This is the 2nd of 4 portrait sessions we’ll be doing over the course of little T’s first year of life. Look how much he has changed since his newborn portraits! Check back in a few months to see his 9 month photo session. I can’t imagine him getting any cuter than this, but I bet he’ll surprise me…

Fumi & Akiko are quite smitten with one another, so it was easy for them to be all lovey dovey for my camera. We shot their engagement session in downtown Huntington Beach and around the Huntington Beach pier. Almost all their wedding guests flew in from Japan, so I thought shooting their engagement photos at a really iconic “California” location would be fun for their relatives from Japan to look at. What could be better than Surf City USA?! They loved the images so much that I designed a press printed guest book with a metallic photo cover (SO cool looking) to showcase lots of their images. The right side of each book spread was plain black for guests to write on, while the left side had images (see all left sides below). Make sure to check out Akiko’s awesome orange & turquoise fingernails!

This is the front cover of the book.

This is the back cover of the book. The metallic photo cover wraps around the entire outside of the book.

We’ve been pretty busy with engagement sessions and newborn portrait sessions lately. This pretty little lady came into our studio 7 days after her birth for her very first professional photo session. I love having a home office and studio, and not only because of the convenience factor. It’s also a comfortable space for new parents to curl up on the couch for some much needed rest, and watch the show. By “show” I mean me putting ridiculously cute beanies on their baby and molding their bendy bodies into all sorts of crazy positions Enjoy the sneak peek of Baby E, and keep an eye out for more images from her newborn session!

I feel so blessed that my job is to document important milestones in peoples’ lives. A little over 1 year ago, I photographed Baby B’s parent’s engagement session. Eight days ago, they welcomed a new member into their family. There is nothing sweeter than a newborn baby. I love their little toes and fingers, how they smell, and the way they look when they’re sleeping. As any parent knows, babies grow up WAY too fast, so having professional photos to remember this precious stage in their baby’s life is priceless. Much of my childhood consisted of my dad photographing me in our home photography studio. I look at those photos often, and with every passing year I feel more thankful to have those keepsakes to pass on to my children some day. Hopefully some day Baby B will give these images to his children.

Usually newborn baby portrait sessions take about 3 hours when you factor in breaks for feeding & whatnot. Baby B must have been very cozy & warm, because he was a champion sleeper! It only took an hour and a half to complete his newborn photo session; I couldn’t believe it!

Jeff and Jamie tied the knot this summer at the Navy Golf Course in Seal Beach. I loved the “roofless” chapel that they do the ceremonies at. I did a lot of great country club weddings this year. Hope you like this one too.

More from Chris & Jen’s engagement session! Locations:
Crystal Cove in Newport Coast, downtown Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach

Monica and John chose The Turnip Rose for their reception venue. The Turnip Rose is a beautiful venue with tons of amazing spots for photos, and it is conveniently located at the end of the 55 freeway in Costa Mesa. Before heading over to Turnip Rose, we photographed the ceremony at Archangel Michael Coptic Church in Santa Ana. Ok, time for some images…

Girls’ Hotel Accommodations: Hotel Huntington Beach
Guys’ Hotel Accommodations: Marriott Newport Beach, Fashion Island
Engagement Session Location: Terranea Resort, Palos Verdes
A BIG thank you to the ultra talented Shelby at Green Leaf Designs for referring Monica and John. Shelby is constantly surprising me with her awesome creations & she’s an incredibly sweet person too!

We have been photographing Macey and Kinsley since the day they were born. This year, their mother wanted to give their dad some nice wall portraits, so we did a mini-session for them in our studio. Check out a few of their images below and let us know what you think.

This is little M’s second portrait session with me, and he is cuter than ever (I didn’t even think that was possible). You might remember the sneak peek from his 5 month photo session or these images of his younger cousin, Miss O. Little M was a little challenge this time & didn’t want to leave momma’s side, which is very common with kids this age. Though it sounds cruel & usually results in a short tantrum, the only way to solve this is to ask momma to “disappear” for a bit. Out of sight, out of mind (eventually) and the focus is back to our photo session. After letting M play with Grandpa Jerry’s golf club (in the soft grass of course) his mood perked right up & I captured some precious images. Though M’s Nana has a fabulous home for photography, I can work with almost anything as long as I have some nice light coming in through a big window. Your house does not have to look like a Pottery Barn catalog! Now, enjoy this adorableness & have a wonderful week!

Carly Daniel Photography now offers an alternative to traditional birth announcements, with our introduction of Motion Images Video Birth Announcements. We love photography’s ability to build a fine collection of portraiture to preserve time. However, we now have technology that streams today’s newest YouTube video directly to our iPhone, making the sharing of video more accessible than ever. Video makes the viewer feel like they were right there with us as we photographed your 10 day old newborn baby. I shoot the video alongside Carly during our newborn sessions. Industry leaders proclaim the fusion of video and photography as the future trend in our profession. How great would it be to send a video to a brother serving in the military overseas or a family member unable to make the trip out, allowing them to feel right there with your newest addition?
-Chriss