...umami photography... pacific palisades area family photography

a quick update

2010-10-08T18:26:00.001-07:00

bueller? bueller? Bueller?

anyone still out there?

remodel update: postponed until early 2011, but still picking stuff out and making design decisions

photo update: I've been mostly referring new clients to a great friend and photographer Tory. She's nothing less than amazing. She recently switched back to film and is loving all the time away from editing the photos on the computer. Hm... I might have to whip out my old film camera too! I'm trying to find a little more balance in my life... adding regular exercise (I could only use carrying the kids as my exercise alternative for so long). I've gone on some great hikes with friends, tried P90X a few times and even got signed up for a spinning class (though I feel like I'm not in shape enough to exercise in front of others). :)

I'll be posting some photos from some of the shoots I did this year (woah, can't believe the year is almost up and our house still looks the same)! I did get to photograph my newest niece last weekend! She was all of 6 days old and such a perfect model. My newest nephew will be coming out from Arizona in December so be on the lookout for some more adorable baby faces on the blog coming up.

proud big sister

proud big brother

on sabbatical

2010-04-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
Thanks for hanging in there with me during my 3 month posting hiatus. I've been trying to figure out how to balance time between my family, photography and our major home remodel - and I just decided I feel too much like an octopus juggling all these things. When I do something, I give 110% and I just feel like there's not enough time in the day do give that much to everyone. As must as I love all my clients and photographing those sweet little toddlers and newborns, I'm going to have to take a step back for awhile.

As many of you know, I'm am awful and making decisions and can spend hours researching online (everything from finding the best photo lab to the best countertop), so this remodel will have me floored for the good part of a year. I will still be doing sessions for anyone who has an outstanding gift certificate and I'm planning on doing some holiday card sessions in the fall.

There's so much more to say, but I'm also helping out with 2 school auctions and have to get back to some editing and uploading so we can raise money for the schools! I'm so happy to say my photos helped raise over $1000 for Jack's class. Yay!

I'm thinking of starting a blog for our remodel (that is if I don't find another house for us to buy first. ;)...

See you soon!

a fun storyboard - mom with kids at the beach

2010-01-13T20:02:00.001-08:00

Storyboards or collages are fun way to show off a collection of photos. The photos are arranged using Photoshop and then printed out on one large sheet of photo paper. I have all storyboards mounted on styrene (1/8th inch thick white plastic-like material) so you can easily pop them into a frame. Some storyboards (10x20inch) can even rest on a decorative easel for an easy display. And I love printing storyboards as gallery wrapped canvases for that upscale look.

Please ask if you would like me to create a storyboard for you with our session's images.

First session of the new year! || santa monica family photography

2010-01-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the Fig Newton commercial with the little British boy getting scolded by him mum for eating cookies in his room?

boy (with British accent): But it's not a cookie motha, it's a fruit newton.
mum: Very well then, carry on, carry on.

You don't? Come on, who else watched a lot of tv as a kid?! Why is it I remember stuff like this instead of important things like when our property tax is due? Anyway, point being, I think this stuck in my head because little kids with British accents are just so stinking cute!

DING! Woah, what was that waking me up? The day before heading out on our family Big Bear ski trip I got a text at 7:40am. The kids were actually sleeping in, all drugged from staying up late and destroying the house the night before. Maggie, one of my favorite clients, had some family in from London and they wanted to do a beach photo shoot before returning home...was I free that morning?

Ack! I had a million things to do before heading to the snow with the kids (mainly rounding up stuff for us to wear and eat for 4 days). So Maggie handed over some of her kid's snow gear and a sled and then with one more stop at another friend's house we were all outfitted. Got to love that (especially since Kaylie wore her snow gear for all of 3 hours and managed to lose the mittens I bought her).

Anyway, here is Maggie's sister in law Soo and her two beautiful hapa kids (Korean and Norwegian) with British accents from living in London. They were so great... William even agreed to be my boyfriend and was going to take me back home with him. I'm still waiting for that plane ticket William!

William and his sista Liv.

Isn't she gorgeous?!

I'm usually a color girl...

But I thought this soulful look really called for black and white and a tighter crop.

Oh he's going to be a heart-breaker!

Throughout the shoot we took some water play breaks... because you can't be down at the beach without playing! Cousin Zoe is in the mix!

joy

testing testing... this thing still on?!

2010-01-13T09:22:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!! ...that is if anyone is still out there... Bueller? Bueller?

Sorry I've been missing for so long. Somehow our household headed into the holidays sick and tired but emerged healthy and fired up to start a new year! Here's a very quick recap of the last couple of months:

- Lots of family photo holiday card sessions
- Lots of online shopping and trips to the mall with both kids in tow.
- Lots of editing. I even had to pay to use pandora.com last month since I used up my free 40 hours.
- Family trips to San Diego and Big Bear (almost real vacations... our last one was over a year and a half ago). Best part was hanging out with family and friends and getting the little cousins together.
- 3 weeks off of school for the kids
- 2 days (okay, half days) snowboarding. whoo hoo!!! So fun! Left with a big bruise on my left cheek (the one covered by my jeans) and random sore spots... like my shin? Ski camp for both kids (Kaylie's favorite part was the hot cocoa of course; Jack's was going down the bunny slope with Dad).
- Matt home for 2 1/2 weeks...unheard of
- Walked with the kids down to the beach and back from our house. So awesome! They actually made it down and more importantly, back up the hill on their own feet.
- Drawing up plans to add on to and remodel our house (anxiety attack). I will be calling on all you designers to help pick fixtures, cabinets... ack! Tile! Ack! Deep breaths....
- Hosted Christmas dinner at our house with the help from sister in laws who brought most the food (including a Vons turkey... might have to do that again next year).
- Uh... other stuff that my brain has already forgotten since it only functions at about 45%. :)

2010! Wishing you all the best and thanks for hanging in there with me!!!

love,
heather

P.S. Here's our holiday card that I had printed in Nov, but somehow I still have some sitting here that haven't been delivered yet. Ha!

these boots were made for walking || santa monica child photographer

2009-11-18T20:18:00.001-08:00

Take your hand. Make a fist. And pretend you are going to elbow someone standing behind you. Say, "Yeah!"

Come one do it! ;)

Because that's what I did when I saw 4 year old Kate walking toward me in these boots. :)

Sorry I've been MIA, but that means I'm busy working on all kinds of photo orders and editing! Holiday card designs are in! If you had a photo session with me this year and want to order holiday photos (or more prints) shoot me an email!

Happy upcoming Turkey Day!

mini holiday session

2009-11-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Whoops, looks like I forgot to post this on my blog... I just had it on my facebook fanpage.
I've got 1 opening tomorrow at 9:45am for a mini holiday session.
9:45-10:15am!

The holiday are upon us - Halloween festivals, costumes, turkeys, decorations, holiday cards, presents...
Feeling overwhelmed? I can help! I'll take 30 minutes of your day to capture your family (or just your kids if you're camera shy). I can put together a holiday card for you that will get raves from all your friends. And I can help you create gifts for you family (no, I won't knit them a hat...I just make newborn hats lol), but I will help you with an album or gift ideas for the family.

I'm pretty booked up for the rest of the year, but I've decided to do one day of mini sessions since I've gotten so many calls this week.

30 minute session (perfect for little kids who can't sit still long anyway)
Online gallery of appx 15-30 images.
2 digital files and a 5x7 print of each image.

You can take your digital files to have cards made on your own (inababycarriage.com, tinyprints.com, costco..) or I can have cards made and printed for you using any of the images from your session.

Added... there's a chance I may open a couple more sessions on Sun Nov 15th. Let me know if you are interested!

Happy Holidays and stay healthy!

happy halloween!

2009-11-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween schedule:
9am Jack basketball
10am Kaylie soccer
10am-1pm 5 year old birthday party
1-4pm party at the rec center
5:30 trick-or-treating
6:30 neighborhood Halloween party we crashed
7:00 more trick-or-treating
9pm bed

Whew! And then almost as a joke, they (who is "they" anyway?) make day light savings the night of Halloween so the next day is the longest in history. lol. Well, we spent most of Nov 1st at the beach enjoying the low tide and company of friends also suffering from sugar-excess and lack of sleep. It actually was a fantastic time. BBQ'd some burgers with Dad and the day was done.

The kids got to keep 10 pieces of candy and put the rest out for "The Great Pumpkin" last night. The eagerly woke up and checked out what he left them this morning. Jack was super excited to find a Fly Wheel (some toy that shoots a wheel out) but Kaylie was not so excited. She remembered that The Great Pumpkin brought her some dress up butterfly wings last year and thought he would be giving her some sparkly new ones this year... The Fancy Nancy tag book was not what she had in mind. I tried videotaping the kids' reactions, but realized as soon as the drama was over, that I had pressed the bleeping pause button instead of the record button. Rats!

Anyway... her are some pics from our day...

power rangers! meet jungle fury

u-c-l-a - fight fight fight!

snarky face

he wooed me! || santa monica newborn photographer

2009-10-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here's little duke at 5 weeks. I wasn't sure what to expect with a little 5 week old since the newborns I've been photographing have all been less than 14 days old. Well Duke did not disappoint! He peed on us once and even fell asleep for a few photos. He also stayed awake a long time and gave us lots of alert blue steel faces (and I think maybe even one smile).

Duke's mama is friend and fashion designer staci woo. I'm sure you've all seen me sporting her "carefree stylish living" clothes (if it's not than jeans and a tshirt, most likely it's something she's designed)!

I couldn't be happier to welcome little Duke to the world. Congratulations staci and mike!

wooing his mama

For this shot, we put him on the kitchen counter and had someone hold up a white blanket to block out the rest(including the kitchen sink). Oh and I guess when you've got great style, that also means you've got great little vase combos casually sitting on your counter. ;) And a side note... aren't these borders around the photos cute? Check out my post on albums...then envision and album with page after page with these little borders around your little one...so simple, yet so darling!

POW!

staci...thinking he's looking like you here! gas or smile? SMILE!

perfection

it's raining babies!!! || south bay newborn photographer

2009-10-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

I had my car all packed up and was ready to head down to the South Bay to photograph baby Asher. BUT I got a call bright and early from his mom saying he was sick. Poor little guy... less than 2 weeks old and already getting junk from his big brother. Luckily Asher's schedule was mostly just sleeping and eating and I was able to shuffle my plans around, so we moved the shoot out a few days (didn't want to wait too long and miss our chance to get those sleepy curly shots).

Asher did a great job and big brother Kellen got a big high five for chilling out with us during the photoshoot. Boy did mom and dad luck out with two gorgeous, well-behaved little boys! Here's Kellen when he was just four months old! Looks like the boys take after their dad in the hair department! ;)

hi mama! hi papa!

love those little sleepy smiles

flaky skin

got to remember how I made this hat...love it!

I wonder why most of the Kellen photos are blurry? lol.

thank goodness we had Mom to scoop him up.

seems like just the other day the little baby was Kellen...

Isn't she lovely...| los angeles child modeling headshots

2009-10-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful...
(Thanks Stevie!)

