For many years I have been providing headshots for Orange County professionals without really promoting that Blue Sky’s Studio provides this service. It started out that once we closed our retail studio location in Laguna Hills, I did not have a studio to use for creating headshots. However, in 2013 when I moved into […]
I am so fortunate to be a family portrait photographer in Laguna Beach.
That means that I not only get to capture gorgeous images of families from Orange County, but I also get an opportunity to meet lots of amazing people that choose Laguna Beach as their vacation destination. While visiting and being amazed at stunning ocean views, canyon areas and the cute downtown, lots of families get inspired to take family portraits in Laguna Beach or in one of the many gorgeous locations in Orange County.
The Rosenthal Family comes to the Montage every year for a family holiday. They have beautiful twin daughters that are both already enrolled in University, one at LSU (…. Geaux Tigers) and one at Chapman University. Their holiday is the perfect chance for them to reconnect. Scheduling family portraits during their holiday, creates a permanent memory that they will cherish for a lifetime.
Since they have previously taken portraits that the Montage’s Treasure Island beach, we decided to change it up and head down to Table Rock beach. From both our local clients, and our out of town clients, we often hear that I have never even visited this gorgeous beach. It was our pleasure to not only introduce the to this location, but to also get to use it as a fantastic backdrop. Blue Sky’s makeup artist and hairstylist visit all these beautiful ladies in their hotel room prior to the session, so they really got the star treatment.
Enjoy a sneak peak of a few of my favorites from the session!
Photographing kids in Orange County can be fun and a little stressful. Here are some helpful hints to make sure your Orange County Family Photography session is the best it can possibly be. Here’s how to prepare kids for the best portrait session.
We understand that sometimes children can be unpredictable when it comes to photography sessions. Maybe they are nervous, anxious or just having an off day. It happens, and rest assured that we are able to handle just about any situation. However, there are things that you can do to help ensure a smooth and happy photography session for your child, so please read our suggestions below and apply them at your child’s Blue Sky’s Studio shoot.
1) If your child is at all shy, please be patient.
We give them as much time as they (not you or I) need to warm up to me and my camera. It is very rare that even the most apprehensive child doesn’t become my buddy after 20-30 minutes. Eager to please, many parents urge their child(ren) on, and this rarely ever helps. Please allow us to create a bond with your child at their pace. Giive us a little space with your child so they do not feel as though they have to “perform” for you with us.
2) Please do not answer for your child when we ask him or her a question.
We try to bond with them by getting them to talk to us. Often times, we will reach out to “test” your child(ren) to see how they will respond. Depending on their reaction (if they reach back to hold a hand/finger), we will know how to proceed. We like to take time to get to know your child and let them get used to us before we start shooting.
3) Please please please do not tell your child(ren) to “smile” or say “cheese.”
That’s our job. Besides, “cheese” or “smile” is almost always a fake or forced smile. We will get your child(ren) to smile by other measures that create real smiles such as goofy faces, funny stories, talking up their interests, etc…you know, kid stuff!! We’re great at kid stuff (we’re kids at heart)!
4) We encourage any ideas or props in your session, so have fun with it and get creative!
Many parents bring in 1-3 outfits and various accessories such as hats, scarves and jewelry. However, it’s important to keep in mind that changing multiple outfits on younger children usually changes their moods too. We recommend keeping it simple for the younger subjects. They grow up so fast!
5) Prioritize outfits and props!
Depending our your child’s age, they may not be able to stay happy and positive through an entire session. For toddlers, usually 45 minutes is the maximum amount of time that they will be able to be photographed. So, make sure you let us know the most important shots, and outfits so we get those done at the beginning of the session. That way, we make sure that if the session ends early, you still got the best shots that you will love an cherish for a lifetime.
Taking the time to prepare for your child’s photo shoot will not only make the experience enjoyable for you and your child, but will also help create an environment for amazing photographs for you to treasure forever. We are so excited to work with you!
The photos in this post are from one of our recent mother daughter beach photography sessions, in Laguna Beach. We decided, with input from her mom, to stick with two outfits and get lots of candid and interactive portraits. These will be cherished for a lifetime. 
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.
Once 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.
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:
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!
We named her curl Fred!
We played tons of games with the hat.
Had to give brother some affection while she took a break!
To book a family or kids session, click here!
Long term relationships are kind of my thing. I have been with my husband for over 20 years, many of my clients started off with me shooting their wedding, then came back to shoot their pregnancy session, then their newborn session, then babies first year, etc. I really love to be a part of the growing up process for so many families. I feel grateful to have the people in my life for not just years, but decades.
That is why I love our baby plan. One of the most stressful times in a new Mom and Dad’s life is the first year with their baby. Many days you can barely make it to the shower, let alone get all dressed up and ready for a photography session. Well, we make it easy for you. Once you book your pregnancy session, we put the due date on our calendar. Now, I know that babies are not typically born when they are suppose to be… but we instruct Dad to send us a quick text on the actual day of delivery. Then Blue Sky’s has you covered from there. We schedule your newborn session 7-10 days after your babies birth date. Blue Sky’s provides lots of super cute baby outfits and we can even dress up Mama and provide professional hair and makeup right in our studio.
Six months later, when your beautiful baby is holding up their head and giving out lots of smiles we call you to schedule another session. The six month session typically take place in our Laguna Beach studio and we have lots of fun clothing and props to make it unique to your family.
All too quickly, the baby turns one. We call you again to remind you that it is time for another session. They can walk, sit up, say Mama and love to have their first taste of cake. We capture all this for you with the whole family in the portraits, or just the baby, it is completely up to you. This typically takes place on location at a park, the beach, your home or wherever you choose. Finally we put all of your favorite images together into a beautiful Press Photography album that you will have as a family heirloom forever. Jessica and Anthony were one of my favorite wedding couples and I was over the moon when Jessica called me to say she was pregnant. We booked a baby plan for the gorgeous Naomi and had such a blast documenting her first year. Here is the final album we put together for the family. Enjoy! If you are ready to book a baby session or you know someone who is, just send me an email and I will give you all of the info at kristin@blueskysstudio.com.
