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}

Sneak preview: Cydney and Caitlyn

Oh man do I have a treat for you! I had a session with two of the cutest sisters ever! I always have a soft spot for sisterly love because my own two sisters and I are the bestest of friends, and I don't know what I'd do without them. Here's a preview of today's photo shoot with Cydney and Caitlyn.

Some TLC from Alameda - Tyler, Logan, and Chloe

Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. As I stood at the door and rang the doorbell, I could hear voices from behind the door - little high-pitched voices talking really fast, nothing I could comprehend. When their dad Tony opened the door, I saw two quick blurs in the background run toward the backyard. These two blurs would soon be known as Tyler and Logan. In the center of their living room was everything opposite of those boys - a peaceful, tiny, dainty baby girl wrapped in a soft pink blanket wearing a pink Polo tennis dress. Smiling. Sleeping. Meet Chloe. Chloe is an absolute doll, and she was amazingly patient and calm throughout the entire shoot. Her mom and dad were absolutely smitten.

After getting a couple shots of Chloe sleeping in the house, we moved the shoot to a nearby elementary playground. I think Mark was secretly happy he got to join me for this shoot because he hasn't played on a playground in years, and he obviously had been deprived. While taking some photos of Chloe on the grass area I would look over to see if Tyler and Logan were ready for photos and all I could see were THREE blurs now - Tyler, Logan, and Mark all running around, climbing the jungle gym, racing down the slides, swinging on the monkey bars. It was endless. Needless to say, this was a very fun shoot for all of us!

So peaceful...





Blur #1, Tyler



Blur #2, Logan



Look at that lone dimple! So adorable...



Chloe thinks I'm funny :-)



Only Tyler could sit still enough for a photo with Chloe, and I had to pull his teeth to get this photo. It's hard to make a five-year old boy sit with his baby sister when he sees his three-year old brother and Mark playing without him.





I finally got a few decent ones of Logan in the very end. He was the blurriest of them all, and I was so sad because that cute little face is SO photogenic!

Sneak Preview: Chloe and her brothers Tyler and Logan

I had such a fun time getting to know this family - the boys were balls of energy and their baby sister Chloe was an absolute doll. Those cheeks are to die for! Here are a couple photos from Sunday's shoot in Alameda.

Alcatraz night tour

I should have posted these on Halloween because these photos are pretty eerie - PERFECT for Halloween! I went to the Alcatraz night tour with some folks from our company a couple weeks ago, and it was really beautiful! I thought I'd be freaked out, but the history of "the rock" and the run down infrastructure made it such a beautiful place to take photos. Beautifully dark. Here are a few from that night, some were left untouched and some were massaged to enhance the creepiness. :-)

View of SF skyline from Alcatraz. 30-seconds exposure



and one more at 6-seconds exposure. Which do you like more? I'm leaning on the 6-seconds



I loved these dark walkways with the overhanging lights.





Amy under one of the lights



Paranormal activity status. I got the CHILLS editing this one!



An exit from the jail cellars



These stairs led to pure blackness. So creepy but I love the color of the stairs.







Three jail cells on the second floor



The showers is where we entered





Crazy sun set as the ferry left the dock



Coit Tower



These were some super old ropes hanging in the Embarcadero BART station - I can't find the history on them. Anyone know?