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Have we mentioned how much we love our families? We really do, and to see our families grow each session is a true gift for us. Each year we are privileged to capture the Ng family. To see the girls continue to grow more beautifully each year, with their individual personalities take shape is the most fun. The love between Roger and Carolyn continues to grow as well. It’s pretty awesome, if you ask me.
Roger, Carolyn, Audrey and Harper, we can’t wait to see you again soon.
Xox
One of the things I absolutely love about our grow with me session's is becoming part of your story. The first year in your child's life is full of amazing stories of sleepless nights, milestones of the first time they turned over, sat up and took their first steps.
With little Zachary, I remember meeting him for the first time in his newly decorated Star Wars themed nursery. I was over the moon meeting him, and was so excited for him - he has some pretty awesome parents after all, and is blessed with 2 older sisters that will be sure to take great care of him.
As life is in constant whirlwind with soccer practice, school and work, Zach's 1 year session was set after his birthday, but boy did we have a blast. Take a moment and see this handsome stud work the camera. He's a natural.
Zach, Sandra, Lucilla, Amelia & Little Z - Thanks so very much for allowing us to be part of so many of your special occasions and milestones in your families lives. We love seeing your family and look forward to our time together again soon.
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
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've known Mark and Gina for awhile now and through that time we've shared our love of food, cars and family. At a birthday party, Mark mentioned he wanted to schedule a family session and to be honest, I was surprised that he wanted us to photograph them.
Mark is a very good photographer himself and it kind of made me nervous when he wanted us to be the ones to photograph his family in their own element. They love taking walks with their littles, Eli and Vivien and their pup along the nature paths near their home.
So we took them out for a fun and relaxing time along those nature paths and we got some family portraits that fit their personalities! Towards the end, little Eli was telling jokes about passing gas to his dad which made for some awesome smiles and non-stop laughing! Haha!
Enjoy these images of the beautiful Ocampos and have a nice week!
We'd love to see you and your family! Let us know how we can help you update your family portraits and we'll be in touch.
Photo by: Tasja
Summer is here, school is out, and the 4th of July is right around the corner! We can't wait to get some good family time at the beach and pool to cool off on these hot summer days. There are a lot of inexpensive or free Independence Day celebrations going on all around us! If you are looking for somewhere to celebrate the 4th with your family and friends this year, check out some of the celebrations going on around Los Angeles County and Orange County area. Maybe we'll see you there!
Photo By: Grand Park Facebook Page
When: July 4 at 2pm-9:30pm
Where: Downtown, Grand Park, Grand Ave. and Hill St., Los Angeles, Ca
Cost: Free
When: July 4 at Various times
Where: 325 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, Ca
Cost: Free-$20
When: July 4 at 9 p.m.
Where: Marina Del Rey, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina Del Rey, Ca
Cost: Free
When: July 4 at 1-3:30 p.m.
Where: American Legion Yacht Club, 215 East 15th St., Newport Beach, Ca
Cost: Free
When: July 4 at 10 a.m.
Where: Belmont Shores, 1 S. Granada Ave., Long Beach, Ca
Cost: Free
There will also be a 5k run/walk($20 entry fee) at 8:30 and a kids 1/2-mile run($10 entry fee) at 9:15 a.m. before the Bike Parade.
When: July 4 at 2pm-9:30pm
Where: Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way, Redondo Beach, Ca
Cost: $12-$20
Photo by: Valley Cultural Center's website
When: July 4 at 6pm-9:30pm
Where: Warner Center Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, Ca
Cost: Free
Whatever your plans may be for Independence Day, we wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July. Enjoy your family and celebrating the independence of our nation.
Father's Day is coming up and we know how hard he works for his family. Our dear friend Faith shared her story of how much her kids love their dad and what he means to them.
"When my husband comes home from work he is exhausted. He spends his whole day working to provide for his family. One thing about him that amazes me, are all days when he comes home after a long day at work and wrestles with our son, sits down and patiently colors pictures with our young daughter, or comes and helps me cook dinner or do dishes in the kitchen. He is teaching our children so well by example. He shows them that he loves them constantly, even if he is completely worn out. He is an incredible spiritual leader for our family, and guides our children lovingly through learning right from wrong. He always know how to make any of us laugh and is always making everything so much more fun!
Having a father is such a precious thing, and my husband does it so well. I learn so much from him. I am thankful for him each day, but I look forward to celebrating him extra on Father’s Day, and making a point to show him he is loved and appreciated for all that he does to love, support, and guide our family. Finding a special gift to show our love can be hard. We love him so much, what object could possibly express a token of that."
Today, we have a great offer for you to give the gift of memories! If you reserve a session by Father’s Day, June 19, 2016, you will receive 35% off any Framed Canvas order from that session! Book your session today and relax and know that you have got Father’s Day covered. Now go show those dads some love!
