My newborn photography session this afternoon was of a little bunny, Sophia, who was born on December 13, 2011 at 2:28am.
Bunny Sophia
According to the Chinese Zodiac, Sophia is born in the Year of the Rabbit.
The Details
I love how gently newborns close their eyes… I guess it’s because they’re dreaming about warm milk and cuddles!
I also love baby shoulders and all their beautiful peach fuzz.
This baby feet shot is especially sweet because Sophia was stretching at the time, so it is a very active shot.
I framed the shot to include the side of the chair, but from the top-down view, it looks like she is leaping off the floor!
One Proud Papa
Laying Awake in Bed
Should we get her a magazine? Tee hee.
This shot is a great example of challenging your own vision. I envisioned this bed in front of the beautiful island in my client’s kitchen. Due to the angle I needed to take the shot and positioning of the window (aka, our light source), the shot wasn’t what I wanted, so I changed it up.
Jessica (the bunny’s mom) and I carefully moved the bed, so the light blanketed the front of Sophia and the shadow from the headboard was no longer on her face. Since she was not aligned with the kitchen’s island anymore, I shot from above. Oooh, mama like!
From this viewpoint, you can see the contrast of the soft bed and pudgy baby (look at those cheeks!!!!!) against the dark, hardwood floor.
THE BEST Christmas Present Ever
Holding On
A Grandma’s Touch
Just like the astrology dictates, babies born in the Year of the Rabbit are surrounded by friends and family.
Sophia would barely murmur and her Grandma would swiftly appear and soothe Sophia to sleep in a mere minute. (Where can I get one of these Grandmas with magic hands?!)
The combination of how Grandma is attentive to Sophia, Sophia’s obvious contentment, and the gorgeous window light make this shot especially serene.
Line Patterns
I love the line pattern on Grandma’s shirt and Sophia’s hair. I balanced the composition with a hint of mom looking over at her baby bunny.
Sometimes BIG blessings come in small packages.
This little angel was born on October 11, 2011.
Here is a tiny peek of Baby B who was 6 days new at yesterday’s Bay Area newborn photography session.
Little Angel
Fat Rolls
Ya gotta love ‘em.
Naked Baby
Once we tasked Craig (the daddy) with coming up with something to write on the chalkboard, he was unstoppable! 
I know Baby B will laugh a lot as she grows older because her daddy is one funny guy!
A BIG congratulations to Judy and Craig on their beautiful, healthy baby girl! It is such a treat to photograph Baby B when she was still cookin’ in the oven….and then right after she entered the World! I feel so immensely grateful and honored to document the beginnings of her life.
Much love to the Y Family!
xo,
annie
My newborn photography session yesterday was in San Francisco, my favorite city in the World. It was of a beautiful little girl, Lilah, who was born on July 16, 2011 at 9:35am.
Swaddling Lilah
I took this shot from the back of the bed. There’s something so innocent and sweet about this moment captured.
Lilah
Isn’t she just darling with her bent arm pose and girlie flower hat?!!
Best Place To Be
The best place to be is in the safe, warm and loving arms of her parents.
Future Pianist
This piano was passed down from a few generations. I love the contrast between the old (the piano) and the new (baby Lilah)!
Tenderness
One of my favorite shots! This shot was taken in between sets.
Daddy was holding Lilah who had been crying from being naked and tired. (It’s tough being a model when you’re only 10 days old!)
Leeron made it look so easy with his gentle shhhh sound and foot rub… Lilah always stopped crying within seconds!
Something Simple
We thought of many interesting backdrops and had many fun baby props, but in the end, something simple can work just as well!
The lines from the wooden deck, glass door and sun/shade is what makes this shot visually interesting. And, of course, Lilah looks so sweet sleeping!
We actually put her here to get the next shot (see below right), but Lilah was so peaceful that I found another way to get this shot when Ramsey was no longer interested in sticking around. I love how it turned out!
“Ramsey, Meet your New Baby Sister!”
“Family Portrait”
My Family, as seen from the viewpoint of Ramsey the cat!
Ms. L is the lucky raffle prize winner from the 2nd annual IHMC Pamper Night! YEAAAAA!
She won a 1-hour mini shoot and the digital negative of her favorite image. Congratulations, Ms. L!
The Mystery Winner!
Sometimes I think about having a studio for newborn and maternity portraits, but then I think it may not garner the kind of results I aim for when I do a shoot.
With a studio, you can control all the elements, so it would have the perfect lighting, the perfect temperature, the perfect background, and all the right props. Sounds ideal, right? Maybe.
I love the challenge of doing a shoot on-location. I have to think on my feet and make all the elements work for me, like the harsh midday sun or lack of light, the wind, the rain, and the people around us who are not a part of the shoot. And at someone’s house, I get to scope out each room to find the best location and create images that are beautiful without spending a lot time setting up. Well, sometimes you will find me rearranging furniture! <:)
I also think the truly precious moments can only be captured from being in the comforts of your own home or at least a place that you are familiar with.
So here is one of my all-time favorite mood shots, which I happened to take at my last shoot…
We were in a large bedroom that had one medium-sized window.
The positioning of Cristiana and her baby to the window allowed a soft light to blanket only the edges of their bodies, leaving the rest in shadow. This provided a sense of intimacy in the image. Any more light would feel intrusive.
