This never gets old {Issaquah hospital newborn photographer}

Hospital newborn / sessions

This never gets old {Issaquah hospital newborn photographer}

February 24, 2015

“What do you think of him?”

“I love him.”

Awwwww…. What a perfect ending to my day. I’m so thrilled for my sister and brother-in-law. Their family is now complete. I juuust missed big brother actually laying his eyes on his new little brother for the very first time by a mere few minutes, but I think I captured some pretty special moments with these two little guys getting acquainted.

Have I mentioned that photographing babies in the hospital on their birth day is my absolute favorite kind of session to shoot? It’s such an honor to be invited in to witness such an intimate and special time in a family’s life. I love how everything is unscripted and unposed. I just watch for the little stories to unfold. Predictably, big brother gave us some seriously funny expressions and some serious cuteness as well. He and mom shared dinner together, which is their usual routine at home. I even jumped right in to help mom out with positioning baby to nurse, and I may or may not have helped her with breast compressions while she was nursing. Don’t worry. This perk only is available to my clients who also happen to be my sister. Haha!

Here’s a video slideshow of my favorites, though there are still many more to edit.

If you’re expecting a new baby, a hospital newborn mini session is the perfect way to document your life-changing day. Get in touch using the handy Contact form to the left!

Children / sessions

The Best School Portraits in Seattle!

February 18, 2015

I’m just gonna go out on a limb and declare these the BEST school portraits in Seattle! Haha! I had so much fun in the Fall photographing all of these kids over the course of two days. Their personalities ranged from quiet, shy and reserved to the other end of the spectrum of LOUD, silly and just plain fun.

My approach is to capture a truly authentic portrait. I never ask the kids to smile. I simply converse with them, spend the precious few minutes I have with each child getting to know a little bit about them and allowing themselves to open up and show whatever it is they would like to share with me. It’s amazing the kinds of expressions I’m able to capture when I allow the kids to just be themselves.

Instead of sharing my single favorite image of each child who’s parents allowed me to share, I decided to put together the individual galleries so that you could appreciate the range of expressions from these amazing kids! The parent response to the photos was awesome, and I’m so thrilled that I could provide them with what I truly believe are the best school portraits in town!

I’m looking to add one Seattle school to my spring 2015 schedule, so if you have a child who attends a school and you think families would be interested in this service, let’s get in touch via the Contact form to your left. I’ll take care of pitching the project to your school administrator!

personal

Kalaloch Photographers Retreat

February 8, 2015

“Tell me if you want to stop anywhere to take pictures,” Davina said, as we drove pass really beautiful streams and small lakes with reflections like mirrors. The sun was setting and the light was magical. Well, we never found a good place to stop along the way for pictures. I think we were both so excited to just get there. We kept driving the 3.5ish hours from Seattle to our destination on the coast. With about 20 minutes left of driving, the weather changed, got foggier and mistier, and the trees changed too. Less inland forest and more crooked, coastal forest. We were near the ocean! We kept driving until we got to our destination, the Kalaloch Lodge, pulled into the parking lot and saw this view:

What an amazing view to greet us for what would turn out to be a very special weekend retreat with fellow creatives. A few months ago, out of the blue I was added to this Facebook group called “Kalaloch Photography Retreat” without explanation. The conversation was moving so fast it was difficult for me to figure out who or what this thing was all about. I recognized some of the names of women from a few blog circles I had participated in over the last 2 years, but several of the names were unfamiliar to me. It turns out that a small group of women were planning to get together over a long weekend in January to geek out over anything photography-related (and turns out even some non-photography creative outlets like calligraphy and knitting!). It was going to be held in Kalaloch on the Washington coast near Kate Densmore’s house, who happens to live across the street from the beautiful Kalaloch Lodge.

Truth be told, I’m kind of an introvert, so the idea of spending a long weekend with a bunch of women who I’d only been in contact with casually online was slightly scary. Thank goodness my good friend Davina, a fellow Washington local and extrovert I’ve gotten to know IRL, was planning to go, and provided me the much-needed pestering required to actually make this trip happen on my end.

