Jaime, Jon, and little Brandon

I've been meaning to post this for a while. Then the holidays came, and my whole life became jumbled in a whirlwind of activities. New Year's resolution number uno: get organized and prioritize! Hey, that's a nifty rhyme - I think it's gonna work for 2010's new theme!

The first time I met Jaime was a little over two years ago when she interviewed me for my current job. I had come from a couple jobs where I had been micromanaged and worked to the bone, so I had the impression all managers would be like this. When I walked into the interview, Jaime welcomed me with the most friendliest smile I'd ever seen. The entire process was so smooth and relaxing (I know, for an interview?!), and from that moment I knew if I was hired I'd be in good hands. Needless to say, I was hired and have definitely been in good hands. :-)

Jaime has impeccable taste when it comes to clothes, dinnerware, special events, you name it! So I was extremely flattered when she asked me to do her holiday family photo session. Her son Brandon is two years old, and through the years I've observed him as shy little Brandon who clung to his mommy when he'd visit her at work. Well, I was in for a surprise when I met them on Crissy Field that freezing afternoon a few Saturdays ago. Brandon came ready to PLAY and even more ready to chat it up. He didn't miss a cheerful "HI!" to anyone that passed him, and he told me stories in full sentences not missing a single detail. At two-years old, this is pretty genius! He played and raced with his mom and dad, laughed at his own goofiness, climbed hills and rolled in the grass. Brandon and his parents are the epitome of what families dream to have - a happy and loving relationship filled with laughter and hugs, a place where if you fall someone is there to pick you up. I'm happy to announce there's going to be one new little addition to this beautiful family in May - a baby GIRL! Yep, one boy and one girl; now all they need is a Golden Retriever named Bruno and they're set! Just kidding, Jaime - I'm obviously biased towards dogs. :-)

Jaime and Jon, congratulations on your growing family. With what I've observed, you guys are going to be the best parents to your little genius kids. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I saw Brandon he's reading novels!





Definitely inherited his mom's friendly smile!



It was tough getting Brandon to look at the camera, but it wasn't hard to get him to goof off and be silly!



Mama's little boy.



Um, can you say HEARTBREAKER?!







Here they're looking for the "epicoptor" aka helicopter.





As the shoot came to an end, Brandon finally decided to do a model pose for us - all on his own! He's a natural. :-)

Corie, just because

I must say this holiday season is abnormally busy for me. I know, everyone is usually super busy during the holidays, but I'm usually just working during the day then wrapping presents at night. Nothing too spectacular. But THIS year it's like everyone is throwing a party, family and friends are visiting from afar, I'm editing photos and taking pictures that then needs to be edited on top of the ones I still have to edit... it's endless. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating the nitty gritty facts. I wipe my drool dreaming of the day I don't have to work on my photos AFTER a 9-hour work day.

So I know I promised photos of Christmas, but I'm going to hold off on that today. As a treat for my few, yet loyal, followers I'm finally posting some pictures of a little family shoot I did for my cousins and my niece Corie. We took these photos almost a month ago, and just yesterday I thought I'd go through some of Corie's photos from the past two years to see how much she's grown. I'm not even her mother, yet I found myself nostalgic and emotional asking, "where has the time gone?"

Corie, one day you're going to be able to read this post, and I want you to know you are one of the luckiest kids alive. You've got these amazing parents who are captivated by your cuteness and intelligence and who foster each creative bone in your little body. Your peculiar British accent when you say "Daddy" is by far the most adorable thing I've heard. Uncle Mark is mesmerized by your charm and leaves your play dates wanting a little girl just like you every time. Corie, you are loved more than you'll ever know, and I'm so blessed to be your auntie.











Little girl in a hot pink tutu with a motorcycle. That's pretty awesome, man.