Well, she's smart too! And a character!

Yes, this little girl has got a unique look - she's a Heinz 57, kind of like my kids. Only unlike my kids, she actually listened to me and posed for some photos. We hung around my yard one morning, made a few outfit changes and the rest is history! Don't you just love that red hat?
And that blue backdrop? Well, that would be our plastic swimming pool from the summer that was still propped up against the bbq.

Products and album sample!

2009-10-16T14:14:00.001-07:00

Some photographers offer digital files, some offer prints, I offer both and albums too! Actually, if there's an item you've seen that involves photography, ask me about it and I can probably find someway to create it.

It's great to be able to get a cd of the images from your photo session, but how many people actually go out and have prints made? In many cases, the images just sit on the cd (like mine sit on my computer). The nice thing about ordering prints is that it takes out one of the steps... next step of course is popping that print into a frame and getting it up on the wall or desk.

An alternative to ordering large wall prints or your ho-hum 5x7, is ordering an album! I have prints I ordered from our wedding photographer, that I was planning on making into an album for my parents, but don't you know, they're all sitting in the same envelope they came in...6 years ag0. Thank goodness I ordered an album from our photographer so we have something to look through and show our friends.

Just recently I got to make up a really cool family photo album. I use a couple different album companies since I like a different styles. This company offers many different fabrics for the covers - from a high quality black leather, to a tangerine cow-friendly (faux) leather, to this blue faux snake skin. I'm awful at product shots, so please excuse my attempt here...

Paradise Cove... it's paradise unless you wake up at 4am and then get taken out by a big wave

2009-10-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last month my good friend Sarah came to town with her little man Cooper and au pair Maren. Cooper is the cutest guy ever - sporting a Zac Efron hairdo, ruby red lips and a big Buddha-belly. But on this trip, he decided to wake up when the rooster crowed back home on EST. The early morning wake up calls (think before 4am) combined with nap shortages, made this cutie a bit of an unhappy camper. Oh yeah, and the cherry on top... he got a runny nose too! poor guy. poor mama. poor au pair.

For the most part Cooper was a great sport, so excited to see all the wonders of California and the beach.... until he got knocked over by an unfriendly wave! Anyway, he and his mama were good sports and we did manage to get some smiles and have some good times. I want to give a shout out to the the crew of women singing and playing instruments on the beach at 10am... great way to get that smile back on Cooper's face!

it takes a village right? Cooper's getting handed back to mama after a ride on Maren's shoulders

Oh ladies, look out! I've already got tabs on him for Kaylie (she may like younger guys).

a whole lotta family - kids, baby, family, pets!

2009-10-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I braved the LA traffic to photograph this awesome family, and can you believe I got stuck in a traffic jam at 9:30am?! Luckily I was only stuck in the traffic and not the cause of it, so I'll be thankful for that. Anyway, after some emails and talking with Alison a couple months ago, I finally got to meet the whole family in person (3 dogs included)!

3 kids (oldest is 5) and 3 dogs. Let me repeat that: 3 kids and 3 dogs. Did I mention that one of the dogs is a puppy? You'd think it would have been a chaotic event, but Mom and Dad were super calm and just so relaxed the whole time that the kids just followed in their footsteps. Alison and Chad make a great team - one would hand me water to gulp down while the other was feeding or changing the kids into new outfits. Hats off to you.

What I really loved was that when I threw an idea out there (like carrying their velvety chair out to the backyard), they totally rolled with me... throwing the dogs and kids up on the bed...sure! And Alison and Chad had some ideas for shots they wanted to get too... so we got it all!

Hope you enjoy!

here's a little photoshop experiment... I figure this is what life really feels like sometimes...and don't you just love how Mom and Dad just enjoy it?

sometimes I just love the candid moments

I don't want to blow the holiday card photo surprise, so I thought I'd post some of the outtakes...

This one cracked me up! We were trying to get all 3 dogs and kids on the bed. I think Braden gave up at this point...lol and the dogs look like they are just humoring me. I love the ones where they're all looking up smiling, but this one just makes me smile.

Here's one guy who was willing to give me a smile! We just cut out the rest of the party-poopers!

The real stars of the show!

The kids each got to choose a special item - it's a fun way to remember a specific stage in life (like the princess stage that we've been in for a couple years now).

I had a hard time choosing my favorite photo of this little doll... they were are sooooo delicious! Check out those arm rolls and those beautiful big brown eyes she's got!

I just could not resist these little toes in the grass and her perfect linen dress!

and a little bit of puppy sharing the love...

So many more, but Alison and Chad, I'll be sending those your way in the morning! Time for me to hit the hay.

have you picked a baby name? || bay area maternity photographer

2009-10-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Last month my good friend Marisa flew me up to San Jose to take some maternity photos during her baby shower weekend. Marisa and I met each other freshman year at UCLA in the dorms - Rieber Hall Floor 6... way too many years ago. We even lived together in a 4 girl room in our sorority house (sorry, I just outed us Marisa... yes, we were in the anti-sorority sorority). And after graduating, Marisa returned to her Bay Area roots and bought a home a mile away from the house I grew up in (and where my parents still live). So every time I go home to visit my parents I get to ride my bike (or drive my LA-self) over to Marisa's house.

Since I do lots of photo shoots at the beaches down here, I thought we'd try something a little different for Marisa's maternity session. We made a quick drive up Highway 9 in Saratoga and stopped in a lovely forested area for most of these shots. The first couple were taken with Marisa's husband Ryan and their doggie Lexi (at their new house which is not so close to my parents any more). So happy for you guys! ...but so sad you'll be further away.

taken through a hole in a tree

isn't she gorgeous?!

kaylie hijinks || messy child photographer

2009-09-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

kaylie... watercolor makeup - look for it at your local MAC counter.

So much has been going on, but mostly I'm trying to get caught up with summer sessions and orders so that I can jump into holiday card sessions! More info coming soon!

a beachside reunion || manhattan beach family photographer

2009-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I met Kristin online at ilovephotography.com (an online forum for photographers trying to learn more about family portrait photography). She was coming out from Minnesota and was looking for someone to take photos of her family on the beach during their trip to Los Angeles. This was my first stranger photo session as a photographer!

Well, Kristin and I have stayed in contact though facebook and late night instant messaging (she stays up even later than me). Since our session in Malibu, she and her husband Eric have welcomed a son into their family. Yay! They wanted to do pictures on the beach again, but get this... little Brody does not like sand. Hmmm. Well, you'll see what we got... lol.

Great to see you all again! Have a great ride back home Supermom! And if you're looking for more fun stops along the way check out Road Trip USA...awesome road trip book. And I can't wait to see some before/after shots of your kitchen too!

introducing: the boy who does not like sand.
It's okay Brody, my camera doesn't like sand either.

how life changes in 10 years. || playa vista newborn photography

2009-09-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

In some ways college doesn't seem like so long ago, but talking to a current UCLA student on a Southwest flight up north, I realized that I was no longer the hip recent grad I thought I was... I am now more of a mom-type who hasn't been on the quickly changing campus in over 10 years. UCLA is where Matt and I met while life guarding at the swimming pool, and it's also where my friend Ivette met her husband Adam.

Ivette and I recently reunited online through facebook (join my fan page!), and I am honored that she contacted me about taking newborn photos of her new little man Ethan. Boy has Ivette has got her act together! Usually after having a first baby, the parents are so overwhelmed, I get a call about 3 months after the baby is born asking for newborn photos. Well, a 3 month old and a newborn are not exactly the same. If you want those sleepy shots where the baby is all curled up, then it's usually got to be done in the first 2 weeks...any longer than that and the baby usually wants to stay awake and check out the party.

Ivette called a week after Ethan was born and since I was supposed to be on a family vacation I referred her to some photographer friends... but what do you know, we ended up canceling our trip to Germany the day before we were going to leave! Such a bummer, but the reward was that I got to take newborn photos of Ethan and our other friends' baby Emme.

Ethan was a perfect little angel....when he wasn't sleeping, he was just eating or peeing and pooing on us... just the hazards of the job. :) And I think I've decided that if I ever think I want to have another baby, that we should just rescue a sweet dog like Ivette and Adam have - a King Charles.

It was fantastic seeing you again Ivette! I can't believe it's been over 10 years because you look exactly the same (other than the baby attached to you). And great meeting you Adam!

hapa baby...she's a beauty, eh? || santa monica newborn photographer

2009-08-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Sorey aboot the "beauty eh" comment.

translation: Sorry about the "beauty eh" comment. ;)

he he... it's after midnight, so maybe I'm not so funny as I think I am right now, so please forgive me. The papa of this beautiful little hapa girl is Canadian, so I have to get in all my Canadian lingo while I have the chance (all learned from watching Degrassi Junior High back when I was a kid growing up without MTV in a home with 6 televisions but no cable, destined to watch pbs all summer). Someone take the keyboard away from me, I don't think I'm even writing proper sentences...

Take 2:
Remember that maternity photo shoot I did a couple weeks ago in my neighbor's bamboo? Well, someone wanted in on the photo action and decided to come a couple weeks early...

When I saw this baby girl all swaddled up -- a tiny bundle peacefully sleeping on her parent's big bed -- I just wanted to put her in my camera bag and sneak her home with me. She has the most perfect little round face and was just sooo good during our photo session. I can't wait to watch her grow up and see what characteristics she inherits from her mom and dad. Congratulations Ann and Jeremy... you've got one beautiful family. I just realized we didn't get any photos with your redheaded child (the dog), so I'm sure you'll be seeing me with my camera again soon!

baby on the way! || santa monica maternity photographer

2009-08-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was supposed to help host a baby shower for my good friend Ann. The shower was to be at our house... that's 20-30 ladies, here in our humble home. Ack! It was just the motivation I needed to get some improvements done. In a few weeks, the house was painted a fresh new color, had a new front and side gate, side fence stained, new door knob and light fixture proudly glowing the patio, some new plants... you get the picture. It's all stuff we've been planning on doing, but I could never get around to do. We still need window treatments, a photo gallery wall... and my motivation has seemed to fizzle a bit. Anyone else need me to host a shower? ;)

Anyway, a few days before the shower, both Jack and Kaylie got the stomach flu! Ack! Germs everywhere! So we had a last minute change of venue (whew!) and everything went great. Oh, except that Ann, the guest of honor, showed up over an hour late! Talk about pregnancy brain! lol. She thought she was only 15 minutes late... not an hour and 15 minutes! Just had to razz her about that a bit, but I'm a bit worried for what will happen when she gets mom brain!

Without further ado, here is my gorgeous friend Ann, due the first week of September.

picture perfect family || pacific palisades family photographer

2009-08-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

So I'm looking through all the photos I took of this family last weekend. Okay, I think some fabulous magazine needs to give this family a call... seriously, look at this gorgeous family (inside and out) - they could all be models (without the drama)! And please take note... the orange dress with the boys' blue outfits. I LOVED! How great do they look? They're not all wearing the exact same thing, instead they're coordinated with a little zing!

