And yes, we did get some traditional shots for the relatives. But I really love these ones that tell a story. And just look at those eyes! I have a feeling that these little guys will get out of many situations throughout their lives by their adorable puppy dog eyes alone. I know they have me wrapped around their little fingers!
Mom–thank you again for such a wonderful afternoon. I have so many more great images that I just can’t wait to edit. I’ll let you know as soon as your gallery is up!

I get nervous.

Whew. I feel much better now that that’s out there.

But seriously, I do. I get nervous. I still get nervous before every photography session.

But I look at that as a good sign. I get nervous because I know how important the images I’m about to take are. They will represent one second in time that can never be duplicated. They will hang on someone’s wall. They will become works of art.

And for today’s session I was a bit more nervous than usual. When Mom contacted me to take pictures of her six week old little guy we knew {C} was on the older side for newborn images. We talked over the details, knowing that we would have to work hard to get those sleepy, snuggly images. Well, turns out we hardly had to work at all. {C} was the perfect little model. He was still and alert and made great eye contact for all of his awake images. And usually for newborns we need to feed, snuggle, burp (and then feed some more) to lull them into dreamland. Not so for {C}. He fell alseep all on his own in my green bucket of all places! It was truly hysterical–we placed him in the bucket and then watched as his eyelids got heavier and heavier until he was out like a light.

So once again my nerves were for nothing since {C} was a champ and our session was awesome. Here are a few of my favorites.

I had a great time meeting up with {Z} for his two year old session this week. We decided to meet at Artbeast, a local children’s art studio in downtown Sacramento. It proved to be the perfect setting with all the bold colors and fun activities for kids. I just love these images of {Z}–especially the last one with paint and water all over his face. It’s difficult to get two year olds to sit still for formal portraits at this age, so I think this is the perfect place for toddlers. I’m all about creative locations for children’s photography and I think Artbeast is one of my new favorites.

That’s how today’s session with {K} was. I just couldn’t wait to browse through all of the pictures and start editing them. And once I started, I just couldn’t stop! This little one was such a doll! Her eyes are so amazingly expressive and she’s at my favorite age where she can sit up but can’t crawl away out of my camera’s frame. Love that.

And I love these first two images. So much so that I think I might just order a canvas of one as a studio sample. The lighting was just perfect (which we had to work for–believe me). Being a natural light photographer has it’s challenges in the winter. We actually had {K} set up a couple of feet from the door and I did most of my shooting from out on the porch (with Dad and Mom taking turns making silly sounds and faces behind me.) Put all that together and you get the perfect session, don’t you agree?

Mom and Dad–I had a great time getting to know you and little {K} today. I hope you love your sneak peek! I’ll be in touch and will let you know when your gallery is ready!

And Mom totally knows my style. I love when she pulled out one of the wardrobe changes and said, “You’re going to go out this week and get this one, aren’t you?” And you know what? I already had the outfit for my own little girl! Talk about being in sync! Love it! I also have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more of their faces around here. Some of the images from their session have become my favorites and I plan to use them in my new marketing materials.

Mom, I know you’ve been waiting so patiently for this sneak peek, so without further ado…your gorgeous daughters.

(drumroll please)…

Image #7! Congratulations to the oh-so-adorable {T}! Let me just say, I am so glad that I didn’t have to pick the winner because it was just too hard to choose. And thank you to everyone who voted–my blog has been loving all the visitors and all of the wonderful comments. Speaking of which, it’s also time to announce the winner of the mini session. Out of 76 comments, random.org selected comment #18! So Stacie–be checking your email soon as I’ll be sending you more information on your mini session!

Thank you all for making this contest bigger than I could have ever imagined. And don’t forget to become a facebook fan if you aren’t already– I have a few big announcements coming up that I can’t wait to share, so be sure to check there and over here on the blog often.

I have so many images from this session and I just couldn’t narrow down for the sneak peek. So I decided to focus on the kids that I photographed because let’s face it, at big family gatherings it’s always about the kids, right? And I don’t think I could have found a more adorable bunch of kiddos had I gone out and hand selected them myself! Here are the sets of brothers and sisters first.And here is little {B}. I photographed her last spring and you’ll recognize her adorable face from all over my website. She just gets cuter!And here are her grandparents, parents, and aunt and uncle.

And because these two girls are just so adorable I wanted to include one more. I just love their outfits–perfect for the holidays if anyone is looking for ideas for upcoming sessions.{M} family–thank you so much for choosing me to spend the afternoon photographing your family. I can’t wait to show you the full gallery soon–I have so many more great family pictures for you!