I hope I get to see this gorgeous family again soon! 

Can't wait to see you guys for your holiday photos this fall!! :)

Congratulations guys! These little ladies are beyond beautiful and are clearly growing up healthy and strong at incredible speed now... <3

I had the most fun evening with you guys! Especially our little "feed the mouse" game at the end! ;) I was still giggling on the drive home!! :D I hope I see you all sooner than later. xo

Thanks for being such great sports about the chilly wind! You guys were such troopers!! <3

Congratulations guys. He is beyond precious! They change your world completely these little ones... <3

Congratulations guys on your beautiful family! And thank you for my super fun few hours hanging out in your home! <3

I wish you both the very best with the amazing plans you have for your future! <3

See you guys real soon!! 

Congratulations! Enjoy every moment. Even the 3am ones... ;)

I had such a fun morning with this beautiful family! I hope they grace my blog even more in the coming year! <3

Congratulations O Family! I'm excited to meet the little one soon!! <3

I wish you all the best as N Family, as you move on to the next chapter of your lives. Please keep in touch!! <3

P, thank you for everything. From the bottom my heart.

Now check out this cutie. And he's got 2 equally adorable older siblings too!

I wrapped up my 2013 sessions with these cuties. And it was the absolute best way to end my year! <3 Happy New Year everyone!!

I had a blast chasing these cuties and their parents around downtown San Francisco that day! <3

I had a fabulous time keeping up with them that day! Happy Holidays guys. Thanks for being such great sports about the cool weather! 

Thanks guys for allowing me to be a part of your lives for a brief couple of hours. And for introducing me to one of the prettiest views of San Francisco! Happy Holidays!

Congratulations guys on your newest addition. He is just beautiful!

This evening, I looked back through my archives of all my favorite images I've captured of my clients throughout the year and realized I had gone through hundreds and had not even gotten past June yet. Wow. I am humbled beyond words that so many of you chose me to be a part of so many special days and milestones in your lives.

I began this site a couple of years ago just to have somewhere to direct inquiries when someone asked me if I would be willing to photograph their family after having seen my images on my personal family blog. And now here I am, offering a "Cyber Monday Deal". If you know me, then you'll know I was at a complete loss as to how to even begin to offer a "deal"! I love photography with a passion. And I love capturing all those genuine moments that exist in every family. The business side? Not so much :P

But I have so much to be grateful for this year. My healthy family, my life as a full-time mom, and especially you, my clients and friends. Thank you. All of you. For the referrals, the kind words to your sisters, cousins and even your own clients. For sharing your pictures on your Facebook pages, at your Mothers Clubs and other private groups. I feel truly lucky and blessed. 

So here's my attempt at giving back to you. A huge deal on my family sessions. As you know, I've been able to offer my sessions at low pricing the last 2 years. But as my children grow, their needs do too. In order to accommodate their schedules and mine, my session pricing will increase in 2014. However, before the year ends, I want to give you all one last shot for some sessions at an even lower price than what I offered this year. Soooo... TA-DAAAA!!! (haha!) Here is my very first attempt at a Cyber Deal! I hope you will be able to use it!

This Special will last till Friday December 6th, 2013 or until they are sold out. 

Thank you again for an amazing year!! 

I had such a great time with you guys! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season celebrating your special Christmas gift from a year ago! <3

It was such a treat to capture these images for them that day. And just a short few weeks before this little guy turns 1 too! 
Happy happy birthday sweet boy! 
Congratulations mom and dad for surviving that milestone 1st year as parents! 

Her boys kept me on my toes the whole time for sure. Their energy was infectious to say the least. I wanted to get a race in and dig some big holes with them along the waters too!

They were such a pleasure to photograph with their high spirits, undeniable good looks and charismatic yet cheeky personalities. <3
It was as pretty and warm an evening as you'll ever get at the San Francisco beaches. Especially during this time of year!

Thanks for the fun few hours guys! Don't wait too long for our next playdate! ;)

I just adore the that special quiet you get when it is your first child...
And what a cutie this one is!
Congratulations guys! He is adorable!!

They introduced me to a cool spot in San Rafael - China Camp! We did tons of exploring along the shore. I have to say, it was the perfect setting for active young boys! ;)

We stayed till way past the sun had set behind the hills. 
It was such a fun couple of hours catching up and running around. I'm hoping I won't have to wait too long to hang out with these cuties again! 

