Brandi was referred to me by one of my great clients, Courtney (see her ADORABLE little girl, baby E, here).  Last weekend I photographed Brandi’s beautiful family of 3 (with 1 on the way!) at one of my fav new spots – Quail Hill Community Park in Irvine.  Not only is Quail Hill a unique family portrait location with lots of space for little ones to run around, but it’s very private also.  Perfect for camera shy people   Photographing little ones is usually a challenge.  I’ve found that if I become a child myself (think funny faces, strange animal noises, and pretending to hunt for treasure) the little ones’ interest is peaked.  It turns out that baby M was more interested in my camera than anything else, and the bubble gun was broken, so I handed over my camera for her to photograph mommy and daddy.  I made a deal with her that I could return the favor by photographing her, and that’s when some of the best shots of the day were created.  I’ll do pretty much whatever it takes to get the shots I want- whether it be untrusting a 2 year old with my camera, or just making a fool of myself.  Thank you Brandi, Darby, and baby M!  Can’t wait to show you the rest of the images soon!

Every year the holidays seem to creep up on us, and before you know it, it’s November and you haven’t even booked your holiday portrait session!  By the time your images are ready, you barely have enough time for your holiday cards to be made and mailed out on time.  As if you didn’t already have enough to stress out about in November and December!  Book your holiday portrait session now, and we’ll give you 24 FREE custom holiday cards if your session is before October 15.  October 29 is the last day we shoot holiday sessions, and October is already filling up VERY quickly!  Contact me (Carly) now to secure your spot.

I had so much fun yesterday photographing Mini Sessions of some of the cutest little people ever!  Check the blog often to see when another round of Mini Sessions are being offered.  There will be special perks for all past portrait clients :)  Here’s a sneak peek of some of yesterday’s images…

Baby K was a little show off in front of the camera (in a good way!)  She made some HILLARIOUS faces

Baby E was a little shy to accept Mommy’s offer for a kiss

 Baby E scored these precious pink, angora booties from the Oprah show.  I want some too Oprah!

 Baby B was much happier in mommy’s arms than in front of the backdrop, which turned out to be fine because I snapped this cute pic of her 

I’ve been photographing both these kibbles since the day they were born, and they somehow just keep getting cuter and cuter.  “M” was the flower girl at my wedding about a year and a half ago, and baby “K” was still in mommy’s tummy.  Look how much “M” has changed in that short amount of time!!  That’s why it’s important to schedule baby portrait sessions frequently…they grow up SO fast (there’s my sales pitch, hehe).  We had such a fun afternoon building pillow forts, jumping on the bed, and twirling around like ballerinas.  Take a look at the morning of adventure at Auntie Carly’s!

“M” at Auntie Carly’s wedding

Can you say ADORABLE?!

First time she’s ever flashed a pose for me quite like this…must be the dance lessons

Jumping on the bed is sure to bring a big smile to anyone’s face

This was hillarious…looked like she was trying to stop out a fire on the bed

Baby “K” building a castle

One of the spreads from their custom coffee table book.

Baby K and those amazing, blue eyes

I’ve photographed several milestones in the life of this wonderful family.  Baby D first visited my studio a mere 3 weeks after her birth, and I was also there with camera in hand when she donned a frosting-covered face on her 1st birthday.  I was thrilled when Baby D’s dad gave me the great news that a baby boy would soon be added to the family!  I love the journeys my job takes me on- I’m immersed in the emotions of a couple’s wedding day, then I get to watch them build a life together, and eventually a family.  It’s so cool…

I met this cutie pie for the first time when he was a teeny tiny newborn baby.  Now baby P is celebrating his first birthday, in grand Mickey Mouse style of course.  Guests munched on freshly prepared tacos, and lounged poolside in the beautiful March weather.  Baby P was treated to his first taste of sugar as he did the ceremonial “destroying of the cake on your 1st birthday.”  Thank you to baby P’s lovely parents for letting me document this wonderfully special day!

AMAZING Mickey Mouse themed cake! 

Some of the cute details from the birthday bash.

Has “Gerber Baby” written all over it!

Baby P’s beautiful parents.  I hope to God I look this good after giving birth some day!

Baby P and Grandpa being silly.

To smash in my face, or to not smash in my face…hmmm

There’s nothing more precious than a newborn baby, so I feel incredibly lucky that I get to photograph them.  Enjoy the pics from Baby C’s newborn portrait session!

I met Doreen about a year ago when I took her corporate headshot. At the time, her daughter, Crystal, was pregnant with her first child so we got on the subject of maternity portraits and family portraits. Doreen was sure excited at her soon-to-be grandma status! While the family was together for Thanksgiving, we planned a photo session at the Fun Zone on the Balboa Peninsula. This spot is great for childrens’ portraits and family portraits because of the vibrant, fun backgrounds. The beach and Balboa Pier are right across the street from the Fun Zone, so there’s the opportunity for beach portraits as well. If you’re looking for a unique location to have your family or child photographed, call me up and we’ll meet at the Fun Zone!

Mandee and Tom are past wedding clients of mine, so I was thrilled when they returned for family portraits. Their son is such a ham in front of the camera; I had a great time joking around with him while simultaneously snapping away on my camera. I’ve learned that method works a lot better than telling a child “Smile for the camera Johnny!” Once they’re told to do something, they think “What’s in it for me?” and they end up on a sugar high from all the candy their parents bribe them with. Luckily, our session was quite successful and there was no candy bribing going on. We started at my favorite little quaint location: Peppertree Lane in Laguna Beach, then stopped at a few spots around downtown Laguna. Our session ended across the street at the beach. Thank you Mandee, Tom, and little Z for being part of the reason I love what I do!