On Saturday morning, we did some fine art boudoir photography practice with couples & boudoir photographer Alice Che. It’s amazing what directional light can do for the female form. And every photographer knows that occasionally getting in front of the lens can only make you a better photographer, since it’s so important to remember how uncomfortable it can be for people we’re photographing! Thank you so much to the ladies that volunteered to model for us! Their husbands are going to be the lucky recipients of memorable Valentines this year!

Later that day Felicia Chang and Kate Densmore gave us a lesson on freelensing. Man, it’s harder than you think!!! I still need to practice this technique a lot, but it’s pretty darn fun. Here are a few freelensed still life images.

That afternoon we went for a forest walk and then ended up down at the beach. The BEACH! It’s just magical!!!

The following day we headed to Forks to look for Edward and Bella, and also check out the beaches up there. The next set of images is from Jacob’s territory in La Push. 😉 Now, I don’t consider myself a landscape photographer. My passion most certainly lies in being a people photographer, but come on! How can you not be inspired by these surroundings?!

The images directly above and below this text were shot with a Lensbaby Composer with double glass optic. This lens/system was gifted to me that weekend by my friend Cat McAteer, a fellow Nikonian and uber talent birth photographer based out of Calgary, who decided it’s just not for her. What a generous gift!!! I’m definitely still getting to know this lens, but when a shot turns out, boy is it magical! I really love what it does to the sky and ocean. THANK YOU, Cat!!!

Most of our meals happened around Kate’s dining room table. We all pitched in for groceries, several ladies volunteered to prepare the various meals, and of course there was wine. LOTS of wine. I’m so thankful for the conversations we shared over meals about lighthearted topics but also shared passions, common fears, and familiar struggles. We have to send a big shout out to Kate’s husband Brian, who made us all feel welcomed, and is quite the comedian himself. And hanging out with Kate’s two little girls made me feel like I wasn’t that far away from my own kiddos.

The morning of our last day there, we were greeted with clear skies and amazing colors in the sunrise. We headed down to the beach before breakfast to capture the fleeting beauty of a new day. Here’s our sweet roommate Laura, who was incredibly brave to travel out here from the east coast, drive up from Portland with Dana, who she’d never met in person, and spend the weekend with us. Laura is mentoring with Kate this year, and I’m so looking forward to seeing how her (already awesome) photography grows.

Later that morning a few of us went for another forest walk to take advantage of the sun streaming through the trees. You generally need a lot of light to work with for macro photography, so I thought I’d work on that. I still suck at macro, but these are a handful of shots that I like. The Olympic National Forest provided an abundance of opportunities for macro practice!

Inspired, renewed, energized, blessed. You know those experiences that become even more profound and meaningful after they’re over? That’s totally what this retreat was like for me. I am so thankful for the new friendships we now share, and I’m so looking forward to seeing what you all do in 2015!

Please head on over to couples & boudoir extraordinaire, Alice Che Photography, to see Alice’s colorful, whimsical take on our Kalaloch weekend. I also have Alice to thank for introducing me to my newest hobby – calligraphy!!!

personal

Dance like nobody’s watching {Seattle family documentary photographer}

February 1, 2015

Authenticity is a quality I’ve always been drawn to, in all aspects of life. So I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m really drawn to authenticity in my own photography and storytelling. When asked to put my vision for my photography into words, I came up with Real Life Time Capsule. The “real” is the authenticity. Recently I’ve given myself permission to let go of “perfection”, embrace the mess, and tell authentic stories that people will really want to see today, and ten, twenty, fifty years from now. It’s been incredibly freeing. The “time capsule” speaks to that notion that is sooo cliche but oh so true: Time flies. The days are long but the years are short. In my five short years of being a parent, I can say without a doubt that it’s true. Childhood is so very fleeting. I know every parent has felt at one point or another that desire to hold on to, or bottle up some aspect of their kid’s childhood. The smell of your baby’s head. The thigh chub. The deep belly laughs. I want to use my camera to capture the here and now, how it looked, felt, tasted, and smelled. Photos can absolutely be that time capsule.

