A lovely day for a wedding

Steven and Jenny- a lovely January wedding day...

I was thrilled when I was asked to take pictures for my neighbor’s son’s wedding. You see, I grew up with the mom here in Brea, and I have taken this family’s pictures many times in the past so it was such a wonderful feeling to be able to photograph the wedding.

 

This was a different wedding than I was accustom to shooting. The couple, Steven and Jenny, got married in the Mormon Temple in Orange County. There is no photography in the temple it’s self so no ceremony pictures. And the couple opted for no any bridesmaids or groomsmen either. Which meant that, besides the family group shots, I got to spend a lot of time with just the bride and the groom. 

And to add an extra special twist to the day, it was the groom's birthday too. They were such a lovely couple to work with and I hope they enjoy the photos of their special day for years to come.

Congratulations to Steven and Jenny- blessings to you both.

 

Preparing for a new little one....

I am sorry about not posting to this blog lately but we have wonderful news to share.....
my husband and I became grand parents again!
Welcome Payton!

I have been so blessed in my life to have 2 wonderful kids. My son and his wife have given me 3 beautiful grand children and now my daughter and her husband have added to our family, a brand new little girl.

Payton Rose DeBenedictis was born in early February. She is as Mary Poppins would say... "Practically Perfect". We all prayed for this little one for a long time and I am so happy to announce that she is here and growing nicely.

I believe that every part of a child's life is great reason to celebrate and document with pictures, even when the child has yet to arrive. I wanted to take some photos of my pregnant daughter, Katie and her husband, Jason, before Payton was to be born into the world.

These photos were taken at a very secluded park near our home as well as in the nursery her parents set up for her. I want Payton to understand that she is a treasured child and of her importance in our lives. 
I believe, through photos, she will understand that she is a blessing.

Katie and Jason

Preparing her room.

announcing- my grand daughter, 

Payton Rose DeBenedictis

Family Photos with little ones...... The Thayers

Our friends, Brad and Betsy, have been a part of our family for many years. I am happy to have taken many photos of them. I was thrilled when they asked me to take their family photos for their Christmas card. 

Let me star by saying I have been taking pictures for a lot of years. But of all the pictures I have taken (from weddings to big, huge groups of people in one family), it's the little toddler/preschool aged humans that scare me the most. 

They just don't really want to sit still and have their picture taken. They just want to get down and run around. And it is a real struggle for me, at times, to get anything that resembles a good family photo. Now, times that by two (or twins) and add the element of rain (or should I say "sprinkle"), and the fact that it takes a lot of work to get a family ready and out the door, and the fact that we didn't have any other dates available to take these photos and I want to do my best for them AND ...... 

well, you can see why I was a bit nervous about this shoot.

But as you can see, Everything turned out fine. Because the kids were so good at the beginning of the shoot, it took not time at all to take some terrific pictures of the family. I love the fact that they used props (cell phones) for their pictures too. I encourage families to do that so the kids are occupied with something else and will feel more comfortable about having their pictures taken by me. 

It is always an adventure when photographing families with young kids. Sometimes, what I have planned for them is nothing like the wonderful pictures I get when the kids are in charge of what really happens that day.

Thank you Brad, Betsy, Riley, Zac and Allie for another great family shoot.

One BIG happy family

I am blessed to have reconnected with some "gold" (no old) pals from my childhood days. My dear friend, Karen (who I have known since we were both in 3rd grade together) and her husband, Rick, have become such a treasured friendship to my family. I was thrilled when she asked me to photograph her entire blended family. I have met a couple of people in the past but I got the chance to meet the whole group- grand kids and all. What a lovely afternoon it was too. We met at a beautiful spot near her home. The lighting was wonderful. The family was so terrific to work with.

I always get a little nervous working with small children who don't like to be photographed. Sometime they are just too shy to take direction from a stranger. But all the little kids were so much fun to work with.... Such terrific personalities. The older kids really got into the spirit too and did just about anything I asked of them. I love their playfulness with each other.

And the extra special part of the day was that my hubby came along and helped me out by taking some pictures too. I love working with him and I think he had a good time too.

It was a lot of work to gather all the family members in one spot for an afternoon. Lots of schedules to juggle around, but it will be a wonderful memory for my friends, Karen and Rick. Family photos that will last a lifetime.

 

No need to go far.....

I am always happy to take some updated pictures for previous clients. But this client is a little different than most. You see, Dave is my contractor. He has remodeled most of the interior of my house (so far) for the past 8 years and did a fabulous job at that. I trust Dave fully with making my home look and feel warm, inviting and most of all, special. He has worked so hard to give me his best work and so when he and his family wanted me to take their pictures again, I wanted to do the same for them- do my best and give them something special.

