Page 7 – Yi Li Photography | Seattle Documentary Family Photography

10 on 10 / personal

10 on 10 :: April {personal projects}

April 10, 2014

This month I wanted to try to be in a few of the photos. But I was too lazy to set up my tripod! Here’s what I ended up with.

{1} Sleepy head waking up from her nap in our big bed, {2} Me and my big girl getting in post-nap snuggles

{3} More snuggles. I super love this one. Do you see me?

{4} Downward facing dog, {5} Reading his favorite book, {6} Future engineer

{7} Teamwork, {8} Hi, mama!

{9} Pinch an inch!

{10} Almost a throwaway (shot by The Husband) / edited by me. Behold, the power of RAW! SOOC on left!!!

Check out Kyla Ewert of Pinball Photography’s take on the 10 on 10 this month, and follow the circle around until you end up back here. Happy April!

Love letters / personal

March ’14 Letters to our Children {Seattle child photographer}

March 29, 2014

Seattle baby photographer, twin brother

Dear Bennett,

Oh, my sweet buddy. You are such a JOY to have in our family! You have the sweetest, most calm, tender-hearted personality. Nothing really bothers you except when one of your sisters steals a toy or book, or when you’re hungry. You’re ruled by that big tummy of yours. I can tell when you’re mad, because you’ll stand in one spot and stomp your two feet back and forth. It’s pretty darn cute. But 95% of the time you are just one jolly fellow. You have THE best belly laugh I have ever heard in my entire life. I want to bottle it up and keep it with me forever.

And boy, are you affectionate. You love to run into my arms and give me the biggest hugs. You should try to share some snuggles with Baba, instead of running away from him!!

I love all of our reading time and bedtime snuggles. Your favorite books are “Listen Listen” and “Yummy Yucky”, but you like most books in general. You will carry them over to me, turn around, then reverse your little behind as you plop your bottom into my lap. It’s the cutest thing, and I never want to forget that.

When we’re driving in the car and you want a snack from Avery, you’ll make a sound and then put your little paw out to wait for your snack. I can’t see your face since you’re still rear-facing, but that little paw peeking out over the side of your carseat is a funny & familiar sight.

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I think these photos capture your personality perfectly. You’re so happy and you approach life with exuberance. I hope that never changes about you. I love the last photo of you chasing Avery at the beach. Such a joyful expression on your face that is totally YOU!

Seattle Discovery Park beach lighthouse

I love you so very much!

Mama

I’m joined in this Letters to our Children blog circle by a group of fantastic photographer mothers as we attempt to distill down our love for our kids into a handful of words and photos. Please stop by and visit Valerie Rice Photography for more inspiration.

Children / Family / sessions

Cherry blossom session at UW {Seattle family photographer}

March 26, 2014

I had so much fun photographing this gorgeous mama and her youngest daughter last week on the University of Washington campus. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and we lucked out with minimal crowds on the morning we were there. Still, we saw many people out with cameras of all sorts, from smartphones all the way to dSLRs, and a couple of iPads thrown in for giggles!!!

I love all of the fun expressions we were able to capture in these photos, and believe it or not, I shot this cute duo all in less than 15 minutes! Contact me soon for your very own cherry blossom session before the blooms say bye bye until 2015.

University of Washington quad cherry blossoms

Seattle child photographer cherry blossom session

10 on 10 / personal

10 on 10 :: March {personal projects}

March 10, 2014

Welcome to the 10 on 10 for March! I woke up this morning and actually forgot that today was going to be my shooting day for capturing at least 10 decent photos of my family all in one day. Daylight savings time also threw us for a tiny loop as we worked to get the kiddos all back on their usual schedule. Amazing how becoming a parent makes you love spring forward so much more than fall back! Alas, here’s what a typical Sunday looks like in our house. I hope your March is off to a fantastic start!

{1} The twins LOVE books these days!

Seattle twins photographer

{2} Big sister supervising the littles

Seattle siblings photography

{3} She’s climbing everything. {4} Peekaboo! {5} That silly guy!

Seattle child photography

{6} Toothbrush love

Seattle father and son photography

{7} Must. help. with. all. tasks.

Seattle daddy daughter photos

{8} Practicing sight words Big sister photos

{9} Reading time with grandma Seattle family photographer, reading books

{10} Silliness and love! Seattle self-portrait photographer

Please visit Cat McAteer Photography next to check out her take on the 10 on 10! What kinds of things are you doing to document your family’s life in 2014?

