Abalos Family - Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

One of the best things about photography is how it enables me to connect with people and offer them something valuable that they will be able to treasure for a lifetime, and even pass down to their children. Sometimes these are people I already know, like friends or family members, and sometimes it's people that I get connected with because they find me online or through a referral. Either way, it's always a pleasure to connect through photography!

In the case of Alice and her family, she was actually a high school classmate who I became friends with through Journalism and Yearbook class (which believe it or not, I was actually the news editor for, not the photographer- go figure!). Alice and I were Facebook friends and she had seen my post about Winter Mini Sessions I was having, so she contacted me through messenger. She and her husband Jason had been wanting to take family portraits with their beautiful baby girl and they just so happened to live relatively close to where I was having the sessions. So, long story short, they booked me and we had a wonderful time catching up and shooting the session! They even asked me if they could bring their furry fourth family member to the to the session. Of course, I said yes! The light couldn't have been more perfect that afternoon as I took photos of their entire family at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. 

Thank you Abalos family for letting me capture your beautiful family!

And as a bonus, here are some photos I took of the prints they ordered from the session. I love it when my clients order prints! As with all my prints, they are printed on high quality archival paper that will last them a lifetime and more.

If you are interested in getting beautiful family portraits taken of your family. Check out my current mini-session offer by clicking the link below!

Spring Mini Sessions Available

Rema Family Vacation - Encinitas Beach Lifestyle / Portrait Session

San Diego is a great place to visit in the summer. It's not too hot, there's a relaxed vibe all around, lots of things to do, and we've got some pretty awesome beaches. I wasn't surprised then when a fellow photographer (thanks Leif!) referred a family to me that was vacationing in San Diego and wanted to take family portraits at the beach. The Rema family wasn't just in San Diego to get away from the blazing Arizona sun, however. The trip was their way of celebrating both their daughter's fifth birthday, as well as their tenth wedding anniversary (Congrats on both awesome milestones!). They decided to commemorate the occasion with a beautiful beach portrait session on their last morning in SD, and in a last minute search for a photographer they met and hired me. And I'm glad they did, because it turned out to be a great session. Mom was wearing a beautiful traditional Indian Sarong at first, then the whole family did a wardrobe change into a brighter palette that complimented the beach setting very well. Beautiful family! See for yourself...

Thank you Rema family for inviting me to document your milestones during your vacation! Congratulations again!

Vacationing in San Diego this summer?
Contact me to book your family session today.

Lee Family - Hilltop Community Park Lifestyle Mini-Session

The Lee family... what can I say about this family who I've now known for almost a decade? Should I talk about their beautiful and adorable kids? Their generosity towards others? Both Zeb and Alice's immense practical wisdom that they're willing to share to any and all who seek it? Or what about their hospitality, always welcoming people into their warm and inviting home? I could write at great length about this family, but the one thing I want to point out about them is their faithful dedication to loving God and loving others. No, they aren't perfect- no family is. But I know my family and others are thankful for them and to God for using them to be a blessing in our lives.

The images below are from a mini-session I did a few weeks ago at Hilltop Community Park in Rancho Penasquitos. It was a crazy windy day, but otherwise the weather was gorgeous and the kids enjoyed playing around the park and making use of the awesome playgrounds (there are two of them!). I attempted to capture  their family in a fun, bright setting that allowed for some lifestyle type shots. Their toddler, J, was particularly interested in playing in the playground, so when I was taking their group shots you could see him thinking, "when am I going to get to play already??" He eventually got his chance...

One moment I want to share is when I asked their daughter to share one thing about her mother that she was proud of. She answered, "I can't," at which point I was starting to feel discouraged because I thought maybe she was feeling too much pressure to answer, and my plan to capture the genuine emotion that would have resulted from her answer had failed.  However, before I could say anything further, she said, "I can't just share ONE thing because I'm proud of her for EVERYTHING. She does a lot for our family." Oh man, that got me right there...THE FEELZ....

Thank you Lee family once again for being a huge blessing in my life!  And thanks for letting me capture your beautiful family!
For all you families out there that are short on time but want to update your walls with beautiful portraits of your family, 25 minutes mini-sessions are available on a seasonal basis and the next one is on May 28th. Book today!

If you want to schedule a lifestyle or portrait session for your family or for more details about our Mini-sessions, click the link below.