I’ve been working hard on telling stronger stories through photographs, so here’s a short story about Watching Week at the dance studio yesterday. Parents are not permitted to watch dance class, except for the very last class of each session, hence the name “Watching Week”. We look forward to this very special class where instead of just dropping her off, the whole family is allowed to sit through the entire hour-long class to see what our little dancer has been doing all semester. She’s been in this ballet/tap combo class since the fall, and I was really looking forward to seeing all of her new moves! They always start class with ballet, then change to their tap shoes half way through the class.

While we never know what kind of chaos will ensue when we bring the twins to watch big sister, thankfully Grandma was able to come along to be a 3rd set of arms. I think the little ones actually had quite a fun time watching their big sister dance, and I think I may have 2 more little dancers on my hands in a few years!

Well done, Pumpkin! We all loved watching you dance!

If you’d like me to capture your very own Real Life Time Capsule, use the handy dandy “Contact” form to get in touch with me!

Children / Family / sessions

Homemade pirate ship and the beach {Seattle family documentary portraits}

January 27, 2015

I was so excited to photograph this lovely family at their home in West Seattle at the end of the summer. This dad definitely is in the running for Dad of the Year, as he’s built these kids THE coolest play structure in their backyard which resembles a pirate ship, complete with a zip line! The big guy was happy to show me all around and even demo the zip line multiple times. I wish I had such a cool backyard when I was growing up! Little sister is still a bit small for the pirate ship, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to be right in the action!

I was super impressed to learn that dad also built the loft bunk bed in the kids’ room, so I was really happy to be able to capture the two kids together in their bedroom that’s been specially customized for them by dad.

It was also somewhat serendipitous that we were able to schedule this photo session for a weekend when BOTH sets of out-of-town grandparents were in Seattle! One set lives a few states away, and the other set of grandparents live a few continents away, so it was really special to be able to photograph them all together. I love the intense “conversation” that the little one is having with her grandfather here!

We ended our session at the beach, and needless to say, it was a perfect, late summer evening. Thank you for allowing me to record this real life time capsule for your family!

365 / personal

Why I started a personal project with a high likelihood of “failure” {Seattle family storytelling photographer}

January 16, 2015

I had been mulling it over in my head for a long time, but was never able to commit. So many of my photographer friends had started but not finished. With such busy days, I figured it was unrealistic for me to take on a 365 project – a photo a day, every day, for a year. But the universal sentiment of those photographers who’ve seen the project through and made it out on the other side always comment on how it was one of the best things for growing their photography, and they are always really thankful that they chose to do it.

Good reasons, but still, the nagging fear of failure still loomed ahead. What if I poop out and don’t finish?? (There is a VERY high likelihood I might poop out!) Should I even start something I really know I probably won’t finish? Well then I ran across this blog post on Click it Up a Notch, (sorry, I tried finding the link to the actual blog post but can’t seem to find it) which talked about all the benefits you get from starting a 365, even if you “fail” (don’t finish it). An improvement in photography, moments captured that otherwise would not have been if not for the “project” that was “making me” take a photo a day. More of our everyday recorded. Our ordinary everyday. Even the week days.

So with a reframed definition of “success”, on January 1st I jumped in. Giddy with excitement for the journey ahead, I posted my first photo on my Facebook page, with the caption “Oh yes I am!!!!! {1/365} Baby wonton maker”. If not for the project, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to take my dSLR to my sister’s house to record our New Year’s day wonton folding activity. Bennett sat on my mom’s lap for close to an hour, watching us, passing us a new wonton wrapper when we were ready to fold another one. I never want to forget it, and now I have the photos to go with my memories! So many of my photographer friends commented or liked the post, and I felt buoyed by the virtual high fives and thumbs up, as only a fellow photographer understands what a huge commitment and undertaking this project is. I’m so excited for several of my friends who started 365s of their own along side me! Only 16 days in, I’ve already learned a ton and captured a few of what I know will end up being personal favorites of 2015.

seattle family storytelling photographer

I mean, is {15/365} Yawn (lower right corner) not totally THE BEST?! I was sitting quietly, watching them play, then Eric opened his mouth and let out this huuuuuge yawn. Bam. Got it. 🙂 Already I’m feeling a creative boost from picking up my camera every.day. Honestly, I don’t know if there’s been any other time I’ve shot on so many consecutive days. I’ve learned to be patient and see where things lead me. Start with the obvious shots, but usually the image I end up selecting for the day comes 10 or 20 frames later.