This heavenly mommy and baby moment could only have been created at their own “home studio”.
It was a rainy day today, which was perfect for a lifestyle family photoshoot at someone’s home.
Today’s shoot was a feast for me. We had set-up baby portraits, mom and baby intimate portraits, couple portraits, and editorial/photojournalistic shots of the family doing their ‘thing’!
Curious
Riccardo was wondering who this stranger was who entered their home and kept pointing big black boxes at him!
It is I, Annie, and I am here to play paparazzi! 
A Ukelele Concert
Happy Happy!
There was no shortage of smiles in this family!
Shark Attack!
Daddy Fabio and 23-month old Riccardo play this shark attack game, which is hilarious! Riccardo runs out from another room and the cute fuzzy shark tackles him.
This photo makes me smile! I love the story it tells…
Riccardo’s face and hand position shows his anticipation of the shark attack. And the best part is, I composed the image so you can see Cristiana and baby Leonardo’s faces in the mirror! Both their expressions are priceless.
Popping Bubbles
Capturing a toddler’s activity is so much fun!
Some of my favorite portraits of the boys…
Riccardo (23 months old)
I love the beautiful lighting from the doorway, the relaxed expression on Riccardo’s face, and the colors of the furniture tying together with Riccardo’s vest.
Without stating the location of this photo, you can tell it is Riccardo’s warm home because of these factors.
Leonardo (3 months)
This happy, smiley baby is not smiling here, but it is one of my favorites of Leonardo because his eyes are so piercing here! You can tell he is thinking of something.
Tender Moments
Everything came together for this shot: the clouds rolled in and served as natural softboxes, Cristiana’s hair falling around her face, and the beautiful real moment between a loving mother and her sweet baby. Perfecto!
I love Leonardo’s limp left arm hanging over his mom’s arm. It shows his comfort in his mommy’s nurturing embrace. So sweet!
OH NO or HA HA?
When Riccardo started playing choo-choo on his baby brother’s FACE, I was gasping, “No no! Don’t do that!” but I kept hearing this clicking sound.
Oh, whoops. That was me. I was snapping away with my camera! <:)
Oh where oh where has the time gone?
Baby Ava is 1 month old!
“Hey, Mister Giraffe is the same height as I am!”
When I Am Older…
Will I be a singer? An artist? A gourmet chef? The President? A teacher? A fruit-picker?
As long as I am happy, my momma says.
Today is Ava’s due date, so I thought I’d muster up the energy to take some photos of my new family of monkeys.
It is hard to imagine carrying Ava until today for she was one jumbo baby that it was difficult to move around! Thank goodness she came early.
And now that she is here, in our lives, it is hard to imagine my family any other way…. but the way it is now. With all three monkeys.
The Princess And The Pea
Yes, the “pea” is Ava, but she is one large pea!
Melia prayed and prayed throughout my pregnancy for a baby sister. You can see the contentment in her face.
A Great Contrast
Could be just me, but I like photos of babies, even when they are crying! It is just a part of real life. Later on, I’ll look back at these photos and think, “Being born into a photographer’s family can be rough!” Or, “Hey, you have no teeth!” 
Sisterly Love
Though almost exactly 5 years apart, Mia and Ava kinda look alike!
Ian – The Real Monkey
He is my wild child, but he is also my sweet, Cuddlebug! He can’t sit next to me without leaning against me or holding my hand. He knows just what to say to make me melt. Hmmmmm…. I think he learned these tricks from his dad!
This is his Whatcha-Talkin-Bout-Willis look! (Again, I am dating myself!)
“Take 101!”
Okay, okay… why do I even try? Taking photos of my own kids never work. *sigh*
This one is kinda funny though, so I wanted to share it, so we can all have a laugh!
The Littlest Monkey
Ava napping this afternoon… and I caught a little smile.
She was probably dreaming: “Mmmm…. milk.”
Looks like the dream took a turn!
Ava’s doctor came to our house today for her 1 week old check-up. Dr Q drove 40 miles to see us. Shocking, isn’t it? How many doctors still make house calls?
The second shocking thing about the check-up today is that Ava grew 2″ since birth! Yep, two INCHES in a week! That’s just crazy.
While lying in the comfortable (NOT!) hospital bed only a few hours after I delivered Baby Ava, I found out that my client, Lisa W., was in the same hospital and about to deliver her baby too!
She was due 1 week previous and I was due to deliver in another 2 weeks, so our due dates were actually 3 weeks apart, so we never expected to deliver so close in dates. Further, we live 40 miles apart from one another, yet we were at the same hospital, at the same time!
If you still don’t believe just how cool this is, check out these facts:
* Our babies were born 1 day apart.
* Her son was born 8 lbs 6 ounces. My daughter was born 8 lbs 4 ounces!
* Her son was born 20″ long. My daughter was born 19.5″ long.
* This is Lisa’s second child. Her baby boy is named Ian. (Same as my second-born!)
Interesting, right?!!
Here are a few photos I took during my visit to their room…
Meet Ian
I would’ve loved to take a photo of our babies together, but we were on different floors, so I wasn’t able to bring Ava to their room for a visit. Darn!
Congratulations Danny and Lisa!
If you want to see photos of Lisa and Danny’s photoshoot when baby Ian was still “cooking”, click here.
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