Orange County Family Photography, Individual Kiddos

I have been an Orange County Photographer for more than 15 years and have learned that to get the absolute best images of your kids, sometimes the best thing to do is an individual session.

It is really fun to get the entire family together for a family portrait, but you have a lot of different things happening to make it really difficult to focus specifically on one child’s personality.  Sibling rivalry, showing off for Mom and Dad, and seeking approval from me or from his parents, can all make it difficult to have a kid’s true personality shine through.

So, if you book a family session, and want to add additional kids sessions on to the shoot, we offer a reduced session fee.  You can contact us for more details.

Here is one of my favorite recent sessions with Connor.  He is a total doll and we had so much fun focusing all our attention on him.  He has a brother and a sister and tends to be a little more quiet than his siblings.  Not on this day!  Enjoy.

child-photography-orange-countyboys-at-the-beach-portraits

adorable-kids-photography

cute-kids-photographykids-at-the-beachkids-headshot-photographerkids-photographykids-photoshootorange-county-kid-photographyorange-county-photographysouthern-california-kids-photographerchild-photographer-OC

Orange County Family photographer– We want to tell the story of your kiddos year after year!  What better way than with moving portraits that combine still images with video.  Here is a little sneak peak of what is to come.  If you want to book your moving portrait session which combines still images with a few short video clips, call us at 949.510.3862.  Have a beautiful rest of your weekend and enjoy the beautiful Lylah.

 

 

Orange County Family Photography– How to manage a two year old at a portrait session.   Everyone that knows me is totally aware that I am obsessed with toddlers.  I love the way they talk, I love the things that they say, I love to play games with them, they just totally crack me up.  So while lots of photographers shy away from photographing toddlers because it isn’t easy, I think as long as you have a good understanding of what will go on during a toddler session, everyone will remain calm and have fun!

Toddlers usually start out a little shy of the camera–  let’s face it, this is a new environment and most of the time the photographer is a stranger pointing a black box at their face while everyone is yelling at them to smile or say cheese. In my experience, this does not work.  At Blue Sky’s Studio we typically prep the Mom or Dad before the session and ask if they will just let us quietly talk with their child in the beginning with no expectations, no smiling, etc.  A typical reaction would be this, where the little one looks at their Mom or Dad for reassurance.

Orange-county-family-photography_0115Once a toddler starts to warm up, the best way to get great expressions is to play games with them.  I will often snort like a pig and tell them that is what my doggies say.  They will typically laugh and say noooooo, that is what a piggy says.  You get the point, they play along and they will usually give you an amazing huge smile like this.

 

Orange-county-family-photography_0122

Now is when the real fun starts, I always tell the parents not to worry at this point because things are going to get a little crazy, but these are going to be a true representation of your child’s personality.  You know, something like this:

Orange-county-family-photography_0128

Things to remember about toddlers-  You get about an hour to photograph them and then they are usually done.  You can bring multiple changes of clothing, but often times they will not tolerate more than three clothing changes.  I frequently have parents say to me, “I don’t think you got anything, my child wasn’t really cooperating.”  I smile and say, “we will see”.  Here is just a few of my favorites from a recent session.  When she got a little tired out, big brother was there to give some love and affection and then she was back to her camera ready self!

Orange-county-family-photography_0118Orange-county-family-photography_0113Orange-county-family-photography_0114Orange-county-family-photography_0117Orange-county-family-photography_0118Orange-county-family-photography_0119

We named her curl Fred!Orange-county-family-photography_0121Orange-county-family-photography_0123

We played tons of games with the hat.Orange-county-family-photography_0124Orange-county-family-photography_0125Orange-county-family-photography_0126Orange-county-family-photography_0127Orange-county-family-photography_0129

Had to give brother some affection while she took a break!Orange-county-family-photography_0130Orange-county-family-photography_0131Orange-county-family-photography_0132Orange-county-family-photography_0133Orange-county-family-photography_0134Orange-county-family-photography_0135Orange-county-family-photography_0136Orange-county-family-photography_0137

To book a family or kids session, click here!

I’m having so much fun shooting Valentine’s Day themed photos this season. These kids (most of them are kids anyway) are just too adorable. It makes you realize how precious and pure the love of a child is. Below is some inspiration for your Valentine’s Day photos.

Check out these ideas (and photos) by yours truly. And get ready for cuteness overload. ;)

Kisses & Hugs

It’s so fun to get siblings to show some love, their character shows through in wonderful candid shots. These first two are my babies.

hugs-kisses-valentines-photo1hugs-kisses-valentines-photo2hugs-kisses-valentines-photo3

You’ve got my heart on a string…

The beautiful sisters above are a great segway to “hearts!” Hanging some glittering hearts all around in the studio gives Valentine’s photos a fun, whimsical feel. 

hearts-valentines-photo1hearts-valentines-photo2

Props

Props and accessories are so much fun for Valentine’s Day photos. Let’s start with some X’s and O’s!

xoxo-valentines-photo

Okay, we just can’t get enough of hearts–how about these different takes on the lovely shape?

hearts-valentines-photo3

How about some fun glasses, and maybe just the right book?

props-valentines-day-photosprops-valentines-day-photos2

A family’s home decor can be a nice touch, especially with babies–this wall art provides the perfect scale for baby and carries the theme of love.

baby

Let’s play…dress up!

These little cuties look so adorable, in these fun, candid photos because they were having fun playing while we shot.

boho-valentines-day-photo

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas and photos. That’s all I have for now, but we’ll blow you one last kiss, goodbye!

blow-kiss-valentines-day-photography