One of the perks of photographing babies and families is seeing the love that new parents have for their kids, especially in those early days.  There is such joy, adoration and simple wonder.  For this recent baby photo session at Venice Beach, this was the first time this baby girl had been to the beach, seen the ocean, touched sand, so there was much to be amazed by, for both mother and child.

You might wonder how this gorgeous five month old has never before been to the beach.  Well, it’s because she’s not from around here.  She’s from New Jersey, the Garden State and has spent the better part of her short life all bundled up indoors because of the brutal cold the East Coast suffered this past winter.  Mom was in town for just a few days for a conference.  Mom is a cardiologist, so she knows about matters of the heart, literally and figuratively.

Does the intensity of her eyes remind you of someone?  She is this handsome boy’s cousin.

For my last session before taking a little time off to prepare for my second child (coming in just over a month) and then welcome him into the world, I couldn’t have asked for a more lovely way to spend the morning.  Thanks for allowing me to capture these tender moments of love and discovery.

P.S.  I will still be posting on my blog, just not shooting.  If you see baby pictures here in the next few weeks… it will be my new son, just all depends on how much energy/sleep I get.

Today, I’ve got engineering on my mind.  Don’t ask me why, it’s a very long story.  So, I thought it perfect to show you pics from a shoot in Manhattan Beach, where both mom and dad are engineers.  LA is usually thought of as the land of Hollywood, but truth be told one of the largest industries in the city is dominated by engineering companies, not the same type of engineering companies you have in Silicon Valley, but the bigger, some might say older, engineering based companies.  Think rockets and satellites.

Like many of the families I’ve shot before, they were lovely and had an interesting mixed background, like the book “Part Asian, 100% Hapa”.  We had fun playing around Manhattan Beach and the weather was glorious.

From quiet adoration, to playfulness and raucous exuberance, we definitely managed to capture moments that this little boy will treasure his whole life.

But for good measure we also took a few pictures of the belly, we wouldn’t want number two to think his/her parents had seen and done it all before.   Personally, I’m not ready for number two, so I really admire the women I meet who know that they are ready for number two, or three, or four… and make it a point to make each child feel special in their own way.

My mother and I are very close, we’ve always been that way and a few years ago she moved in with my husband and me.  I was so happy to meet this multi-generational family, who like myself, all live together happily.  The little boy has doting [and might I add gorgeous] parents and grandparents and I got to spend the morning with them photographing them in and around Venice Beach.

OK, so I think I might have mentioned before that I’m not hugely into sports, but there are two sports that I grew up watching and enjoying: 1) tennis, and 2) soccer.  As soon as I learned that the husband is a Kiwi we hit it off quickly talking about New Zealand’s surprising World Cup performance.  Anyone who knows me well will tell you that me talking sports is highly unusual, but the same rules don’t apply during World Cup season.  In fact, last time I was crushed by France’s defeat in the final and can still see Zidane’s headbutt like it was yesterday.

Turns out the mom is an actress but is also the Mom/Cook and owner of Babys Belly Food, a Los Angeles based business that prepares and delivers yummy and fresh baby and toddler food, and their adorable  2 1/2 year old son is the taste tester.  Hubby too is a thespian, he looked familiar, so I told him I would “imdb” him.  For those not in LA, that’s when you look  up someone’s filmography online.  Yeah… only in LA baby!  Turns out there’s a reason his face was so familiar as he has been popping up all over the tube.  But, this family didn’t have a hint of Hollywood attitude.  They were fun, open and easy going…

BTW – Since moving to LA have been watching one other sport: basketball… who wouldn’t watch the Lakers if they were your home team? I’m only human.

On this Mother’s Day I would like to take a moment, not just to celebrate new and young mothers, but the mothers/women who raised us. Too often the attention is focused on mothers, who like me, have young children. I find this to be especially true when it comes to photography. My clients tend to be new mothers and young families, and I love that!  But I was honored to capture a few moments with this loving mother and daughter pair having fun at the beach. The two are very close but live miles apart only seeing each other a few times a year. What better way to remember each other when apart than with a gift of beautiful photographs?

I would also like to take a moment to thank my mother; she has always been there for me. My childhood was one of constant flux, but my mother’s love was steady and unconditional.   She was, as a matter of fact, a fashion photographer for a period in time, so it is not surprising in some ways that I have chosen to express myself through images, though as family portrait photographer, my subjects are much closer to my heart.

Here’s to all the mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day.

Every time I shoot at the beach, whether Santa Monica, Venice or down in the South Bay, I am reminded how lucky I am to be a family portrait photographer in a city that a) has a beach, and b) has the climate that enables us to enjoy it most of the year.

This couldn’t be more true for the recent family shoot I did in Santa Monica.  Both parents hail from Canada, the mother hails from Vancouver, home of the recent winter Olympics, and the father hails from Calagary, home of the 1988 Winter Olympics… for those of you who like me, remember that far back.  So, for a family originally from a much colder climate living in the Los Angeles climate is wonderful, no snow boots in sight.

Their ten month old daughter couldn’t have been more delightful.  She arrived at the shoot in a happy slumber, so we had to wake her and I didn’t hear a single whine during the whole shoot.  She was playful and excited, plus this was her first time in the sand and she seemed to love the sensation. She was so lovely, she brought huge smiles to her parents’ faces.  The sun was warm, but so was their personality.

This maternity shoot was a baby shower gift certificate, which also includes a newborn shoot and announcement cards. It’s a great gift to give and to receive because you are giving the gift of memories. In the case of this lovely couple, they only intend on having one child so capturing the magic of expectant motherhood was even more important.

We took it easy, but still managed capture their spirit and sense of fun, and because we did this beach shoot on a weekday, it felt like the beach was all ours.

Look at them glow!

However, I recently met a couple for their maternity shoot and they made crossing the cultural divide look easy. Their obvious connection and over twelve years of partnership showed a real unspoken understanding between the couple. This came through in their photographs.

I particularly love the sunset photo because they told me they met while working at Club Med when they were still students. I imagine that they shared several sunset walks while they were still courting and twelve years later the magic is still there.

This couple took advantage of the great Maternity + Newborn Package I am offering with announcement cards, which makes them not only charming but smart parents to be.

The shoot was super fun as you can easily tell from the photos. They were up for anything and really in the moment and their daughter had a delightful grin that lit up her whole face.

Next time you see a red head, think about how rare it is and ask yourself if you think you’re seeing a real red head. In the meanwhile enjoy this great family.