted on November 25, 2011
This little family has been so patient… by the time we finally got a date on the calendar, it rained (no, actually, it poured). Then I was off to Michigan… then my gallbladder tried to kill me. When your schedule is like a carefully balanced deck of cards, the littlest thing can mess you up. I’ve had a few. But we managed to squeeze this shoot in between the rain and surgeries, and they have been so patient and understanding. Thank you, Keung Family! You guys are adorable and it was a blast getting to know you guys a little better! Thank you, thank you!
Posted on October 30, 2011
Ahhhh… my Barnes Family. I love them. I think this is our third shoot together and they just keep getting cuter each and every time. By now, they are pretty used to me, so their shoots are just relaxing and fun. And I love that Rhonda is “on it” enough to make family photos a priority more than once every 10 years. I can’t tell you haw many people I talk to who regret that they didn’t take more photos together (and I don’t mean just by a professional… I mean like “just grab your point-and-shoot and do it…”) Especially moms… we always seem to be conveniently behind the camera. (Like I should talk.) But I tell ya… in 30 years, your kids aren’t going to care that you still had 10 pounds to lose or that your roots needed a touch-up. When they look back on family photos, the ones that feature the people they love the most are the ones they will treasure. So my challenge to you this season is to find a stranger on the street, learn how to work the timer on your camera, or teach your 4 year old how to shoot… but darn it – get your butt in at least a few shots.
Posted on October 24, 2011
Meet the Valdez Family… they are warm and welcoming and you just kinda want to move in with them. I don’t seem to shoot a ton of families I’ve never really met before, so it’s always a little nerve-wracking to walk into someone’s home and just start telling them what to do. But they were so sweet, the kids were ADORABLE, their home was gorgeous and comfortable at the same time (not easy to do), and they put me at ease right away. And they’re all to stinkin’ photogenic! (That’s not easy to do, either…) So, thank you, Valdez Family, for a lovely afternoon! You guys were awesome!
Now… I debated on weather or not to post this. I certainly don’t want to destroy the mystery of digital photography, but I just had to share because I was so impressed. Anytime you are trying to get “one good family shot”, there’s always a little pressure, especially when you have little ones in the picture. And inevitably, everyone in the family will look great except one of them. Usually, you have to let it go and realize that the definition of “artistic beauty” doesn’t always mean everyone looks “perfect”. It’s more about capturing where that family is at that stage in their lives… the stage where one kid only had the “cheesy” smile, or the stage where the other one just simply wouldn’t smile at all, or the stage where the other kid thinks it’s fun to cross his eyes every time the camera points in his direction. It’s all part of the process. Luke here (on the left) was awesome, but for the 5 minutes we were getting this shot, he was not feeling the love. But I thought everyone else looked fantastic, so I called my lifeline, Cleve. I met Cleve at a wedding I was second-shooting last summer. He was a guest and as a Certified Photoshop Expert, he ended up talking shop with us photographers. Since I was completely enamored with meeting someone who knows everything there is to know about a program that still baffles me, he was kind enough to give me his info in case I ever got stuck. We did a marathon mentoring session a few months ago and he’s been on my speed dial ever since. So I commissioned him to see what he could do (if anything) to improve this image. (No offense, Luke…) The guy spent an hour and a half on this, and that was just to work on Luke. I can’t even begin to guess what he did. I’ve swapped a face or two in my day, but never a whole person. I guess I need to add that to my “To Do List” of things to learn. So, behold… the before and after. (And keep in mind, these are the raw images…)
Posted on August 17, 2011
Posted on August 4, 2011
Where does one shoot a family of 17…? I asked myself that question for several weeks before we settled on a location. I have to say, I was a tad anxious about the sheer quantity of Fritzes and what in the world was I going to do with them all. But as they started arriving, everyone relaxed and already having fun, (and Grandpa with an ice chest full of cold water bottles for everyone – thank you, for that, btw…), my fears subsided somewhat and we just got down to business. And for a group that large, they made it a lovely afternoon! Not only are they all adorable, but the kiddos were charming and the adults were compliant (well, most of the time!). And between putting Grandma up in a tree and trying to think of ways to pose them all, I honestly wasn’t sure what we were gonna get… but I think we did o-kay. Here are just a few more…
Posted on July 30, 2011
Meet the Fritz Family… all 17 of ‘em! They have been sooooo patient since we did this shoot a couple of weeks ago, so I had to give them at least one! Stay tuned for more from this adorable (and bountiful) family!