Already I’m just so thrilled that I’ve captured so many “everyday” moments that would have otherwise gone unrecorded. I really hope to be able to complete the entire year, but however long it lasts, I’ll be grateful for this project. I’m planning to blog my favorite images about once a month or so, so stay tuned!

If you’ve ever thought about starting a 365 but have been scared to “fail”, I challenge you to reframe your definition of success and jump right in. You won’t be sorry! And there’s nothing magical about January 1st. Today is a great day to start documenting your everyday.

Love letters / personal

December ’14 Letters to our Children {Seattle family storytelling photographer}

December 28, 2014

Dear Avery,

I can’t believe another year is ending. You are FIVE and so very fun these days. We went to The Nutcracker ballet again this year and you loved it. It was only your second time seeing it, so imagine my surprise when you leaned over during the ballet and asked, “Mama, when are the mice going to come out with the pillows?” Huh???????? I had no idea what you were talking about, even though I’ve seen this version of The Nutcracker at least five times. And then sure enough, during the 2nd Act, the mice children come out carrying big pillows to sit on and watch the dance performances. Whaaaaat?!?!?!!!!!!! I was SO amazed that you remembered this pretty minor detail from seeing the ballet a whole year ago. Crazy.

We loved taking you to Disneyland earlier this month, and I especially loved the time I got to spend with just you when Baba took the babies back to the hotel for their naps. I can’t wait to take you again when you’re a little bit older. I think you will grow to love the bigger rides in addition to the kid rides you loved like Winnie the Pooh, It’s a Small World, and Dumbo.

Most of all, I love watching you be the BEST big sister to Morgan and Bennett. Remember when we took them to see Santa, and they both cried really hard? You were standing by Bennett and you kept trying to comfort him. It was really sweet. They are so lucky to have you as their big sister. And I love laughing with you about the funny things they say. You are always saying, “That’s pretty cute!”

This week you taught me your new method of hugging, where we hug then lean our heads on the other person’s shoulder, then we switch sides with our heads. But I do recall writing an old blog post when you were only a baby which was about discovering that your head fitting right into this special “pocket” on my shoulder. I love that you are so clearly mine and I am yours.

Love,

Mama

I’m joined in this Letters to our Children project by a group of fantastic photographer mothers. Each month we’re recording life with our kids in words and photographs. Please visit Christine Lin’s blog next!

Children / Family / sessions

Home and Olympic Sculpture Park family session {Seattle family photographer}

December 23, 2014

Hooray for the end of holiday photo lock-down! Now that everyone has mailed holiday cards, I can start sharing summer & fall sessions without fear of ruining the surprise! First up is the K family!

It’s no secret that home is my favorite place to shoot a family session. And when you can start at home then end in a beautiful location like the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, it’s really the best of both worlds. Turns out that the weekend of our session coincided with Hempfest, which was happening all along the Seattle waterfront. Boooo! But at the end of the day, I’d say it was a great success and we did NOT get foiled by Hempfest. We finished the session just at dusk and were heading back to our cars just as all the hipsters started making their appearance at the park.

Can you guess which are my favorites from the session? I do love gorgeous backlight, but it’s always the everyday moments like snuggling with mom and reading books that tug at my heartstrings the most. Mom commented how she wished she had cleaned up the kids’ room. My response is always a resounding NO WAY. I love every single detail about this first image, from the colorful wall decals to the toys on the floor and the humidifier on the bookshelf, and pajamas hanging on the back of the rocker. Real life captured the way it really looked and felt. Because some day soon, he’ll no longer suck his thumb, and they both won’t fit on her lap at the same time…

Thank you, K family, for allowing me to capture your family in all its beauty and silliness at this moment in your lives. I hope you love these photos as much as I loved creating them.

