Connie Sithi Captures...

New blog!

2010-02-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

My blog has been moved to: www.conniesithi.com

I will miss you, Blogger!!!

Sneak preview: Keilani and Kellen

2010-02-08T23:08:00.000-08:00

Boy, was I excited to get back to shooting! In case some of you didn't know I took January off to focus on my life and where I wanted this business to go. I didn't book any shoots for that month, but have a few lined up in the next couple months.

My first shoot for 2010 was a real treat! Baby Kellen was born recently in January, and his mother had contacted me way back in October to let me know she'd be interested in a newborn shoot. Talk about taking action! She also has the most adorable, talkative, curly-haired toddler known to mankind - Keilani. Oh, Keilani... you are too cute for words.

She makes me wish I had curly hair!

Seattle

2010-01-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

What do I do when I'm home sick wishing I were outside with the rest of the world? I look at photo blogs, I follow up on the news, I check out new gadgets I want to buy but cannot afford, I watch Saka sleep and wonder if he's always this lazy when I'm gone, and of course I tinker with my photos. I finally got around to my Seattle photos from last weekend, and here are just a few shots I played with. The colors you see in these photos are LEGIT. I usually mess around with saturation or contrast a tad, but in celebration of Seattle's granola lifestyle I decided to be more organic with this post. The weekend ended up being more of a relaxing, quality-time-with-my-girls weekend than a photography-filled weekend. This indeed was a very much enjoyed weekend.

PS. I LOVE SEATTLE!

Green Lake (taken with my point and shoot! Straight out of camera, no editing. Pretty sweet what those lil suckers can do). The rest are with the DSLR.

Post Alley @ Pike's Place where the clam chowder was OFF THE HOOOOK!

The seafood guy hollered, "Take me back to San Francisco with ya!" Um, no thanks. But let me take a picture of your hand. Cool. Thanks.

All the fresh fruit and veggies... YUM!

I want to come back for their tulip festival!

Honey anyone?

"I LOVE HONEY!!" -Judy as she samples them

High contrasty photos...convert them to BW tends to fix the problem. :-)

And finally I was playing around with bracketing so I can then play around with HDR in Photoshop. I tried it in Photomatix, but I just don't see myself doing enough HDR to invest in the software. This is my result. The clouds are kinda neat, but I think I need to invest in a tripod and a better lens to get the image to be more crisp.

Haiti

2010-01-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Haiti. I'm not a news blog, nor am I an accurate source of the situation in Haiti. All I'm here to do is express my own thoughts, concerns, condolences, and prayers. In the past 48 hours I have read and witnessed tremendous distress and desperate conditions that I can only in my wildest imaginations truly understand what the people of Haiti are going through. In times like these I'm reminded of the goodness and pureness in many of those who are desperate to help in any way they can. They step aside from their personal and professional lives and make helping others who are suffering a priority. Then there are those who don't have the luxury of dropping everything and flying to Haiti to help, so they reach into their pockets and donate what they can.

Finally, there are those (yes, they're out there, I've seen it) who are cynics of those who want to help and believe that texting "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross or publicly lifting prayers are mere ways of coaxing one's ego. Cynic, I feel sorry for you. I feel sorry that you cannot see the good in others. I feel sorry that you have the ability to turn something good into something bad. I feel sorry that you are ignorant enough to believe that everyone who prays or donates to efforts does so to coax their ego.

I prayed. I'm still praying. I texted "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10. I'm still donating in other ways. Does this make me feel like a better person? Can I move on with my day now knowing I've done my good deed? No. No, I did not pat myself on the back. No, I did not do these things to make myself feel better. I do these things because I truly believe all humans have a connection whether it be with my immediate family beside me or with a person on the other side of the world. I do it because I fear one day I'll be that person in the middle of mother nature's worst praying that someone out there wants to help me. I do these things because it needs to be done.

