I was very excited when Michelle and Pat contacted me to photograph their one year old daughter. They wanted to create similar images I created 2 years ago with their other daughter. Having pets in photo session with 1 year old and 3 year old? Bring it on! We love challenges! Also the cake: I offer cake photo session for one year old clients. The clean-up is on the house. Sometimes one year old clients do not take kindly to the cake. The joy of being child photographer! :)
This is a homage to Alisha Minnette, a photographer who brilliantly photographed her dog as if it was her child. Few days after I saw Alisha's images on FB, Jessica and Ryan contacted me with request to do something similar with their dog. Since I do both: photograph children and dogs, and in my experience, Alisha missed few funny cliche images, I was very excited to collaborate! :)
My philosophy when it comes to family and child photography is this: if someone has a "bad hair day", does not want to be photographed on that particular day or any other reasons; there is no point pressing the issue. The photographs will never look good. So when I started photographing Nicole's family and one member (let's say it was a dog) had a "bad hair day", naturally, we rescheduled the photo session. And we got much better results second time around.
I love photography challenges. In this photo session with Kelly, her family and her pets, we could not overcome cat's reluctance to go to the beach! :) So we had to photograph cat at home and then go to the beach with the dog. Who said that fog ruins photography! We had great time and photos to prove it!
My client Michelle asked me to take portraits for her baby’s first birthday. I have a product especially designed for this type of occasion, where I place a birthday cake in front of the child and we watch the fun unfold. I love being able to photograph a kid tearing through their first birthday cake, especially when I can do it through the lens of a camera, capturing every step of the way. From these photos, we create a memory book as a keepsake for that family to enjoy for the years to come.
I always like a challenge, so in this particular photo session, I decided to ask Michelle if she and her family had any pets. Upon discovering that they had a cat and a parrot, I asked if I could photograph their pets in front of a green screen so that I could Photoshop them into their baby’s first cake portraits.
When they brought in their pets, I had their child pose with one of them, so we could capture an authentic interaction between the baby and their pets. Of course, having a cat and a bird in the same place might not end up so well, we went with just their parrot, and the photos turned out beautifully. Who could resist capturing the dynamics available between pets and their human companions?
Using green screen technology, I was able to composite images of their pet cat and parrot next to their child, cake and all. Creating a portrait with both their child and their pets brought out a side of their family that was playful and whimsical. Most importantly of all, my clients loved it.
But of course, we couldn’t forget about the big kids in the family: Mom and Dad! I had them both pose with their child, together and individually. I loved how their daughter’s magenta dress stood out against the muted tones that her parents picked out. Wearing neutral tones works best in family photography. Of course, children tend to look great in whatever they’re wearing, especially if they’re the center of attention.
We took a few more photos of the birthday girl, even adding in their pet parrot for good measure. This time, we didn’t use a green screen, since we wouldn’t have to have both pets in the same place.
I keep a smattering of stuffed animals, toys, tricycles, tiny chairs, and other accoutrements for children and even parents to play with. I have a child-sized bench in my lobby, and their daughter immediately took a liking to it. We brought it into the studio, and it was an immediate win for everybody involved. It even acted as a perch for their pet parrot!
Taking family portraits is always a rewarding experience. Taking photos of children, babies, parents, families, and even their pets together brings me a sense of joy, and brings the families themselves closer together. As a photographer, my job is more than just taking pictures. I create memories for people to cherish for years and generations to come.
Recently Stacey Wiley of Woof Walks in the East Bay came to me with a challenge. She wanted portraits of her newborn as well as several of her dogs. What came from the photo shoot was a lot of wonderful shots with the dogs as well as the people. I have done a lot of pet photography in my career and these were some of the best behaved dogs I have worked with so far. Stacey really is a dog whisperer.
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This fundraiser is a cooperation of Fima Photography and Animal Company: http://www.theanimalcompany.net/
Reminiscing on the past, this portrait photography session continued along the path of a tribute to the famous stars of the 40s. There needed to be a change that happened in my studio in order to capture the essence of Rita Hayworth. Adding some color and a costume change we got back to photographing and capturing unique family portraits.
Rita Hayworth and her loyal companion. Everyone made it into this photography session even the dog. He was on his best behavior and right by Rita's side!
A Brother and sister sharing moments together in a park at sunset. These are moments parents will treasure forever. I captured the entire family, even the dogs behaved to get their portraits taken!
During the first Noe Valley wine walk celebrated in San Francisco I saw a beautiful dog outside my studio. He was staring at people sipping wine and the minute I saw it I knew I had to photograph him. Isn't he adorable? :)
