Family Fall Portraits at George and Sakaye Aratani Japanese Garden at Cal Poly Pomona // Claremont Family Photography

The Huynh’s hold a special place in my heart.  The first person I met from their family was Noelle.  She was in Jarron’s kindergarten class.  Through passing and school functions I had the blessing to meet Noelle’s grandmother and mother.  Wonderfully enough, Noelle’s mom, Rena, and I had so much in common.  We’ve been the best of friends ever since and love that we get to be part of their family.  They had their 5th addition to their family, Hope, who I am happy and proud to call our goddaughter. 

More exciting news, the Huynh’s are expecting baby numero 6 in November.  Happy, healthy little boy makes the score even with Boys 4 & Girls 4.

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One Year Child Portraits at Claremont McKenna in Claremont // Claremont Children Photography

Aaden!  One of the most fun little guys we know.  We first met Aaden while he was still in his mommy’s tummy.  We were actually blessed to be part of the announcement to his great-grandfather of his arrival.  Those are the moments that you don’t forget. 

Fast forward to 1 year, and here we are.  Aaden still happy as ever, such a fun loving little guy.  We are so thankful that we have had the opportunity to see him grow through his first year milestones, and even sharing on some of the most special and memorable times in not only his life, but his entire family. 

Ryan, Jennifer and Aaden – thanks so very much for welcoming us into your family with open arms.  We’ve been through some tough times together but some pretty amazing ones as well.  Here’s to many more years of memories.    

Maternity Session | Ravi & Dimple

Maternity Sessions to us are cherished times as it shows that a new life is about to be born. All of the anticipation, tears, pain, joy, excitement and happiness is going to fill our lives soon, for the rest of our lives. It doesn't matter if it is the very first time a mother-to-be is pregnant, or it is her fourth time around. Each maternity is just as special and we want your time with us to be special as well. 

Dimple and Ravi just started their little family and we have seen little Keanan grow from their firstborn son to becoming a big brother. We are so happy to see their family come together during this session as they anticipate little Kiara. 

They love the beach and we wanted to use that vibe so we went out to the trails at Terranea Bluff Top Park and photographed Dimple as relaxed and carefree as possible. Then we brought little Keanan in to make him part of it as well. He absolutely rocked his outfit and fedora, didn't he?!

For all of our family sessions, we try to highlight the love and bond between everyone, including children and parents. Our kids grow up so quick and before you know it and we want to make sure we photograph that love as much as possible. 

We couldn't be more excited for Dimple, Ravi and little Keanan as they welcome Kiara into their lives! 

Share your love for them in the comments and we hope to photograph your family in the near future!

Photo Location: Terranea Bluff Top Park

Photography: Gina Holt Photography

Guide For A Successful Photo Session With Toddlers

As a parent, taking your toddler anywhere in public can sometimes be a challenge. You are always hoping they’ll be on their best behavior, but you never know what will affect their mood on a minute by minute basis. This unpredictable nature sometimes causes worry or panic for parents who are paying for a session with their toddler and unsure of how it will turn out. Afraid that their toddler may not sit and smile at the camera exactly the way they have envisioned it in their minds. We have good news for you though, THAT’S OKAY! Toddlers are so fun and so full of personality. They are at a magical age where they are discovering so many new things in the world around them and also discovering how they can assert their independence. We want our parents to feel relaxed and comfortable in their session knowing that these toddler moments of curiosity and exploration are ways that their personalities come out and shine in the photos. When you’re looking ahead at planning for your family session or your child’s portrait session, here is a guide to help you plan for the session and how to assist in making it relaxed and fun for you and your child!

Go with the flow. 100% of our portrait sessions never go as planned, so don't worry. Your family is perfect, just as you are. We will strive to get the essence of your family as a unit, your children's personalities, as well as sneaking mom and dad for a few minutes to get some portraits of just the two of you.

Let us know some of their main interests. If they have any special interests, toys, or movie character's that they love, let us know. It helps us connect with them on their level. Allowing us to converse with them about their interests can help them to open up and feel more comfortable with us.

You don’t have to be the bad guy.  On a shoot, we know you want your kids to be on their best behavior (and we do too), but allow your kids to be themselves. Although you may feel like they are showing off, we need their energy to show their best personality. We will also work really hard to get that nice smile of theirs.

Stay relaxed. When you are stressed and tense, it tends to trickle down to the children making them feel tense or nervous. Try to relax and feel at ease knowing that we are here to help guide you and your kids through the session. We will interact with your kids to help them feel comfortable and guide them as well as letting them guide us in helping us capture some truly special images. When they are allowed to have fun on your portrait session, everyone looks more natural and relaxed.

Make sure they get plenty of rest. Good rest the night before and if its an afternoon session, a nap, can make all the difference. You should feel comfortable to discuss the best time for the session with your photographer ahead of time, using your child's natural happiest time of the day as a guide to selecting the time for your session.

Come fed. It can be hard to focus and participate cheerfully when your stomach is growling, so a small healthy snack right before hand is always helpful too. Be weary of sugary snacks beforehand, as each child’s sensitivity to sugar varies and could put them in a sugar rush. Be sure avoid colorful lollipops and candies 24 hours before session. Some of them stain their mouths and can linger for a day or two. Also, feel free to bring snacks to give in between shots as incentive. Snacks like raisins and cereal are good options because they are small and are not messy.

Bring an activity to do together. Do they have a favorite book or game they love to play? Bring it! Do you guys enjoy playing a family game of football or soccer on the weekends? Bring it! This can help make them feel comfortable and can assist in creating some great authentic photos of you guys together enjoying something you love.

Finally, just HAVE FUN! Let go and allow yourself to relax, go with the flow, and enjoy this time with your family. It will allow us to capture the pure emotion and organic love between all of you.

We're here to help you stay relaxed and have fun while capturing images that you'll love! Book your session now!

11 Tips: What To Wear For A Family Session

    One big question on everyone’s minds when they schedule their family session, “What do we wear?”. When you are trying to coordinate outfits for the whole family that will photograph well, it can be overwhelming when you do not know where to begin. All white shirts and khakis, while simple and easy, are a thing of the past. These days are all about individualization, expressing yourself, and creating your own style. We’ve put together a list that we hope will help guide you and ease your mind as you choose how to express your family’s style!

1. Coordinate colors, don’t match. Coordinating colors can really bring the whole thing together. Choose 2 or 3 main colors, then base everyone's outfits off of those colors. This will keep everyone from looking identical and give each family member a chance to express themselves through their own style within the color guidelines.

2. Look at your home decor. These images are the ones that are going to end up on your walls in your home. When you decorate your walls, you first assess the color scheme you’ve selected for each specific room and then you choose the items to put in the room based on that color scheme. This is something to consider when you are choosing your main wardrobe colors for your family session. This will make the images work seamlessly when you add them to your home!

3. Limit patterns. Patterns are fun and they can be a great addition to your wardrobe for a family session. Although, keep in mind to not use too many patterns. It can overwhelm the pictures and distract from the focus of the images, your family.

4. Look for clothing collections. Many stores have clothing collections that are based on a main color theme. If you plan on purchasing new clothing items for the occasion, these collections are a great way to coordinate everyone's outfits with a common color theme with out all the stress of gathering each item separately.

5. Textures are fun! If you have a great outfit put together with solid colors, try adding a belt or scarf. A stylish blazer or jacket could add a nice touch as well.

6. Don’t forget about location. Think about where your session will be when choosing your wardrobe. For example, if you will be taking pictures in a lush woodland area, you would not want to make green a part of your color scheme. You want to stand out in your images, not blend in.

7. Make it classic. You will display these images for years to come. You can never go wrong choosing simple classic clothes. They will look good today, and they will look good in 10 years.

8. Keep weather in mind. If you live anywhere in the Midwest, you know it can go from a hot day, to cold and breezy in less than 30 minutes. Be prepared with coordinating sweaters or tights to help keep everyone comfortable during the session. If you’re really uncomfortable, it can show through in the images.

9. Start with one outfit that you know you love, and base the rest of your family’s outfits off of that example. Sometimes you just need a starting point to get the ball rolling, and this is a great way to do just that.

10. Maxi dresses are a winner! Maxi dresses are flattering for all shapes and sizes. They can be perfect for a casual session accessorized with a belt or a fitted jean jacket, or you can dress it up with a nice blazer or a statement necklace.

11. Buy to fit. If you plan on purchasing a new outfit for your children specifically for the session, consider buying the clothes in their exact size. I know how fast these little ones grow and how much we love to buy a size up so they can get more wear out of the clothes. Buying their clothes in a perfect fit will help your kids stand out more. They will look much better in fitted clothes. Clothing that is too loose can look sloppy

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