I got word that John wanted to sneak out of the photo session early so he could play some pick up basketball, so I tried to snap all the family photos at the beginning...and I think it paid off. The kids rocked it and so did Beverly and John! Lots of smiles and cuteness. After Dad left, I took some shots of Mom and the boys. And the older boy Calvin totally hammed it up for me (without too many fake smiles either). While baby brother Luke was having a snack (and starting the melt down), Calvin and I hung out while he posed for me. So fun!

Since Beverly is uber-organized and already planning her Christmas cards (it is not too early), I'm not going to show most of the family photos...so they'll be a surprise on her holiday card. But I wanted to post some fun ones!

Calvin

mom and the boys

oh wait...here's the angel face

wise monkey...

or silly monkey?

luke - he's the just cuddliest little guy!

Check out their fridge! We tried a little a little retro June and Ward Cleaver shot, but I think next time we'll put John in the apron serving up the food!

Who do we love? MOMMY!

Now can you see why John wanted to get out and play some basketball? This is why people fight the traffic to live in Southern California.

two little boys, a fluffy white dog and a patient pair of parents

2009-08-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

When I saw this painting on their wall, I knew we had to find a way to get it into a photo. Yay! game: Where's Waldo? Can you find the dog hidden in this picture?

guard dog

up up and away!

big brother... was not giving up those Lightening McQueen and Sally cars, but look how happy they make him! Or maybe Daddy throwing him up in the air is what's putting the smile on his face.

little bro. love that red hair!!!

Yee Haw Happy Campers! || pacific palisades family photographer

2009-07-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I met up with this family of happy campers. They were literally happy campers as they were in between two huge camping trips. The next day Gordon and Morgan (ages 5 and 6) were headed on a 10 mile backpacking trip with their brave parents. Little Melanie was staying home with Grandma this time, but the way she carried her brother's skateboard around, I'm sure she'll be making it out on the backpacking trails in no time.

I was so stoked when I saw that Jackie had gotten each kid to pick out something that was special to them. This makes the photos even more personalized and if you're like me and really bad at writing down all the things the kids are in to at each stage, then at least you have it documented in a photo. Morgan, the oldest sibling missing his two front teeth, brought a big red ruby gem and a cool rock he got on their last camping trip to Zion. (Note: They did not recommend going to Zion in the summer...try the spring when it's cooler). Gordon, the middle child with crazy long lashes and an infectious smile, wore his favorite cowboy outfit and brought his skull skateboard. And the youngest, the tough little sister Melanie, well, she wore Gordon's passed down cowboy boots, but also brought along high heels and a purse for an accessory change.

OMG! So fun! The kids were well behaved and had fun as we jumped from tree to tree taking photos. Here's your sneak peek... hope the backpacking trip was a success!!!

the happy campers

melanie

gordon

morgan

up a tree

on a bridge

a star in the making

gotta love a girl who hikes in her light-up heels!

pacific palisades family photography

We've been waiting for Josephine... well, she's here!

2009-07-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

There's a group of us that meet on the lawn at Will Rogers for some afternoon play with the kids (you know the kind where they just run around silly and fall asleep on the way home and you just throw them into bed even though they'd normally complain about being itchy from the grass if they weren't uh.. asleep). Anyway, it's always a fun time getting the kids together and the adults (or "bosses" as my kids call adults) can sit on the grass, chat, have some food (my kids and I grossed everyone out with our spam musubis this week) while the kids run around on flat grass, dig in the sand and wave hi to horses and deer. Throw in some homemade cookies or a half glass of wine and it's magical. ;)

So one couple that we see regularly at Will Rogers -- friends Maria and Sage -- are awesome parents to 2 gorgeous and fun kids (and I think there may be few pets too). Anyway, before Sage and Maria got married, they had talked about wanting to adopt a daughter from China someday... well, the day has arrived. Last week they added a new member to their family, a 5 year old little girl - Josephine. I got to meet Josie and see how amazingly she was fitting in and adapting to her new life in LA. She played with all the kids, ate snacks, laughed and even seemed to understand what her mom was saying to her (in English). Wow! Amazing.

Anyway, I just wanted to to congratulate Sage, Maria and the kids... you guys are an inspiration!
Sage, I'll have to get some photos of you next time!

josephine!!!

big sister te

little bro miles

happy with happy mommy

capri sun (or some organic version knowing maria) ;)

oh, so excited with my new 50 1.4 lens!

grandma and her kids || pacific palisades family photographer

2009-07-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

Between belly, baby and family photoshoots, this family has been keeping me very busy! Good thing they're some of my favorite friends around. :) This time grandma Barry Jo hired me to take some pictures of her son and three grandkids.

marlo

logan

tristan

this is a fun series... thanks Tristan for putting up with some hair pulling from the little ones. ;)

someone adores his little sister

barry jo, her son alden and his boys

the boys

and lambie

Update

2009-07-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Life is slowly returning to normal... busy that is. Well, actually I'm finally getting my bearings after a month of no school for the kids, I decided to put the kids in camp this week. They're loving it and I'm loving having a few hours a day where I can get some work done without their lovely bodies climbing all over me.

Just a quick update on what's been going on.
First thank you to all my clients and friends for your patience with me as I've been trying to get everything done on this summer schedule. After schlepping both kids around town all day, I've been having a hard time staying awake at the computer until 1am like I normally do. If you sent me an email and haven't heard back, try again please!

I'm booked through Aug and will be taking Sept and holiday booking soon!

My friend Linda and I are hosting a baby shower here on Sunday for our good friend Ann. This shower has finally given me the motivation I needed to make some much needed home improvements. Here's what we've done in the last month: replaced front gate, trimmed out our back windows, had house painted (got a great painter if you're in the Palisades area), changed out porch light and door knob (poor Matt spent the entire 4th of July trying to get that door knob in...was a bit bigger of a job than I had thought as we didn't actually have a hole in our door before), put in a bunch of new plants, fixed some sprinklers... you get the idea. Any suggestions on how to improve the look of our granny security gates? Getting rid of them is not an option at this point unfortunately. Oh, and I'm going to get a compost bin for the backyard. Through the City of LA you can get them for $20! I'm so excited to make my own mulch!

Some adventures...
Drove the kids up to San Jose. Took the sparkly clean light rail to the Tech Museum (a great outing). Touched some sea anomie at the tide pools at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. Met up with some friends for Dim Sum and green waffles. Walked all over the Huntington Gardnes for the first time (thanks Erin)! Ate some hot dogs in a train on Sunset, then used a free pass I found while cleaning for the Zimmer Children's Museum. Rode bikes/ran/walked in the Pacific Palisdades 4th of July parade (thanks for taking pics Amy since I clearly could not handle a camera, both kids and a bike). lol Oh, and Matt and I went with our friends the Fino's to see Death Cab for Cutie at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday. The band was backed up by the LA Philharmonic (not bad eh) and had fireworks accompany their last song of the night.
(got to figure out how to pull the video off my camera and upload to youtube).

And a few pics!

Here's my grandpa who Kaylie is named after. He's almost 97 and has a garden that can feed an army. I think Kaylie gets some of her mischievous behavior from him!

Think I should make a book of Kaylie face paintings? This would be crayola markers dipped in water, then applied to face.

And here are my cuties at Jack's preschool graduation. I can't believe my little guy will be going to kindergarten in the fall! Jack didn't want to wear the sweater vest because he thought the other kids would laugh at him (but he just looked so cute I bribed him half a cup of marbles to keep it on...and no one laughed).

baby isla || newborn photography pacific palisades

2009-06-23T01:16:00.000-07:00

My beautiful Aussie friend Danielle and her hubbie John make the most gorgeous babies (and give them some great names)! Here are a few family photos taken with their son Mason last month.

And here at 10 days old, is little Isla just perfect looking and so awake. Usually I recommend taking newborn photos at about 5-10 days old so they're super sleepy and moldable. But little Isla was so awake already... she just wanted to see what was going on. No fussing, just eyes wide open. After about 4 hours of nursing, peeing and pooping, she finally fell asleep (and I hope she took a long nap for you Danielle)! And thank goodness for Danielle's mom who was there to magically rock Isla to sleep.

awake.
are you kidding me with those cheeks?! I just want to squeeze them and eat 'em up! and check out that perfect little pucker.

because danielle looked so lovely with the chandelier...

Isla wasn't so sure about the joke I cracked.

back in her cozy pjs... finally asleep (in a fun little hat I knitted).

welcome to the neighborhood nico! || family photographer pacific paliasdes

2009-06-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

I took some photos of John and Marcia's weimaraner Max last year and now I'm so happy to have taken their first official family photos with their new daughter Nico - the most beautiful little girl who has one dimple when she makes her huge smile and a growing Buddha belly that rivals the Pillsbury Dough-boy.

see the little dimple?

the happy family! congratulations!

Cal Bears family || family photographer pacific palisades

2009-06-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I got to see our old friends Al and Mireya for the second time in two weeks! Last weekend they were in on Matt's plan (along with about 40 other friends and their kids) to surprise me for my 29th birthday. What? You don't believe I'm 29? LOL... maybe I need to work on my crowsfeet-removing Photoshop skillz. Okay, okay... let me do the math... oh, it was my 33rd. Anyway, they sure did surprise me! Matt won some major brownie points and I think he may be put in charge of all future party planning - taco guy making fresh tacos in our front patio, 3 cakes, party favors for the kids, even a new engagement ring for me. (Did I mention I dropped my circa 1920 diamond ring in the Pacific Ocean a few weeks ago...yeah, let's not talk about it... )... let's just say my new ring is plastic and very large. lol.

What am I doing talking about myself?! This post is about Al and Mireya (two of the kindest people in Los Angeles) and their two handsome boys. So I got to see them again this Saturday as we met along the side of the road next to a pretty popular roach coach (might have to try it one of these days). I had Mireya climbing over tree roots in her cute wedge sandals and had the whole family standing on top of a picnic table so we could get these orange flowers in the background.

Here's a little sneak peek!

the family.

introducing marcelo (love that name).

introducing daniel (3 years old but is as big as my 5 year old).

Found this stump and moved into into a nice little spot by by some flowers and flowing water (uh, I'm hoping it was a water pipe that broke that caused the stream and not some other type of pipe). I just LOVE this series of papa and son together.

cracking jokes... that's a knee-slapper Dad!

get your kleenex out mireya!

since it was such a pretty spot I thought we'd try to get in one more family shot... this is how daniel felt about that. lol. Hey, he's just being honest.

I invited everyone back home for some tamales, chips and coffee. Well, wasn't exactly planned that way, but glad we go to hang out some more! Thanks for drinking my coffee creation (had to combine a couple different coffees since I ran out of the regular stuff).

I got a few shots of little marcelo all dressed up in his birthday suit too! Leaf borrowed from earlier photo shoot location. :)

lashes

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Our little Jack's trying to recover from his cold in time for his birthday on Wednesday, and the rest of us are trying not to get sick. Grandma and Grandpa came to town, so we opened a few of his presents early and have been having fun relaxing around the house.

