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Laguna Beach Family Photography: Desi and Family

What could be better than spending each day at work with a friend? Not Much! Last summer at a swim meet I was sharing with my friend Des that my photography studio was getting super busy and it was tough to find someone who could not only help with photography sessions, but was also a wonder working with clients, understood how to cater to the high standard of customer service I was working towards, worked well with kids and had a creative eye for detail. Des shared a story with me that day. She told me that when we first meet several years ago, she had a feeling that we would work together in the future.

Fast forward to today, and I am extremely blessed to now have her as a member of the Blue Sky’s family. She is an exceptionally talented stylist along with everything else. Many of you are already acquainted with her, as she now does all of the review sessions (another great talent is that she is excellent at interior decorating and a whiz at recommending wall displays, etc.). We have officially named 2015 as the year of Desi (as many of my clients seemed to have renamed her, and it really fits). I had the great pleasure of photographing her with her beautiful daughters! Here is a preview of a few of my favorite images from the session:

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Fun in the Field with the Collins Family: San Juan Capistrano Family Photographer

Sometimes you have to plan while the flowers are a blooming!  And since I have no idea how long they are going to stay around, you may see lots of flowers in my sessions in the near future.  These gorgeous yellow blooms are the perfect backdrop to a fun, earthy, family photography session.  The Collins family dressed just right to blend in with the beautiful wild flowers, trees and other earthy elements.  Not to mention the fact that their kids are gorgeous…. even if Ryan thinks he can’t smile….. and I have pictures that prove he does have a great grin!  This family is near and dear to my heart, as I can totally relate with Sue and having a husband obsessed with the Eagles.  If you, like me, love the wild mustard, now is the perfect time to book a session.    Be sure to check out the slideshow at the end of the images for a little behind the scenes action!

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Oh The Places we will go: San Juan Capistrano Flower Fields

I have already said this, but thank God for the rain!  It has been three years since I have seen the flower fields looking so beautiful.  Every photography session has been a treat and the Knuff kiddos were no exception.  These two were so darn cute and cooperative, they basically did whatever we asked of them.  Of course there was some silliness in between the requests to “hug your sister”, but that just added to the fun.  I am headed back today for another fun family session!  Here is a sneak peak of the Knuff session from last week.  Enjoy…

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San Juan Capistrano Family Session

Thank goodness for the rain we have gotten so far this season.  It feels like forever since I have seen the beautiful yellow bloom of mustard flowers.  But, fortunately, last weekend was warm and sunny and there was mustard flowers as far as the eye could see!   Perfect for a family photography session, especially when this family traveled from Russia, Peru and Arizona just to get one beautiful, blended family portrait.

This is just a little sneak peek for the Lenzen family!  I can’t wait to share all of the great portraits from their session!

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Crazy Kiddos? No problem!

I am not ashamed to admit it, I am a photoshop junky.  Long before I was shooting fun, fabulous portraits for clients, I was cutting and pasting heads from one shot to the next.   Yes, I actually started my photography career as a touch up artist and quickly learned that if I wanted to fulfill my personal vision for my clients, I had to step behind the camera.

I love nothing more than working with crazy, spirited kids and their families.  But, and this is a big BUT, it is extremely difficult to get the “perfect everyone looking at the camera with perfect smiles on their faces,” shot organically.  This is where head swapping can save the day.  Take this example, I have been photographing these gorgeous kiddos for years.  Our sessions have lots of giggles, silly faces and potty humor and that means it is tough to get everyone to look at me at the same time.  The image on the left is the original image I shot.  Their darling son is cracking up and looking off into the distance.  The daughter’s hand, on the right, looks a little strange bunched up in her dress… but with the power of photoshop….. everyone is perfect.

Now you know my secret, not every portrait starts off perfect!  But hopefully the end results will be enjoyed for a lifetime.  Enjoy!

 

Orange County San Clemente Pier family portraits