The Lee Family - Chloe Turns One! San Jose

The one year milestone is traditionally significant in many Asian countries. Julie and Alan wanted to do something special to commemorate their daughter Chloe's first birthday which included a lifestyle session in traditional Korean clothing called a hanbok. That's when fortune shined on me and Julie sent an email inquiry. She liked my outdoor on-location work and wanted something similar for her family.

I've started developing my portrait work a little bit and this sounded like a wonderful opportunity! Of course I said "yes". We got together so I could meet the family, especially Chloe. (You never know how a child will react and I didn't want to seem like a stranger when the time came to photograph everyone.) Chloe is cute, very well behaved, and mild mannered - a perfect subject. We got along wonderfully and set a date.

I arrived at their home just before Chloe was going to wake up from her normal afternoon nap. Its always a good idea to schedule sessions after a nap, take every advantage you can get. This also gave me some time to work with the wonderfully colorful clothing and capture a few of the important details. There were the garments, the shoes, socks, and rings given by the grandparents. I liked the banners which Julie said were hung when celebrating the first birthday. Chloe woke up all fresh and happy and we made our way to San Jose City Hall. The grays and neutrals nicely highlighted the family's colorful clothing. Virtually deserted on a Sunday afternoon, we roamed freely.

I took soooo many pictures! Thank you for including me in the celebration :)

Manchester Twins. Sunnyvale

Happy New Year everyone!

Torie and Todd were married in 2007 and last March Torie gave birth to Molly and Andrew. Two months later, I walked across the street to photograph a couple hours of family time. (Yes, we really do live across the street from each other). The twins are very cute and could certainly make someone seriously consider having more kids.

Happy, lively, warm, and full are keys to easy baby pictures. By design, I arrived as they were napping. Babies look so peaceful when they sleep. Molly and Andrew were very cooperative as they woke up with minimal fuss; one played as the other drank. After diaper changes with Mr. Squirrel, they bundled up and we strolled to our little local park. It was nice outdoor family time.

These images were a long time coming. Early in my career and up until about May I wasn't certain if I wanted to pursue babies and families, often referring clients to friends of mine. Babies are fun but challenging to photograph and it wasn't until the Spring of 2010 that I really started to consider it. You could call this a watershed moment because now I think I've hit upon how I want to approach this type of portrait work. Thank you to all of my previous clients for spurring me on because your requests have helped me define what it is I want to do! Look out for announcements in early 2011.