I photographed them last year when their youngest was just days old. And now this future heartbreaker is almost 1 and already toddling around!

The year since I first photographed them has flown by for us all. Her kids have all grown up even more adorable than I remember them.

And mom? Well she looked flawless when she was 5 days post-partum last time we did this, so no surprises that she is even more effortlessly gorgeous this time around!
(there's always one that escapes when you're trying to get a group shot.. hehe)

Thanks guys for a fun evening. I can't wait to see you guys real soon for another milestone shoot! ;)

So I got to meet this gorgeous young lady one morning... Just days after she made her appearance into the world <3
I have never met a newborn that smiled as much as she did. Wow. Beautiful AND happy! Talk about making my work easy!

We have been friends with these two love birds since before they were married. It made this session so relaxed and fun given our comfort level with each other. I kinda wanna go back and take like their baby's pictures every month or something, haha. :)

Baby I. was one of the the sweetest and easiest baby I've met. Of course I'd want to go back to photograph her more! Plus, mom and dad were such laid back first time parents. I was beyond impressed! Thanks guys, for humoring me for a few hours and allowing me to capture these first special days of your first child's life. I'm so honored!
Congratulations again. She is beautiful. She is perfect. She is your daughter.

*big big hugs* from my family to yours.

xoxo

And this past weekend I got to see how much both their beautiful boys have grown! How lucky am I right??

We chased each other around my favorite place in the world - AT&T Park! Oh how I remember what this place was like exactly one year ago! *sigh* 

Nevertheless, it is always a treat for me to be here at the home of my San Francisco Giants. Be it for a regular season game, the World Series or just photographing some of my favorite clients!

Thanks guys for the fun morning we had! I have so loved watching your little family grow this past year! I hope to see you all just as much in 2014!
 Happy Holidays!!

And check out the big boy he's grown into! I barely recognized him from our last session almost a year ago at San Francisco's City Hall...
He gave me a workout back then and he certainly did so again this time! Him and his beautiful older sister ;)
It was fun to catch up with them and chat about how all our kids continue to grow at lightning speed. 

We capped off our fun evening with some sweet treats at pretty Ghiradelli Square. Yes it was one of those warm SF days we get this time of year where you just HAVE to indulge in some ice-cream if you're already outdoors enjoying the gorgeous weather! <3

This sweet family was one of my earlier clients, so they definitely hold a special spot in my heart!
The last time I met them, their littlest you see here was just a bump in her mama's belly. I photographed them at the pretty Botanical Gardens in San Francisco just a few short weeks before she made her appearance! And look what a difference 9 months has made in their beautiful little family! <3
Their oldest even kinda, somewhat remembered me... Or maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part ;)

I was beyond thrilled when they contacted me again to capture their annual family photos...
I certainly hope they make these meetings with me a regular thing! ;)

Thanks guys, for the fun few hours in your beautiful home. It was *almost* as warm and gorgeous as your lovely family! ;)

 

I had a blast chasing daddy and his girl around in the warm sun...

It was the perfect way to end my sunny SF weekend - with these 2 happy kids!<3

And sometimes if I'm lucky, I get to experience that 2 and 4 year old magic at the same time as well!

Newborn babies... And their precocious older siblings! Hanging out with them is definitely one of my favorite ways to spend a stolen few hours...

This little family of 5 had my heart the moment I walked in the their front door.
Congratulations AK Family! On your newest addition as well as the beautiful ones you were adding to! ;) 

As challenging as it was to find parking and each other amongst the throngs of people at Baker Beach that day, it was definitely one of the nicest days to be frolicking barefoot and chasing the waves along the shores of a San Francisco beach... 

I had the pleasure of photographing 4 wonderful families that warm afternoon. So many little personalities to capture, all in a span of 2+ hours... <3

They sure kept me on my toes whilst chasing them through the surf and wet sand...
It was the perfect day for a session like this at the beach!
I'm going to put more of these mini-sessions on my calendar for the next holiday season!
 

This gorgeous family was one of my first sessions I did early this year. Back when their youngest was just 5 days old! What a special treat it was for me to get to see them again last weekend. This time we took our fun outdoors at their neighborhood beach!
I was beyond excited to shoot at a WARM beach close to sunset. You know, where everyone is able to frolic around barefoot in short-sleeves and dresses!