She gets her goofy laugh from her "Deddy"

Sneak preview: Jaime, Jon, and their little boy Brandon

As my 2009 year of portfolio building is coming to an end I was so lucky to get to sneak this beautiful little family in for a holiday session. Don't get me wrong, I consider all my future shoots "portfolio building" but in business terms this just means I'm slowly making a move from amateur to professional photography. It's really exciting, and I look forward to what 2010 has in store for Connie Sithi Photography!

Here are a couple photos from the session last weekend. How gorgeous is this family?! Per usual, more to come!

Fa la la la la...la la...la...laaaaa

Is it really December 1st already?! Bring out the Christmas songs, sales, and cider! I'm SO ready to celebrate the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ, the giving of gifts, the goodness of the human heart through serving others, and quite frankly all the delicious baked goods and holiday dinners. Yummm... my mouth salivates just thinking about the toffee candy I'm going to make with my sisters this year.

As the year ends I want to reflect on all the goods and bads 2009 has brought. One comes to mind instantly, oh like... me getting married! I'm just about five months young of being a new wife, and I couldn't be happier. People ask if marriage changes anything. In a weird way it does. Nothing in our routine has changed - we still wake up to our coffee maker programmed at 6:30am. We still eat cereal every morning, and Mark still makes me finish my milk even though I hate milk without cereal. We still try to walk Saka only to be stopped by him at the corner tugging us to go back home (he hates walks; weird, I know). We still do a LOT of things that are the same, but somehow marriage is still...different. It's Good. Great. Beautiful. HAPPY.

I have two final family shoots for the year in the next two weekends. Although I am eager to take more I decided I'm not going to book anymore photo gigs for the rest of the year and for all of January 2010. My goal when I first realized I wanted to start this photography business was to launch everything in March 2010. Well, March quickly approaches, and I need to make sure I meet that deadline. I'm well on my way, but I think I just need to buckle down for the next couple months to solidify the logistics.

Stay tuned for more business updates! In the meantime, enjoy your holiday shopping and remember it's not just about gifts. If you run out of a gift idea, give a favor or write a letter telling them how much they mean to you. I do this for Mark on napkins sometimes, and it works like a charm. :-)

This is an old Christmas picture, but it was a year of many firsts for us. Our first grown-up apartment. Our first Christmas tree. Our first DOG! I'll definitely post new ones as the month unfolds.

Austin: San Francisco newborn photography

Do you ever wonder if most women are born to be mothers? Is there a gene we're supposed to have that make us good parents? I often ponder this when I think about my own future as a new mom. I can hardly make myself a decent meal every day let alone take care of a child who is 100% depended on ME! If there is a good-parent gene, I know my next two parents have it. It's a daunting task, being a new parent, but it's people like Michelle and Billy who make me think with a new baby comes a whole new set of genes that are flipped on and make us fully prepared to nurture and care for a newborn. I had the pleasure of photographing 18-day old Austin last week, and not only did I get a handful of oh-my-gosh-this-is-the-CUTEST-BABY-EVER photos, but I learned a lot about what it takes to be a new mom. My friend Lynn assisted me this time since I realized it's a tad challenging juggling a newborn, holding up blankets, posing them, and snap the shutter just in time for that millisecond of a smile. Phew! Too bad I didn't get that millisecond smile. Maybe next time, Austin. ;-)

Michelle wasn't like most new mothers I've seen, and I mean this in the best way possible. When we first got there I thought, "there is no way this cute girl is the new mom. She's so...so tiny!" I will warn my husband now, it's not the norm for most new moms to whip back into shape and look at stunning the way Michelle did, but now I have proof it happens. :-) Secondly, there was such an ease to the way she held Austin and changed his diapers and fed him and soothed him; you would think this was her second or even third child! There is much excitement about this little guy because he happens to be the first grandkid on both sides of the family. In fact, his grandma from San Diego was there visiting, and she was beaming with happiness and pride. There is no doubt Austin is going to grow up in the most nurturing hands and be surrounded by love, laughter, and lots of football. Michelle and Billy, you created such a beautiful, sweet little boy, and I'm so grateful you chose me to have the honor of photographing him and your good-looking family. You two are doing an amazing job as new parents; keep it up!

