By Land and Sea...{San Diego Maternity Photographer}

Just call me "Ahab!" I am looking for a whale named Moby! Oh wait...no I am just a photographer with rad clients that take me to cool locations like Harbor Island! haha. I was so excited when this opportunity came my way! What? You want a nautical maternity session and I also get to shoot your hubby's restored Mustang? Awesome! So as I set off for this spectacular day, I made sure I was prepared. Camera-check! Lenses-check...boat shoes...mmm, I guess ballet flats will do...directions to location-check check! Well, I should have double checked the later because Yahoo Maps seemed to turn me around so I ended up in La Jolla! Ugg! Good thing I like to be 20 minutes early to every shoot! I finally get to the right spot and the day was looking up when I make a turn and see a sea of cars in front of me. Ugg again! It seems that one should research whether the 100th anniversary of Aviation is going on at the same time as your shoot! Well after counting to 10 and taking some deep breaths, I managed to find my lovely couple and get to the fun stuff! Whitney is awesome! She is creative and easy going with a fun spirit. I know she is going to be an amazing mom! Ian was a good sport and I think he kinda looks like the guy from "The Notebook" so he earned cool points for that! He also restored his once bright yellow mustang into a beauty of a car! I loved that they wanted some shot including the "Stang" because it meant something to them. I really encourage clients to incorporate something into their session that has special importance to them. Your photos will be that much more sentimental years down the road. I cannot wait to meet little Parker when he arrives! I see a nautical newborn in my future! hehe Congrats to Whitney and Ian...may you have an easy delivery and a healthy baby boy! :)

OH! And can you find my Yashica camera shot? I will be including one view from that vintage camera in every session just for fun! :)

Sweet Sweet Valentine! {Murrieta Children's Photographer}

Roses are red, violets are blue, Valentine mini sessions are sweet and so are you!

You can probably tell where I am going with this...

Today I wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day and hope that you take a moment to tell the important people in your life that you love them. Hug your babies, kiss your hubby, and give a friend well wishes.Give from your heart and never miss a beat and enjoy all things in life that are sweet! <3>

Shoot Baby! Giveaway!!

Calling all newborn and baby photographers! If you have ever wanted a Shoot Baby posing ottoman, now is your chance to win one! Inspire Me Baby is hosting a give-a-way on their blog and today is the last day to enter so run, don't walk!

Ways to enter:

visit http://www.inspiremebaby.com/ and comment which ottoman you'd love to have (vinyl or suede)

follow Shoot Baby! on Facebook

tweet about the giveaway with a link

blog about the giveaway with a link {which is what I am doing! }haha

post about the giveaway on a photography related forum.

Then go back to Inspire Me Baby and leave a comment for each entry telling them what you did

Here's to hoping! I've always wanted one of these!!

Babiekins Magazine {San Diego Child's Fashion Photographer}

These boys were such pros! Look at those poses! :)

What a sweet face!

Favorite Photo of the Day! Love the outfit, the model, the light...love love!

She had the best laugh!

Sweet Sisters...

Our "Secret Garden"

This is a special post for me because it features 2 of my favorite subjects to photograph...children and fashion. Coming from a background in the hair industry, I have a love for fashion photography and styling. I also absolutely love photographing kids for the obvious reasons...1. I have 3 gorgeous girls of my own who inspire me everyday and 2. I love their honest expression and imaginations. For a long time I have wondered, how could I incorporate my love for two very different things, so when Babiekins Magazine asked if I wanted to do a shoot for their Spring issue, I jumped at the chance. This publication is amazing! If you love unique, whimsical, and modern children's wear and decor, you should check them out! Priscila (the editor extraordinaire) has a great eye for finding clothing and accessories that are fresh and new and so much fun! She has taken this children's magazine and taken it to a whole new level. The art and illustrated short stories are a delight and the whole issue is filled with great imagination and spirit. I am so blessed to be even a small part of this issue and hope to work with Babiekins again someday soon! This shoot might be one of my favorite to date! I had so much fun and couldn't have asked for better little models. What a fun experience !

A different view...{Murrieta Lifestyle Photography}

Today I had some fun shooting just for me. I had a little spark of creativity and needed to make something of it. So, I glanced down at the table and saw my vintage film camera (that I usually use as a prop) and remembered something from a past shoot. I recently was in front of the camera with my hubby and I brought along this old camera as a prop to use. As we were shooting, our photographer noticed how beautiful it was to look down into the view finder and see how that lens was "seeing" our surroundings. I instantly loved what I saw. The image was all of a sudden vintage, gritty, and "old-world-like." I asked her to see if she could take a photo of my husband and I but instead of pointing her camera at us, to shoot what that old viewfinder was seeing. I knew I'd need to re-visit this technique later on and today was just the day to try it.

As I glanced around to find something to photograph, I spotted my beautiful arrangement of ranunculus that a good friend (and talented florist) had sent me. So off I went creating! These photos take me to another time...when things were slower, the days were longer, and everyone had a porch swing and drank iced tea. I had so much fun with this that I am inspired to do a weekly blog post using my vintage camera. Each week I will take a photo similar to these and see what I can capture. I am hoping that by doing this, I will stop and notice the little things and make some fun photographs in the process. I also challenge you all to find something each week or ( for you over-achievers) each day that will remind you to slow down, breathe, and take in your beautiful surroundings. Maybe one day, we can remember that at one point in time, life was simpler, the ice tea was flowing, and fresh air was in abundant supply.