We had a glorious couple of hours playing in the sand and surf.
And I learned that their beautiful daughter has launched a successful modeling career since I last saw her! Not surprising at all really... I mean, wouldn't you buy anything she was selling? :)
This was another one of those sessions where time flew and I never felt for one minute that I was "working"... *sigh*

I had a blast guys! I'm so happy that I won't have to wait too long to see you all again! ;) Yay!

Mom and dad went all out with the celebrations. I was super impressed with everything mom put together for this special occasion! 
It was such a treat to be a part of this fabulous party with all his friends and family!
Thanks guys for including me in this big milestone of his young life!

Happy 1st Birthday Baby C!

I took a break from my summer activities to meet up with this lovely family one evening...
Yeah I definitely didn't mind taking a break from my break to shoot this super cute family. Especially when I found out that they were only in town from Southern California for a brief few days and wanted to do a shoot with me. How could I say no right?? 

San Francisco's foggy July and August can be brutal for photo sessions, but they picked the sunniest spot in the city for ours. The Embarcadero always manages to deliver the only bits of sunshine to us in the deepest parts of our foggy summer!

Thank goodness I had somewhere "summery" to show our SoCal visitors! 
I've had a nice relaxing pace this summer focusing on my husband and kids, but it sure was fun to take a break from my own family to shoot theirs! <3

I met up with this cute family at the quaint San Jose History Park. So many lovely backdrops for our shoot! Mom is famed blogger Grace Hwang-Lynch of Hapamama.com. I met her a couple of years ago at the San Francisco ClickinWalk and have kept in touch with as well as followed her witty blog about her family and life as, well, a hapamama! It was fun to hang out and catch up again and also to meet her beautiful family!

Our session fell on one of the hottest days of the year. Yeah it was at least 85 degrees. We were melting. Well maybe just me...:)
And I for one was very disappointed that the cute little ice-cream parlor was closed!
But we made do exploring the cute buildings and grounds of San Jose History Park.
And even found refuge from the heatwave inside one of the old buildings!

We had a good time despite the heat. Her boys were total troopers throughout it all.
It was great to see you Grace! Hopefully we can hang out again at the ClickinMoms Walk later this year! 

I hold this particular family session close to my heart for a couple of reasons... One of them being that their beautiful daughter and my son are very close classmates! Mom and I see each other quite a bit for all our volunteer and school activities we are apart of.
It was quite a treat for me to spend a couple of hours with them this dreary SF evening. Wet as it was, we made the most of it and had a great time walking the picturesque grounds at the Palace of Fine Arts.

The other reason this session was so special was because we were celebrating the grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary! 
Yes these two. 50 years and I could still feel the chemistry between them! <3
I really enjoyed being a part of these 3 generations lives for those brief couple of hours.

Thanks guys for thinking of me for this special occasion we documented that evening. I look forward to seeing *most* of you back at school in the fall!

It was one of those cold, damp days where we were all happy to be indoors and playing! 
Of course we did brave the overcast skies a little towards the end to enjoy their beautiful backyard!
Thanks for the fun morning guys! I hope to see you guys soon!

 

They are everything I love about living in this city. Dad is in a band, kids have a pirate ship in their backyard, and mom pulls it all together while looking effortlessly beautiful!
As always, sessions like these go by too quickly for me.
The good news is, since we are kind of neighbors, and share a close mutual friend (hehe), I hope to see them again real soon!

I loved every minute of this session.
Being a part of fleeting, special moments like these, is a truly humbling experience for me. I always walk away feeling lucky to have been a part of it.
Congratulations guys. And thank you for allowing me to document this special time in your lives!

I hope to see you all again soon!

Thanks QT Family, for such a fun couple of hours. And for introducing me to this gorgeous place. I plan to come back for more sessions soon! :)

Meet the ultra-chic G Parents and their handsome, high-energy boys!
Any other parents to multiple boys reading my blog? You can probably relate to these next few images... ;)

Honestly, high-energy kids translate into a whole lot of fun images I get to edit afterward.
 Clearly mom and dad are used to all this activity. 