Love letters / personal

February ’14 Letters to our Children {Seattle child photographer}

February 28, 2014

Seattle kids photographer

Dear Avery,

You’ve had another big change this month. You moved from the preschool class to the K-prep class at school! I was sensing that you’ve been ready for a while now, and you’ve been very excited to join your friends who have been in K-prep since they turned 4. I’m so excited for all of the new things you will get to do with your new/old friends. Today was your first field trip to the big downtown library! You guys rode the city bus to and from there, and you told me all about it when I picked you up. I can tell you’re still getting used to things, and changes make you a little bit uneasy, but I know you are really going to love your new class and new teachers once you get a little more used to it.

You guys are learning sight words, and this month you’re learning about the human body. You ask me all kinds of questions about bones, different organs, and you are particularly intrigued by BLOOD VESSELS and the fact that they’re everywhere in your body (even in your teeth!).

Recently you’ve also had a breakthrough with your swim lessons. You used to hate putting your face in the water, but now you are putting your face in the water multiple times per class, and doing your big jump at the end without holding on to the teacher’s hands. You go underwater with ease as part of your big jump. I’m so proud of you and how hard you are working at learning how to swim. I’m sure you’ll move up to the next level very soon.

I love you so very much, my sweet BIG girl!

Mama

Seattle child lifestyle photography

Baby / Children / Family / sessions

Chao family session {Seattle family and child photographer}

February 21, 2014

Seattle couples photographer I was so happy to get this family in front of my lens again. It had been about 8 months since I photographed little brother’s newborn session, and I could not believe how much he’s grown. And that smile? He’s all personality these days. It was so fun to see him interacting with his big brother. I can already tell they’re going to be great friends. This mama and I have been friends dating waaay back to when we were band geeks together in high school. I’m so glad that life and circumstances have landed us in the same state as adults.

After viewing their gallery, mom had these kind words for me:

“LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM ALL! I don’t know what you do, but you make my family look good. I am so happy with them!!! Thank you!”

From the bottom of my heart, you’re welcome. 🙂 If you want me to make your family look good too, drop me a line with that little “contact” button up there!

Seattle family photographer, Seattle kids photographer, Cowan Park

Seattle baby photographer

10 on 10 / personal

10 on 10 :: February {personal projects}

February 10, 2014

{1} Snow day! seattle snow photos {2} “When can we go outside?!” seattle child photographer, snow photos {3} Here we go! seattle family photographer, snow family candids {4} My snow angel{5} Have under-bed-storage-box, will travel.{6} Undecided seattle twins photographer, snow sledding {7} Fleeting moments{8} My Valentines seattle child photographer, sibling snow photos {9} Us.{10} All before 10AM seattle documentary photographer, hunter boots

Please head on over to see some seriously beautiful photography by Kyla Ewert of Pinball Photography to see her take on Ten on Ten.

Love letters / personal

January ’14 Letters to our Children {personal projects}

January 29, 2014

I just couldn’t let this one go. After completing one year of letters to my children, I thought I was ready to leave that project behind and start something new. I’m happy to have the new challenge of the 10 on 10 project, but these letters really tug at my heart strings. In reflecting back on 2013, it was so nice for me to have the words and photos to look back on as a mom. I mean, you think you’re going to remember how you felt or what you experienced last month or what your kids said or did, but the fact of the matter is you won’t remember most of it. I’m so grateful to have these letters to look back on, and I hope my kids feel the same way one day too. I was so happy to find a new group to continue this project together with, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them and their kiddos in 2014!

Seattle baby photographer, first year photos, baby hat

Dear Morgan,

Oh Miss Morgs. You’re my spunky one. You have a little mischievous glimmer in your eyes. I’m not sure everyone can see it, but I sure do. Now, I fully admit that these photos are cheating a bit, since I took them at the end of 2013. See, right after you and your brother turned 1, I was feeling sad and nostalgic that you were no longer babies. Then I discovered that if I stripped you down to a diaper and put a hat on you that covered up your growing hair, you still look like a baby!!!

