The Magic of Bubbles and Tutus

I was on a shoot recently with one of my long time clients. I shot Amanda's first and second pregnancies and many others in between. I did a family shoot with all four of them last week. We went don to Levi Plaza to get some fun candid shots. When we got down there Amanda pulled some bubbles out of the bag, and the fun began! Bubbles bring on the smiles. Her little girl could not get enough of them, and oddly enough, I couldn't either. It was so fun to see her face light up each time her dad blew some bubbles. Each time was like the first. With my kids being 12 and 13, we haven't had bubbles out in awhile. Now, I see age shouldn't stop us from getting the bubbles out and having some fun.

Next out of the bag was the tutu. Again, big smiles. I remember when the tutu was a part of daily fashion with my daughter. Before I had children I would think how weird it was to see a child dressed up in a a full tutu, with tiara and all, at the mall on any given day. Once I had my daughter it all made perfect sense! The mom or dad had no real say when their 3 year old wanted to wear a tutu to the mall, and they realized it was not going to hurt anyone and it usually brought smiles to the people shopping. It brings us all back to when our children were little and that sense of fun and fairy tale. We all need that once in a while. Bring on the tutus!

Mannina Family Portraits- the twins are 18 months old

I will never forget my maternity shoot with Jana Mannina. I had seen a lot of bellies before her, but never one as big as Jana's. She was pregnant with twins! I was amazed at how she was still standing. She said she had held out so she could get her maternity photos done, but she was ready to deliver as soon as we were done. Gianna and Mateo were born 6 days later!

I can't believe how time flies. The twins just turned 18 months old and Jana and Steve decided it was a perfect time to capture them on film and to have a professional family shoot. They will have an album to to look back at in years to come, as well as digital files so they can share photos with friends and family on the internet. The timing is perfect to have great photos for their holiday cards!

Remember when you are photographing your children not to worry so much about them looking right at the camera. A lot of my favorite shots are when the little ones are not aware of the camera. You are more likely to capture more of their personality. Also, zoom in. Close ups really show the children's expressions, and again, more of who they are. Set aside some time to follow them around and just keep shooting. The more time you give yourself to take photos of the kids, the better the chance of getting one of those priceless pictures.