1.  this week i finished ordering a bunch of obnoxious pink princess party decorations for claire’s third birthday party.  A. it’s going to be SO awesome i can’t stand it. and B. the ups guy is going to be my new best friend, as I ordered everything from different sellers on etsy.  or, he might actually hate me.  either way – we’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other.

2.  enough with the rain, california!!! there is a reason we put up with the traffic, inflated prices and governator… it’s called SUNSHINE.  learn it.  usually i’m a big fan of the rain, but i’ve had to postpone one too many sessions due to rain, mud and cold weather.  so just stop it.

3.  i’m wearing this in my hair today – which is just gorgeous.  and i encourage you to go buy some flowers from her shop.  what a pleasure to work with as well.  look forward to seeing her work sprinkled in my work. 

4.  this is claire’s “i’m going to fire you” pose.  you have been warned.

5.  get ready for some big big big changes.  in the next couple months you will see… a new name (gasp!), a new website (gasp!), a new blog (gasp) and a lot of new amazing sessions up and coming (gasp, gasp!).  i’m ridiculously excited.

6.  i have two spots left in my birth photography casting call.  i’m major looking forward to photographing lindsay’s home birth in may (hi lindsay!).  take advantage of this oppourtunity while you can, mama’s!  people are getting pregnant left and right around here!

7.  three years ago today i was housing this gal:

8.  see?

9.   time sure does fly.

10.  looking forward to a night of snuggling my almost three year old, then my almost 45 year old, sipping a delish glass of red wine, and watching lost.  what are you up to tonight?

oh hai!

in part one i said that i believe the most important key elements of a photograph to be connection, truth, and beauty.  in week one i discussed connection. In week two i talked about truth. connection is what draws an image to your heart, truth is what keeps it there, but beauty… beauty is what makes you wanna order a big print and hang it on  your wall.

now you may be thinking, “well, my child is beautiful, so of course a photo of her will by default be beautiful…” Oh touche.  while there is truth to that, you must remember, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.  YOU will, as i do, cherish every image ever taken of your child.  i, personally am one of those crazies who has never EVER deleted a single photo of my daughter.  like, even the out of focus, blinky, overexposed images still lay safe on my handy dandy mac.  but i know, deep in my heart, that ordering a 30×40 canvas and proudly displaying it on my wall doesnt make it beautiful.  you know what does make photos beautiful?  light.

you don’t need a fancy camera (like i said before – that’s what i’m here for!  hire me for the fancy cam photos! ), you don’t even need to know how to take your camera out of “Auto” mode.  the last key to fab momtographer photos is light.

think of it this way.  your photo is a beautiful painting of that moment.  light is the paint.  your eyes are the brush.  see it.  play with it.

this kinda light makes me wanna hug someone.  i wanna snuggle right up and be all like – thats *my* girl.

this light reminds me of the drama that is a two year old…

and we have here a clean, clear, crisp, THIS is *my* baby…

the number one rule in working with light is – get light in those eyes! of course there are exceptions to every rule,

hey, there are exceptions to all rules.   but what you should take from this blog entry is that  light is the paint in your portrait.  your child’s beautiful attributes, oh the cleft chin and the green-blue eyes,  the baby soft curls and button nose – decorate those beautiful curves and twists and puckers with some sunshine.  turn off your flash and open up those ugly mini-blinds.  go outside.  venture out in the early morning, or the early evening and experiment with light.  think before you snap.  move your body, get the right angle.  look for the light.  illuminate those pretty eyes, get the sun to dance in the blond curls, portray a naughty smirk with some dramatic shadows….  but most of all, look for the love.

when all else fails.  train your eyes to see love, and everything else falls into place.

the perfect momtographer photo.  connection, truth, beauty, and most importantly, love.

xo

katie

ahhh the gorgeous field!  and gorgeous gal, of course.   we ran up to the field to capture a few fun images the other night.  unfortunately, we lost the sun really quckly!  so we met up the next day on a cute little road with a country feel to it to finish off the session.  thanks again stacy!  you are simply beautiful and it was a pleasure to photograph you.

valentine’s day sessions make my heart sing.

last winter i shot an amazing engagement session in the valley’s best kept secret of a location.  i was afraid it wouldnt come back, or that people would build homes over it.  but… i drove by today and i SQUEEEELED!  it’s BACK!

book your session FAST!  it only lasts for about 4 weeks.

omg. omg. omg.

here are some of my very favorite places on the internet this week…

really REALLY beautiful children’s clothing from Beane & Company.  not just my favorite because i want to go back and time and be a kid just so i can fit into these gorgeous dresses, but also my favorite because i’m doing an exclusive clothing line shoot with her daughter this month!  i could not be more excited.  so be sure to visit HERE and buy a bunch of stuff.

if you’re a mama you must read this blog entry.  trust me.

if you live in the OC you should hire Christie Hobson to photograph your life.  she blows my mind.  of course if you live in LA or Ventura County you should hire me to photograph your life.  but you already know that.

this is an awesome blog if you’re looking to be inspired.

in case you are living under a rock and weren’t aware that you can text money to haiti – you can.  here’s how.  if you didn’t know, now you have no excuse.  if you did know – do it.  now.  everybody who owns a cell phone has ten dollars.  don’t be crappy.

i’m not ashamed to admit i love me some kittehs.

this blog is pretty

thats all for today.  thank you, internet.

i love coming across images that make you want to just crawl right in and live in that moment.

<3

dedicated to capturing the everyday…