I big pink puffy heart the Grimm Family! {newborn photos, sonoma county newborn photographer, newborn baby boy photos}

I always encourage parents that want newborn photos taken that we do the shoot in their home. Although there is a larger level of the unknown for me. I find that I have more opportunity to capture who the family is and add more personal touches than if I do them at my house. Not to mention, it is much more personal to have the pictures done with their own blankets and pillows. The list of possible things we need is long and too much for parents to have to bring along with their newborn!

To me, a great set of photos is a balance between strong technical skill, personal style from the photographer, style from the subject, and creativity. When you get a right balance of those things you get a picture that captures the spirit of the subject or in the case of newborn photography, captures the spirit of the family that loves them so much! If I'm in their home I can see the decor, the furniture, the little things like the cigar box or a sign that is hanging in the kitchen. The littlest of things can sometimes really add the perfect final touches to a newborn photo. Something that has meaning when the child grows up and asks about that box they were in, or that sign that was in the photo.

From the second I walked into the Grimm Family home, which happened to be the original school house in Sonoma, I was in awe! I could barely hold a conversation with them because I was sucked into the details that were in their home. Nick had re-done the interior walls but used the same color and same texture and style just with new paint. They collected old pieces from the property and from family and friends and used them as decor in the most creative ways! Their home was the most perfect balance of old eclectic and vintage with modern color and style. Their bedroom looked like it was right out of a Pottery Barn catalog! Nick took old wood boards and nailed them up as crown molding! It looked so amazing! He even hand made Henry's crib to look like an old waggon!!! There is not one single thing that I used in these photos that was a "prop" everything in these photos are things that either serve a purpose in the home or they are apart of their decor! I honestly have dreamed of owning a studio just exactly like that where each room has endless possibilities, where every room pared with different "things" lying around the house and then paired with my clients would keep me inspired from now until eternity!! Needless to say....... I big huge pink puffy heart the Grimm Family and their home! oh and Henry Ford Grimm is such a super cute adorable little baby boy!!!! can't forget about him!!!

Baby Baltierra {newborn photography, sonoma county newborn photographer}

I had the pleasure of photographing this adorable 2 week old baby, Madison. The Baltierra Family drove all the way from San Mateo to my home in Petaluma for the shoot! She was so adorable! It's always so fun to watch new Mommies and Daddies with their new precious baby! Here are just a few of my favorites!!

A look into the Stirnus Wedding {Oakmont Golf Course Wedding Photos, Sonoma Wedding Photos}

I got the pleasure of meeting the lovely Veronica at a Wedding show and then shortly after that we met again at her friend Heather's Wedding that I just happened to be photographing. I knew from day 1 that Veronica's wedding was going to be amazing. Then at her and Gabe's engagement session when I hopped in the back seat of their car and saw binders stacked on top of binders and bridal magazines galore, it confirmed that thought! She was on it! I knew she'd have every little detail planned and perfected, personalized and elegant. After she signed the contract she asked to add a second photographer. My normal second photographer was already booked so I began my hunt for another. It was then that the clouds parted and the sun beamed down while the angels sang!! and my good friend Meghan (if you live in so cal you should check her out, she's amazing http://www.meghanwiesmanphotographyblog.com/ ) She is an AMAZING portrait photographer and was a natural from the day she picked up her first DSLR! So I mentioned my need for a second photographer and she agreed to fly up here for the weekend! Normally when her and I need someone to bounce ideas off of or want to talk "photo" we always go to each other. I swear if I'm texting someone at midnight, chances are it's her! Our faces are both glowing from our computer screen in the pitch black darkness that is our house since we are both Mom's of toddlers and we can only get things done when they are asleep! Ok enough of the "backstory" Meghan and I have always been a long distance photo team and we finally got to shoot together so we were amped! When I started to pull aside the photos I wanted to feature on the blog I ended up with 150! Which is way way way too many for one blog post and that will take me many more hours than I have left in me tonight so I thought I'd just pull out a few of the 150 and post them tonight and I will save the rest for another day when I am feeling energetic and ambitious!!





This wedding is a perfect example of why having a second shooter is a fantastic idea! Photography, well good photography is a creative art. It's all about perspectives. There are often times during a wedding that you don't "need" two photographers but those are the times that we get to collaborate and take what we have in front of us and bounce our ideas back and forth until we come up with amazing things! Sometimes if it's just me I have only my own ideas to work with but when I have another photographer it's a whole other story! The other advantage is it saves you so much time and stress. One photographer can shoot the guys while the other is shooting the ladies. Then 75% of your images are done before the ceremony!! There is also a HUGE advantage to having more than one angle covered at the ceremony to get the different perspectives both at the ceremony and during the events in the reception like the dances and the toast. The advantages far out weigh any negatives. In fact I can't think of any negative to having a second photographer!!

