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Knock, knock...anyone there?!
So I have a confession...I've been bad, okay...HORRIBLE, about blogging. And I'll be totally honest why. I've been going through a rebranding process, and I have a fun new blog that is 80% ready to launch and a fancy new logo that is going to be fabulous...but I refuse the launch the new blog without my fancy new logo and rebrand. And I'm not going to lie, this blog has been wonderful to me, but I want my big girl blog! I don't want to use BLOGGER anymore! Hence, the lack of motivation to blog, especially when I know there are fun things around the corner. :( But I feel bad for my clients that haven't had a chance to see their smiling faces on my blog lately.
SO...I'm going to try to perform a round of CPR on this blog until I get my new one out to you all. I'm hoping my designer is finished with all of my goodies soon so I can share the fun with you all! I want to launch the new "me"!
But until then, I have blog catch-up to do! Here are a couple of newborn sessions that I've had recently. And I have another one tomorrow...something must be in the water out here!
Here are two of my favorites from this session...I love the relaxed newborn sessions that I offer. It is so nice to go into the client's home and capture the family just relaxing with their newborn. And I think the new mama's like it as well...they avoid the 30 minute production of packing a diaper bag before leaving the house for a session! And you never have to worry that you "forgot" something!!
So on to the pics...I love this photo of the parents in awe of their little guy! And this newborn was amazingly alert! OH MY!! And this session was done within the first 10 days of life, and look at those eyes looking at me!! And do I dare say it, but I think that's a smile folks! Mr. Caden, you're going to be a heartbreaker!
Precious.sleeping.baby. So cute!
And onto our next newborn. Mr. Connor was so much fun. He was literally PUTTY in my hands. I had so much fun playing around with this little guy at the session. I mean seriously, look at those hands under his chin and those cute little lips!
And if you look closely, you can still see the pricks from the hospital on the bottom of his foot! I love it when I can capture that in newborn shots.
Tips for parents in preparing for a newborn session:
* Schedule your newborn session BEFORE you deliver. The session should be all set and on the calendar when you go into the hospital. And then I will work around you when the actual delivery comes. Many times my newborn sessions shift and that is fine. I've received many emails and phone calls from the hospital that the baby has arrived early, and I am more than willing to adjust my schedule to get that beautiful baby photographed within the FIRST 10 DAYS!
* First 10 days is key...honestly, anything after that is not a newborn. Trust me, they change that quickly!
* If your photo shoot is going to be right after you get home from the hospital, consider keeping that hospital bracelet on. If you want to take that tag off your precious cargo, consider mom and dad keeping their bracelet on! One of my favorite newborn sessions-to-date is one in which the dad still had his bracelet on! He was so proud, and it made the most amazing photos of dad holding baby and you can see his hospital tag in the shot...so cool!
* Your baby will pee. Seriously! It's a good thing, all systems are a-go! So please don't fret. Your baby will pee on my stuff, and I am completely okay with that! I think I've only had 1-2 sessions where the baby did NOT pee! It's sort of that moment where you are officially embarrassed by your child for the first time, I get it! But don't be! I am totally willing to work around pee if it will give me fabulous photographs!
* Plan on feeding the baby around the time I arrive. We want the baby nice and sleepy. And no clothes on when you feed! We don't want to ruin all that hard work of getting the baby to sleep by taking those clothes off!
* Which leads me to my next point, the "birthday suit" is the best outfit for newborns. BY FAR! Don't worry about an outfit...you will be more thrilled with that newborn skin!
* Just have fun. Relax and enjoy the moment, they aren't a newborn very long!
Yes, he is the Waterstop King!
I had the pleasure of doing some corporate headshots for Mr. Poole this past weekend. His company, JP Specialties, Inc. is doing amazing things to prevent the type of catastrophic events you are seeing in the Gulf right now, but on land. Their company focus is the containment of on-land hazardous waste spills. In going through Mr. Poole's blog, I found an interesting article written by him regarding the regulations for land vs. water containment of hazardous waste--specifically regarding the recent B.P. oil spill in the Gulf. So head on over to his blog and check out his June 3rd post...it is quite interesting.
Mr. Poole will be speaking at the Temecula Library on August 21st. Here is the information regarding the event. If you are interested in the local Temecula water and how the larger scope of our water affects you, I encourage you to check it out.
Thanks again for allowing me to be of service to you, and keep up the amazing work!
Stay Extraordinary,
m
Bubble gum, Pop Rocks, cotton candy, crimped hair, and breakdancing...I'm thinking this is the ultimate session!
I had so much fun with Miss M and Miss M^2 ("squared" for those of us that have been out of school for awhile)! It all started at my place where we got together for hair, lip gloss, and nail polish. It was the perfect setting for my little models to get to know each other a bit and have their first few giggles together. And then we were off, with my little divas, for such a fun shoot. We went to just two locations on Fort Irwin that I thought were perfect for this funky shoot.
One of my resolutions for this year was to style a shoot, one that was just for me. As a photographer, it is always fun to do a shoot for yourself every once in awhile. And I thought it would be so much fun to have a bit of a throwback concept where girls are just dressed up and having fun...because we all know "girls just wanna have fun"!