It was yet another fun morning for me photographing a happy, loving family!
Thanks guys for inviting me into your home to hangout, duel with lighsabers and swords, jump on beds and crawl on floors with you. SO FUN!

As expected, time flew by with this beautiful family...

I'm so happy I got the chance to photograph them. Before all our summers got crazy!
I look forward to seeing you all soon T Family!

My time with them just flew by that day. 
Seriously, some sessions just go by in the blink of an eye for me. This was definitely one of them.
And you can probably see that this is likely their last set of photos while they are a family of just 3 right...? You'd have to look real hard to tell though given how fabulous mom looks!
Congratulations on your upcoming bundle of joy! It is truly an honor to capture these images for you before you become 4!

Congratulations L Family!! She is just gorgeous, and is only the beginning of your beautiful story... 

I kicked off the year with a baking shoot with these 2 cute kids back in January. And got invited back recently to capture some memorable 7 year birthday shots for mom!

We started off with some painting...

Then moved on to a good old water battle...
Then decided we didn't get enough paint on the canvas, I mean ourselves... (what canvas?)
And for the finale, we had cake! 
Who says cake smash birthdays are only for 1 year olds?? Not this mama!

Although, I did figure out that 7 year olds smash cakes a little differently than toddlers...
Hehe... He cracks me up, this kid! :)

They both do actually.  Yep that was his cue to clean up!  And he totally OWNED the cleanup too! 
These two. We have become good friends, both our families. They make us laugh even when we're not smashing cakes or throwing paint!
Happy Happy 7th Birthday E! C and I can't wait to continue the birthday celebrations this weekend!! 

 

I mean, look at this pretty little lady... Who wouldn't fall in love?!
And the lovely family she belongs to...

I ended up spending my longest session there with them. Yeah they had to kick me out! ;)

I had such a good time hanging out with them, I didn't even notice how the time had flown by...

Thank you C Family, for the chance to capture these moments when you're a new family of 5!
And also for being so understanding about the little "hiccup" we had toward the end of our session! ;)

Good luck with this newest lady in your lives! She's a beauty for sure!

Congratulations V Family on your upcoming bundle of joy!!

Happy happy 3rd birthday big boy! And soon to be, BIG BROTHER! 

The cultural significance of the entire ritual was so special. I felt lucky to have been there to capture all the intimate moments.

Thank you W Family for inviting me into your home again and allowing me to capture this intimate event.
And for feeding me that DELICIOUS spicy curry for lunch! That was awesome! :)

And the woman behind it all?

This lady.

Just a couple of weeks post-partum and looking effortlessly beautiful and completely relaxed with 2 kids under 3! 
It was clear to me right away how much of mom's love was evident in the tiniest decorating details of their lovely home and the easy, affectionate  interactions with dad and kids.

It was such an honor to take a peek into their lives that afternoon. I hope I am doing their love justice in the photos I took while I was there.
Congratulations W Family. On your newest addition of course. But more than anything, on the beautiful life you have built. <3

Mom and dad were amazingly accommodating with all my requests for poses and rearranging of their furniture. Bless their hearts. And mind you, like all parents with a newborn, they were working on minimal sleep. I'm convinced though they always look this good. (Yes this is mom just days post-partum!)
They certainly made my job easy that day.

Thank you so much H Family, for such a fun few hours. I feel completely humbled to have been able to photograph your gorgeous family.
Congratulations on your beautiful addition to your growing family!

I hope this handsome little man is giving you guys an easy time these early weeks of his life ;)

They were so excited to show me everything around their home. But most of all, their new baby brother!
The time just flew by and I ended squeaking a game of hide and seek with them at the end too. I mean, how do you resist faces like these right? 
And let's not forget mom. She is 5 days post-partum here. Umm, yeah. Need I say more? ;) I'm pretty sure I didn't brush my teeth let alone take a shower until my kids were 1 week old!

It was such a pleasure to hang out with this gorgeous family for a few hours on a dreary morning. Definitely one of the most fun things I did that weekend!
Congratulations guys on your beautiful growing family!

The A Family and I go way back. I have a soft spot in my heart for this special family since they were one of the very first families I photographed that was not my own! Back then, they were just 3.
And look at the cutie pie they've added to their little family since I last saw them!

Oh my goodness he was just gobble-me-up adorable with all his many expressions! He stayed awake pretty much the entire time I was there.

