Kidspace Family Photography

I was so excited to photograph Tracy, Will, Lily and Benjamin at Kidspace earlier this month. Tracy picked Kidspace in Pasadena for the session and it was a perfect place for the family to have some fun together. I loved the variety and opportunity for the family to interact.

Lily loved to make faces at the camera.

Benjamin having a blast with daddy.

There was this fun fountain that shot up periodically. The kids had fun running through it.

Some fun climbing areas for Benjamin - the little monkey!

I was glad we went during the fall, so we could take advantage of the bales of hay Kidspace makes into a hay maze. Lily and Benjamin throwing hay in the air.

Running through the maze.

I loved the light in the hay maze.

Kidspace had this beautiful field of flowers that matched Lily’s hat, and as a bonus it matched some of Tracy’s scrapbook paper - yay! This is my favorite series of the day, with my favorite photo first:

I thought it was funny that the hat fit Tracy so well. :)

Thanks for letting me share the day with you, I love your family and am sad you will be moving soon.

Altadena Family Portraits

In an attempt to get caught up, here is another family shoot I did in Altadena a couple of weeks ago. This family was so beautiful together. Their faces shine with emotion and love for one another. It was so much fun to capture their personalities. Thanks for having me over to photograph your family.

A nice family portrait.

Too bad Ari was not interested. She wanted to go play.

I love that mom is the one swinging her around.

Fun times with mom.

Daddy making Jojo laugh. What a cutie!

All the girls and their matching flowers. Their backyard was filled with all kinds of beautiful flowers. I kept being drawn to these vibrant purple ones. I asked if they planned their colors to match these flowers, but they claimed it was a coincidence.

A sweet moment with Jojo and Mama.

They had this awesome hammock and great lighting - what's not to love? This sweet family moment is my favorite portrait of the whole family.

Jojo had eyes only for her big sis.

And Ari was so loving to her.

But she did want her play time.

While Ari played on the slide, Mama nursed little Jojo. I love her little hand holding on to mom's finger. Liliana was nice enough to let me post a nursing picture. I think it is beautiful.

Ari wanted to steal the show again. What a ham!

My favorite of the day.

Furious Photographers

People often ask me where I get my inspiration and ideas. There are some awesome original and innovative photographers online. One of the blogs I check all the time for inspiration is Furious Photographers: www.furiousphotographers.com. I may not be as hip and cool as them, but I try. :P

One of the cool Furious Photographers, Lawrence, has started a blog with tools and tips for other photographers. It is a great resource - check it out: www.tofurious.com

They are also super nice. I have emailed them with questions and for help and they always amaze me by writing back with encouraging words. Totally blows my impression of what great photographers are like. In a recent TTD session I did in Downtown LA, Doug (with Furious Photographers) actually stopped by. I'm not sure it was what he expected, but he was kind enough to give me some great pointers and ideas. I will post the session soon so you can see the amazing shots I got with his help. Keep posted.

I think he is feeling better...

Last night Eli woke up over and over and over again and wouldn't go back to sleep, so I finally brought him in our bed. I thought he must be feeling really really sick. So this morning, feeling exhausted myself, I prepared myself for another day with a sad boy.

Boy was I wrong. He must not have been able to sleep from all that pent up energy he's been harboring this last week. He has been bouncing off the walls (i.e. me) all morning. I keep putting him down and telling him to go play. I guess he finally listened to me. He was quiet and happy for too long, so I went to see what he was up to...

For those of you who don't know what happens when you take your eyes off a toddler for 2 seconds (minutes), THIS is what happens:

I came into the kitchen to find Eli throwing flour all over the kitchen. He was so proud of himself.

He wanted to show me what he learned. Who am I to say 'no' to a cute photo op. He already made the mess, might as well capture it on film for memories (or blackmail).

I love this sequence.

I guess he's making up for the fact that we don't have any snow to play in.

Hand angels:

Whew! That was hard work, but somebody had to do it. Right?

He looks so innocent, like "What? I didn't do it."

And so we had another unscheduled trip to the bath. Good thing he LOVES bath time, with all the splashing to be done. Why does bath time usually end in a mess for me to clean up too? Is it any wonder I just give up some days, and Brian comes home to the hurricane that is our home.

With our upcoming trip to Utah, I was so relieved that Eli was recovering in time. But it seems Brian might just be coming down with this dreaded virus. He is starting to get the painful bumps all over his hands, feet and tongue. Poor guy. It is not going to be a fun vacation if he gets it as bad as Eli. I sure hope I am immune - I really don't want this.

Poor Eli

Since I am stuck at home with Eli, I thought I should post an update. Eli has had a hard day today. He has been sick all week, so I took him to the doctor and found out he has Hand Foot Mouth virus, which causes flu-like symptoms and these awful blisters all over. He even has them in his mouth, which is so painful for him. He has had a hard time eating anything. I have to make sure he gets enough fluids so he doesn't dehydrate and have to go to the hospital. Apparently he is really contagious, so we have to stay home this week (sure hope he didn't expose anyone before we found out).

Here are the bumps on knuckles of his hand.

And his big toe.

Poor guy. He really is trying to have a good attitude. He played outside for a little bit.

...until he fell in the puddle. That just put him over the edge.

He was so frustrated to be wet and dirty.

A warm bath cheered him up for a little bit.

Good night, my sweet Eli. I hope you sleep better tonight. We got some medicine at the doctor's today so hopefully that will help you sleep.