Posted on July 30, 2011
I do not have a childhood memory that doesn’t include Shelly. We grew up across the street from each other, we had the same last name, our moms were both English teachers and we told everyone we were sisters. Our moms couldn’t go to Gemco without hearing, “Can Shelly/Beckie come with us…?” Her parents took me to Hawaii on their family vacation, her grandma brought ME a gift when it was Shelly’s birthday, I must have consumed hundreds of cans of Spaghetti-O’s and bowls of Top Ramen at their house, and everything was an “adventure” with her dad… if we missed the Ice Cream Man, he’d throw us in his truck and chase after him until we caught him, we’d sneak into other hotels in Hawaii to use their pools and our weekend trips to the swap meet were always a treasure hunt. (My kids go trick-or-treating at her parents’ house and they get personal GIFT BAGS… not just a full size candy bar.) My mom always bought us matching outfits and has hundreds of photos of us coloring on the front lawn and her trips to the zoo and every other landmark in Southern California. Now we are all grown up and we’re still playing “house”… but for real this time. She just had her first baby this year and it’s been so fun to re-connect and spend time together with real babies to play with. After a lovely lunch at Maria’s (it was Pepe’s when we were little), it was fun to just hang out with little Mallie and watch Shelly be the amazing mom she is. Thank you, Shelly, for living close by so we can share this stage of our lives! I love you!
A few snapshots from our Hawaii Trip… I think we were 9 & 10 years old
Posted on June 28, 2011
Only Cyndy would think of such a thing… she’s classy, creative, kind, generous and knows the difference between hospitality and entertaining. She can do both, which isn’t an easy gig to pull off, but that’s why everyone loves her! Grandma was turing 90, Aunt Judy was turning 70 and her son-in-law, Joe, was turning 40… so put them all together and it equals 200! Such a fun reason to celebrate! I loved the All American Theme that went PERFECTLY with this All American Family. To use Cyndy’s expression, it was just darling! Aside from feeling like I had just stepped into a Martha Stewart spread for July, I was struck by how much this family seems to genuinely enjoy each other. I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer evening. Thank you for including me, feeding me, and making me feel like part of the family! Happy Birthday to the honored guests! You guys are awesome!
Posted on June 7, 2011
I love it when clients come back for more… especially when they are THIS adorable! I’m sure these faces will look familiar (think back to a couple Christmases ago… adorable red & green pea coats)… Ava, Ruby and mom, Angie came back for a Father’s Day surprise shoot for Dad. And I think he’s gonna LUV them! (Of course, it helps when the 3 leading ladies of your life are this cute!) We had a fun little Mini Session and these girls are some of the most cooperative, “on it” youngsters I’ve had the joy of working with. When I’m a famous photographer hosting million dollar workshops, these two will be my go-to girls as models. I just couldn’t get enough of them! So thank you, Beeley Girls, for lighting up my lens, once again!
Angie is gonna kill me for putting this one in here… She’s so stunning and I begged her to let me take a few of her alone.
I think I managed to get like four before she’d had enough of that. She’s WAY too modest!
Posted on April 8, 2011
This tree is ALMOST as cool as this family… and it’s a good thing the tree is big, since this family is HUGE on love. Meet the Crawford family – Dottie, Bill, Lauren & her husband, Ozzie (who were in town from Florida before he leaves for his Tour of Duty – THANK YOU, Ozzie for your service to our country!), Shea, Leyla, Eric and Paul… whew! (And please don’t ask me to remember the dogs’ names…) Dottie is known around church as the “hostess with the most-ess”, whose creative talents know no bounds (she’s the force behind the 27,000 VBS crafts they crank out each year) and who is incredibly generous with her time and energy. Bill is a much-loved dentist and together, they have added to their family three times over the years as amazing foster and adoptive parents with 5 amazing kids! It was pretty cool to hang out with them for a couple hours and watch the family dynamics with such a broad range of ages… talk about a long-running stint of keeping up with your kids’ homework! Yikes! So thank you, Crawford family, for welcoming me into your home. And I may just have to ask to rent me your tree for my next big family shoot!