I just wanted to post a couple more photos I've been working on... here's Danielle, John and Mason. EXCITING NEWS! If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you already know, and if you don't, go over and add me. :) Danielle invited me to come along with her maternity shoot with Nigel Barker from America's Next Top Model. Woo hoo!!! So I joined Danielle and another prego friend Alyssa on their photoshoots. Amazing! It was so eye opening to see how Nigel shoots and what his set up was like (studio backdrop set up in a backyard patio). I got to chat with him and his family (gorgeous and super friendly wife and 2 cutie pie kids) and the hair and makeup guys who made the mommies to be look even more radiant. I cannot wait to see how the photos come out since I'm sure the lighting set up will make them look so much more dramatic than what I got to see with the daylight.

Anyway, Happy Memorial Day! Thanks to all those protecting our country!

family of 3 or make that 4 || malibu family and maternity photography

2009-05-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was dreary and overcast out - looks like June Gloom has arrived early in Pacific Palisades. But for family photos scheduled at noon, I was actually happy to see the cloud cover as bright full noon sun doesn't always make for the most flattering images (unless you like to have dark raccoon eyes). The overcast skies help keep the images soft which is a perfect look for maternity.

We started off at Danielle and John's house... tested out the dining room table... I just couldn't resist the hard wood table and delicate chandelier.

then one in the yard... Danielle insists she's only having grapefruit cravings but I'm not so sure...

on the way to their house I found this cool green wall.
mason leading the way.

then we headed down to the beach.
how gorgeous is she?

my new shot for little kids when they're too busy to stop and take pictures. A slow shutter speed shows Mason's fast movement (and his tongue sticking out)...

more to come!

sister, sister, brother, cousin || santa monica family photographer

2009-05-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to facebook, I've been reunited with a bunch of old friends and coworkers that I haven't talked to in years. In a past life, Liane, John and I worked together making educational video games for kids... oh wait, that was this life, just 8 years ago! In that past life, we also did a mini triathlon together, played volleyball after work, and ran along the Strand in Hermosa. Wait, sure that wasn't another life?! Running? What's that?!

Anyway, I was so happy when Liane contacted me about taking their family photos! Not only did that mean that getting to do my job, but it also meant that I'd get to see my old friends. A win win! Since Liane and John were driving up with the kids from San Diego, we set up a post photo shoot play-date for so we could all hang out some more and catch up. The kids had a blast playing together in the yard and smearing smoothie pops all over their faces. Kaylie and Molly really hit it off with their love for smoothie pops on the face and kitty talk (meow, meow, I'm a kitty meow).

There are way too many fun pictures from our shoot, but here's a little sampling.

The whole gang... max, cousin audrey, claire and molly

audrey

claire

molly

max

having a little fun

abracadabra, make our toes appear!

I LOVE this one... we switched out of dresses into suits...then had a little juice box break

a lucky ladybug

Thanks again for making the drive up here! Can't wait to see you guys again this summer!

Big Bro Bo and Little Bro Jake || Pacific Palisades Family Photography

2009-05-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Kristine once told me they wanted to name their second son Luke, but then that would make their kids Bo and Luke... super cute right? But it's nearly impossible for me (child of the 80's) to say "Bo and Luke" without adding the "Duke" at the end... and of course I hear it it that narrator voice from the Dukes of Hazard tv shot too. Ha! So Kristine and Scott named their second boy Jake.

We spent last Sunday morning taking photos, playing and even did a little reading.

jake. 7 months.

go bo go.

nothing like a good book.

the whole fam.

zoe and hannah - sisters ... pacific palisades family photography

2009-04-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

The morning of our photoshoot... picture me waking up to a cute little blue house.

me: Knock, knock...
him: Who's there?
me: I'm looking for Maggie.
him: Maggie Who?
me: Uh oh, I think I have the wrong house! And my cell phone is drained!

Whoops! I thought I knew where I was going, but apparently I was knocking on the wrong door. Thanks to another helpful neighbor, I found the house I was looking for a couple minutes later. Whew! Luckily the rest of the morning flew by without a hitch.

Maggie, mom to two beautiful little girls Zoe and Hanna, was a tiny bit worried that Zoe would be shy around me. No way!

Here's Zoe bout 2 minutes after I arrived. :) Oh we had fun!

Zoe was actually pretty hilarious. Here she is showing me her "pull my finger trick," that I think she said her dad taught her. lol

Little sister Hanna liked to have a little fun too!

maternity mama

2009-04-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

I took Alyssa's family photo back in December...she's got 2 beautiful daughters and one more baby on the way! Alyssa came over for a quick photo session today and I was so surprised when I saw her walking toward the door... first thing that caught my eye, tatoos painted down both shoulders and a very hip looking bob. AWESOME! Alyssa, you just look so beautiful and I love your spirit. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

kaylie strikes again!

2009-04-20T01:15:00.000-07:00

last time it was white,

this time, kaylie learned that if you mix all the water colors together, you get black.

newborn marlo... one more photo!

2009-04-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

because I forgot to post it last night and because I'm procrastinating... should be working on tax stuff and a few other things but oh, her little stretch!

baby marlo ... just in time for easter

2009-04-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

We had quite an exciting night/morning the other day when Amy and Alden dropped 3 year old Logan off at our house at 3:30am - the kids' first slumber party with a non-cousin. And today Lo's sister Marlo had her first carpool... we squeezed her little infant seat in between Jack and Kaylie's carseats as we picked her up for her first photoshoot. I don't normally do photoshoots at my own house since I think it's nice to have your own belongings in the photos, but I really wanted to meet Marlo and this was the only way we could arrange it today.

Little Miss Marlo Leigh (love the name!) had a bit of a rough start... awake, hungry and scratching herself with these hands that look liked they had a french manicure. But once she was fed (and thank you for not pooping or peeing on us!) and we heated her up with a hair dryer she calmed right down and gave us a few zzzz's. I think Amy may try the hairdryer trick tonight if Marlo decides to pull another all nighter.

the french manicure (oh and the cutest furry shoulders)

for alden

in preparation for Marlo's arrival, I somehow got the knitting bug and have taught myself to knit and crochet by reading books from the library and watching videos on youtube (such a great resource!). One of my creations...

And then when I told Amy that I had taken up knitting, I'd come home to find bags of yarn on my front porch! Here's some she left me that I knitted into a funny little hat!

isn't she just so beautiful?! And Amy looks amazing of course! Thanks for letting me kidnap you guys today!

Have a happy Easter everyone! At 6:30 this evening I realized that we hadn't made our Easter eggs yet, so off to a late start, we did manage to hard boil the eggs and decorate them in time for the Easter bunny to hide them tonight (no way the Easter bunny will be waking up before the kids to hide them in the morning...ha!).

Note Kaylie's dress over a dress look, because wearing just one dress is never enough for this girly girl who loves to get dirty.

Congratulations to America's Next Top Maternity Model!

2009-04-09T12:49:00.001-07:00

A day after we tried to get Amy in to see ANTM photographer Nigel Barker for some more maternity photos, Amy's baby must have decided she wanted to meet Nigel in person, because at 3:22am last night I got a phone call from Alden saying Amy was in labor. Woo hoo! I had just gone to bed two hours earlier, but I couldn't have been happier to get the call. Amy, Alden and Lo zoomed over and dropped off soon-to-be-big-brother Lo for a little slumber party while the pregnant party headed to the hospital.

A few hours later, a perfect little girl was born - Marlo Leigh Harris. So a big congrats so Amy, Alden and Lo! Now... time for some newborn pics!!!

*ANTM = America's Next Top Model
Note: If you're pregnant and live near NYC or are willing to travel for some amazing photos (and want to possibly be part of a coffee table book)... check out Nigel's blog post. Don't you love how I'm talking like I know him or something? Well, it just seems so cool!

Oh, and here are a few more photos from when we went down to the beach where Alden was being interviewed by Jamie Chambers of KTLA News because he'd seen a couple great white sharks at Will Rogers beach (while he was swimming... ACK!).

congrats to the proud parents!

An interesting top down shot of Amy's belly button!

look what I caught!

2009-04-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

"Jack, were you scared when you caught the lizard?"

"Nope. It was great!"

a little bit closer

That would be a blue bellied lizard also known as a western fence lizard.

Note: no lizards or boys were harmed during filming.

happy 1st bday ella! ... beverly hills, ca photography

2009-04-01T11:27:00.001-07:00

Taking a break from maternity photography for a few days... :)
I got an email last week from one of my first clients Lucy. Lucy's friend Amy (friends from back home in England and both happened to marry boys from the states, be in LA and pregnant at the same time)... anyway, Amy encouraged Lucy to join our maternity photoshoot last January. So glad she did as I had such fun photographing the two beautiful actresses. And boy was it a boost to my ego to see the shots I got!

So a little over a year later and now we have 1 year old Ella. Big blue eyes like her mom and curls like her dad, this little girl who walked at 9 months wanted to do nothing but show me her extreme walking skills. Oh, and she loved to be thrown up in the air.

It was wonderful meeting Lucy and Jake's extended families also... lucky you both got such great inlaws! I hope everyone has safe flights back home (and that this brings a little sunshine your way).

Oh! If you live in the Los Angeles area and are looking for a fun date night... Jake co-wrote and is performing in Louie and Keely: Live at the Sahara, now at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. Think I might have to pick up some tickets myself!

Without futher ado a few of my favorites....

belly photos with some vintage inspiration

2009-03-20T21:37:00.001-07:00

I'm back again with a few more pics of my muse Amy. She wanted to see more car ones... so here you go!

and wow, doesn't she look beautiful here?

more maternity madness! skates, classic car, harley, grass fields, pipes

2009-03-19T00:44:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick sneak peek! I just love my gorgeous model/mom/mom-to-be/teacher! At 8am this morning she sent out a blast text to all her friends asking if anyone had any old-school roller skates. She found some cool green shorts and thought skates would complete the look for our classic cadillac shoot we were going to do at 9am. Lucky for Amy I had the exact skates we needed (and I even found them in the garage), but no way was I letting her actually skate in them. We did some seated shots and then I helped her over to the back of the car (not that she wanted my help).

fierce. can you tell someone has been ~~watching~~ studying America's Next Top Model?

This shot was inspired by another I've seen... thanks for jumping for me Amy!

back with more soon!

kaylie's 3rd brithday blowout.

2009-03-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

And by "birthday blowout" I don't mean birthday party. I mean, poor little kaylie got a stomach bug on her birthday. No voice screaming, "I'm going to Disneyland!" for this little ~~super~~toiletbowl champion.

Instead of going to Disneyland, we stayed home, rented some dancing Barbie princess movie, made cookies, and ate a birthday bagel for breakfast and a birthday pancake for dinner (modifying the BRAT diet a bit).

Sniffle... my little girl is getting so big (and sassy). Ah, but I love her so.

maternity photo . looking for...

