All you need is a blanket, some wipes and diapers, a heater, warm milk and a couple of loving parents.  Check, check, check, check, check!

Sweet Caroline

Baby Caroline is so advanced that she will be narrating this sneak peek! 

Dreaming of Milk

I always dream of happy things when my parents are holding my hands.

My Latest Trick

Check out my neck control and how alert I am at 4 weeks old!

Big Bro

This is my brother, Oliver.  We don’t look very much alike.  He has green eyes.

He hides under the bed and sleeps in the sink.  He’s teaching me a lot!  I’ll have to try that some day when I’m older.

My Folks

Mommy gives the best kisses.  She is my first love.

This is my dad.  He loves holding me, and I always feel better when he does!

Yawn

All this modeling stuff is making me tired!

Enjoy your first Mother’s Day, Brie!  Your gallery will be ready for viewing in about a week.

xo,

Annie

It was delightful to see wildflowers everywhere, but it was not so delightful to have….AHHHH-CHOOOOOO!  Allergies.

This Way

The gradient from light to dark; the different textures of stone, paper and leaves; the colorful flyers; and my subjects walking towards the light is so visually interesting to me!

Taking a Walk

Quiet moments like this melt my heart.

Flowers for Mom

An Unfair Game

Aidan chose the sticks for the duel.  Tia, Aidan’s Godmother, didn’t have a chance! 

Playing with Nature

Aidan at the Golden Hour

Aidan is a gentle, sweet, playful 3-year old.  He is also one lucky little dude to have a Mom and Godmother who love him this much!

Just look how happy he is!

Yesterday’s San Francisco lifestyle family photography was of the Y Family who came from L.A.

Even though they live over 400 miles away, the Y Family wanted their shoot to be comprised of their normal activities, so their kids could be themselves.  Yay… I love finding beauty in the every day, simple moments!

Mommy Soothing Troy

Troy was being a typical toddler boy and ran around on the pier…. and then SPLAT.  He fell pretty hard.  It was mom to the rescue… and a photo opp for me! 

Photography Tip:

Avoid cutting off part of a hand.  However, you don’t always have the time to change your lens or get in the right position to capture the entire hand in the frame when you’re shooting lifestyle or photojournalistic.

In the situation below, I shot fast because I wanted to capture Troy with his head on Erica’s shoulder — and with the sun flare too.  (Nah, that’s not too much to ask for!)  All, but this shot, included his entire left hand… but only this image had an expression that melted my heart.  To me, expression trumps the cut-off hand.

Though there are many rules of photography, learn them, but know that it’s okay to break them sometimes.  It’s not like driving or academics; Art allows you to bend the rules once in awhile.  That’s what I say anyway!

Learning Coordination

Troy is 1.5 yrs old, so he still has a baby-walk and jumps without actually leaving the ground.  Hee hee…it is really cute.

Composing the shot with only legs and feet really point out Troy’s stage of development.

Ellie

When I was a little girl, my favorite stuffed animal was named Ellie.  She wasn’t as cute as this Ellie though!

Gosh, I just wanna play with her and tickle her and… oh wait.  I did do all of those things!

The OH-NO Hug

Out of nowhere, Ellie (3) decided to hug her little brother.  Ellie was feeling sooo much love that she put extra force and motion into it.  Hence, you see Daddy lunging forward to try to prevent the big fall and Mommy’s mouth agape.

Can’t you hear the parents?!  “Ohhhhhh nnooooooo…..”

Playing with Mom’s Face

At the Book Store

In the Stroller

Photography Tip:

Whether you’re a photographer or a subject to be photographed, remember that you don’t have to choose a spectacular location for the photoshoot.  Pick a location where you will be comfortable and relaxed, so you can be yourself.

It was a cover shoot for Active Kids for May 2012.  The theme for next month is Summer Camp, so this was to highlight one of the activities kids can do in the Bay Area.

Here are a few that I liked…

This is not an end-all list.  It’s just my list.

I hope it will at least help some starting-out pros in creating their own list!

Click here to read the entire article.

I am over the moon when anyone wants to interview me.  Little ‘ol me!!!

But, uh… I feel weird reading about myself.  I think it’s the same reason why I prefer to be behind the camera than in front of it.  So let me know how it is!  

Newsletter Cover

First Page

Click here to read the entire article!

It can be editorial.

It can be vogue.  It can have an edge.

Boudoir Photography is not about taking photos of women in their underwear.

It is about capturing images of women in a very vulnerable state that exposes not just their skin, but the essence of their being.  It reveals their inner beauty in an artistic way.

First of all, there is nothing “natural” about being in a boudoir shoot or being the photographer in a boudoir shoot.  Boudoir shoots are 99% stylized.

