This is the 4th photo session from our Baby Step Club with Dana, Jeff and their 1 year old son. We wanted to do it outdoors during sunset at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The weather could not have been any better. Warm and no wind. Everyone had fun!
It was my privilege to photograph Lyna and her family in their Nob Hill home in San Francisco. The views from their roof were spectacular. And so were the family photos. We planned to do a family photo session in their home and then move to Crissy Fields. Unfortunately, the wind was not cooperating. As with all my photography, I guarantee the results, regardless of circumstances. Including weather. So we rescheduled the session for next day. Next day, while driving to the photo session at Palace of Fine Arts, Lyna called me and told me that her 4 year old fell asleep in the car. In my experience as a child photographer, waking kids up is never a good idea. My guarantee still in place we rescheduled again. Everyone was in great spirits the following day and we got what was our goal.
It is always exciting to photograph twins. But having two set of twins on the set? Double trouble!
I was thrilled when Amy, who is the owner of Mama Lounge in San Francisco asked me to display my work in her office. Mama Lounge San Francisco clinic in Laurel Village specialties are natural medicine for Fertility, Prenatal and Postpartum. Since my specialties are Maternity Photography and Newborn photography, it is a perfect location to display my work!
I have been photographing Kristina and her family for many years: engagement, wedding, newborn... Kristina really wanted to photograph her family with fall colors theme. I believe we succeeded.
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 have been photographing Renee and Mike for what it seems like forever. Their engagement, their wedding, their first pregnancy, their first newborn, etc... Renee mentioned one time to me that their house is shrine to my artwork. Naturally when Renee had her second child, I was there to photograph him. Knowing that Renee and Mike like, I was able to recreate the same studio look and feel in their home.
There was a great article in last Sundays Chronicle of my clients Frank, Sonny and their daughter Ava about their costume skills, especially for Halloween. To see the article Click Here
I had the privilege to photograph them and their spectacular outfits for the last several years. Each outfit is hand made! Each photograph was designed to look and feel like original poster or photograph from the movies.
Elizabeth Taylor, Lisa Minnelli, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gabor, Cher, etc... It does not matter. Ava can play the part of all of them.
Here is a compilation of my favorite photographs from our portrait photography sessions:
What can I say: San Francisco provides one of the best backgrounds for an outdoor family portraits. I love it when my clients choose outdoor sessions. Judy's and David's portrait session in San Francisco outdoors was no exception. We got great family photos!
I was hired by Amy Gordon from Mama Lounge to photograph her staff for her website. As usual, I told her to bring anything she and her staff needs to be more relaxed during session. Well, the kids are always helpful when it comes the time to relax! Since the kids were present and I am a child photographer, the kids were part of our executive portrait photo-session.
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!
This was the 4th newborn portrait photo session for my client Dessiree and Brandon with their daughter for our baby step club series. Our baby step club series is 4 photo sessions within one year. You save a lot of money when you choose this program. Some clients choose their 4 sessions (maternity, newborn, 6 month and one year). Some choose (newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and one year). Most of our clients make beautiful "A Year in the life" of their child afterwards. We chose to do this final family portrait session in the studio, concentrating on their daughter. As you can see, she already knows how to make "cheese" smile! :)
What can I say. I love photographing kids. They always give you what's on their mind. If they do not like the way photo session is going, they WILL let you know. Twins will give you double of that. On top of this add a newborn addition to the family. But I love challenges. Sometimes we add a additional level of challenges by getting family pets in the photos. Lucky for me, there were only twins and newborn with their parents to work with. No problem! :)
I love photographing several generations at the same time. Michelle is my long time client. I have been photographing her daughter since she was very very little. Now Michelle hired me to photograph her maternity with her extended family. The tiger you see is an animal who greats every child when they come to my studio. He is very very child friendly! :)
This is the third session for Desiree and Brandon and their daughter for our baby step club. For this photo session we chose their house. 
Katya and Dirk asked me to photograph their newborn child. We all love the results of this photo session!
Instead of me writing about Jenny's photo session with her son, I am going to post what she wrote on my Yelp page:
I am thrilled with Fima's work. He really captured the connection between me and my son, and his photos will be treasures forever. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a professional photographer with a sense of humor, who thinks outside the box, and who prides himself on capturing whimsical moments.
This is second photo session for Brandon and Dessiree for their Fima Photography baby step club with their daughter. The first one was in Noe Valley studio. Second one in the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
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.