2009-03-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

her old life? her toes? naw, just the barrette she lost...

a little grass in the hair trick

with a little vintage color wash

a beautiful bright day

one of my favs! mom and son having fun

boys weekend/ girls weekend

2009-03-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

Matt took Jack to Arizona for their first boys weekend getaway. It was Jack's first time on an airplane and I cannot tell you how excited he was. I just think it's so cute how Jack can be so enthusiastic about things... "AWESOME! IT WAS GREAT! AWESOME IS MY FAVORITE WORD!" Somehow Jack even managed to pack Boo-Boo-Da-Dee-dee-dee-dee his stuff whale (yes, Jack named him and the name stuck).

boys trip photos by matt and my brother geoff

Some of the trip highlights: peanuts and apple juice on the plane, the tiny plane bathroom, getting handed a practice ball at the Giants game, hanging out with Uncle Geoff, Aunt Jen, cousins Mason and Finn, going to the train museum, the hotel swimming pool, and getting to spend lots of time with Dad.

Meanwhile, Kaylie and I had our own fun: soccer (aka playing on the swing set while the rest of the team played on the field...guess someone wasn't ready for soccer yet), birthday party, hollywood and highland for the sesame street body exhibit, dinner including kid-sized chocolate and peanut butter milkshakes at johnny rockets, hanging with Amy and Lo, hiking, tricycle riding... for all you with tricycle riding toddlers, let me know if you want to use Kaylie's new trike (thank you craigslist) in your photos!

It was a really great weekend.

the neon boneyard - wppi - las vegas

2009-03-04T23:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a little continuation of my visit to the Neon Boneyard in Las Vegas.

newborn baby leighton - redondo beach

2009-03-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

One of my good photography friends just had her second baby. So what does that mean? Well, it means newborn baby photo practice time!

The ideal time to get those squishy, sleepy newborn photos is in the first 10 days of life.

New parent says "What are you insane?! In the middle of all that chaos of coming home from the hospital and dealing with a newborn, you want us to schedule a photoshoot?"

Me: Well, yes. :) If you want photos of your teeny tiny baby all curled up and sleeping, that's when you'll want to do it. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but this is the time your baby will have the longest stretches of sleep (so enjoy and appreciate every minute of it since your sleep deprivation will only increase as the days go on). :) After the first couple of weeks, some babies really wake up and want to know what's going on... which can also be very cute of course, but there's something magical about a sleeping child... you'll see!

I happened to stop by two week old baby Leighton's house right as she was waking up from a long nap. Her photographer mom Tory and I snapped a few photos of her awake and looking around. But then baby was on to business - eating followed by pooping. Just as she was about to doze off (that's when we take all those fun sleeping photos)... I had to go back home to rescue the grandparents who were watching my kids!

Okay, a few of the fun pics!

hi mom, i'm awake!

and here i am starting to get sleeepy

out

Oh and I just had to add a couple more to show off my funky handiwork. Years ago before kids I used to be pretty crafty. A good friend bought me a "how to knit" kit about 6 years ago and I made a scarf. Then I knitted this crazy cool blanket for my friend Jessica's first baby (hey, Jess... do you still have that blanket?). That blanket sucked the knitting life out of me and I haven't touched the needles since.

Well, the other day I decided I wanted to try to make one of these baby cocoon things... I had to reread the directions a few times and before I knew it, I had knitted something (oh, did I mention that in order to make the cocoon, that I had to unravel that scarf I made since I didn't have any other yarn handy at the moment?). lol. Anyway, I was still finishing it up while Tory's baby was drinking her lunch, but we managed to get Leighton in it for a few pictures. Kind of reminds me of my old favorite sweater.

Congratulations Tory! You've got a beautiful daughter (and son too... Pierce, thanks for napping so mommy and I could take some photos!)

maternity photos - street, gas station, beach cont.

2009-02-26T01:08:00.000-08:00

I'm back with a few more shots from a crazy-fun maternity session with my friend Amy. Not only is Amy a super foxy mom (she's got an almost 3 year old), but she's also super smart (check out her business palitutor.com), and crafty too (nativeartstudio.com). Watch out Amy, I'm thinking you might start getting some tutor requests from some of the local high school boys (and their dads). lol

Our first stop of the morning: we dragged this chair out by my house... we had to move it a couple times as cars drove by staring and waving at us.

This shot was taken in my garage. It's a bit of a photoshop mess, but I like it anyway.

As we were packing up to move on to our next location, I saw this couple waking a herd of dogs down the street...

at this old gas station...

heading toward the beach...

This one cracked me up... Amy looks all fierce, but then there's the bike laying there and these two ducks that started following us around...

having some fun - maternity photos in the street, gas station and beach

2009-02-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! What a fun morning. I dropped the kids off at school and then picked up my friend Amy who is due with her second baby in 8 weeks. She was up for anything so I grabbed my camera, her vintage bike and some wardrobe changes and off we went. First stop was at my house. A couple weeks ago Kaylie used her dot paints to "decorate" our old green velvet chair. It was on it's way out the door years ago, and this sent the chair from the living room to the garage. So I dragged the chair out of the garage and threw it in the street... I'll post a couple of those pics later tonight. Then we headed down to Malibu... stopped in at an old gas station and then over to Malibu Lagoon with the bike. Amy was awesome! Neither of us are experts on posing, but she went with any ideas I had (uh, can you lay down in these flowers?)... thanks Amy!

Here are a couple of my favs from our last stop... We had to rush to pick up my kids on time. Thank Alden for meeting us at the school!

I'll be back later with more!!!

To me, these pictures are screaming, "Use some vintage coloring and textures!" But I don't know, I'm kinda liking the natural colors...

back from the boneyard - wppi in las vegas

2009-02-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hidey-ho everyone!
I'm back from 3 days, 2 nights in lovely Las Vegas. I was actually most surprised by how less smoky it was from the last time I went 5 years ago. Thumbs up!
I've got a lot of catching up to do - Erin, I'm working on your photos and your order Linda!
But I wanted to quickly share a couple images from our little fieldtrip to the Neon Boneyard (about 10 min off the Vegas strip). Thanks to Seattle photog friend Emma Smith (of live love laugh photography) and Charise Proctor (who I barnicled on all week) for setting up the whole outing complete with awesome models!

oooo, and I'm so excited about this one!

I've got a zillion more to go through! Be back later!

I'm going to Disneyland! Oh wait, I mean VEGAS!

2009-02-16T00:41:00.000-08:00

Disneyland for adults, or as my kids call us, "bosses."
Actually I'm not really a big Vegas fan. I don't gamble, smoke or hang out in strip clubs (for the most part anyway), but I will be attending WPPI (a giant photography nerd fest). I'm hoping to learn some new tricks and maybe even pick up a souvenir or two (a new camera bag maybe?).

My mom flew down to help out with the kids, and whoops, bad planning... instead of the kids being in school for most the time I was gone... turns out they have the week off from school! Sorry Mom! So if you're a local friend, please call and help her out by taking the kids on a playdate. :)

I'll be checking email from my iphone if you need to reach me!

Be back in a few days! Whoo hoo!

And here are a couple more pictures of Zoë and her proud/cool/ gorgeous parents.
Note: to type " ë " on a PC, you hold down the alt key, then type the numbers 137.

happy valentine's day!

2009-02-13T22:24:00.001-08:00

As a surprise, the kids and I made some heart-shaped cookies for Daddy for Valentine's Day. The surprise was on me when I dug through my drawer-o'-junk-and-spam musubi maker, and the only cookie cutters I could find were two Christmas trees and a snowman. So I went online and did a google search: how to make a cookie cutter. Five minutes later MacGyver Heather had a cookie cutter made from some scrap metal ducting found in the garage and a little masking tape.

When Matt came home from his work today, Jack told him that we made him a surprise. "I'll give you just two clues. It begins with the letter C and it's something that Cookie Monster likes to eat."

Happy Valentines to my Valentine of over 13 years! Thanks for loving me and working so hard for our family. I love you!

our first date

and another old one I dug up taken few years later on one of our best vacations - a cross country road trip.
this was taken at the shady dell. if you're ever in bisbee, az, I highly recommend stopping here for the night or at least for a grilled cheese sandwich.

we'll be kicking off valentine's day at kaylie and jack's first soccer game. They're playing together on the same team...how cute is that?! Go Team 1 (they haven't come up with a name yet)!!

happy valentine's day everyone!

oh the lucky parents - 10 week old

2009-02-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I photographed the most well-behaved 10 week old. She didn't fuss for a second during our session. When I arrived she was finishing up her nap. She quickly awoke in good spirits and then she let us dress her, do tummy time and take a zillion photos. Yay Zoë! And yay me for figuring out how to make an umlaut on the keyboard (while holding down the alt key, type 0235).

Erin and TJ, it was great getting to spend the morning with you and I look forward to seeing you guys again soon!

Here are a few of my favorites...

not too shabby for a girl who doesn't like tummy time

pure sugar - 10 week old who didn't cry a peep

2009-02-11T00:36:00.000-08:00

I hopped on the 405 this morning and headed down to Manhattan Beach to take some photos of this beautiful brown-eyed little girl. She did not cry a peep the entire 2 1/2 hours I was there, and the stars must have been aligned because I also did not hit traffic either way on the 405.

a sneak peek...

This is one of the original members of the family... photos of the new addition will be posted in a bit!

a playdate at the park - pacific palisades photographer

2009-02-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last week Kaylie had a playdate with one of her boyfriends Bo. Kaylie is quite the social butterfly, so I imagine this is only the beginning of me taking her on chaperoned dates. When Bo and Kaylie saw each other at the park, they shouted each others' names and then ran with open arms for a mega hug. Well, Bo is a boy version of Kaylie - sturdy, fun, with a solid head - he tackled Kaylie with a warm embrace. Kaylie thought was fun until she hit the gravel road.

Anyway, all recovered the two chased each other around, I mean... we all hiked to this lovely meadow. On the way there, Kaylie picked something up off the ground and held it up to me, "Mommy, what's this?" Oh lord. I grabbed Kaylie by the wrist and shook it until she let go of the flattened road-kill mouse that she was holding by its stiff tail.

A shot from my iphone (note said mouse under Bo's shoe):

Here are a couple more shots from our morning outing.

februrary in los angeles... beach weather!

2009-02-05T00:38:00.001-08:00

So the weather has been just amazing here in LA and I've finally realized the true joy of living near the beach (the kid-entertainment factor). We've been taking the kids down to the beach quite a bit as it's been in the 70's for I can't remember how long now (though forecast calls for rain tomorrow). Okay, I hate that sand gets everywhere (car, floors, ears, more on the floor when the kids take off their swim suits to use the potty), but I'm seeing the beach benefits may outweigh the sand! The other day we were down by the water for 3 hours. I mostly got to chat with some friends, took a few pictures and the kids enjoyed building and playing together. It's not Shangri-la, as we still have to pack snacks, yell at the kids for throwing sand, and take toddlers to public restrooms, but 3+ hours of entertainment... that's awesome. Oh, and I recently found out the pizza guy will deliver.

lo and kaylie were pouring sea water on their heads.

new friends who are visiting from england (jack had a crush on the older girl)

I've also started to embrace Kaylie's desire to always be playing with lotion or making some kind of mess on her body. The other day I filled up a bowl with warm soapy water (at least it's clean right?). I set the bowl on the patio and let her go to town. First thing she did was take off all her clothes (of course, it's Kaylie). And then shortly after we have bath fun in a bowl...