10 on 10

December 10 on 10 {Seattle day-in-the-life photographer}

December 12, 2014

This is a couple of days late, but I promise, I had the best of intentions to share these ten photos with you a few days before I left on a little work / family vacation trip to Disney (photos coming soon!!!!) and it just did not happen.

This selection of images is from last month, on my birthday, actually. It was a really lovely day. I love seeing the twins getting into mischief together. So so fun. Here Bennett discovered the big container of chocolate chip cookies that my mom baked for my birthday present, climbed into the pantry, got the container down, and proceeded to dig in with his sister. Morgan thinks that as long as she licks something, it belongs to her. So hilarious. I never want to forget their antics.

And of course Mr. Bennett was the one poking holes in my birthday cake. I love it all. Enjoy!

Products

Heirloom albums for future generations {Seattle storytelling photographer}

November 29, 2014

I’m not a shopper, but long before I became a photographer myself, I found myself shopping for a wedding photographer. I was engaged to be married, living in a new city, and in the midst of a grueling residency. I knew that the photos from our wedding day would be very important to me, so I was prepared to spend a large chunk of our budget on the photographer. I can’t remember how or where I first came across Bradley Hanson’s work (in the days of wedding magazines and before Pinterest!), but I was drawn to his black and white photos, photojournalistic style, and the fact that he only shot with FILM. We met for coffee at my neighborhood cafe, and he brought along a sample wedding album. After deciding that I could have him around me for my entire wedding day, I was done shopping and hired him on the spot. He created some really beautiful images on our wedding day, and designed a big, beautiful, professional album containing all of our favorites. Ten years later, that wedding album is one of my most cherished material possessions. Truth be told, he did also give us a box containing all of the film negatives from that day, but did I ever make prints of them?!?! YES, I did………it only took me seven years to do it! But those prints in a frame don’t tell the story of our day; the album does. I’ll never regret the money we spent on our wedding photographer & wedding album!

A few years ago I got to take the big album out of the box and flip through it for the first time with Avery! What a neat experience that was! A true family heirloom. And she loooooved it!

This is what I hope for with the albums I design for my family portrait clients. I aim to create an album you’ll love now, but that you’ll love more in 10 years, and your kids will love in 30 years. Yes, a professional heirloom album is an investment, but I truly believe it’s the best way to display and keep the photos from your session. Prints in frames and wall art/canvases show what your family looks like, and are meant to be updated every couple of years. But an album remains timeless and classic. It tells the story of who your family is at this exact place and time. What did your house look like? What little details defined your kids at this very age? What kinds of silly things were they doing between the two frames where everyone was looking at the camera? Plus, not everyone has limitless wall space for a multi-canvas display. An album packs a big punch in relatively small real estate. And you know what? They just fit my storytelling style of photography. Each little important detail deserves a spot to shine, and that spot can be in the pages of an album.

I delivered one of these beauties a few weeks ago, and I’m glad I took the opportunity to snap a few photos before I lovingly packed it up to deliver to its new home. And I can tell you from my experience, that upon flipping through the album for the first time, . . . “Oh man, I really just wanted the digital files on a disc!” said No. Client. Ever. 😉

Read more details on my professional album specs here!

Products

Greeting cards have all been sent {Holiday cards 2014!!!}

November 13, 2014

….yeah, right! No problem. I’m here to help you out! Browse the available designs below, and then let’s create your holiday card that everyone will be talking about. I’m in love with the quality of these premium cards. My favorite is the yummy matte finish and thick weight of the 100% recycled paper, which I use for my own family’s cards. They make a great first impression!

This year I’m drawn to super simple, clean & modern designs that place the focus on your beautiful family.

Press card specs: Choose either 130# Premium 100% recycled card stock with a bright white matte finish or 130# Pearl paper with a subtle shimmer

You select your front & back designs, and the photos to include.

Price: $50 for first set of 25 cards; $1.75 for each additional card. Envelopes included. Price includes one round of complimentary design revisions. Each additional round of revisions is $25.