Etimos Wedding {wedgewood wedding photos, foxtail wedding photos, sonoma county wedding photographer}

I thoroughly enjoy my job. There is no question. It is mainly because of the balance it gives me. I love photography, the art, the joy it brings people, and the consistent challenge to get better and better. I LOVE weddings. I know I'm a crazy nut job, the one and only non multi cat owning crazy woman that loves weddings. They are just great! I get to see the family dynamic and meet new people who have all come from different walks of life, fought different challenges in their lives, and I get to witness true love in all different forms. From the true love between the newlyweds, to the love of a mother and her son, and all the other family members. I get to watch their relationships and bonds really come alive on this one special occasion! Then I get to capture it all with my camera. But I guess most of all I love weddings because all of those reasons make for a really FUN day. I get the privilege of meeting up with the bride and her "possy" a good 3 hours prior to the ceremony and I usually don't leave until about 30-45 min before the reception ends. It's a long day, but I try and make the best out of every minute. I really like to think that I just get a feel for the people I'm working with and try and allow them to be relaxed and have a good time and not to think about the "picture time" and that really allows me to get some great candid shots of people just being themselves. Well with all that being said. I had a BLAST at the Etimos wedding. I am a sucker for, ok I've erased that number like 4 no wait 5 times! I guess I'm a sucker for a lot of things! (does that just make me flat out a sucker?) One of those things is super adorable kids, another is a daddy and his love for his baby, ooh and mommy's and their son's ( I always start day dreaming about me and Aidan and what his wedding day will be like...he is determined to elope or never marry I know!) and the other is an amazing bond and love between two people! This wedding was FULL of all of it! I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to spend my Birthday with (que the Birthday wishes...)
Here are just 50 of my favorites! ya I should be getting better at narrowing down my favorites but I just keep getting worse...or maybe my couples just keep getting better! who knows!






who says groomsmen don't like to take pictures???

The Bird's Wedding Album

I love when clients and I work in perfect harmony and I can process their images, design their album, get the proofs approved, and get the album all before 6 weeks (and even with 4 weddings in between!---that's me patting myself on the back ;) not sure when --- started to be the universal symbol for a back pat but I'm gonna roll with it! It's really hard to show off just how AWESOME the Bird Album turned out but I snapped a few photos before Mrs. Bird swooped down (like the bird reference ;) sometimes I am witty! yes sometimes! anyways, I managed to snap a few photos of the album just before Niki came and picked it up. She went with a 12x12 album with 25 spreads (50 pages) with an antique brown leather cover.

Mauri and Aidan {mommy and me photos, mother and son photos, children and family photographer}

Where do I start. Mauri entered a contest I had on Facebook and won a free session with me. We decided to meet at SSU and use a few different spots on the campus for our session. Through out the session one thing, ok two things were clear. One, Aidan was one of the sweetest most adorable 5 year old boys I've ever met. So kind and sweet and very personable! The second thing was that Mauri was such an amazing Mother and their relationship and bond was so amazing and so radiant. They were best friends, you could just tell this instantly! After getting to know Mauri I found out that Aidan's Father left when Mauri was 3 weeks pregnant and still has not met Aidan. I was shocked. I won't even start on how that makes me feel and where I think "boys" like that should go. But what I can say is that this Mother has stepped up and done the job of a Mother, Father and then some! It's evident in the way Aidan presents himself and how they are together that Mauri has done a better job as a single Mom than some parents do as a team. I've said it a million times, I don't know how I'd do it if I didn't have my Husband. I honestly think I am a better Mom because of him. But when I see someone like Mauri, I see that she is a better Mom than I could ever dream of being because of the love for her son. She provides for him in ways many people can't and for that I'm so greatful she won this contest and I was given the opportunity to meet her and her amazing son. Oh, and she has amazing taste in children's names!! Go Aidan!! with an A-N !! ;)

Nolan {children photography, kids field photos, Sonoma County Children Photographer}

I photographed the wedding of Sara and Matt Crase and I was so honored when they asked me to take their son's photos this past June. They moved to central California so it was such a compliment to have them make special arrangements for the photo shoot! Nolan is such a cutie! and Sara and Matt are such adoring parents! Here are a few of my favs from the shoot!