Photo credit: Damon Winter of the New York Times

Portrait Swap

2010-01-11T12:09:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to get to these photos for a while. Then the holidays and life got in the way, but alas I've got the photos from the portrait swap I did back in November with my very own wedding photographer Marielle Hayes, her assistant and friend Sarah, and our friend Lynn. It was a great experience getting a bunch of photographers together and learning how to shoot each other and how to best use our environment. It was FREEZING for starters, so the most important lesson I learned was to keep my hands warm and steady! Marielle photographed us for our wedding, so it was pretty awesome having HER behind the lens this time. I'd say she did a mighty fine job. :-)

Looking at my photos from this session, I think I need to upgrade the 50mm f1.8 to the f1.4. There's no excuse. I'm trying to figure out what equipment I need next. Any recommendations?

Here are some from the session. Thank you, ladies, for such a great time!

Lynn, great outfit choice! Our time shopping together was priceless, and next time we're gonna pick some items other than gray and black! =P

This photo came out a tad blurry, but Lynn looks so cute in it I had to post it.

This one's for you, Heink!

Sarah, it was so nice meeting you! You're so easy to get along with that I really hope we get to work together again. Great pick on that rusty truck!

My favorite shot of you. You're so pretty!

This is her "ok enough of me photos. Can I grab my camera??" look.

And finally, Marielle, thanks for this portrait swap idea. It was so much fun, and you're work is such an inspiration to me. Not only are you an amazing photographer, you're an amazing person who's love for her work and for life is transparent to everyone who meets you. Thanks again for being the best wedding photographer a bride can ever ask for!

You're ridiculously gorgeous. Seriously.

Marielle just knows how to rock the poses. It helps she was a runner up for Miss Nevada! I think YOU should have won. C'mon, seriously?

Having fun with the umbrella...

Stunning...

"Hanh, will you marry me?" 12.26.2009

2010-01-04T17:43:00.001-08:00

One of my best friends Hanh met her boyfriend almost 15 years ago when we all attended the same middle school. They weren't "going out" at the time, just friends, and they remained friends throughout middle school and for most of high school until... Fast forward to our senior year when Hanh decided to call Don to see how things were going, since they both went to different high schools. There was no rhyme or reason for the call, it was just that inclination to reach out to an old friend. I call it fate. Their connection was instant! If you met Hanh, you would understand how easy it is to become her best friend, let alone want to be her boyfriend. I recall a moment in PE when we were 12, and Hanh came up to me and asked me, "Hey, you want to be my friend? Like, big sister little sister type of friends?" Isn't youth so innocent and sweet? We have been bffs ever since!

Don and Hanh continued to date all through our senior year going to each other's school proms and homecoming dances, wearing ridiculous matching outfits for Sadie Hawkins, making plans for prospective colleges... and then there was college. Don went off to Berkeley (Go Bears!) while Hanh remained 400 miles away in Orange County. And still, they remained together. Today, we are four years out of college, and Don decided it was time. It was time to do what every man must do for the woman he loves. It was time to buy the bling.

Don called me one sunny day as I was strolling down Chestnut in the Marina and told me he wanted to propose to Hanh. I nearly caused a stranger to call the ambulance! I screamed so loud and jumped up and down, laughing and smiling ear to ear, yelling, "OH MY GOSH! AHHH! CONGRATULATIONS!" Geez, you'd think I was getting proposed to...again. So we worked it out so that Mark and I would go to Disneyland with them to document where he would propose in the most creative, endearing, entertaining way I've ever seen. My brother-in-law Chris and our touristy cousin Copy ended up going as well, which made it even less suspicious to Hanh. Chris has been filming and editing small videos for fun and decided to film and edit a mini movie of Don's proposal to Hanh. He did an AMAZING job, and I can honestly say I can see a videographer partner in him one day soon... *hint hint* ;-)

Here's the awesome Chris Sithi video. Ladies, you might wanna grab a tissue.

**Edited note: Hanh is also a photographer in Orange County, so I felt extra pressured to get legit photos for her! Check out her amazing work! Hanh Nguyen Photography

Don & Hanh's Engagement from Christopher Sithi on Vimeo.