Turnaround: 2 business days after finalizing your design; pick up from my home studio or we can meet somewhere in Seattle!

Contact me to get started on your holiday card today!

10 on 10 / personal

November 10 on 10 {Seattle documentary day-in-the-life photographer}

November 10, 2014

Going out for dim sum has become a regular weekend outing (not EVERY weekend) for our family! We have a decent dim sum place near our house, so we’re happy we don’t have to trek all the way into the International District to partake. I realized a while back that dim sum is the perfect food for little kids, because there’s no wait for the food. As soon as you’re seated, the carts come rolling by and voila, you have food on your table! We order a platter of noodles off of the menu for our boy who loves all things noodles, and the staff have gotten to know us so well that when we arrive, they bring us two high chairs and ask if we want an order of noodles!

This morning I was out shooting several holiday mini sessions, so I was happy to meet the rest of the family at our local dim sum place for lunch right after my sessions wrapped up. Because I had my camera on me, and because this is a little weekend family tradition, I decided I would document lunch! I hope you’re not hungry!

I love that each child has their own favorites. Bennett: noodles and steamed buns. Morgs: turnip cakes. Avery: sesame balls and fortune cookies, and shrimp.

These photos are far from ultra-moving and inspiring, but I was happy to be able to capture this little bit of our routine that’s become one of our family things.

Check out what Vancouver Family Photographer Felicia Chang was up to in her take on the Ten on Ten!

Hospital newborn / sessions

Welcome Baby Brother! {Seattle hospital newborn photographer}

November 8, 2014

FINALLY!!!!! This little dude made his entrance into the world yesterday, and I could not be more overjoyed for my friends. He was only one day overdue, but Mom and Dad have been waiting waiting waiting for at least a week now.

Mom rocked the labor, was “amazing” as described by dad. And big sis is all ready for her very important job, starting with counting his ten toes. I’m so honored I was able to capture these special moments in the hospital on the little guy’s first day of life. All of the little details and emotions that you think you’re going to remember but pass by oh so quickly. And the moment when you realize your family is complete.

fresh 48 newborn photo

seattle hospital mini sessions seattle hospital newborn photos

seattle hospital newborn photos

seattle fresh 48 photographer

These Hello, World! hospital newborn sessions are one of my favorite kind of sessions to shoot. They are SO very authentic and real. There’s no posing and very minimal direction on my part, except maybe me saying, “Hey dad, get in the frame!” My job is to quickly (30 min!) capture the emotions and details of this life changing day in a discreet and unobtrusive manner, then let you get back to bonding (and sleeping!). Maybe having the actual birth photographed is not your thing. This is a great alternative! Contact me if you’re interested in documenting your baby’s birth day!

Children / Family / sessions

Backyard urban chickens & blueberries {Seattle family storytelling photographer}

October 20, 2014

I’m not gonna lie. I’ve been wanting to document these chickens and their people for a long time. So when mama told me the hens were starting to overstay their welcome and would soon be replaced with younger, more productive spring chickens, I thought it was time to make this session happen! It was fun to let the chickens out of their coop and run around in the backyard. Baby girl sure was the boss of them! I love the photos of her holding her stick and “herding” them around!

I love the energy between big brother and little sister. I can tell they have fun together. Mom saved all the blueberries on their bushes for our session, and they were picked (and consumed) all while I was there.

One of my faves from most sessions, and this one is certainly no exception, is the couples shot of mom and dad together!! Couples change in many ways from the time they are married to after having kids. A little more tired, but usually a lot wiser, mature, patient, and usually more in love! I am so in love with this couples image!

You’ve heard me say it before, but I’m gonna keep saying it. Your home is usually THE most meaningful place to hold a family portrait session. Your life doesn’t happen amongst tall grass in a park. Your life happens HERE. And your house doesn’t need to look like the pages of a Restoration Hardware catalog to be worthy of a portrait session at home. It’s where life happens for you and the people you love, and that is enough. It’s my job to come in, observe, and photograph your everyday in a beautifully artistic manner and create heirlooms that your family can cherish for years to come.