Dave and Kathy built a beautiful fire pit and gazebo for the home and the front yard was a perfect spot for some family pictures. And for that added extra special touch, their son, Jeremy, played guitar for us during part of our photo shoot time. It was a perfect fall afternoon and such a relaxing atmosphere.

So is you have a favorite spot- even if it is in your own yard, let's try it out for some family photos. 

Here are just a couple of photos that I wanted to share with you. 

 

My handsome grand son- Damien

Once kids get to be in their teens, and they are involved in so many different activities, it seems as if it gets harder and harder to find some time to have their pictures taken... even if the photographer is their grand mother.

This is Damien..... I love my grand son. I know, most grand mothers will say the same thing about their grand sons... and  Damien is one terrific guy. He is smart and handsome and tall and a good athlete. He's funny and charming and helpful and an easy going kid to be around. But most of all, he is such a respectful and kindhearted young man. We are so happy to have him in our family.

 

Between the sports and friends, I was so happy to have one sunny summer morning where I was able to take a few pictures of this handsome guy. He has grown up in such a short time right before my eyes. They say babies change so much in just a few months. Well, I think there is also a big change in boys from the end of grade school and the beginning of high school. 

We all tend to stop taking those extra special pictures of our kids once they get into the teen years. Yet that's when they really change and develop into the young adults in our lives. Don't wait too long between then and now to update those important years in a boys life.  

Casually celebrating.....

I was asked by a friend of mine to take some pictures for a reception she and her husband were throwing for their daughter who just had a destination wedding in Hawaii a few weeks earlier. It was held at the beautiful Summit House restaurant in Fullerton. That place is a photographer's delight- it has so many beautiful places to take pictures at. One request- please take mostly candid photos. The bride and groom have already had plenty of formal wedding photos taken in Hawaii and this reception was a casual affair for those who could not make the trip Hawaii. So I set out to capture the event as best as I could without a lot of posed formal pictures.... but I had to take a couple just for the heck of it. 

Kristin and Nathan (the bride and groom) were just lovely people and allowed me the honor of a couple of posed photos. Her son, Dillon, was very fascinated with the camera and so I allowed him to take a couple of shots. This kid's got talent! And he is very handsome too. 

I made myself available to the guests at the party so if they wanted a family picture of their own, I was the person to do just that. The interaction of the guests was terrific. The evening was wonderful and the families were happy to have a lasting memory of a blessed event. Congrats to Kristen and Nathan and Dillon- blessings to the new family.

(Just a couple of photos of that evening.)

 

Dear friend and her family....

I have known Jeannette for over 30 years. She was working at the same place where I met my husband. We lost touch over the years and through Facebook, we were able to reconnect a few years ago. 

She asked me to take a few pictures of her family. She saw some of my samples and thought that it was time to update her family pictures too. Her son just finished his tour in the service and now that he was home for a little bit, she want to get some pictures done. 

  

 

 We were able to meet and head to out on a beautiful summer day. It was wonderful to be able to have so much time and use 3 different places to take pictures. Each place lent for a whole new set of fun. Everyone was so terrific to work with and I enjoyed spending so much time with them.

 

  

 As for most men, I am sure this wasn't the number one favorite thing to do on a summer morning. But we had a fun time and they were wonderful to work with. They were open to just about anything.

All they wanted was to make (mom/wife) Jeannette happy.

 

And as for most of my photo sittings, you as the client, will always get a CD of all the high resolution  images, (adjusted and some with some fun filters). They are yours to do as you wish.  

 

So no matter how old your "babies" are..... Family pictures are an important piece of personal history to keep and treasure.

the sweetness of little souls

I have been taking pictures for a long time. So long now that I am now taking 2nd and 3rd generations of family pictures. I was so happy when an old friend, Sarah, asked me to take pictures of her kids when they came to town. You see, I think Sarah was about 12 years old when I took her first picture (along with her mom and dad and brother) and I shot her wedding a few years back and now, I am taking her kids pictures.



As a mother of 2 small kids- a 3 year old and a 6 month old- she was just hoping for one good picture of the two of them together. Frankly, so was I. Taking pictures of babies and toddlers together on the same photo can be a challenge. But I had a feeling that we were going to get some great shots.... it was a beautiful day so we headed out to the parks to have some fun.




I think these samples of the kids show the sweetness of their little souls. Big sister, Raegan, trying to play with her little brother, Blake- and Blake enjoying his sister's help.

Even though the photo shoot took  a little longer than most- I can take their pictures all day.....The kids did great. And I hope Sarah and her families enjoy the pictures of their precious children for years to come.