I can't begin to describe what a thrill it is for me to get to photograph this family's many milestones in the short time I've known them.

And watch this amazing little girl grow from only-child to protective big-sister.
Congratulations guys. You've made quite the gorgeous little family here. I'm honored to have been able to capture some of the big moments in your story...

This little guy is a pro in the kitchen for sure!
They picked the perfect dreary SF morning to stay indoors and cook up some sweets.

Best part of this little session? I got to take home so of their delicious concoctions!! 
Happy New Year everyone!

First off, let me share this - Mom just had her latest bundle of joy less than a week ago (this is her 3rd). Not only does she look fabulous, but there was no tension or stress to be felt in their home when I walked in. You know, the kind that usually comes along with a newborn? Yeah, none of that. Just two really well-behaved kids and one super laid-back dad at the door to greet me. Wow. I was impressed right from the start.
The kids were friendly, curious and adorably precocious. And absolutely proud of their newest baby brother.

And the littlest member of the family? Well he made my job super easy. He slept pretty much the entire time :)
I had a wonderful few hours with this family. It was definitely one of those times where I felt blessed to be a part of special moments like these.
Thank you K Family! I'm glad your youngest made it in time for me to photograph you all before I called it a year! :)

Happy Holidays!

Mom has my utmost respect for getting everyone together for family photos during this crazy time with little ones as young as them. And wow, they were such a joy to photograph.
And as always there is always one that steals the show... <3 Their oldest with her shy smile and cutest pigtails had me at hello!
We had so much fun we pretty much shut down the Botanical Gardens.
Yeah we barely made it out before lockdown :)
Thank you W Family for this wonderful opportunity to shoot your family!

We've had a bit of rain recently. That means gloomy skies, wet ground and puddles! Just what every almost-3-year-old loves! Big props to mom for incorporating her rain boots into their session. I'm pretty sure I had as much fun photographing her as she did jumping in the puddles!
Our session started with overcast skies and the threat of rain. But fortunately the sun came out and we were warm and dry the entire time. Except for the puddle-jumping of course.
They were one of my favorite families to shoot for sure. All giggles, hugs and tons of kisses. 
They are about to add to their growing family in a few weeks and they're as relaxed as can be about it. Congratulations L Family, and thank you for letting me capture some of these last special moments when you're just a family of 3 still. 

 

The S family and I are old friends. And I had done a session with them over the summer. I was amazed at how much their kids have grown in the short span of time since I'd seen them. They have become quite the precocious and active little kids!
San Francisco City Hall is just gorgeous a venue. And I was so in love with my light there!

There was lots of wide open spaces with minimal crowds so the kids definitely gave me a run for my money. Literally ;)
I had such a blast running around all over City Hall with them. Love this family lots!

Celeste Wyrick is a professional portrait, fine art and commercial photographer. Please visit her website to check out some of her beautiful work.

The San Francisco Giants were playing game 6 of the NLCS when we began our shoot. I thought I'd be distracted for sure, but seriously, how could I be with this beautiful family? 
We had amazing weather at Baker Beach that evening. 

And check out these adorable kids! It warmed my heart to no end to watch them frolic and play in the sun, sand and surf.
Yes it was one of those gorgeous evenings at an SF beach where even the Golden Gate Bridge refused to be hidden in fog. I just loved everything about this session and this lovely family I had the honor of photographing. <3

As a guest :) I of course jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn't want the chance to capture that special day when two people and their families commit to spend the rest of their lives together. I was happy to be apart of the Draper Family's wonderful day. Since they already had an official photographer there, I was careful to not step on his toes or get in his way. Instead, I wandered around, enjoyed the lovely settings and delicious food, while chatting with some of the guests and snapped away :)

I'll share some of my favorites here...

Thank you Cindy and Jarel for this incredibly special chance to capture these intimate moments of your wedding day. Congratulations and wishing you a wonderful life filled with love and laughter.

She turned 2 recently and I had the honor of capturing all the wonderful details that come with celebrating such a special age.

It was one of those beautifully warm days in the Bay Area. I feel really lucky to have been able to hang out with this wonderful family again! Congratulations Allison and Dave for putting together a fun party and most importantly, surviving the first 2 years!

Happy Birthday Z!