I’m fully booked for full-length sessions for the remainder of 2014, but am accepting reservations for 2015. To book your very own family storytelling portrait session in 2015, use the handy CONTACT form to the left!

10 on 10 / personal

October 10 on 10 :: day in the life {Seattle family storytelling photographer}

October 10, 2014

Welcome, Fall! It’s time to pick our punkins! We are so lucky that Meimi grew our very own organic pumpkins in our yard for us. I love this set of photos that really captures the kids’ delight in being able to cut their own pumpkins right off the vine. What made it more exciting was the fact that the twins learned how to say the word “PUMPKIN” some time in the last month, so they’ve been pointing out and verbalizing “PUMPKIN” in books and all throughout the pumpkin picking event! These seemingly ordinary photos from seemingly ordinary days are truly going to be treasures when the kids are older, and that’s what I love so much about documenting our everyday in photos.

I recently read an article written by a wedding photographer about the classic bridal portrait. You know, the one with just the bride, in a quiet moment as she’s getting ready for the excitement of the day. The photographer wrote about taking this classic bridal portrait not for the bride herself (though she will obviously love this portrait of herself looking oh so beautiful), but for the bride’s future granddaughters. WOW! That really resonated with me! Obviously I’m not creating any classic bridal portraits these days, but I am capturing moments that I’m positive will be cherished some day by my children, grandchildren, and maybe even great grandchildren. So I’ll keep picking up my camera and doing my thing. 🙂

We shared a pumpkin with our neighbor, and in return he shared a big container of chocolate chip cookies with us. I think the kids thought that was a more than fair trade!!!

Please head on over to the talented Kyla Ewert of Pinball Photography to see what 10 photos in a day in the life of her family look like. Hint: seriously cool, dramatic, low light, and costumes!

business

I got Pinkled {PinkleToes workshop review}

October 8, 2014

You know those experiences that you have that are so profound that attempts to describe them in words just cannot do them justice? Well, attending the PinkleToes Photography Workshop back in August was one of them. Michele Anderson is a true professional. She’s extremely talented at photography and business management. It was a pleasure to learn from her for 3 days.

This was unlike any workshop I’ve ever attended. We didn’t stay in a hotel then go to a conference room from 9-5. We all stayed together in this AWE-some beach house right on the water (photo below was our back yard!). It felt like being at a beautiful, luxurious vacation rental for the weekend. We ate all of our meals together, but we each had our own bedroom and bathroom. Ahhhhhh. Total bliss. After dinner each night, we would put our jammies on then come back to the living room to learn and talk more. Sooooo fun to be surrounded by like-minded photographers who are all trying to take our businesses to the next level. Don’t get me wrong. This wasn’t a fluffy girls weekend. Our agenda was jam-packed with topics from morning until 10PM! When it’s time to learn, Michele is all-business. But did I mention? We had a lot of fun.

On our first evening, Michele took headshots of all of us. As a photographer, it’s super important to get in front of the lens every once in a while so that we remember how our clients feel. For me, it’s still a bit nerve-wracking, but Michele is a pro at putting people at ease, and I’m so pleased with my new headshots! These two images below are courtesy of PinkleToes Photography!

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The next morning we headed out bright and early for a newborn session. This isn’t really a shooting kind of workshop, so I barely shot all weekend. I did capture a few sweet moments, and some fun behind the scenes images, but I was pretty content to just soak it all in.

seattle lifestyle baby photographer seattle lifestyle newborn photos

Later that day we had a family session which was pretty amazing. Two of the sweetest young boys and their adoring parents. I didn’t take any photos at that session. Again, just soaking it all in.

On our last day we did a maternity session on the waterfront. The light was really bright, but the surroundings were absolutely gorgeous.

seattle maternity photographer seattle couples photographer 2014-10-08_0005

Thank you so much, Michele, for such an amazing experience. And so much love to my fellow photographers Casey, Shona, Dawn and Heather! Looking forward to our west coast reunion!!!