So here are several of my favorites from the shoot. Thank you so much Miss M and Miss M^2! You both were terrific and you made my week. And at the end, don't miss the slideshow--there you will see the vast majority of our shoot.
Stay Extraordinary Girls,
m
WORK IT Miss M!
So this past weekend, I got to play "thirty-something going on 13". As most of you know, I have been a fan of the New Kids on the Block since I was probably...12?! Actually, when I think back to my childhood, it either revolved around Barbies or New Kids on the Block. And once I found New Kids on the Block, the Barbies went in the box and it was all about Bop or Teen Beat Magazine. Don't judge...all you 30 year old girls know you were the same way! Seriously, those are the two things I think of...oh, and prancing around our cul-de-sac all dressed up with our neighbor Kimmie blasting Madonna's "Like a Virgin" when I had no clue what a virgin even was. But that is a whole other story!
So it seemed fitting after a 20+ year love affair, that I'd fly out the NYC when I heard they'd be playing at Radio City Music Hall! I mean SERIOUSLY, who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity for a weekend in NYC *and* the opportunity to relive their childhood for two hours!
So I jumped on a plane...all by myself...and flew to the Big Apple! I had a fabulous time staying at a friend's house in Brooklyn and she introduced me to everything NY. She taught me about bumping bumpers if necessary to get a parking spot and how NYers like to just shrug or flip a hand (sort of like they are brushing you off) instead of necessarily giving the finger! After my NY culture lesson, she set me loose to explore on my own! Off I went...
I finally had the chance to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I guess you could say it was on my bucket list...one of those things I always hoped I'd be able to do one day. No particular reason...I just thought it would be cool! And it was. I walked across the bridge and jumped on the subway for the FIRST TIME EVER...ALONE! Lindsey, my friend, was great in guiding me..."just make sure it is the 4 of 5 train DOWNTOWN." And luckily I made it on my first try and didn't accidentally get on the uptown 4 or 5 train! And as I walked up the subway steps (and yes, I saw my first subway rat...blah), I was in the throws of Battery Park. I took a ferry out to Liberty Island and Ellis Island where I was able to trace some of my ancestors that came over from Switzerland. And then, I was off to hail a cab and go to this fabulous department store called Century 21.
Century 21...why don't you have a store in California?! OMGosh. Simply fabulous. And then I met up with Lindsey for dinner at Onieals...or better known to my fellow SATC fans as, SCOUTS! It was just like the show. And yes, I had a cosmo just for you!
And before I knew it, Saturday was upon us. We had fun scouting out the city and doing everything Rockafeller Center had to offer. We went to the Top of the Rock (you'll see some pics of that) and we did the NBC Studio Tour, which I recommend if you go to NYC. I even had the chance to sit in the audience seats at Saturday Night Live! And then that night, it was Radio City or bust!
The concert...SO.MUCH.FUN. The whole thing was pretty much amazing and different from concerts I've seen in the past. I loved the acoustical set of some of their old songs and then towards the end of that set, they started singing a Backstreet Boys song...WHAT?! Get this...the curtain raises and there are the Backstreet Boys! 2 for 1 night! It was a pretty cool surprise even for a girl that was never really into them. It was neat to see them come together for a couple of songs. And the place basically went ballistic. Then the New Kids played some great remixes of classic 80's songs and their own mixed in. That was pretty darn cool. And of course we ended the evening with Hangin' Tough and the place going wild and everyone swinging their arms in sync with each other. And for the first time ever, I was able to watch the actual performers during the concert and not watch the concert off the jumbo-tron! We were that close--YAY!
It was a fabulous weekend. And I feel so spoiled to have the experience of being able to fly across the country to see my favorite group from my childhood days! It was something I will never forget, and I feel so grateful. And THANK YOU to my wonderful husband that didn't hesitate once about the whole ordeal. When I asked him if I could go out there, his response was, "Why are you asking?? GO!" And he had fun playing Mr. Mom with the girls all weekend...from hiking trips to Toy Story 3, they had fun together while mama roamed the big city. So thank you Ryan for giving me this amazing experience! xoxo
And on that note, if they ever do a tour again, I hope to be there!
Hang Tough,
m
**ALL PHOTOS TAKEN WITH POINT AND SHOOT...I'm horrible at lugging "the beast" with me on vacation. So there isn't any artistic value...just sentimental value for me! And Lindsey, thank you for the concert pictures...I was too chicken to try to get a camera in. And I think I was the only one without a camera in the concert!
Me walking across the Brooklyn Bridge--CHECK!
Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock-I love the view of St. Patricks Cathedral from above.
Top of the Rock-Central Park
Oh, and it begins...WOO HOO!
Jordan--they've still got their moves, even at 40...lol
When Backstreet Boys joined them for a song...
Joey Joe and Jordan...
And yes, SOLD OUT with 30 year old women! I think I saw two guys!! lol
Finale-Hangin' Tough
Precious.sleeping.baby. So cute!
And onto our next newborn. Mr. Connor was so much fun. He was literally PUTTY in my hands. I had so much fun playing around with this little guy at the session. I mean seriously, look at those hands under his chin and those cute little lips!
And if you look closely, you can still see the pricks from the hospital on the bottom of his foot! I love it when I can capture that in newborn shots.
