These photographs of my boys were taken in a patch of unkempt grass, by the side of busy road, in about 15 minutes of fading daylight.  A family member had asked for some photos of my kids wearing white shirts.  The white shirt look has never been my thing, feeling simultaneously formal, dated and a bit contrived.  So I grumbled inwardly, but complied. My boys grumbled outwardly, but complied.  They don’t mind being photographed, but they didn’t much like the matching-white-shirts either.  I said they could bring other shirts to change into, and that we would goof around after the white shirt images were finished.  I delivered a “lets make the best of it” pep talk and off we trudged to a patch of weeds near our house.

And then something really wonderful happened.  I showed them where to sit, and I backed off and I waited.  Conversation started.  And giggling.   And then laughing and bumping and talking and leaning and hugging.   I quietly took pictures.

After a little while, I spoke up and told them that I loved them, and I got this:

And a moment later back to giggling.

A quick change into the clashing plaid shirts.

Then they wanted pictures with some left-over Halloween mustaches.

The mustaches didn’t work very well.  One person found this funny while the other did not.  Some grumpiness ensued.  That was the end of that.  In 15 minutes, I took some of my favorite pictures of my boys this year, because they show what really matters.

What matters:

The authenticity of my boys’ connection.
The easy laughter and natural touching.
The beautiful light.
The way I feel when I look at these images.

What doesn’t matter:

What they were wearing.
The busy road nearby.
The messy hair, dark glasses or malfunctioning mustaches.
The touch of grumpiness.

When I look at these photos, I am there again, sitting in that field, feeling the same feelings of amusement, pride, love and connection that we were feeling then.

This is the secret I want to share with you:  The most meaningful images have nothing to do with your clothing or a pretty background or whether your kids have clean faces or perfectly polished smiles during your photo shoot.  Photographs that really matter happen when you can move past the veneer, open up your heart,  and allow yourself to wear your feelings like a pair of comfortable old jeans.  This is what I want to capture for each of my clients.  Because I promise that if you can show up ready to truly and authentically connect with your family, the images I make for you will always be a lifeline back to what matters most.

Here is what I loved about this family’s photography session.  I loved the location, the old buildings, the tall weeds and the beautiful evening light.  I loved that every time I asked them to stand or sit together somewhere, they automatically closed in tight, put their arms around each other, smiled real smiles.  I loved the boys’ open nature and easy affection for one another.  I loved the dirty tennis shoes, bruised knees and silly faces.  I loved that no one seemed to wish they were anywhere else for these couple hours.  I loved the complete authenticity of their connection.

Nine-day-old Baby C was a dream to photograph.  After a few sweet awake shots, he fell asleep and was the perfect tiny model.

Thank you, G family for inviting me to capture your precious C.

This photo session was in honor of Miss H’s first birthday, which she celebrated not long after our session.  She was at one of my favorite ages to photograph — old enough that her lovely personality was really shining through, but not quite old enough to be walking (and running) the way that busy toddlers tend to do.   The six to twelve-month-old baby is typically enchanted with the world and capturing this delight in images is such a joy!

Big sister was pretty delightful as well.

It was a pleasure to photograph this lovely and loving family in a beautiful Palo Alto garden setting.

I photographed this beautiful little newborn boy a while back.  We had a gloomy, rainy day for his session, but the soft window light coupled with his sweet, sleepy disposition made for some lovely images.

Warm thanks to the L family for inviting me to photograph their sweet little boy.

Creating a truly custom photography experience for my clients is what I love most about my work.  For me, this is not accomplished through staged settings or elaborate props or stylized posing.  I prefer to draw on more organic, inherent  elements — the individual personalities of my clients, the way they relate to each other, our collective mood, the light, the time of year, the weather, the existing features of our setting.  At each session, these factors and more combine to create an entirely unique experience, and consequently, entirely unique and personal images.

Sometimes a photo session comes together in such a spontaneous, effortless way it feels truly magical.  Last year’s photo session for this family was one of those sessions.  When we headed out to the same location again this year, I confess I was a little bit nervous that we might not be able to recreate last year’s magic.  But I needn’t have worried because of course the point was not to recreate the past, but to capture the present in this family’s life.  Yes, this year was different with different weather, different light, mowed grass instead of long grass, and slightly older children.  From different elements, we crafted a different kind of magic, a sequel that I love just as much and maybe more.

What were they laughing about?  That’s a secret I’m not going to tell. 

A heartfelt thank you to the T family for another wonderful session.  Until next year . . .

