Tag Archives: child photography

family portrait session at cowell’s | santa cruz photographer

A husband who makes every effort and arrangement to grant his wife’s birthday wish is the sweetest, but a husband who has a super-hot wife who cares for their three angelic kids with her calm and kind ways is the luckiest….so I guess these two are even. Dad scheduled this family portrait session on Mom’s actual birthday, (right before the party that was happening at their house that afternoon) and chose the brand new sand bar beach at Cowell’s for the location. I drove by the spot earlier in the day and was a little worried to discover that there was no beach, only waves crashing against the cliff. When I went back only a few hours later the little beach had appeared, along with the crowds of surfers and families eager to experience the novelty. We explored around and found cliffs covered in algae, a kid-sized cave, beautiful boulders and mounds of seaweed. I had so much fun getting to know each of the personalities within the family, and the whole time I couldn’t help but be inspired by the grace of these two parents, the beauty of their kids and the amazing obedience of their dog. They definitely made having three kids look far easier then I imagined. Getting all three to look at the camera and smile, however…not so easy. Sending out a big Happy Birthday to Chelsea! Wishing you a wonderful new year filled with good times and many more beach days (oh, and a daughter who completely overcomes her fear of the beach! )

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family portrait session | santa cruz photographer

I got to photograph the very beginning of this family, back when big sister had just been born. Fast forward two very short years, and I am back to photograph this family again, together with it’s newest member; a little sister! It’s always so amazing to get to experience the growth of a family and the personalities that emerge once those newborns grow up into toddlers. I loved being introduced to little sister by big sister, and as I stared at this beautiful new life I wondered who she would grow up to become. We managed to have some fun and get some shots in between the fussiness and fatigue that is expected of a newborn, and the desire to play and resistance to pose that is expected of a toddler. In those ‘between’ moments I am always trying to capture the character of each child and each family at that time and the beauty of this ‘stage’ because I am so aware that we’re all in a constant state of evolution.

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dad & daughter | portrait session | santa cruz photographer

I have to say that I love a Dad who keeps his daughter home from school on a Friday just so that they can hang out together, (I hope I’m not ruining any alibis ) a Dad who wants to remember each stage of his daughter’s childhood by doing annual portraits together, a Dad who builds the things that his daughter designs and launches a business together called Sugarline because her middle name is Sugar, but mostly I love a Dad who simply adores his daughter.

I am a self proclaimed post-a-holic, and so I’m going to do my best to resist the urge to post about 100 images form this single portrait session. There were so many great moments, expressions and acrobatics documented that I find it really challenging to be selective. I think that I get extra snap-happy whenever I sense a depth of connection between the people I am photographing, and this father and daughter are so beautifully close and comfortable together that I never noticed the time nor the frames flying by until the raindrops started falling. I could tell that they just truly enjoyed each other’s company…and of course I loved being around them too.

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russell-brown | family portrait session | santa cruz maternity photographer

I love my job, that’s all I have to say. It doesn’t get much better than a portrait session with an empty beach, a radiant mama-to-be, an awesome dad, an adorable daughter and an attentive dog. This family is as down to earth as they are photogenic, and I would hang out with them every day if they let me, seriously. The sun came out just in time for our session which brought all the silhouette photos to life, and mama was even able to bare her beautiful belly in the December cold. I loved going to their beach house afterwards and seeing the whole family together on the sofa, including two birds and a cat. Whole lotta love in this sweet family….this is going to be one lucky baby for sure.

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sinclair & lazerwitz | san francisco children’s photographer

I loved getting to meet and photograph this family for the first time, and the sculpture garden at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate park was the ideal location for our session. Both kids had these glowing eyes and eager spirits, interested in exploring everything that the gardens had to offer. They were off and running from the start….and I just tried to keep up! Talia came right up to me and revealed her sweet spirit without any hesitation. The first photo here is the very first photo I took of her. Her brother Noah is equally sweet spirited, and even more curious. He was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome, (a communication and neurological disorder in which the he is nonverbal, has seizures, is cognitively impaired and has global development issues) so although he couldn’t speak or take direction, he really responded to all of the reflections and textures with such a sense of intrigue and joy, and of course speed! I was amazed by the graceful yet playful ways of both parents, they made the day flow so smoothly and feel so fun. I could definitely tell that this is one love-filled family.

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