You are growing up so fast. This week I observed you WALKING! Sure, your feet are still spread out super wide for balance, and you don’t bend your knees so you look a bit like Frankenstein, but it is so adorable! And last weekend, you sneezed, then took the tissue out of grandma’s hand, wiped your own nose, then crawled over to the trash can with the tissue. I opened the trash can lid, and you dropped the tissue in! I’m so amazed by your observation skills and how you’re always taking in everything. Seattle baby photographer, baby smiles, baby grin You will concentrate on playing with stacking rings for a long time, and your fine motor skills are so good. You love sitting in the red wagon and letting Bennett push you around, and you’ve even started enjoying pushing HIM around! It’s so fun to watch you guys play with each other, but sometimes you are a bit rough with him and you like to steal toys from him. Please be nice to your brother; he’s much more gentle-natured than you are!

Seattle baby photographer, baby tummy And this little wrinkle in your nose? I recognize it from your big sister. Avery used to make the exact same expression, in fact I think she still does from time to time.

You have the best sense of humor. You’re growing to be such a friendly little girl. About 2 weeks ago you started saying, “Hi!” with a wave; it was your very first word. I’m still waiting for the “Mama” but no pressure or anything. I love you so very much, my sweet baby girl!

I’ll end with some fun meal time photos.

Love,

Mama

Messy baby meal time, Seattle baby photographer

I’m joined in this project by a group of talented photographer mothers scattered across the globe. Journey to Brisbane, Australia next to Renee’s blog to read her heartfelt letter to her kids, then keep following the circle until you end up back here.

Baby / Children / Family / sessions

Little man becomes big brother {Bellevue family photographer}

January 14, 2014

This special family session was commissioned by dad for mom’s birthday gift. Kudos to this dad who really knows what moms want – beautiful professional photos of the whole family that she’s in too! I provided a lovely press printed gift certificate that he was able to gift to mama on her birthday, then we scheduled the session at their leisure afterwards.

This isn’t the first time I’ve photographed this little guy, but it’s definitely been way too long. He’s now a big brother to an adorable baby sister, has such a sweet & friendly personality, and TALKS a ton! Mom says I won over the heart of their terrible two year old, but I just don’t believe that this guy could be classified as terrible, ever! During the beginning of our session, baby sister weirdly zonked out cold for about 5-10 minutes, which her parents say she NEVER does! It was too funny AND adorable! Aside from her little nap attack, she was all smiles for the rest of the session. You can tell she loves to cuddle with mama and dad. The big guy has made a remarkable transition to sharing his parents with his little sis, and I can tell he kinda loves her already. I can’t wait to see them chasing after each other in no time!

GooWEB-5

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10 on 10 / personal

10 on 10 :: January {personal projects}

January 10, 2014

Welcome to the 10 on 10, a new personal project for 2014! The concept is simple: 10 photos taken all on one day, posted on the 10th of each month.

This is what a typical weekend looks like in our crazy house. The babies found the dog’s water bowl! Someone got a new electric toothbrush, the little guy is now proficient at walking, and always…lots of laughter and some tears.

I’m joined in this personal project by a group of talented photographer mothers. We’re attempting to document our family life through photographs. Please take a moment to check out their work, starting with Sherri Davis.

Children / Family / sessions

Schulz family {Seattle family photographer}

December 30, 2013

Such a joy for me to photograph these dear friends of mine. We’ve known each other ever since our big girls were just 3 months old. We met through the wonderful organization PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support), and there’s nothing that solidifies friendships quite like commiserating over sleepless nights and all of the joys and anxieties of new parents.

It was really special for me to take portraits for my friends this fall, as they have REALLY been through the wringer over the past 2 years. This year was a good year, with lots of good news to celebrate, so I was so happy to capture a bit of that. If you know their story, you know that these photos exude mom’s grace & strength, and dad’s love. Such a beautiful family, inside and out. Love you guys!

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personal

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2013

From our home to yours, wishing you the happiest of holidays. To my wonderful clients, thank you for letting me capture a piece of your story in 2013.

YuanFrontFinal

Love letters / personal

December Letters to our Children {personal projects}

December 19, 2013

Dear Avery, Morgan & Bennett,

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started this Letters project! Time has passed so quickly! I’m so glad I have these twelve letters to look back on. You guys have grown and changed so much in a year. Avery, earlier this week you said to me, “Mama, termites eat wood houses. Mosquitos suck your blood, and that is NOT very nice.” Whaaaa?!?! You are learning so much and it never ceases to amaze me.