And here are some photos I captured.

Our first ride when we got there had to be Space Mountain! And that would be Chris bottom left. He's single, ladies! Doesn't this picture make you SOOO interested? =P

Collaborating...

As we skip happily.

Me: "Hey, Hanh. Can we go back to the New Orleans area? I just want to take pictures of the lights. Again. Yea..." (this is where the characature artist awaited our arrival at 7:30pm)

Hanh: "Sure! But let me take (a billion) photos of the purple castle."

Hanh: "$64 for a sketch? NO, babe. That's a lot."
Don: "$64??? Suuuuure. Why not? Let's do this."

With this smile you'd think she knew what was up. But Hanh just smiles A LOT!

Waiting... waiting... the artist was making sure this was PERFECT. Don looks nervous.

No seriously, to the old lady who blurted "OH ARE THEY ENGAGED?!" Shhhhh!

Behind the scenes the painting was coming along quite nicely...

And then the artist tells them she's done, and that she would like the HUGE crowd to step back so Hanh can take a look at the painting...and this is where her world changed in a matter of seconds.

The ring! OooooOOoh... ahhHHhHhhhh...

The newly engaged couple!

What now after all the applause, screaming, cheering, and hugs? TEACUP RIDE!!! That's them in the middle blur. I knew I'd barf, so I opted out. I'm smart.

Big sister, little sister

Chris: "THEY JUST GOT ENGAGED!" to everyone we passed.

And buttons provided by Disney staff to prove it!

Thank you to Mark, Copy, Chris and especially to Don and Hanh for the most memorable Disneyland trip I've ever had! Special thank you to Chris who made such an awesome video collage. Mere photos do not suffice the emotions expressed that day. Cheers to my Sithi productions partner!

(this looks like film. I like it!)

Once again, congratulations, Don and Hanh! You two make the most loving, giving, hospitable, and down right fun couple we know. We are so blessed to be part of this engagement and more importantly part of your lives.

I'm going to end with this photo Hanh asked me to take of old people slow dancing. One day that'll be you guys!

Jaime, Jon, and little Brandon

2009-12-29T13:08:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while. Then the holidays came, and my whole life became jumbled in a whirlwind of activities. New Year's resolution number uno: get organized and prioritize! Hey, that's a nifty rhyme - I think it's gonna work for 2010's new theme!

The first time I met Jaime was a little over two years ago when she interviewed me for my current job. I had come from a couple jobs where I had been micromanaged and worked to the bone, so I had the impression all managers would be like this. When I walked into the interview, Jaime welcomed me with the most friendliest smile I'd ever seen. The entire process was so smooth and relaxing (I know, for an interview?!), and from that moment I knew if I was hired I'd be in good hands. Needless to say, I was hired and have definitely been in good hands. :-)

Jaime has impeccable taste when it comes to clothes, dinnerware, special events, you name it! So I was extremely flattered when she asked me to do her holiday family photo session. Her son Brandon is two years old, and through the years I've observed him as shy little Brandon who clung to his mommy when he'd visit her at work. Well, I was in for a surprise when I met them on Crissy Field that freezing afternoon a few Saturdays ago. Brandon came ready to PLAY and even more ready to chat it up. He didn't miss a cheerful "HI!" to anyone that passed him, and he told me stories in full sentences not missing a single detail. At two-years old, this is pretty genius! He played and raced with his mom and dad, laughed at his own goofiness, climbed hills and rolled in the grass. Brandon and his parents are the epitome of what families dream to have - a happy and loving relationship filled with laughter and hugs, a place where if you fall someone is there to pick you up. I'm happy to announce there's going to be one new little addition to this beautiful family in May - a baby GIRL! Yep, one boy and one girl; now all they need is a Golden Retriever named Bruno and they're set! Just kidding, Jaime - I'm obviously biased towards dogs. :-)

Jaime and Jon, congratulations on your growing family. With what I've observed, you guys are going to be the best parents to your little genius kids. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I saw Brandon he's reading novels!

Definitely inherited his mom's friendly smile!

It was tough getting Brandon to look at the camera, but it wasn't hard to get him to goof off and be silly!

Mama's little boy.

Um, can you say HEARTBREAKER?!

Here they're looking for the "epicoptor" aka helicopter.

As the shoot came to an end, Brandon finally decided to do a model pose for us - all on his own! He's a natural. :-)

Corie, just because

2009-12-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

I must say this holiday season is abnormally busy for me. I know, everyone is usually super busy during the holidays, but I'm usually just working during the day then wrapping presents at night. Nothing too spectacular. But THIS year it's like everyone is throwing a party, family and friends are visiting from afar, I'm editing photos and taking pictures that then needs to be edited on top of the ones I still have to edit... it's endless. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating the nitty gritty facts. I wipe my drool dreaming of the day I don't have to work on my photos AFTER a 9-hour work day.

So I know I promised photos of Christmas, but I'm going to hold off on that today. As a treat for my few, yet loyal, followers I'm finally posting some pictures of a little family shoot I did for my cousins and my niece Corie. We took these photos almost a month ago, and just yesterday I thought I'd go through some of Corie's photos from the past two years to see how much she's grown. I'm not even her mother, yet I found myself nostalgic and emotional asking, "where has the time gone?"

Corie, one day you're going to be able to read this post, and I want you to know you are one of the luckiest kids alive. You've got these amazing parents who are captivated by your cuteness and intelligence and who foster each creative bone in your little body. Your peculiar British accent when you say "Daddy" is by far the most adorable thing I've heard. Uncle Mark is mesmerized by your charm and leaves your play dates wanting a little girl just like you every time. Corie, you are loved more than you'll ever know, and I'm so blessed to be your auntie.

Little girl in a hot pink tutu with a motorcycle. That's pretty awesome, man.

She gets her goofy laugh from her "Deddy"

Sneak preview: Jaime, Jon, and their little boy Brandon

2009-12-07T08:35:00.001-08:00

As my 2009 year of portfolio building is coming to an end I was so lucky to get to sneak this beautiful little family in for a holiday session. Don't get me wrong, I consider all my future shoots "portfolio building" but in business terms this just means I'm slowly making a move from amateur to professional photography. It's really exciting, and I look forward to what 2010 has in store for Connie Sithi Photography!

Here are a couple photos from the session last weekend. How gorgeous is this family?! Per usual, more to come!

Fa la la la la...la la...la...laaaaa

2009-12-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Is it really December 1st already?! Bring out the Christmas songs, sales, and cider! I'm SO ready to celebrate the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ, the giving of gifts, the goodness of the human heart through serving others, and quite frankly all the delicious baked goods and holiday dinners. Yummm... my mouth salivates just thinking about the toffee candy I'm going to make with my sisters this year.

As the year ends I want to reflect on all the goods and bads 2009 has brought. One comes to mind instantly, oh like... me getting married! I'm just about five months young of being a new wife, and I couldn't be happier. People ask if marriage changes anything. In a weird way it does. Nothing in our routine has changed - we still wake up to our coffee maker programmed at 6:30am. We still eat cereal every morning, and Mark still makes me finish my milk even though I hate milk without cereal. We still try to walk Saka only to be stopped by him at the corner tugging us to go back home (he hates walks; weird, I know). We still do a LOT of things that are the same, but somehow marriage is still...different. It's Good. Great. Beautiful. HAPPY.

I have two final family shoots for the year in the next two weekends. Although I am eager to take more I decided I'm not going to book anymore photo gigs for the rest of the year and for all of January 2010. My goal when I first realized I wanted to start this photography business was to launch everything in March 2010. Well, March quickly approaches, and I need to make sure I meet that deadline. I'm well on my way, but I think I just need to buckle down for the next couple months to solidify the logistics.