We're supposed to go for a little hike tomorrow... but we might get rained out...

gallery wrapped canvas - what is it?

2009-01-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite ways to display a photograph is by turning it into a gallery wrapped canvas. In my home I love it because I can take the canvas out of the box, and then hang it right up on the wall - no need to find a frame to match (because that will take me another 6 months before I even make it to the frame store), no mattes to cut - and it looks like a classy piece of art on my wall.

The image is printed on canvas with archival quality ink, then stretched around 1.5" thick museum-quality stretcher bars. To top it off, the canvas is sprayed with a protective gel coating (though still not a good idea to let your toddler play with it).

I took a few pictures of the most recent canvases I've had printed so you can see some details. Just let me know if you'd like to see a sample in person and I'd be more than happy to bring one along to our session. I've got the most popular sizes listed in my pricing, but these can be made nearly every size.

max. This one has a texture on top of the image to give it kind of a aged look.

Some canvas companies cover the back with tyvek paper or cardboard. I've tried a bunch of different vendors and the one I prefer does not cover the back. Here's what they say about that:

close up of the neatly wrapped corner.

close up of the canvas texture.

this is a 24x30 I had printed for a recent client. Sounds big, but it fits just right over our fireplace (I examined the canvas make sure it was perfect...took a quick picture and wrapped it back up).

So that's a gallery wrapped canvas in a nutshell. Feel free to email or call if you have any other questions!

a beautiful baby boy!

2009-01-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of the most laid-back first time parents. They didn't even freak out when we all got peed on (and thanks Jacob for only getting us once).

I hope to post a couple more pictures up here tomorrow, but it's been a long three day weekend (beach, park, dinner out, people over, photoshoot, cleaning, working, grocery shopping-with 2 kids who no longer want a free ride in the cart), so I'm calling it a night.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

jacob.

I just love little feet.

belly laugh.

santa monica baby photography, santa monica family photography, newborn photography, pacific palisades photography, los angeles photography

I got an SLR, now what?

2009-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

So I seem to get this question all the time. Or something like, "I've got really fast kids and my point and shoot is too slow. I want something that takes the picture when I push the button. Should I get one of those SLRs?"

Okay, I'm no expert, but this is the advice I've got for you (now I'll just point everyone to this blog post).

First question. SLR or Point-and-shoot?
Well, I've got a couple SLRs and an old point and shoot (Sony Cybershot circa 2003...wedding gift from my Uncle Craig... I was still anti-digital up until this point but decided to take it on our honeymoon and have never looked back to film). Oh, our wedding was shot all with film but now I see some of the advantages of digital wedding images (photoshop manipulations, magazine style albums and the ability to share the images online with friends).

The Cybershot worked great until I had kids. That's when the second or two delay really let me down. I got pretty decent at anticipating a shot, but still I'd have to take a zillion pictures to get a good one. So on to my first DSLR purchase, the Canon Rebel XT. So for the most part I've been lugging that bad boy around with me everywhere the last few years (kind of a pain) and there's no hiding this guy in your pocket at a girls night out dinner. So for Xmas this year I asked for a new point and shoot. I let my husband do most of the research but told him one of those small Canons would probably be good or there's this Olympus that's waterproof that I though would be a fun feature to have. So he got me the Canon Powershot SD770IS. For sure there is still a delay, but it's not as bad as on my old point and shoot.

Here's the thing, point and shoots for the most part, try to get everything in the picture to be in focus. Stuff in the foreground, stuff in the background...it's all in focus. So when you get your pictures back from Costco, you're like, "Hey, these are all in focus, they look great." You can run into problems if there's not enough light, but you get that with all cameras. If you have a DSLR, depending on which settings you choose, you can get lots of pictures that are not in focus or are over/under exposed (ie. pictures that look worse than what you'd get with a point and shoot).

If you want a handy dandy camera that you don't have to wear around your neck, you want pictures that are in focus and the delay doesn't drive you nuts, then a point and shoot is what you need. There are tons of great ones out there. If you want one of the top of the line point and shoots with almost as many options as a DSLR, you might want to check out the Canon G10.

Picture me yabbering on and on about this at all the holiday parties... aren't you glad you can just scroll down to the pictures?

Okay, so if the delay on the point and shoot is causing you to miss all your 2 month old's quick smiles and you're just going crazy about it, OR if you want to try your hand at photography and learn how to make your pictures even better, then pick up a DSLR. Nikon and Canon are the two most popular brands, though Sony, Olympus, and uh... other companies (can't think of any right now), make great cameras too. Main thing with Canon and Nikon is that they both offer lots of lens choices and you can buy/sell used gear. Once you pick a brand, you will probably want to stick with it since the lenses are not interchangeable (you can't put a Canon lens on a Nikon body). I don't really know much about Nikons other than I have friends that have them and love them, but I just chose the Canon route.

Which DSLR to get?
3 years ago I got the entry level DSLR - the Canon Rebel Xt. For about $1000 I got the camera, the kit lens, and a 1GB memory card. Canon has come out with a few different versions of the Rebel since then (so many I can't keep up), but the Rebel is usually the one I recommend to people who want to get a DSLR. If you look at my blog, I shot all my pictures with that camera up until about Nov 2008, when I upgraded to a gently used Canon 5D. You can usually find the last couple of Rebel models for sale... the older model will save you some cash, but read up on the features to see if the newest model has some improvements that would be worth the extra cost.

One of the reasons I got the Rebel was because it was the smallest and lightest DSLR available. There are pros and cons to being small and light... the best thing to do is to go to a store and hold the camera, play around with it and see how it feels in your hands. Some people with bigger hands feel it's too small and uncomfortable. It worked great for me until I started putting big lenses on front... it just wasn't as balanced as it is on my new heavier camera body. The next step up from the Rebel series is the 30D, 40D, 50D series - heavier and geared more toward semi-pro and pro photographers.

I bought the camera, now what?
Scenario 1. I just want to take pictures of my kids, cats, whatever...most important this to me is that when I push the button, the picture has been taken. I don't really care to spend time learning about shutter speeds and apertures. Hey, isn't ISO short for "in search of"?

You can use your DSLR as a glorified point and shoot. Just set it to auto and it'll work just like a regular point and shoot only it'll get you the picture you want a bit faster. I'd guess that auto will get you a decent picture 85% of the time. It won't get you the best picture (for that, some circumstances require you to shoot on manual), but you'll usually get a picture that's in focus and exposed well enough. Some things you may want to add to your shopping cart: a zoom lens so you can get in closer at soccer games and an extra battery (good to have a backup so you can still shoot if one battery is charging).

Scenario 2. I want to take pictures of my kids, cats, whatever... and I want to learn more about how to get a better picture. Like how do you make it so your kid is in focus, but the background is blurry... so the kid really stands out.

So this is a bit how I started. I had taken a few photo classes in high school and after college so I had a basic understanding of apertures, shutter speeds, depth of field. But the more I learned, the more I realized how much I didn't know. If you go online, there are tons of resources that can help you in your quest to learn. Here are some suggestions...

Just go out and take a lot of pictures... all the time.
Read some books. I read through a couple of these Photo Workshop books at the book store and they were easy to follow and had pictures to illustrate their points. They also have an online group and assignments you can do if you buy the book... sounds interesting, but I haven't tried it yet.
Take a class through your local community college.
Post your pictures in an online forum for people to critique (some of the comments may be tough to hear, but it can be very eye-opening).
Search out online forums for the type of photography you're interested in (landscape, portraiture, wedding...). Here's the Canon forum.
Find photographers you like and follow their blogs. Many photographers will post tips (like this) and some answer questions if you post on their blogs. Visiting blogs are great for inspiration and for learning (I like to try and figure out how they got certain shots).

Want to be inspired? Some blogs I frequent:

Jessica Claire Oooo... wedding photographer superstar!
Jasmine Star Another fabulous LA wedding photographer
Kimberly Bee I just love her colors
State of the Nation (does some really fun stuff with a flash)
Zach Arias (great tutorials and flash work)
Captured by Carrie (beyond amazing newborn and maternity photos)
Photography by Charise (a good friend that I've been her 2nd shooter for at a couple of weddings).

If you want to learn enough so that you can take a photo in manual (instead of auto), this 50mm 1.8 lens is a good (and affordable) one to use when you're trying to learn the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. A 50mm lens has a fixed focal length... your feet are the zoom. We've gotten so used to all our our point and shoot cameras having bit zooms, that we've forgotten what's it like to NOT have a zoom. Well, this is it. Pop it on your camera and get walking... run forward if you want to get closer, step back if you want to get further from your subject.

So that's my intro for now... go out and take some pics. I'll be doing that tomorrow afternoon!
Hope I didn't put you to sleep. I think I deserve to go watch the rest of Season 3 of Entourage now! Thanks for hanging out on my blog. And be sure to join me over at facebook since I seem to be attached at the hip with it now that I can upload pictures from my iphone to facebook from the road. I love to hear your comments and will try to answer any questions.

I'll be back soon! Here are a couple quick pics of my handsome nephews and one of crazy kaylie from our trip to the Phoenix Zoo.

recycle girl

finn

mason

christian

happy holidays!!!!

2008-12-30T21:18:00.001-08:00

Woah, sorry it's been so long since I've last posted. My week (or two) in bullets:
* Edited holiday card photoshoots
* Frantically shopped for xmas presents (mostly online of course)
* Caught a cold (bleh... missed out on a dinner to the Little Door)
* Hosted Christmas Eve dinner (18 adults and 5 kids). I made a turkey (actually cooked it all the way through this year) and some other goodies and some of our friends and family brought their favorite dishes.
* Forgot to take out the trash the day before Xmas Eve. We now have a garage full of big wheel boxes, wrapping paper and a crunch Christmas tree.
* House guests - my brother and his family and my parents stayed with us for a few days (that's a lot of folks to cram into a 3 bedroom... but it was actually a lot of fun once I got past all the crumbs 4 toddlers make). lol
* Jack learned how to ride his bike! Only it's super small and he looks a bit like a circus clown on a mini bike... his brilliant mom got him a balance bike for Xmas... only to discover the day before Xmas that he could ride a real bike (without the training wheels).
* I got an iphone!!! Matt always gets me the most thoughtful gifts. He knew I wanted one, but that I couldn't get past my current $20 a month cell phone plan to make the upgrade. So he did it for me. Now I just need to get it set up and I'll be all professional with email on the go... and I promise to actually carry it around with me (unlike my current phone which is usually in the car, dead without a car charger).
*And oh, we discovered on the 23rd that we didn't order enough holiday cards...so if you didn't get one, uh, it might be in the next batch. LOL

Okay, enough about me... Oh, did I mention that besides being obsessed with ballet stuff (this princess ballet class is all she talks about)...she's also been very into decorating herself again. The last two days she's covered her face and/or body with hand lotion, peanut butter and markers. KAYLIE!!! I only took pictures of the marker tatoos... will post later.