So I needed to conceptualize my artistic vision for each of my subjects prior to the shoot, and then decide how and where to carry out the concepts, on the fly.  I haven’t been to the location before or know what the lighting condition will be until the moment the shoot starts.  It was also so much fun to highlight different women in their own unique way.

Here is a little taste of how Boudoir Photography can be tasteful, fresh and modern…

I had a different vision for each woman.  Edgy and editorial to come!

Melanie asked:  “How do you prepare for a photoshoot? like mentally? do you just wake up and go or is there something that you run through in your head?”

I do quite a number of things actually.

When I first started out, I made a Check List that I would go through before each shoot.  Now, I don’t have a physical list, but I still do all of these things!

Most of my equipment preparation is the day before the shoot, so that my mental preparation can occur the day of the shoot.

[Image Below:  This was a self-portrait before a client shoot.  Yup, I had some extra time on my hands.  heh heh.]

The Day Before the Shoot

1.  Figure out what equipment I want to bring to the shoot.

For an event, I would probably bring 2 camera bodies, my 24-70mm, a wide angle and a prime lens for low light detail shots. 

For lifestyle shoots, I would probably bring 1 camera body, my 24-70mm, my 70-200mm, and a prime lens.  (The actual lenses depend on how many subjects I’ll be shooting and the location of the shoot.)

2.  Charge batteries.

3.  Check settings on my cameras.

I would clear my memory cards, so I have the maximum amount of space for my shoot. 

I’d “neutralize” my camera settings, so that the day of the shoot, I don’t forget I had the ISO set at 1600, for example, or have the exposure compensation set at +2!

2.  Clean my equipment.

This includes both ends of each lens and the inside of the lens cap.

3.  Check directions.

So much can happen right before the shoot, so I try to minimize surprises.  If it’s a new location (or maybe even one I’ve been to before, but haven’t in awhile), I’ll check the directions online to make sure I know how to get there and see how long it’ll take. 

4.  Put the client’s contract in my bag.

All my clients have paid in full before their shoot, but I like having all the client’s information in my car in case I need to reference something.

[Image Below:  This was taken by one of my clients during his photoshoot!]

The Day Of the Shoot

1.  Plan to arrive early.

I usually plan to arrive 15 minutes early, so I can get my gear set up based on the light at the location.

I will arrive even earlier if the shoot is in an urban location where I need to find parking.  Or if it’s an unfamiliar location, I’ll plan to arrive before my clients arrive, so I can do a quick walk-through.

2.  Review the details.

Every client is special to me, and the last thing I’d want is for them to feel like “just another subject” I am photographing.  So during my drive, I’ll read over my notes and try my best to remember names. 

3.  Visualize.

If there is something novel about the shoot (ie, the location, the types of people, the type of shoot), I will visualize a few things I’d want to do during the shoot.  How will I shoot it?  At what angle?  How would I compose the shot?  Which lens would I use?  Where would I be versus my subjects?

Of course what ends up happening at the shoot may not be what I visualized at all, but I’ll have a few ideas “up my sleeve”, if I need them. 

That may be too hokey for some people though.  For me, I find a lot of creative power in visualization.  However, I do get most of my creative juices from my subjects.  Their energy feeds into mine and vice versa.

4.  Load up on coffee.

I drink a BIG cup of coffee before my shoots.  It is mostly because my 3 little monkeys — though adorable — zap my energy, so I am in a perpetual state of exhaustion.  So for my shoots, I load up on caffeine, and then no one will know why I have bags under my eyes, except me.  

5.  Listen to music.

Only in hindsight do I realize I do this:  I like listening to the kind of music that will put me in the mindset I want to be in for my shoot. 

For a family shoot, I’d listen to something upbeat that makes me want to dance in the car!  Then I’m ready to run around with the kids.

For a wedding, I’d listen to mellow tunes and avoid rock and hip hop songs that may make me too bouncy for a quiet ceremony.

Photography Tip for Beginning Pros:

My advice is to prepare your gear early, so you don’t have to worry about your equipment.  The last thing you’d want is find out you forgot to pack a much needed piece of equipment or your battery level is low right before you have to leave for your shoot.

Then, for mental preparation, do what YOU need to do to be open to creative thinking.  Whatever that is.  Maybe that’s sketching, baking, reading a few pages of your favorite novel or going for a run before your shoot.  Do it your way.

And lastly, be confident and have fun!

Catherine and Jarrod had sooooo much love for one another and life in general that I could feel it!

They would be thoughtful, kind, loving parents.  I know it!  It is my mission to help them, even if it’s just to capture their love and cheerful spirit in my photos.

Jarrod and Catherine

Love

Sweetness

Joy

Playfulness

Tenderness

Adoption Agencies and Prospective Birth Parents:  Stop.

Look no further.  Meet Catherine and Jarrod.