Stay tuned for more business updates! In the meantime, enjoy your holiday shopping and remember it's not just about gifts. If you run out of a gift idea, give a favor or write a letter telling them how much they mean to you. I do this for Mark on napkins sometimes, and it works like a charm. :-)

This is an old Christmas picture, but it was a year of many firsts for us. Our first grown-up apartment. Our first Christmas tree. Our first DOG! I'll definitely post new ones as the month unfolds.

Austin: San Francisco newborn photography

2009-11-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder if most women are born to be mothers? Is there a gene we're supposed to have that make us good parents? I often ponder this when I think about my own future as a new mom. I can hardly make myself a decent meal every day let alone take care of a child who is 100% depended on ME! If there is a good-parent gene, I know my next two parents have it. It's a daunting task, being a new parent, but it's people like Michelle and Billy who make me think with a new baby comes a whole new set of genes that are flipped on and make us fully prepared to nurture and care for a newborn. I had the pleasure of photographing 18-day old Austin last week, and not only did I get a handful of oh-my-gosh-this-is-the-CUTEST-BABY-EVER photos, but I learned a lot about what it takes to be a new mom. My friend Lynn assisted me this time since I realized it's a tad challenging juggling a newborn, holding up blankets, posing them, and snap the shutter just in time for that millisecond of a smile. Phew! Too bad I didn't get that millisecond smile. Maybe next time, Austin. ;-)

Michelle wasn't like most new mothers I've seen, and I mean this in the best way possible. When we first got there I thought, "there is no way this cute girl is the new mom. She's so...so tiny!" I will warn my husband now, it's not the norm for most new moms to whip back into shape and look at stunning the way Michelle did, but now I have proof it happens. :-) Secondly, there was such an ease to the way she held Austin and changed his diapers and fed him and soothed him; you would think this was her second or even third child! There is much excitement about this little guy because he happens to be the first grandkid on both sides of the family. In fact, his grandma from San Diego was there visiting, and she was beaming with happiness and pride. There is no doubt Austin is going to grow up in the most nurturing hands and be surrounded by love, laughter, and lots of football. Michelle and Billy, you created such a beautiful, sweet little boy, and I'm so grateful you chose me to have the honor of photographing him and your good-looking family. You two are doing an amazing job as new parents; keep it up!

This Thanksgiving the Geddes family has one more thing to be extremely thankful for - a gorgeous, healthy baby boy. I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and happy eating and shopping!

My favorite of the day because he's so alert and staring right at me!

Peaceful...

Not so peaceful...

Daddy and his little football player.

Told ya I had proof this new mother is gorgeous!

He had his boxing fists up when I first got there. Don't worry, Austin, I don't bite!

I was going to do all monochrome for this post, but I thought I'd end it with a colored photo just to twist it up a bit.

Sneak preview: Austin newborn photography

2009-11-24T22:48:00.001-08:00

Here's a teaser for my next newborn post. I'm almost done with the post, but I have to do a bajillion things before we head off for southern CA for Thanksgiving so I'm just going to post the teaser and blog about this on the 7-hour car ride tomorrow. :-) Oh how I love to multitask...

Ryan and Amanda: Childrens Photography

2009-11-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

Oh man! It's been a while since I've put up a post, but I finally got around to this awesome session with Ryan and Amanda. These kids are balls of energy to say the least. Their mother Liana kept asking me if I wanted children after photographing them because they seriously pooped me out from all the running and chasing. Well, Liana, to answer your question, after seeing how happy these two make you and how much they make you laugh I definitely am not afraid of having a few of my own one day.

The best part about photographing these kids was watching Amanda shadow her older brother in everything he did and laugh at every funny face he made or every dance he busted out. And let me tell ya, he busted a move, like, every few minutes! I'm calling it now - Ryan is going to be either a comedian or some kind of entertainer, and Amanda is going to be his number 1 fan. These two have such a nurturing brother-sister relationship fostered by parents who treasure them so much and smother them with kisses and hugs every time they get a chance.