Okay, really, enough about me. :)

Here are some pics from a gorgeous family I shot just before Christmas down in Marina Del Rey.

couldn't decide if I liked more sand...

or more sky...

I've got more, but first I have GOT to clean off my desk tonight. Be back soon!

marina del rey photographer, culver city photographer, west los angeles photographer

jump - fun family collage ... pacific palisades photography

2008-12-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

jump - quick, what song do you think of?

I've gotten into listening to music again...can you believe up until recently I had been working at the computer until 1-2am many nights/mornings in silence? Well, there would be an occasional blip from my yahoo IM, but otherwise, I just worked in peace and quiet. Well, I found pandora.com and now I'm all over trying out some new tunes. Pandora is free (woo hoo). All you do is type in a few of your favorite songs and artists and it will start picking music for you... kind of like tivo I suppose (only supposing since we still rely on a vcr). I digress..

Right, jump! You've got Pointer Sisters Jump, Van Halen Jump, House of Pain Jump Around, Kriss Kross Jump Jump. You got any others for me?

Here's one more (click on it to see it bigger)...

happy bday grandma!

2008-12-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

Now here's a girl who's thinking. What do moms and grandmas love most? Right! How did you know? You're so smart! Moms and grandmas LOVE professional photos of their kids and grandkids! ;) Lauren emailed me a few weeks ago knowing all her siblings would be in town for Thanksgiving. So we booked a session during sunset and low tide and thankfully we didn't get fogged out (I haven't seen blue sky at my house for the past 2 days). Then Lauren remembered she was supposed to be going to the USC football game with her mom. Doh! She had to make up a quick story about some cough- baby shower - cough - sorry mom can't make it. So no football game (subliminal message: go bruins!! ) but grandma/mom will be getting some nice photos for her upcoming birthday!

I think this is my first official shoot with this many adults and I have to say, adults can be better listeners... but these kids were great and totally surprised me with their attention spans. Of course we had some sand throwing and some silly faces, but we also got some great cuteness!

drumroll please.....think grandma/mom will like this one? :)

a mini session sneak peek

2008-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

It's funny... as we were walking over to our shooting location, John mentioned that it just seemed like we were taking pictures not too long ago... years just seem to fly by when you're busy chasing little ones. Here they are last year!

And now a quick peek for my friends danielle, john and their little guy mason. I've got more coming tonight, but I just wanted to show you this one first!

Isn't this family super stylin'? Check out those boots, shoes and Mason's little white shirt!

Here are a couple more...couldn't decide on a look exactly...
more natural?

or with a little wash and texture?

family photography in pacific palisades, california

family of 4... coming right up!

2008-11-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

I've had a pretty busy week between our trip to Arizona and taking and editing photos. This family was my first one Saturday morning. They were totally awesome to brave the 405 and leave the South Bay bubble to visit me in my 'hood. We spent a couple hours hiking around on this beautiful morning. The sun was pretty bright in patches, so I got to do some fun backlit shots (where the subject is between the sun and the camera... it makes for soft lighting on the face and gives the subject a pretty glow on her hair).

Okay, I've decided I've got to get to bed earlier...I'm down to 2 brain cells these days and am hoping some sleep will help regenerate that cell I lost sometime Saturday. lol

Without futher ado...

not sure what to call this one

2008-11-25T23:50:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm back from a long weekend spent with my family in Arizona. Matt just wrapped up a big project at work, so we decided to go on a quick vacation to spend time time together as a family. We did a lot of swimming, went to the zoo and got to visit with my brother and his fam (wait until I post pics of my nephews...oh they're so cute). Oh, I think I may have gotten a speeding ticket too. ARGA! A mysterious police truck took my picture as I drove by... so we'll see if I get an early Christmas letter in the mail (only, instead of being sent from the North Pole, it'll have the return address from Santa's vacation home).

I haven't had time to upload any of my vacation pics since I still have a couple more sessions to edit from last week and am crazy booked up this weekend with more sessions. Woo hoo! Maybe my new lens will be paid off pretty soon! Oh wait... now I've got a speeding ticket to pay for. Drat!

I found a few more pics that I love from a session a couple weeks ago, so here there are!

yippie.

this is what being a brother is all about. can't you just see them 20 years from now?

a smoky family photoshoot

2008-11-19T22:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning I hopped on the 405 and headed down to the South Bay to take some family photos. You know it's going to be a good day when there's no traffic on the 405 AND you can fill up your gas take for under $40 at Costco (no line either). Woo hoo!

The day just kept getting better... Michelle, Chris and little Alec were such a fun, laid back family. Next time we'll just have to hang out. I'm glad we decided to brave the smoke and ash.

2 year old Alec would totally ham it up for a second when I pointed my camera at him, and then when Michelle and I let out a little laugh (come on, how can you not giggle when a 2 year old poses for the camera)... Alec would get a little shy since he thought we were laughing at him instead of just enjoying all his cuteness.

A few pics!

lashes.

muscle men. tough guys.

family.

eskimo kiss.

hermosa beach photography, manhattan beach photography, redondo beach photography

another party of three

2008-11-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

Glad to see I still have a blog friend who has stuck with me through the last couple slow posting weeks (thanks Diana!). :)

So I've got another picture from this evening. I shot these 3 brothers last year. Who knew 3 boys could be so much fun? well, I guess their mom knows.
The youngest fell asleep on the drive down to the beach but he rallied when he saw his two older brothers whooping it up down by the water. Oh, and the older boys were nice enough to point out a puddle of water right before I sat in it! Too bad I was only half listening.

What do you think of the umbrella? Just thought I'd try something new...
special note: middle child is airborne

buddha and his brothers

2008-11-17T23:58:00.001-08:00

Sorry I've been neglecting this blog, but things have gotten pretty busy around here with the kids and their activities (soccer, swimming, princess ballet, gymnastics, school, playdates)... they're only 2 and 4...how did this happen!? Oh it's just so fun to watch them learn new things and try out new activities.

I've also been crazy busy taking photos for holiday cards! I'm happy to say that I'm all booked for 2008 and booking datess for 2009. Thanks everyone.

Okay, I've got to get to bed earlier...I'm starting to just fall apart and still have a ton to do this week!

I had the pleasure of photographing two sets of brothers this weekend. The first set of brothers stars our favorite buddha baby. Oooo he is just too yummy... I tried to sneak him into my pocket to take him home, but he's just getting a touch too big for that.

Buddha's brothers are equally handsome and charming. I'm wondering though... did they earn their trip to go see Madagascar? They sure kept me on my toes with all the climbing and running around... but hey, that's what being a boy (and a kid) is all about. They gave me plenty of smiles too!

Great seeing you guys again and thanks for braving the 405 and fire storms!

I'll be back soon to post more from my lastest sessions!

a belated happy halloween!

2008-11-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year. Some friends invited us over to their place (our street has no street lights and no sidewalks... when we got home all our candy was still sitting on our front steps in the bowl just as we had left it...how sad). Anyway, the neighborhood we went too was awesome for trick or treating...lots of decorations, tons of kids running, crying, being pushed in strollers, pushing strollers... and Jack and Kaylie were both totally into it. Kaylie tried to talk to everyone giving out the candy (like full on conversations about how she needed a red wig to be Ariel...). The kids seemed happy enough to eat their Halloween pretzels on the drive back home. Get this... Jack asked for some peanut m&m's but then spit it out when I gave him one! He said I could have them all. lol.

Last night while they were sleeping, The Great Pumpkin came and took away all their candy and left them presents instead (Kaylie was candy crazy yesterday). Only problem is now The Great Pumpkin is eating all the candy.

another one for you...

2008-10-31T00:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

If I have a free minute tomorrow, I'll dig up some pictures of the kids from their past Halloweens...

But until then, here's a fun pic from a bday party we went to last weekend....

a new baby in the family

2008-10-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

That would be my new Canon 5D camera!!! Woo hoo!
I've been pretty busy lately - with the kids, the biz and fun stuff like bday parties, peachhead day, swim lessons, princess ballet class, Noah's Arc exhibit at the Skirball Center, the beach, Santa Monica Pier, Will Rogers polo games and playdates...

Whew!

I rented a movie and promised myself I'd take the night off from the computer and watch it... but here it is 10:20pm... so I'm making this quick!

A shot with my new camera. Okay, it helps that I have the most delish subject too!

twitter!

2008-10-19T20:44:00.001-07:00

I just added a new feature to the blog... twitter updates!
can you say "procrastinating?" lol
But here you go... check out the box on the right that says, "Twitter updates," and you'll see what I'm working on.

fun fun!

first comes love, then comes marriage

2008-10-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Before all these crazy LA wildfires started, I got to join my friend Charise for John and Kate's engagement photo session at the Santa Monica Pier. John and Kate are engaged to be married next summer, and I'm hoping to tag along with Charise again for this wedding! Not only are these two super smart and photogenic (Kate anyway...only giving you a hard time John), but they're also a fun couple to hang out with! And don't get me for ending the sentence with a preposition!

Here are a few pix from our sunny afternoon at the pier!

a little extra funky

the end

3 months

2008-10-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today I got to meet a handsome little 3 month old and his beautiful mommy. Though I caught the little man at his nap time, he still tried to give me some smiles and we even had some nice conversation...he's such a gentleman. Marsha, here's a little sneak peek. :)

pacific palisades photographer, brentwood photographer, santa monica photographer

i got a haircut! ...well, not really that dramatic, just very over due

2008-10-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

If you've read the about me page on my website, or if you've seen me in person any time in the past 8 months, you know that I pretty much have been in dire need of a haircut. 99% of the time it's pulled back in a bun/pony because it just won't do anything else.

So one of my friends always has cute hair (short, long, different colors, it's always cute)... guess it helps that she's super cute too. Anyway, I decided to try our her hair stylist this weekend. Kate at Aya Salon in Santa Monica. She just listened to me ramble about how I've been jumping around to different hair people for the past 10 years...blah blah blah... and what do you know... I left with some good hair. Yay! I'll be going back in 3-4 months for either a big whack (try something different) or just a trim...we'll see.

So here's the hair.

not bad... now let's see what I looks like after I wash it.

let me woo you!

2008-10-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the nudge Diana! I almost forgot about this!!!

My friend Staci of ilovewoo.com called me up not too long ago with a little proposition. Remember how I did that photoshoot for her new Little Woo line earlier in the year? Well, Staci called to see if I would shoot her women's clothing line! What?! Knowing that she usually does a studio set up (I've seen the images on her site a few times), I started to spaz since I don't know much about studio lighting. But she said she wanted to try something new... one location, outdoors with maybe a few fun editorial shots thrown in. Now that felt right up my alley. So thanks Staci for giving me another opportunity to hang out with you and some fun models on a beautiful sunny LA afternoon. And get this... the models didn't run away from me, they looked at the camera and stood where they were told. Where's the challenge in that? lol

Ah, here's the challenge... between models, I got to chase little miss piper around while she ran around in (I mean modeled) a few of the new little woo outfits.

per child labor laws, you have to let the kids wear goggles between outfits.

a sneak peek of the woo spring 2009 line

christine. oo la la! how beautiful is she?!

trying something fun with my off camera flash...

and one more of piper!

so super

2008-09-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

And you wonder how I do it all... duh...

a wedding... fabiola and jeff...camarillo

2008-09-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Charise (of Photography by Charise) asked if I would 2nd shoot for her at Jeff and Fabiola's wedding at the McCormick Ranch Home. So I recruited Grandma and Grandpa to watch the kids while Charise and I headed out to Camarillo for the day.

