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Celebrating Virginia

Virginia will be turning 90 in January, celebrating a tremendous milestone in her life. A family member contacted me earlier in the year to purchase this family session as a gift to commemorate her life. This will be wonderful way for her family to remember her when she is gone.

I wish I had photos like this of my grandparents and I. It touched my heart immensely, taking these images. I loved seeing the affection and positive joy that flowed between Virginia and her great grandchildren, and the wonderful relationship that they had with one another. Sessions like these just reaffirm the belief that portraiture is so important in our lives. It captures memories, keeps them bright and burnished in our lives, and helps us to remember those we love in a beautiful light.

Animoto.com

Animoto.com

Animoto.com

San Francisco

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I spent nearly a week in this colorful and beautiful city, house-sitting for a dear friend. The house was positioned on a cliff, overlooking Monterra Beach and the beautiful ocean. I explored Half Moon Bay for the first couple days, cringing at the fog and 65 degree weather, though perhaps it was a welcome change from the 110 in Phoenix.

Shalev and I later explored parts of the city such as Embarcadero and the artisan market, China town, north beach, fisherman's wharf, pier 39, and ghirardelli square.

The night afforded some incredible shots of the Palace of Fine Arts. Dumbstruck at its beauty, it loomed like a roman forum, its sheer grandeur and columns, statues, and surrounding park surprised me to find that it had been built merely four decades ago for an art expo!

Along with its many visual splendours, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves exploring the culinary delights such as northen and southern indian foods, california coastal cuisine, belgian, and vietnamese. Of course we also ate at Fisherman's wharf. Ahh, the smells of fresh catch, in every shape and form - steamed, chowdered, fried, grilled...

Baby Olivia

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Patience and time are two essentials for photographing babies. Keeping them in a familiar environment, reducing the amount of stimuli that is there, keeping the outfit changes to a minimum, taking breaks for feeding and play, and keeping baby engaged and laughing are key elements to a successful baby photo shoot.

Baby Olivia's shoot was so precious, as I was able to capture her in various states of play and activity.

Click here to see full gallery of images.There are two key elements to a successful baby portrait session. Patience, and time.

An ideal session is in the familiar and comfortable environs of home. Often, there are other family members present to be included in the photos, but keeping the stimuli to a minimum helps in keeping baby happy - and not over-stimulated. Allowing time for cuddling, feeding, or just relaxing is absolutely essential to keeping your baby engaged and smiling for their close-up.

Although mom likely has a closet full of outfits for her baby, the outfit changes can be a stressful event and can lead to much fussing and crying. I recommend that babies stay in the buff, preferably with a diaper. Hats can be added, or babies snuggled up in colorful blankets. Light colors, especially pastels, are perfect for this. Avoid patterns such as polka-dots, as your baby can become completely enraptured with them and lose interest in the camera.

Allowing your baby frequent breaks for feeding, or relaxing, will guarantee success. A hungry or tired baby will not provide positive results, so take the time you need to make baby happy.

My session with Olivia lasted two hours. At six months old, she was very engaged in her surroundings, with her toys, and her parents. I combined many styles of portraiture. Those included many candid shots of Olivia playing with her toys, her loving parents, or laughing with grandma and grandpa. Her striking eyes were a joy to capture, so the close-ups turned out beautifully. I loved the assortment of hats that mom Kristine selected for Olivia, even though Olivia did not enjoy wearing them. The decisive moment was brief for the hat shots, so being shutter-ready was essential. In the end, I oculd not have asked for more. The pictures are enchanting! It brings me so much joy to witness the curiosity, and sense of wonder and awe, that a baby posesses. Even more enjoyable is watching the proud parents with their baby. Thank you, Kristine and Justin.