Let's start off with my favorite of the day. Their faces make me smile. :-D

We asked Ryan to hold Amanda's hand, and he happily obliged. :-) What a great big brother.

Amanda's thinking, "Look at me! I'm so cute!"

Amanda thinks she's really funny; Ryan obviously doesn't agree here.

She LOVED the sand!

Cydney and Caitlyn

2009-11-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

I knew I was going to love this shoot as soon as I walked up the door step to ring the door bell. I could hear little Cydney's voice behind the door saying, "Connie is my best friend." We hadn't even met, yet, and she already decided I would be her best friend. That's the cutest thing I've ever heard! I have a soft spot for these little sisters because I myself have two sisters whom are my bestest friends in the whole world. Sisters have this deep bond that one could only understand if you actually have a sister of your own. We laugh, we fight, we say mean things to each other, yet we have each others' backs when no one else does. Sisters have the most dramatic fights, yet the cold thaws away quickly and once again we laugh and talk as if nothing ever happened.

Cydney and Caitlyn will have years to build sisterly memories of their own. Their mother Christine actually has an identical twin sister and agrees their relationship is inseparable. Spending an afternoon with this family made me really look forward to having a family of my own. They are absolutely beautiful on the inside and the out; their love for their daughters is contagious. You can tell their dad Curtis is a sucker for these girls. Every time he entered the room Caitlyn's eyes lit up as she laughed with excitement, and if he left for a moment he'd return to Cydney's welcoming bear hugs. It's hard not to want children after seeing how happy these parents are.

Curtis and Christine, thank you so much for letting me spending time with you and your beautiful daughters. I came home so happy from this shoot, and it's families like yours that make me love this job even more than I already do.

Cydney said she was going to be my model for the day. Cydney, you were the best model ever!

How beautiful is Caitlyn?! Wow...

This is Cydney's fake smile. I seriously couldn't stop laughing it's so cute!

I told ya they're a good looking family.

Towards sun set the family and I were off to fly Cydney's kite; she was talking about this the entire afternoon! Here's Daddy helping her out.

Aww...

She posed this way herself! She was definitely ready to be my model. :-)

Here Cydney said, "Goodbye, Sun. Thanks for coming out today." {heart melting}

Sneak preview: Cydney and Caitlyn

2009-11-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Oh man do I have a treat for you! I had a session with two of the cutest sisters ever! I always have a soft spot for sisterly love because my own two sisters and I are the bestest of friends, and I don't know what I'd do without them. Here's a preview of today's photo shoot with Cydney and Caitlyn.

Some TLC from Alameda - Tyler, Logan, and Chloe

2009-11-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. As I stood at the door and rang the doorbell, I could hear voices from behind the door - little high-pitched voices talking really fast, nothing I could comprehend. When their dad Tony opened the door, I saw two quick blurs in the background run toward the backyard. These two blurs would soon be known as Tyler and Logan. In the center of their living room was everything opposite of those boys - a peaceful, tiny, dainty baby girl wrapped in a soft pink blanket wearing a pink Polo tennis dress. Smiling. Sleeping. Meet Chloe. Chloe is an absolute doll, and she was amazingly patient and calm throughout the entire shoot. Her mom and dad were absolutely smitten.

After getting a couple shots of Chloe sleeping in the house, we moved the shoot to a nearby elementary playground. I think Mark was secretly happy he got to join me for this shoot because he hasn't played on a playground in years, and he obviously had been deprived. While taking some photos of Chloe on the grass area I would look over to see if Tyler and Logan were ready for photos and all I could see were THREE blurs now - Tyler, Logan, and Mark all running around, climbing the jungle gym, racing down the slides, swinging on the monkey bars. It was endless. Needless to say, this was a very fun shoot for all of us!

So peaceful...

Blur #1, Tyler

Blur #2, Logan

Look at that lone dimple! So adorable...

Chloe thinks I'm funny :-)

Only Tyler could sit still enough for a photo with Chloe, and I had to pull his teeth to get this photo. It's hard to make a five-year old boy sit with his baby sister when he sees his three-year old brother and Mark playing without him.

I finally got a few decent ones of Logan in the very end. He was the blurriest of them all, and I was so sad because that cute little face is SO photogenic!

Sneak Preview: Chloe and her brothers Tyler and Logan

2009-11-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

I had such a fun time getting to know this family - the boys were balls of energy and their baby sister Chloe was an absolute doll. Those cheeks are to die for! Here are a couple photos from Sunday's shoot in Alameda.

Alcatraz night tour

2009-11-05T13:01:00.001-08:00

I should have posted these on Halloween because these photos are pretty eerie - PERFECT for Halloween! I went to the Alcatraz night tour with some folks from our company a couple weeks ago, and it was really beautiful! I thought I'd be freaked out, but the history of "the rock" and the run down infrastructure made it such a beautiful place to take photos. Beautifully dark. Here are a few from that night, some were left untouched and some were massaged to enhance the creepiness. :-)

View of SF skyline from Alcatraz. 30-seconds exposure

and one more at 6-seconds exposure. Which do you like more? I'm leaning on the 6-seconds

I loved these dark walkways with the overhanging lights.

Amy under one of the lights

Paranormal activity status. I got the CHILLS editing this one!

An exit from the jail cellars

These stairs led to pure blackness. So creepy but I love the color of the stairs.

Three jail cells on the second floor

The showers is where we entered

Crazy sun set as the ferry left the dock

Coit Tower

These were some super old ropes hanging in the Embarcadero BART station - I can't find the history on them. Anyone know?

Micah the little man - Lake Merritt

2009-11-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

Micah, Micah, Micah. Spending an afternoon with this kid left me with this one thought - Micah will forever have a special place in my heart. He's that kind of kid. :-) He's got so many tricks and acts up his sleeve that he kept me on my toes the entire three hours we hung out! I watched him race his sister who is twice his size and listen to him tell us how he won when he had actually trailed her by nearly 10 feet. I watched him make friends with complete strangers and tell them he would see them on Facebook. I played tag with him, and when I would get too close to tagging him "it" he would turn around and face me with one hand on his hip, the other hand with his finger pointing at me, "Stop! Be good!" And then dash off laughing hysterically.

Micah was accompanied by his wonderful parents John and Lisa and his beautiful older sister Mazvita. I'm used to showing up to a shoot with the mentality of getting straight to work - fire my shutter a few times, pose the baby, fire more shots, pose again, and so on. Micah was my first full grown toddler, and I thought it would work the same way. OH BOY was I wrong! God bless his mother Lisa for suggesting we have this at an open park and treat it more like a picnic and play date than a photo shoot. I had no idea how fast these little boys are and how long they can play without taking a break. In fact, I can't remember if Micah ever took a break.

Here are some photos from our headshot session. Thank you, John and Lisa, for the opportunity to spend time with your family and especially with Micah. We're now friends as he likes to tell people! :-)

Cool guy sucking his thumb

The beautiful family. Micah would only smile because we said this photo was for his grandparents.

This is his peek-a-boo face. I know, not your typical peek-a-boo, right?

He told me this is the face he makes when he pretends to be sad. WOW, what a trickster.

Sibling love

Mazvita, his beautiful sister

He really liked Mark's sun glasses.

I asked him what he was going to be for Halloween, and he said Bob Marley. Then he struck his Bob Marley pose. I just had to post the comparison - too cute!

Isn't Lake Merritt so beautiful?!

Baby Paige at four months

2009-11-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

Life has been busy busy busy with remodeling my blog and working on 100 other things on top of recovering from what my doctor believes was vertigo. I know, vertigo?! Anyway, I have been super excited for a while to post Paige's beautiful baby session from last weekend. Paige was one the most giggly little babies I've photographed - she laughed at all her daddy's goofy faces, her mom's baby talk, and she especially laughed at all of us clapping. Yes, clapping is a new secret weapon to all those new mommies and daddies out there!

I've known Gina for a couple years now since we both work at the same company. When she was pregnant with Paige I don't think there was a time I passed by her where she wasn't smiling. One time I stopped her and told her, "You are glowing! You look so happy." Her eyes smiling and her grin bigger than ever she responded, "I am! I am so excited and happy; it's unbelievable. I can't wait 'til she gets here." It's that kind of whimsical happiness that makes me love this job so much. New parents' undying love for their baby is infectious to everyone around them. Gina and Ben are no different. Their tag team efforts as first-time parents are comical and cute, their laughter with Paige's every giggle is contagious, and their proud faces as Paige discovers her toes for the first time is absolutely endearing.

Gina and Ben, I have not a worry in the world that you two are going to be the best parents this little girl can ever ask for. Thank you for letting me witness some of those moments and freezing them in time.

Rain boots that don't quite fit, yet.

What gorgeous genes...

We stuck her in a teeny tiny storage basket with her bunny, and she fit! So cute!

I absolutely love little girls in pettiskirts!

This one came out a tad too blurry for my taste, but I just had to post it because Paige looks so cute in her bare bum!

Tummy time! One of the very few I caught her not pouting. :-)

Paige's expression is priceless here.

"Hi, guys!"

Gum-filled baby smiles are my favorite

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Halloween. L-O-V-E it. My love for this fun "holiday" doesn't have anything to do with raging in a teeny tiny loin cloth or anything; it's because the kids get dressed up and are EXTRA cute during this time of year! Today our company hosted it's annual trick-or-treat parade for the employee kids, and they were AH-DORABLE!!! I missed a couple kids, but that was because they were hiding behind their parent's leg or hiding in general. :-)

Happy Halloween, everybody! Be safe and have fun!

I'll be back soon!

2009-10-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

I've been battling a weird flu, and each day this week I've been extremely fatigued and nauseous. Stay tuned for Paige's and Micah's posts! I post process photos every minute I feel a new surge of energy. :-) Told ya I loved this stuff!

Sneak preview: Micah at three years old

2009-10-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Meet Micah. This kid is seriously a riot to be around! At the tender age of three he's already got a bag full of jokes and tricks and even some Bob Marley songs up his sleeve! I can't wait to edit his photos - he's absolutely beautiful!

Here's a sneak preview of Micah laughing. He met a few bikers whom he befriended, and they told him to add them on Facebook. This is Micah's reaction:

Sneak Preview: Paige at four months

2009-10-27T11:36:00.001-07:00

I really want to post this sneak preview before I become a hermit and battle my flu. Paige's mom Gina had warned me she might be a fussy baby, but this beautiful little girl was everything but fussy! Well, except towards the end when mom and dad made her wear her pink bunny costume. But c'mon, could you blame her? Paige did a great job smiling, sitting patiently in baskets, and being just too darn cute!

More photos to come!

Excited!

2009-10-22T12:48:00.001-07:00

Mark and I are currently restructuring my blog and I'm TOTALLY excited to launch it. I'm not sure when this will happen, but it will be done before Thanksgiving. Mark is no computer science buff, but he sure knows a lot about the technical aspects of this business than I do. I secretly look up acronyms he and his friends throw around so I look a fraction as smart as they do when we discuss tech news. Yea, they really do discuss tech for hours at a time during occasional dinners in the city. I'm not gonna lie, it's inspired me to be a lot more tech aware from which I realized is a deep love I never knew I had.

I'm quite blessed to have a husband who's so smart he doesn't even know it, loves me to death and makes sure he tells me every single day, AND on top of his consulting work someone who really wants to help me grow in my own career. Last night I had complained that his check list for my business was way too long and overwhelming and that I just needed more time to get these things done. Mark said it best when he responded, "That's why YOU are the master creator and I am the executer! We are going to make a great team!" I couldn't help but laugh because it's all so true. I dream up these big, colorful ideas, and Mark makes sure there is logic behind it and that it happens. How did I get so lucky? :-)