If you're looking for a wedding location...this is a great one. There's an old farm house with a couple grassy areas and a real orchard. The house was closed, but there were tons of little nooks and crannies on grounds with all kinds little vintage treats. I was in hog heaven. Oh, did I mention there's a huge green barn too? And if you happen to be looking for a wedding photographer, Charise is fabulous with the camera and she's fun to spend the day with too!

Here's Charise's blog post (with some of my snaps...woo hoo)! And below are a few of my favorites with some special photoshop edits. Thanks to Jeff and Fabiola for letting me share in your wedding day! And thanks to Charise for trusting me to take decent photos in full sun and complete darkness. LOL.

...warning... I went a little crazy with the actions and fun edits...

the most delightful little buddha boy

2008-09-28T00:36:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got to meet my pen pal's crew of boys. Well, Mina isn't exactly my pen pal, but it sure seems like it since we've been exchanging friendly emails a lot in the last few weeks. So it was so great finally meeting her, her husband and their 3 very handsome hapa (half Japanese - just like me) boys. Today was all about the youngest son, Derek. He's such a happy, smiley, chubby guy - all while he had his front teething coming through.

I know Mina's subscribed to this blog, so she'll get an email with this post first thing in the morning. Hope you love them!

See you in November at the mini session!
redondo beach photographer, hermosa beach photographer, manhattan beach photographer

a random meet up and some holiday mini session info

2008-09-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

Finally! (scroll down if you want info on the mini session without a bunch of late night ramblings)

Funny thing... I was at a local park with the kids earlier this week, and a mom (very stylishly dressed I might add) and her toddler walked by me. The mom looked my way kind of like she knew me, so I was racking my brain to figure out if I knew her. I saw her look over again and then this time she came over and asked if my name was Heather.

"Uh oh." I thought. I know my memory is bad, but I hate when it totally fails me...and it was failing me because I for sure didn't recognize her.

her: Are you a photographer?

me: Yep. (so weird to think of myself as a photographer... )

Okay, so without giving y'all the exact play by play (since like I said, my memory sucks and I would be quoting it all wrong), I'll just give the general gist of our seven degrees of separation.

So this woman's name is Kim. Funny as I write that, I think about the word "woman." Do you like it better when people in the grocery store call you "ma'am" or "miss"? If I'm by myself especially, I hate being called "ma'am." But I love it when they they call me "miss"; it's almost as flattering as getting carded. I digress... So this woman about my age (funny, I still think of myself more as "this girl" than "this woman" even though I'm getting crowsfeet... but again sorry, back to the story)...

So it turns out Kim is good friends with one of my best friend's sisters (also named Heather just to make it confusing). Last time I was up in San Jose, I took Heather's family photos . Well, then Heather emailed the link to my blog to some of her SoCal friends...Kim being one of them. How random is that? Oh and the kicker? She recognized me from my monkey face picture on this blog. Oh man... I'm thinking that's not so good if I really do look like that monkey face picture... maybe I made that face one too many times and it really did get stuck that way! That was kind of a weird, yet cool experience. Luckily I got references on Kim that she's a great great friend to people I know. If you're out there Kim, "Hi! Let's meet up there again!"

Oh, so Kim had been reading my blog and reminded me that I was supposed to post about the upcoming holiday mini card sessons. Ah yes.

Here's my thought on holiday cards. I'd love to be your one stop shop for awesome holiday cards, but I'm not quite organized enough for that yet (maybe next year when both kids are in school every day). For now I'll leave the card making to the professional designers. Here is a great place for beautiful holiday cards (and baby announcements and even Halloweeen cards) - inababycarriage.com. Tell Amber I say hi if you email her. However, I would be honored to take the photos for your cards...

I plan to offer 2 days of mini sessions. I'm only booking 4 families each day so spaces are very limited.

Day 1: Saturday, October 25th
Location: Santa Monica Pier, think urban more than beachy
Start Times: 9am, 9:45am, 10:30am, 11:15am

Day 2: TBD. I'm thinking November 1st or 8th
Location: A more rustic, green and natural location
Times: The 4 sessions will either be in the morning again or possibly all in the late afternoon/evening.
I'd love to hear suggestions!

And if you think you'd like to have a longer session or one at a different location, I am also booking full sessions.

Okay, I've got a HUGE day tomorrow, so I should have gone to bed hours ago. But let me share with you another Kaylie hijinks picture to end the night. Just my face lotion this time...

happy birthday kim!

2008-09-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

One of my friends wanted to surprise her husband with a great gift for his birthday. That's right... photos of his his girls - two beautiful daughters and one beautiful wife. We spent all morning playing around and taking pictures...many, many pictures. Thanks to Nora for helping me sort through them all.

Here are a few of my favorites:

happy birthday kim!

hyjinks around the house

2008-09-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

So while I've been a little preoccupied lately trying to get this small business up and running, the kids have been enjoying a little extra freedom around the house.

Jack found one of my old swim caps the other day. I'm really surprised that it was still in good shape and not covered in cracks and cobwebs (please excuse the toilet paper roll coming out of his ear).

And Kaylie. Kaylie, Kaylie, Kaylie. She's got some big girl undies that say "Little Miss Giggles" on them (thanks Target), only Kaylie thinks it's funny to call them her "Little Miss Gobbles" undies. That's just the kind of crazy girl Kaylie is. Here's a picture of her today... caught her red-handed!!!

But not to worry, before the sharpies and scissors come out, I grab the kids and spend some good one on one time with them. Earlier in the week Jack and I wrote a little play date invitation to his buddy Max.

and we're live! a real website!!!

2008-09-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

umamiphotography.com is LIVE!!!!! Yahoo! Thanks to everyone who has been there to listen to me agonize over every detail.

Let me congratulate my cousin Jada and friend Jenny for being the first ones to post about the new website being up. You win a free 8x10 from a past session or an upcoming one. $60 value!

I'm going to be doing some weekend mini-sessions coming up, so stay tuned for details on that.

thanks for your posts and for visiting! :)

--heather

mini cooper is not so mini any more!

2008-09-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Back in May I flew out to Cleveland to take newborn photos of little cooper (2 weeks old here).
Remember this handsome fellow?

Well, here he is almost five months later. Check out this smile...not bad for flying cross-country and being all off schedule. Oh, I had such a fun time trying to get this guy to chuckle today. He rewarded me with some belly laughs and a little spit up. I'm not a studio photographer (still working on the outdoor stuff) but here's a little attempt at a white background. White is the trickiest to pull off since you need a lot of light shining on the background... but in this case I used a little extra elbow grease in photoshop.

Since cooper and his mom were in town, we had a small get together at our house with another friend, her hubbie and their two kids. Miss charlotte here turned one this summer and was just throwing smiles at me left and right... but I just love these slightly serious looks from her.

And here are a couple charlotte's big brother lucas sporting the shaggy surfer 'do.

Are you keeping a watch on umamiphotography.com? The new site should be up any time now. I submitted the finished site to my web gurus... now just waiting for them to get it all uploaded... could be any time now.

I'm going to be doing a little promotion for those who have subsribed to this blog...so stay tuned for that also!

And if you're on facebook... I just started an umami photography group. Join me over there!

drumroll please.....

2008-09-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

I think the site may be ready! I just have to submit it and have the website guru's launch it. Wahoo! Fingers crossed.

Okay, once the website launches, the first person to comment here will recieve a free 8x10 of any image I've taken of you or your kids. Or you can have one free 8x10 from your next session.

The website might be up later tonight, or it may take a couple or days...

thanks for hanging in there with me!

website address: umamiphotography.com
heather

getting closer

2008-09-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

still working on that website... but it's getting closer...

questions about pricing

2008-09-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

so... pretty much for the last year I've been mulling over how to price my work. I'd love to just photograph and give all the images away for free, but as I shoot more and more, I'm finding myself spending more and more $$ (and taking time away from the fam). I need to upgrade my camera, add a few lenses, buy a shopping cart program, get a website... so alas, I must earn some money to keep up with this passion of mine.

I'm curious.... what's more important? Digital files or quality prints? Would you rather be able to buy the digital negatives so you can print your own images, or would you rather buy professionally printed images where the grass is green, but not your son's face? Or are both equally important? What about albums, coffee table books, canvases... how important are these?

Thanks in advance for any input!

Oh and huzzah! Jack and Kaylie will both be at school tomorrow morning. 3 hours of me time! Well, maybe not 3 hours since there's a school intro meeting I have to go to, but next Mon and Wed I'll have me time!

Drum roll please..... website should be ready within a week or so!
here's a quick sneak peak of the opener to my website!

back from vacation! and some big news (and no, I'm not pregnant)

2008-08-31T00:59:00.001-07:00

...but I do have a website that's almost ready! I'm hoping to get rid of that old "under construction" page that's been hanging out at www.umamiphotography.com. In the next week or so I should have my fancy dancy new site up and running. Stay tuned!!!

Jack and Kaylie will also both be starting school this week. So between now and Wed, I have to get them off the summer schedule and onto an early bedtime - early rise school schedule. Ugh! But for the first time in 4 years, I will have 6 hours a week all to myself while the kids are both in school (yahoooooo)... that's my time to shoot a photo session, go grocery shopping all by myself (this is a luxury) or even go for a mountain bike ride...

Speaking of mountain bike rides... we just got back from UCSB family camp. It was seriously one of the longest weeks ever (but in a good way). Each day was just so jam packed with activities and trips to the cafeteria, that by Tue I could not believe we still had over half a week left. Let's see... I went kayaking, surfing (sort of), mountain biking, road biking, rock climbing, swimming, played inner tube water polo (that nearly killed me) and hiking. Matt played some tennis and golf and surfed a bit. And we got to do all this while the kids were in their camps for part of the day. It was AWESOME! Matt and I also caught Jack Johnson and friends on Wednesday since they were putting on a show at UCSB's Harder Stadium. Not quite as cool as the time some friends and I drove up to see Jack Johnson play in the UCSB cafeteria (about 7 years ago), but it was fun to get out with the college kids and pretend I was still half hip.

So for the past week I've had no tv, very limited computer use and have fallen asleep by 10pm almost every night. First day back home and it's after 1am again. Okay, some quick pix and I'm off to bed!

Have I mentioned what a nut Kaylie is? Seriously, she's crazy.

Kaylie: You think I'm crazy?! My mom is even more nuts! Quick! Run before she takes your picture!!!

Thanks to our friend Peter for taking some fun family pix of us!