Pumpkin Patch Fun {Outdoor Natural Light Photographer}

Took the kids to the pumpkin patch last weekend. It was extra special this year since it was E's first time.  I thought she would be excited but she burst out crying as soon as we put her down on the hay next to the pumpkins. It took her a while to warm up but she eventually started exploring and cautiously touched the pumpkins. K and A had so much fun running around and riding the train. It's become a family tradition and I can't wait for E to join them on the train ride next year.

Sneak Peek for E & C {Engagement Portraits}

E looks so happy here :)

Gotta get some kissing shots - practice for the big day!

C, you are gorgeous!!

E was being so goofy - he had C cracking up the entire time.

Beautiful smile!

I don't normally do engagement sessions but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photography hubby's cousin, E and his fiancee, C. We scheduled the session a couple of months ago and of course, it just happened to be during the insane heat wave we've been having. It was well over 90 degrees in Danville but we braved the heat and had some fun! Can you see how happy they make each other?

E & C, thanks for letting me capture this special moment. Can't wait until the big day!

My Special Kiki {Blackhawk Family Photographer}

LOVE her smile!

A and K are best friends.

She got daddy's dimples.

See - even the photographer's kids get sick of taking pictures . Yes, I have lots of pictures like this!

I took my 2 older girls to Blackhawk Plaza today to go feed the ducks. My little E was at home napping so I took this opportunity to get some nice pictures of my big girls. They were so excited to go feed the ducks and I warned them that I was going to take some pictures of them and they needed to cooperate. Of course, they quickly agreed. As soon as we got there, they were running off to the ducks and they were NOT happy that I was stopping them at different spots to take some shots. Half of the shots I got were of Kiki with a mad face because she said she "was tired of smiling." Audrey kept complaining that she was hungry so I finally put away the camera. Luckily, I was able to get some special pictures of Kiki. As my middle child, I am very aware that she may feel like she's not getting enough attention.  I try really hard to give her 1:1 time but I have to admit, it's hard. With 3 young children, I'm always stretched pretty thin. Luckily, she's very expressive and loves to be the center of attention so she pretty much demands our attention all the time. My husband thinks she's a lot like me, but I'm totally not like that! :)

By the way, those of you who signed up for the East Bay Holiday Sessions - this is the location we'll be meeting at.  And I'm finally making changes to my blog so that you won't have to click each picture to see it bigger.

My first workshop

I just got back from attending Audrey Woulard's workshop in Chicago. I fell in love with her pictures when I first stumbled upon her site about 3 years ago while researching natural light photographers. It was so awesome seeing her studio and recognizing different spots from her blog images. I totally sound like a stalker now!  haha! We got to spend some time shooting in the studio and outside near the loft. It was so much fun! What really impressed me was how down to earth and real Audrey was. I learned SO MUCH and can't wait to put everything I learned into action. Thank you for inspiring me Audrey! LOVE your name too. :)

Here's a couple of pics I took from the workshop.

Sneak Peek for Lee Family {Newborn Portraits}

Mom calming J down.

Success! Fast asleep...

Perfect little toes.

Nice and comfortable under the hot studio lights.

Meet little J. He's only 7 days old but acted much older. He was already moving his head and kicking his legs and showing me what positions he wanted to be in! I'm sure he's just getting ready to play with his 2 older brothers. Congrats C and P on your new addition. 3 kids is a blessing!

Every photographer needs...

a cute camera bag! I made an impulse purchase last night but I am SO excited and have no regrets...yet. :) I didn't know I needed a new camera bag. I was perfectly happy with my black no frills camera backpack that I've had for years. But then I came upon a line of camera bags called Epiphanie and I knew I NEEDED a new bag. The tough part was choosing which one I wanted! I kept debating between the black Lola and the turquoise Belle bag. In the end, I ended up buying the Belle one because the color matches my business cards. haha! My husband looked at the pictures and said, "Those look like purses. It doesn't look practical." That's the whole point of these bags - to look like a purse so it doesn't look like you're carrying a camera bag filled with thousands of dollars worth of equipment. The practical part? I hope he's wrong. The only impractical part might be that turquoise doesn't go with everything - which means i might have to buy the Lola bag as well. :)

The photographer's kids...

get neglected! 

Everyone thinks that my kids must have a ton of pictures. The sad thing is that they often get left behind as I focus on work. I have a lot of snapshots of the kids but they actually don't get very many "professional portraits" from mommy. And when I do get a chance to do some shots with my slr, they stay in the digital black hole until I find some time to edit them. I always feel a pang of guilt when I create beautiful dol albums and slideshows for my clients. My poor kids don't have any of those things! Of course, I fantasize that I will create one for my youngest since her dol is coming up. But with the holiday season being my busiest time, I know that it will be just that - a fantasy. Also, I realize that if I do a full dol session with E and make an album, I would have to go back and dig up old pictures to create one for my other two daughters. And the reality? My other kids have maybe 20 pictures from their dol parties. Sigh...the cobbler's wife has no shoes? My kids have no pictures! 

Anyway, I realized today that my little E is almost 10 months old! I never took her 9 month portraits (guilt coming!) but I found a few shots that I took in the playroom a few weeks ago. And the one by the glass door? That's from this morning...right before she fell back and hit her head on the floor. More mommy guilt!