Want to see the workshop through the eyes of the other awesome ladies including Ms. PinkleToes herself? Head on over to St. Albert-Edmonton Lifestyle Family Photographer, Shona Reid Photography, to check out Shona’s beautiful photography. Then follow the circle around until you make it back here!

Love letters / personal

September ’14 Letters to our Children {Seattle family photographer}

September 28, 2014

discovery park lighthouse photos

Dear Avery, Morgan & Bennett,

This week autumn started, and with that we said goodbye to warm summer days and long evenings down at the beach. Avery & Morgan, I love that photo of you two dancing together at the beach earlier this summer. You guys are playing so well together these days. It’s so fun to watch your little friendships develop, especially the day to day routines like waking up in the morning, playing together, and getting for bed together too. Avery, you are so helpful and loving towards your sister and brother, always bringing them their animals when they are sad or upset.

Bennett & Morgan, I wonder what it must be like to have a twin. You guys are really starting to play with each other and interact together. It’s so very fun to watch. Here you are giving each other fist bumps. You also like to give each other hugs and MMMWAH kisses, and chase each other around the house. So funny. I can’t believe you guys are turning TWO in a month. Too fast. Just way too fast.

Bennett, my sweet little buddy, you’ve won my heart. You are TALKING so much these days! Two and even three word sentences! This week you started saying, “I love you,” (right now sounds more like “EYE wuv wu!”) which completely unraveled me. I think you are walking around with a piece of my heart outside of my body!!! Today I took some senior portraits for a 17 year old young man and his mom, and I saw myself in her, a short 15 years away.

I never want to forget the way you hold the head of your “cow-cow” lovey with both hands, while sucking your thumb as you get ready for bed each night. I cradle you like a little baby, even though your almost-two-year-old body is hanging down more like a boy than a baby. I cuddle you close, give you a kiss, you start to chuckle, we snuggle for a few more seconds (each night seeming shorter than the last), then you say, “Crib” to let me know you’re ready to be put down in your crib.

Birthdays and the holidays are right around the corner, and I’m looking forward to snuggling all together during the cool days and nights that are ahead. I love you all so very much!

Love,

Mama

I’m joined in this Letters to our Children by a group of talented photographer mothers. Each month we’re recording a bit of our family stories in words and photographs that we hope someday our kids won’t be too embarrassed to read! Please head on over to Philadelphia Family Photographer, Lucy Baber Photography next!

Baby / sessions

Weston 3 month mini session {Seattle baby photographer}

September 23, 2014

Since I’ve got this little guy’s 6 month session coming right around the corner, I thought I’d better get to blogging his 3 month session already! It’s really a treat to watch this little guy grow up! pssst! Did you miss his newborn session or his hospital birth day session?? At 3 months old, he was smiling up a storm, an expert at tummy time, and sitting in a seat with support. We also ventured outdoors to capture the summer, and I can’t wait to incorporate the fall season into our next mini.

Mini sessions usually just focus on the child, but I had mom come photo-ready so that she could act as an “accessory” to the little guy, and what do you know? My faves from the portrait session are definitely the photos that capture the mother-son bond. So precious.

Seattle baby mini session photos

Seattle infant photos

Seattle infant outdoor photos

Did you know I offer unlimited mini sessions within a year of booking a full-length portrait session? These are perfect for families expecting a newborn who want to book a full lifestyle newborn session at home, then add on mini sessions for maternity, in-hospital newborn (Hello, World!), then capturing the first year of life and culminating with a first birthday mini session which definitely should include some cake consumption by baby! The not-to-be missed milestones include smiling (~3 months), sitting unassisted (6-7 months), crawling/standing (~9 months), and walking/cake eating (12 months)!

Mini sessions are shot either at my home studio or a mutually-agreed upon outdoor location (weather permitting), are 30 minutes in length, and for a single child (with parents acting as accessories/snugglers!). The mini session rate includes all of the final digital files (5-10) for personal printing.

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Dear Avery,

Love,

Mama

Dear Avery, Morgan & Bennett,

Love,

Mama

Let’s Keep in touch!