Morgan and Bennett, you guys are such a hoot these days. Bennett, you’ve turned into my snuggly guy who is sensitive and caring. You get upset when other people are upset, and I kind of love that about you. We don’t have nursing snuggle time anymore, but I do cherish our bedtime routine.

Morgs, you are such a character. You’re doing things in your own time, and I’m okay with that. You’re so playful, like tonight when you were blowing bubbles for about 15 minutes non-stop during the car ride home. And then playing peek-a-boo, which I think is your favorite game! I love how you keep throwing the blanket over your head to hide yourself. And I love how you snuggle with any pillows or even just the floor!

None of these photos are technically perfect, and I’m okay with that. A couple of them are a little bit out-of-focus, but they’re emotionally in-focus. I year ago I was so obsessed with capturing “technically perfect” images that I began to lose sight of the reason I became a photographer in the first place. Today I can accept a little bit of motion blur and excessive noise, and be so happy that I have beautiful photos of you guys experiencing the wonder Christmas. Avery, you still don’t like to be photographed very much, but I hope that might change in the near future. I love you guys so very much, and I hope that you will enjoy looking back on these photos and words some time when you’re all grown up, and be able to imagine a little bit of my love that went into the project.

Lots of love,

Mama

Seattle baby photographer Dec3

Seattle baby photographer Dec2

This is the last monthly installment in a blog circle that I undertook with a group of fantastic photographer mothers in 2013. Please visit Kelly’s blog to read her final installment, then follow the circle around until you end up here. Join me in 2014 as I embark on a new personal project to continue documenting the life of my family.

Baby / business / Family / sessions

Sweetest baby girl {Seattle baby photographer}

December 16, 2013

Have I mentioned that I really love photographing “older” babies? The 3-6 month age is a great time to get professional photos taken! By then, baby is more on a schedule, mom and dad are more relaxed and rested, baby is smiling, and everyone enjoys the session. I was thrilled when this mom contacted me about photographing their “older” baby. When we chatted on the phone, she told me that they skipped newborn photos because they’re just not into the naked-baby-on-a-beanbag-wearing-a-big-hat thing. Perfect. Neither am I! Don’t get me wrong. I have a lot of respect and admiration for my colleagues who are skilled at the art of posed newborn portraiture. They’ve worked hard to hone their craft, and they create some amazingly beautiful art. It’s just not my thing. But newborn or baby photos in the home environment with baby and her people? This is definitely my thing. I love capturing the beauty in your ordinary every day. And it really doesn’t hurt when your ordinary includes a gorgeous nursery like the one designed by Baby C’s mom. I love the variety we captured: smiling, serious, awake, sleeping, cuddling, playing, family together, and just Baby C. And I’m so glad we ventured outside at the very end of the session for some family portraits, especially when you live a stone’s throw away from a super cool striped wall! Wishing your happy little family many moments of love and magic in the coming years! GrishamWEB-9

Seattle baby photographer blog3

Seattle Baby photographer blog2

Blog1 GrishamWEB-3 GrishamWEB-50

business / Children / sessions

School portraits worth buying! {Seattle portrait photographer}

December 11, 2013

It started off as a simple challenge for myself. Could I improve upon the ~~cheesy, awful~~ traditional school pictures of my daughter that are taken not once, but twice, each year since she started daycare and preschool? Truth be told, I’ve never purchased the school portraits that my daughter has been subjected to in the past. But I did enjoy looking at the proofs online, just for entertainment’s sake. The yucky blue backdrop. The blue cloth-covered cube that she’s seated next to. The elbows on the cube with hands clasped together under the chin (oh, you KNOW that pose I’m talking about!). The slight cock of her head. The suuuuper cheesy smile on her face. This is not my daughter.

School portraiture is not my usual genré. My ultimate goal in taking the job as school photographer this Fall was to capture authentic images of these kids. Who they really are, in the brief few moments I had with each of them. Photos that the parents would recognize. I wanted them to look at the photos and think, “That’s my daughter.”

I also wanted to put a modern spin on the typically oh-so-dated school picture. I wanted them to look modern but also be timeless. I wanted to capture photos that you would actually be happy about displaying in your home. I am pretty happy with what I was able to capture. I had so much fun with this project, and I think the parents were quite pleased as well.