I remember long ago when I first started working as an attorney (yes, I practiced law for 10 years!), one of the first things my firm did was send me out for a head shot to use on the firm website.  The photographer led me into a small, cluttered room, plunked me down in front of a nondescript backdrop, positioned my head, shoulders and arms in “just the right way” and fired off about 10 blindingly fast shots as I tried to make a natural smile.  The entire process took about 3 minutes and I felt quite literally like a deer in the headlights.  When I received the proofs, I just cringed.  None of them looked like the “me” I saw in my mind’s eye and I reluctantly chose one that would end up representing me visually to clients and colleagues for the next ten years.  Now, I don’t fault that long-forgotten photographer.  He was just doing his job, which was to make us all look formal and uniform in an acceptably professional way.

Fast forward 15 years to a new era.  With the ever-increasing impact of social media on businesses and professionals alike, it is increasingly important to convey a sense of who you are as a person to potential clients and partners.  More and more professionals in all types of careers are looking beyond stale and staged head shots to professional portraits that communicate something unique about their personality and style.

Today’s blog share is from a couple of recent professional portrait sessions.  These sessions really are a treat for me, as I believe strongly that every woman is beautiful and photogenic.  In a session that isn’t rushed or overly formal, we can take the time to create artistic, beautiful images that I like to call “professional with personality.” And we always manage to have fun in the process.  So many women I’ve worked with tell me that they hate the way they look in photos.  So, there is nothing better for me than hearing back from these same women after they get their proofs saying, “I love them all and don’t know how I’m going to choose!”

I loved everything about my session with this Menlo Park family — the beautiful, late afternoon sunlight that appeared at the end of an overcast day, the family’s relaxed and casual approach to their photo session, the fact that they brought their dog, and especially the mischievous and engaging J who kept things lively and fun.  This first image might be my favorite and was one of the last I took that evening.  I think J had spent most of his energy at this point, and the evening light was very low and soft.

I love a good mischievous look.  I think he nails it.

Charming indeed.

This session took place before the holidays (ack I have so many great sessions waiting to be blogged) and I’m so happy to finally be sharing it.  Thanks to young Mr. J for keeping me entertained and for being so charmingly photogenic.

Sweet little D was 13 days old at her newborn session.  Oh my goodness, she was perfectly plump and had the most fantastic hair that liked to stand up mohawk-style.  And luckily she was still sleepy and sweet which is not always the case for newborns this old.

Funny story about this session.  I always expect the unexpected at a newborn session — and really, go-with-the-flow is my approach to all of my child and family photo sessions — but this session threw me a curve ball.  (Sorry, I’m a Giants fan and I couldn’t resist the baseball reference.)  About half way through the session, a strange and somewhat loud beeping noise started.  We could not figure out where it was coming from, but it sounded sort of like an alarm.  The mom and dad started working on the security system trying to figure out how to stop the noise, and somehow the panic button got pushed.  At which point the alarm sounded for real and it was ear splitting and incorporated bright flashing strobe lights.  No kidding.  What to do?  Little D and I just kept on photographing and I was amazed and grateful that she slept right through the racket.  Perhaps there is truth in that saying, “sleeping like a baby?”  Later, the parents figured out that the original noise was coming from the extension cord I plugged my space heater into.  Apparently, it had some kind of warning when it got too hot.  Ooops!  In fairness, I use that heater at every session and have never had that happen before.

Anyway, I present the perfect and precious newborn D, who wins the prize for the most unflappable newborn.

♥  Sister love  ♥

(Does anyone else see the heart in this image?)

Perfectly pink.

Last but not least, big sis, who had both style and engaging sass!

Thank you B-D family for inviting me to photograph your beautiful girls.  It is always, always a privilege and a joy to capture newborn images for a growing family.

This session was a triple treat.  As a San Francisco Bay Area photographer, I don’t get to photograph in the snow very often and I loved working with the winter landscape.  I also love photographing older children and teens.  And last but not least, these particular teen girls belong to a  friend of mine from high school with whom I’ve recently reconnected.  (Thank you Facebook!)  We planned this session during my visit to the Pittsburgh area during the holidays.  As the day approached, I was watching the weather with some trepidation.  The forecast was calling for cold and snow.  Sure enough, the morning arrived and it was cold.  But we had some bright skies and these girls were willing to brave temperatures in the 20′s and a few flurries for their session.  Their photographer was complaining more about the cold than they were. 

After shooting around the family’s home, we headed over to a local barn where the younger sister takes riding lessons.  What is not apparent in these images is that, as I was photographing, a barn kitten kept leaping onto my leg and climbing up me, sharp little claws all engaged.  New experience, remaining calm and getting the shot while a barn kitten mistakes me for a tree.

L, you know how much I enjoyed photographing your beautiful girls . . .