This Thanksgiving the Geddes family has one more thing to be extremely thankful for - a gorgeous, healthy baby boy. I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and happy eating and shopping!





My favorite of the day because he's so alert and staring right at me!



Peaceful...



Not so peaceful...



Daddy and his little football player.





Told ya I had proof this new mother is gorgeous!



He had his boxing fists up when I first got there. Don't worry, Austin, I don't bite!



I was going to do all monochrome for this post, but I thought I'd end it with a colored photo just to twist it up a bit.

Sneak preview: Austin newborn photography

Here's a teaser for my next newborn post. I'm almost done with the post, but I have to do a bajillion things before we head off for southern CA for Thanksgiving so I'm just going to post the teaser and blog about this on the 7-hour car ride tomorrow. :-) Oh how I love to multitask...

Ryan and Amanda: Childrens Photography

Oh man! It's been a while since I've put up a post, but I finally got around to this awesome session with Ryan and Amanda. These kids are balls of energy to say the least. Their mother Liana kept asking me if I wanted children after photographing them because they seriously pooped me out from all the running and chasing. Well, Liana, to answer your question, after seeing how happy these two make you and how much they make you laugh I definitely am not afraid of having a few of my own one day.

The best part about photographing these kids was watching Amanda shadow her older brother in everything he did and laugh at every funny face he made or every dance he busted out. And let me tell ya, he busted a move, like, every few minutes! I'm calling it now - Ryan is going to be either a comedian or some kind of entertainer, and Amanda is going to be his number 1 fan. These two have such a nurturing brother-sister relationship fostered by parents who treasure them so much and smother them with kisses and hugs every time they get a chance.

Let's start off with my favorite of the day. Their faces make me smile. :-D










We asked Ryan to hold Amanda's hand, and he happily obliged. :-) What a great big brother.





Amanda's thinking, "Look at me! I'm so cute!"



Amanda thinks she's really funny; Ryan obviously doesn't agree here.





She LOVED the sand!

Cydney and Caitlyn

I knew I was going to love this shoot as soon as I walked up the door step to ring the door bell. I could hear little Cydney's voice behind the door saying, "Connie is my best friend." We hadn't even met, yet, and she already decided I would be her best friend. That's the cutest thing I've ever heard! I have a soft spot for these little sisters because I myself have two sisters whom are my bestest friends in the whole world. Sisters have this deep bond that one could only understand if you actually have a sister of your own. We laugh, we fight, we say mean things to each other, yet we have each others' backs when no one else does. Sisters have the most dramatic fights, yet the cold thaws away quickly and once again we laugh and talk as if nothing ever happened.

Cydney and Caitlyn will have years to build sisterly memories of their own. Their mother Christine actually has an identical twin sister and agrees their relationship is inseparable. Spending an afternoon with this family made me really look forward to having a family of my own. They are absolutely beautiful on the inside and the out; their love for their daughters is contagious. You can tell their dad Curtis is a sucker for these girls. Every time he entered the room Caitlyn's eyes lit up as she laughed with excitement, and if he left for a moment he'd return to Cydney's welcoming bear hugs. It's hard not to want children after seeing how happy these parents are.

Curtis and Christine, thank you so much for letting me spending time with you and your beautiful daughters. I came home so happy from this shoot, and it's families like yours that make me love this job even more than I already do.





Cydney said she was going to be my model for the day. Cydney, you were the best model ever!



How beautiful is Caitlyn?! Wow...



This is Cydney's fake smile. I seriously couldn't stop laughing it's so cute!





I told ya they're a good looking family.



Towards sun set the family and I were off to fly Cydney's kite; she was talking about this the entire afternoon! Here's Daddy helping her out.







Aww...



She posed this way herself! She was definitely ready to be my model. :-)





Here Cydney said, "Goodbye, Sun. Thanks for coming out today." {heart melting}