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The Simpson Family: Laguna Beach Family Photography

I love a gal that comes completely prepared, and who is a little afraid of wearing white pants.  Allyn Ann and family showed up in the Newport Back Bay with super cute outfits on as well as backup outfits just in case something got dirty.   We started by showing Georgia the cute ducks on the farm that I visited most Sunday evenings as a kid.  She asked where the cows, chickens, horses and piggies were?  This two year old definitely has a little spice to her personality… another thing I love especially in 2 year olds.

Like most photography sessions that include two year olds, it felt a little like directed chaos.  Georgia ran back and forth chased by Jeremy, her Dad, or by her sweet Mama.  She shared with Desi and I that her Grandpop calls her Sugar and her Mama say “love you”!  I couldn’t stop smiling.  I ran behind with my camera and tried to distract her my asking her what color are the flowers, and what do they smell like.  In the end we got some many sweet images.  Here are just a few.  Don’t forget to check out the video at the end for more cute portraits!  Enjoy!

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Beautiful Sarah

Beautiful Sarah is such a sweet soul! Her Mom, Janice, wanted to do something special for her sweet daughter, and thought a photo session to show her just how beautiful she is both on the outside and on the inside, was just in order. Brittany from Brittynortonartisty, showed up early to decide on a fun, youthful look for Sarah. Deseree was on had to provide styling, but Janice got the clothes just right, and we didn’t even need to use any of our wardrobe. We started Sarah’s session in my studio and the surrounding area, but quickly jumped in the cars and headed for an open field. Sarah’s sweet, natural look blended in perfectly with the small purple blooms surrounding the field.

It was such an honor to work with this amazing family. Enjoy!
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Beautiful Carolin

I am so inspired by the amazing people I get to photograph each day.  Especially those people who face adversity with a smile and have a beautiful spirit.  Carolin is one of those unique, beautiful individuals who can really light up a room with her gorgeous smile.  She is an only child whose Mom is a survivor of brain cancer.  Unfortunately, Carolin’s mom is in wheelchair as a result of an injury suffered after the cancer treatment.  Carolin’s amazing Dad is super supportive, but still has to travel for work.  This doesn’t slow Carolin down at all.  She comes home, helps fix dinner and hangs out and keeps her mom company and still manages to find time to act in her school plays and get all her homework done on time.  A truly warm, sweet, bright and loving person.  I am so proud to have had an opportunity to capture her beauty, inside and out! Enjoy!

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See more by watching her slideshow:

Sisters

I knew right away we were going to have a fabulous session when Mindy (the girls Mom), said we call our younger daughter Kasey (here name is Katherine)….. so our youngest’s name is Kasey Cameron….. Okay, my kids names are Kasey and Cameron…. crazy!  Anyway, Desi got started right away putting some super cute outfits together for the girls.  Kind of Free People meets the Great Gatsby… Brittany created a beautiful soft makeup look and some fun, whimsical hair styles and we were off.  We were blessed with some overcast skies, which gave the session a little more of an edgy feel.   I pulled out my lights and we jumped into the car and headed for an open field.  Right off the parking lot we found a tree branch, with dandelions and dark trees growing behind it.  It was so perfect!  I started to put both girls on the fallen branch, and of course, it broke off the tree, but we had my old wooden ladder to catch the fall.

After lots of laughter, both of these beauties got into character and we created some really beautiful, fun images.  It is always so much fun to create something a little different for each session.  Enjoy!

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Click to watch more of the session:

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The Ollendorff Twins: Newport Beach Family Photography

Every year there is a new spot in Orange County where I find a lot of creative inspiration.   In this particular spot, it isn’t just because it is naturally so beautiful and diverse, but it is also because, as a child, on most Sunday evenings, it is where my Dad took me and my siblings to feed the ducks.  In our house, Sunday was family day.  Even during high school, we were not allowed to book anything on Sundays, especially in the evening.  We would have dinner at around 4 pm, head off to feed the ducks and then round out the evening with a game of cards, a trip to the movies a board game… anything that involved the whole family.  Some weekends my dad would pile us all into the car for a quick weekend camping trip, but most of the time it involved a trip to the duck farm.

I love these family memories, because they were not about spending a lot of money, but rather just spending good old quality time together.  Throughout the years, Bob and I have tried to instill the same sense of family with our kids.  Unfortunately, with the high demands of competitive swimming, we can’t often take the time to go for a drive on Sunday evenings, but we have played our fair share of board games, piled into the car to go for a long walk in the harbor to look at boats and each day we have made it a goal to spend an hour together as a family.

That is why I was so excited to share one of my favorite spots with the Ollendorff family.  They meet up with me at the head of the trail in Newport Back Bay last Sunday evening, and we hiked and just stopped to take portraits of their two beautiful twin girls as it struck our fancy!  We ended up at sunset on the bluffs overlooking the beautiful Back Bay and all we were missing was a picnic dinner to make the evening amazing.  This is the best way, I have found, to truly get natural, organic beautiful images of kids.  To just sit back and let the moments happen.  I also love the fact that they incorporated a part of their family history into the session… the grandma’s nightgown!  I feel so fortunate to get to photograph these girls every year around their birthday, since they were babies!  This has to be one of my favorite sessions with the two of them!  Enjoy!

Play their slideshow to see more of the entire session: