oaks & acorns photography... the blog

Cousins!! Childrens' Portrait Photography in the Bay Area

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:11:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

Wow... it was a BUSY month of May and June is shaping up to be just as crazy. We were all sick around here, with Malin getting pneumonia and Eiley an ear infection that ruptured her eardrum. I also attended a 3 day lighting workshop at the Golden Gate School with a fantastic instructor, Andre Constantini (it deserves a post of it's own so I'll have more on the workshop later!) And there has been a ton portrait work going on around here so let me update you on all the cute kids and families I've been working with.

So in this post, let's take a look at what's more fun than a barrel of monkeys... 4 little girls between the ages of 2-5.. 2 with bright purple twirly skirts and 2 with ringlets and Aussie accents. I had sooo much fun photographing these brothers' families at the park yesterday. Check them out!

First... our family visiting from down under...

the tongue sticking out thing was really popular yesterday.

And our local family of 4..

this little one is a total mini-me of her mom

and this little monkey totally reminded me of Eiley... a total spitfire..

and the award for 'face of the day'... well I think it's pretty obvious who won that one...

testing color space

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Childrens and Babies Studio Portraits in San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Last week, I had the pleasure of doing a fabulous shoot at the Appel and Frank 'Babes and Babies' event with Kim at Mill Cottage Kids Photography. We photographed 22 families and had the best time! I can't wait until the next show. Here are just a taste of the images...

San Francisco engagement portraits!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:42:00 +0000

it's been forever! but i think i have plenty of excuses... the top 2 being we spent a week at disneyland and i'm recovering from pneumonia (i'm on my 4th round of antibiotics!)... yuck... but at least it meant we went to front of the lines at the mouse's house since i was stuck in one of those electric buggies the entire time...

so i have lots and lots of images to post in the coming days. but first, let me introduce you to julie and bobby. i had such a wonderful time with them out near the golden gate bridge at sunset doing their 'engagement' session (they're already married since they eloped a few months ago!). here's a little sneak peak of the happy couple!

studio portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:18:00 +0000

tonight, we had a BLAST in the studio. taylor and her roommate from college, brooke, came home for the weekend and they were gracious enough to volunteer their time while i tried out some new lighting set ups. sooo much fun and there were WAY too many good images! i seriously could post 50+. on the first pass, the images SCREAMED for black and white (i'll post some color images over the next few days as well). these girls are just so darn beautiful, not to mention sweet and funny. and they tolerated (and maybe even enjoyed) the 80's music i played!

Nikon D300 - DSLR Camera Review

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:24:00 +0000

So I've had the D300 for about 8 months now and I thought I'd share with you guys a few of the things I like about it. I seriously love the camera. the highlights...

- great great color. when i've properly exposed an image, the color is really quite fabulous, even in RAW
- the automatic white balance feature is almost always right on. i very very rarely have to tweak it and if so, it's just a taste issue and not a real issue with the WB.
- with the battery grip and second battery, it seems like the battery lasts forever. i can go days and days and days without charging the batteries. and because of this, i often have to remind myself to do so. definitely better battery life than my old d70.
- i like that it doesn't have all the preset modes (portrait, action, landscape, etc). since i purchased the camera, i have only shot in manual. however, because of this, i wouldn't recommend this camera to a casual user. i actually need to start working with the P and A modes more so i can become more comfortable with them.
- the LCD screen is huge and well illuminated. (though sometimes it's a bit brighter than the actual RAW image so i end up under exposing if i'm not careful)
- i love the histograph features that allow me to immediately see the hot spots and tweak my exposure. the d70's histograph is really limited and while it does have the highlight display, it doesn't have all of the color channels so some blowouts don't show up until post processing.
- i'm in love with nikon's off camera flash system. it is so freakin easy with the in camera control. yes, the d70 and some of the other lower end models have it as well, but i didn't use it until i started working with the d300. love it.
- not the d300 (and kim will argue with me on this) but i love nikon glass. just love it. once you get to the higher end lenses, they are just so freakin sharp. but even my little $100 50 mm is tack sharp.

like i said, i love this camera. and i think i'll probably write another review in a few more months after i've become even more familiar with all the features. and there are seriously way too many! i do wish that it was full frame. but you can't have everything and it's not like nikon doesn't offer full frame, it just costs more than my current budget. other than this, the rare annoyance i have with the d300 is almost always user error.... and no expensive camera is going fix that!

photographs from the san francisco zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:57:00 +0000

today, kim convinced me to skip out on 'work' and meet her over at the san francisco zoo. thanks, kim for calling this morning! so i loaded the girls up and headed to the zoo. i almost didn't bring my camera, thinking kim would probably have hers. but i'm so glad i did. i didn't take a ton of pictures, but i did get a few of my favorite animals... giraffes, zebras, and lions. so enjoy something a little different!

Beach session

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:20:00 +0000

yesterday morning was an amazing day down in pacifica. I met up with 3 beautiful girls and their mom early in the morning to take pictures, watch the surfers, and then warm up with pancakes and hot chocolate. the girls were game for just about anything and i felt like i was a good 20 years younger. there are way too many great images, so here are tons and tons. thanks girls for a great time!

I'm an awarding winning children's photographer...heheh!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:21:00 +0000

That's right! I'm super excited to report that last night at the PPGBA print competition, my image of Natalee and Evee titled, Sisters, was awarded a gold ribbon. I really love this image because I think it's such a true representation of 'sisterhood'. So here they are... enjoy!

Yay! Thanks, girls, for being most willing subjects and to Kim for forcing me to enter! I was also very happy to see my little Eiley's face in the competition. Kim's image of her also received a gold ribbon.. of course I may be a little biased, but I think Kim and Eiley should have won the whole thing : )

newborn portrait session in los gatos

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:40:00 +0000

today i had the pleasure of photographing one of the most amazing things in the world. a newborn. all of 5 weeks old, little miss britt was the most patient and cooperative subject ever! much easier than my girls (note previous post were i have to bribe them with mass quantities of sugar and even that doesn't work for the baby)! it was a super rainy and dark morning, but it gave me an excuse to try the elusive off camera flash set up. that's one of the things i *heart* about nikon. they really do have the most amazing remote flash set up ever.. no pocket wizard required and you can control everything in camera (if you have a d70 or better, that is). so i set up the sb600 on my tri-pod with a gary wong diffuser and bounced it off the walls and ceiling for fill. that combines with window light did wonders for indoor shots on a dark and rainy day.

so on to the good stuff. the story with britt is that i've known her mom for about 8 or 9 years now. seriously, jonna... did i do the math right???? have we really known each other since '00/01????????? almost 7 years ago, way back in the day when i shot 35mm with my nikon n65, i took jonna, and her husband vic's, engagement portraits. and a few months ago, i had a portrait session with jonna's oldest daughter, sahara, which was one of my favorites to date. so i was super excited to photograph their latest edition!

here are just a few images from the session (and in b&w since i know jonna *hearts* her some b&w!!!).. but i'm saving the best for the birth announcements!

and for fun... one of jonna and vic's old 35mm engagement images... yeah, this is the real thing. it looks like 35mm because it is... no photoshop going on here!

children's portraits... with brownies!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:53:00 +0000

one of the reasons i love photographing children is the opportunity to capture pure moments. to create images that really demonstrate the complete uninhibited mind frame of a child. malin made brownies tonight and i couldn't resist pulling out my camera as she 'went after' the batter in the bowl. I LOVE this series of pictures and plan to work on a book or collage of these images just for fun.

model call!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:17:00 +0000

Oaks & Acorns is currently conducting a model call! Specifically, we're in search of boys or girls between the ages of 6 and 12 to serve as models while we try out new equipment, locations, and techniques. Sessions are free of charge and will last approximately 1 hour at a location of our choosing (this may either be on location or in studio). As a thank you, you'll receive 15% off any images you order from the session. Please contact me asap as we'll only be booking models in this age group for the next 4 weeks.

Thanks!

so where have i been????

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:43:00 +0000

i know i've been neglecting you guys, but we had a super busy christmas... the highlight of which was the girls' first trip to disneyland. i'm back, however, and have several really fun sessions coming up in the next few weeks...eekkk. i'm super excited! so to tide you over and for your viewing pleasure, a few snapshots from the trip!

malin's first day on vacation when she realizes she's about to go to disneyland!

loving minnie mouse

eiley at pooh's corner... santa brought the girls a dollhouse for christmas and it came with these little people... eiley is OBSESSED with them and carried them around the entire trip... she still has them...

malin's favorite characte's... chip and dale

eiley had been taking a step or 2 but decided that walking needed to be her prime mode of transportation outside of the jedi experience while the darth vadar theme played... use the force, eiley! she was so excited.

and for added silliness... malin had a trip to the princess beauty salon where they threw up sleeping beauty on her...

Malin's First Dance Recital

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:37:00 +0000

I have to admit that I'm loving the lull in sittings right now and the opportunity to do all those fabulous Christmas things with the girls... and especially since Malin is such a girly girl. Here are a few images from her first dance recital. She is seriously such a little princess... all pink and dress up and babies and dancing... and i love it!

backstage before the show...

waiting for her moment in the spotlight...

malin stars in Evita... 'don't cry for me redwood city!!!!!!!! the truth is i never left you....'

The Cross Family

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 06:43:00 +0000

today i had the pleasure of having a session with the Cross family and their adorable little girls. check out a few images here... and no, you aren't seeing things... natee has one blue eye and 1 brown eye! it's one of the coolest things i've ever seen on 'film'!

finally picking up the camera again...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:30:00 +0000

i'm finally over the hump with all the christmas orders and i've been itching to pick up the camera again... so i met up with kim over at mill cottage to play with the girls... note that eiley has a big red spot on her forehead in most of the images.... yeah, she took a header in the studio twice and i decided to leave it in because it is such a great reminder of this just learning to walk age...

and then for some fun... here's a snapshot of malin at dance class... she dressed herself this day... note all the other girls in pink and my little girl looks like she's ready for sparklemotion (you get something special if you get this reference!)

'tis the season

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I feel like I've been so neglectful here, but things have been soooo busy. I honestly haven't picked up the camera in the last week as I've been busy processing my Christmas sessions, placing some big orders, putting together a few books, designing holiday cards, etc. It's a fun and exciting time with lots of work to be done... but I'm taking a couple of weeks off over the holidays to clean out and organize the office, set up the new accounting software, and take the girls to Disneyland!

Some things I'm super excited about:

- The new photoshop CS4 that should be arriving any day now thanks to a super killer deal. I saw a recent demo and I think my workflow will improve three fold with making the leap from CS2 to CS4.
- Dan encouraged me to break down and get the Nikon 24-70 2.8 when we found a deal for 30% off a brand new lens. I'm so freakin excited I might pee myself when it gets here. Until then, I'm on a rampage selling everything in the house on ebay to be able to afford this purchase. Thank goodness for my stash of sample sale diaper bags! (those who know me... stop laughing!)
- I'm taking the girls into my friend Kim's studio (of Mill Cottage Photography) on Monday and I'm excited about working in the studio again and possibly getting a few really good images of the girls together.
- Speaking of Kim, I'm working with Kim on a big portrait event for the end of January and as soon as I know more, I'll post here. I'm REALLY excited about this one! It should be so much fun!

that's all for now!

sunday with a 2 yr old...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:12:00 +0000

malin cobain...

it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:43:00 +0000

Today I had the joy of meeting up with Chrissy and her husband and 2 boys. Holding that 2 month old almost makes me want another one... almost. Anyway, here is my favorite image from the shoot... Daddy and his boys...

and another of little Aidan who was such a trooper!

the long awaited christmas card post

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:59:00 +0000

I know many of you have been asking about the christmas cards so even though it's 1 AM, I'm going to throw up a quick post with some information.

I offer christmas card design and printing to folks who book sessions. Unfortunately, I can't simply take images you send me and create cards as the templates I have are only licensed for use with my original images. I have approximately 25 press printed card designs. The colors and text are fully customizable on each card, so these are truly custom designed! there are a variety of layouts available (5x5 tri-folds, 5x5 postcards, 5x5 traditional cards that open horizontally or vertically, 5x7 postcards, or 5x7 traditional cards that open horizontally or vertically). Additionally, all cards come with envelops and there are a variety of papers to choose from (pearl, matte, art paper, recycled paper, etc.) To have your Christmas cards created, just book a Christmas session with me ($65 for the session... cards are an additional charge) before the end of November! In the interim, here's a little eye candy from 2 recently designed cards.....

everything old is new again...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:33:00 +0000

this one is especially for my buddy jonna.....

i'm currently pulling all my old images off the old desktop, deleting what i can, and then backing everything up to an external drive so i can access them if needed off the new mac book pro. so while doing so tonight, i came across a snap shot of malin (our 2 1/2 yr old) from the hospital when she was just 3 days old. oh, that newborn-y goodness. a little b&w conversion and a ttv border and it's an 8x8 that i want for the house.... the lesson in all this... even what you think are crappy snapshots, with the right tools, skills, and esthetic can be made into really beautiful (and meaningful) works of art...

EILEY'S FUTURE HUSBAND....

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:12:00 +0000

Sadly, today I had to return the 28-70 to the camera store. Yes, I cried a little on the way there. : ) But before I gave it back, my friend Susan came over with her adorable son, Andrew, for a quick Christmas session. We took some great close-ups and then designed and ordered her family's Christmas cards. I know many have asked, so I promise to post tomorrow with a sneak peek at some of the Christmas cards the studio is offering this year. But it's late and I have 2 proofing sessions with clients in the next 2 days so I need my beauty sleep. But in the interim, I'll leave you with 2 images of little Andrew and his amazing lashes....

AND THE SEXIEST MOMMY-TO-BE AWARD GOES TO...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:12:00 +0000

Heidi! I love shooting pregnant women and today's shoot was no different... of course, it helps to have a subject that is super beautiful, really hip, and open to just about anything. Oh, and I also rented a Nikkor 28-70 2.8 and MAN.. I am seriously in love. I've made the decision that this is the next lens I'm getting. It's huge and not light, but the colors and focus straight out of the camera are the best I've ever seen. I seriously had WAY to many images to choose from! Here's a sneak peak at some of my favorites...

BLUE EYED GIRL

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:11:00 +0000

I've known Sahara's parents, Jonna and Vic, for forever and a day. In fact, way back when we were all young and carefree and I was still a hobbiest with a camera (and shooting on film no less!), I took their engagement pictures down at the Presidio. Last weekend, I met up with a pregnant Jonna and their 3 yr old, Sierra at their newly remodeled house to get some pictures of her before the new baby arrives.

Let me say it is SO easy to get a good picture of Sahara... blond hair, blue eyes for days, and a 1000 watt smile. Here are a few of my favorites...

check out these eyes..

Is she gorgeous or what???

I can't decide if I like this one better in color or b&w. Either way, it totally sums up the day for me... LOTS OF MOVEMENT. Sahara was such a happy whirling dervish that day!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy of Oaks and Acorns) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:29:00 +0000

hey everyone... so for the first post here, i thought i'd show off the spawn.

kim over at mill cottage photography has gone above and beyond in letting me play in her studio and showing me how the big kids take pictures. while i was there a few days ago, we decided what better way to entertain ourselves than to put a couple of those fabulous zooni hats on the girls and confirm what we already knew... that they are, in fact, the cutest hats ever. so here are the results...