What you see here is just a small sampling of images from parents who were kind enough to agree to share their child’s images with you. I didn’t pose them or ask them to say cheese, but rather conversed with each child and tried to draw out their unique personalities. Enjoy!

Love letters / personal

November Letters to our Children {personal projects}

November 20, 2013

NovLetter2

Dear Avery,

I can’t believe you turned FOUR earlier this month! When I look back on the photos of you meeting your baby brother and sister in the hospital for the first time right before you turned three, I can hardly recognize that toddler in those photos. My, how you have grown and changed in a year.

You are SO observant; you notice EVERYTHING, especially when we are driving in the car. You point out things to me that I never would have noticed on my own. You never cease to amaze me!

Lately you are loving your ballet class, dancing around in the house in your leotard, tights, and ballet slippers, and showing us all of your new moves. This week you showed me the difference between “nice” and “icky” toes. You are learning your letters, and even starting to put them together as words.

You like things just-so, and sometimes we still have days where you are very w-h-i-n-y. This is the hardest “characteristic” about you for me to handle. Sometimes your whining makes me turn into a lunatic mommy and I yell. Oops.

But then there are days like that perfect fall evening when just you and I went down to the beach to play on the swings, explore the beach, and you jumped in and out of the small waves with your boots on. I remember the warmth of the sun, your silly smile, and tight squeeze hugs when the wind picked up.

I hope there are many more days like that to come. Happy birthday, my sweet girl.

Love,

Mama
AveryBalloon

I’m joined in this “Letters to Our Children” blog circle by a group of fantastic photographer mothers. Each month we write a letter to one of our children, accompanied by our photography, then link up our blogs. An attempt to capture the fleeting and celebrate motherhood. Stop by Davina’s blog to read her letter and enjoy her photos, then keep following the circle around until you end up back here.

Love letters / personal

October Letters to our Children {personal projects}

October 20, 2013

Dear Bennett & Morgan,

Oh my gosh, it’s been ONE great year!!! I can’t BELIEVE you guys turn ONE any day now! It just f l e w by!

Bennett, recently someone stole my baby and replaced him with a little boy. You are sooooo big! You got your first haircut last week, and you look like a little boy. Waaaaah!!!!! You are really funny these days. Every night at bedtime when it’s time to hand you off to grandma for your bottle, you start shaking your head like you’re saying NO, but you’re smiling and laughing the whole time you’re doing it! It’s become this little bedtime game. You give me the sweetest, big wet kisses on my face whenever I say, “Kisses!” And you’re crawling and climbing everywhere. It’s so fun watching you explore your environment.

Miss Morgan, you definitely have a spunky personality. I mean, just look at your faces in these photos. You LOVE dancing to music! It’s really cute watching you get your groove on. You love to SNUGGLE! You love sitting on baba’s tummy when he’s laying down, and then every so often you will lean your whole body down to snuggle with him. Your snuggles are the greatest! Last week you amazed me when you started drinking water from a straw cup!!!

As your first birthday approaches, I’m counting all the ways you two have blessed my life. I am so thankful that you two were born healthy, we had a great run at breastfeeding (Morgan!), you guys are healthy and happy and thriving, and you gave Avery the very important job of being a big sister. She loves you guys so very much. What can I say. You guys are all so lucky to have each other. We are lucky to have grandma so nearby (top photo!). But I feel like I am the luckiest person here, because I get to be your mama. Here’s to more adventures together in your 2nd year of life.

Love,

Mama

I’m joined in this “Letters to Our Children” blog circle by a group of fantastic photographer mothers. Each month we write a letter to one of our children, accompanied by our photography, then link up our blogs. An attempt to capture the fleeting and celebrate motherhood. Stop by Kelly’s blog to read her letter and enjoy her photos, then keep following the circle around until you end up back here.

Maternity / sessions

Joyfully expecting {Seattle maternity photographer}

October 2, 2013

I’m finally getting around to blogging this maternity session that I shot towards the end of summer. Boy, looking through these photos certainly makes me long for warmer, drier days! Stephanie and her husband are expecting their first baby, and I always love seeing the anticipation and joy that these parents-to-be have for their baby. We had beautiful, sunny weather that provided some really magical light that was just perfect for capturing this really important occasion in the life of this family. Enjoy!

Seattle maternity photographer blog3

Seattle maternity photographer blog2

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