Lorelei's Infant Session - Sunnyvale, CA

August 23, 2014 in family, portrait

A couple months ago we got to work with Roxanne, Marius, and their little guy Ryan, and on this day we were honored to be able to meet the new addition to their family, Lorelei. When we spent time with the family, Lorelei was just about two weeks old, and irresistibly adorable!

Working with this family is always a joy, and photographing them makes us feel like family. That is no mean feat, and you begin to understand why that is when you observe the warmth and love they have for each other. This love most obviously manifests in our little buddy Ryan (I say buddy, because April and I have to make good on our promise to come back and play with his train collection), who is as precocious, engaging, and confident as kids that age come. Lorelei, to say the least, is in good hands.

The shoot itself was a nice ebb between the white seamless and various areas around their home, trying to work as best around Lorelei's moods (and sleep). Our downtime during the shoot was spent mostly with Ryan (but he's awesome, so it's ok), and getting to know Marius' mother, who had been in town the last few weeks to help out with Lorelei. This was actually a very lucky break, because she was just about to catch a flight out of town, and we were able to get some priceless stuff with her.

Enough can't be said for how happy April and I are for Roxanne & Marius; they have a beautiful family, and we were very privileged to be welcomed into their home.

Roxann & Family - Kelly Park, San Jose, CA

June 10, 2014 in family, portrait

A look of incredulity developed in an instant as he snapped his face towards his mom sitting at his side:

"Mom, this is a FREIGHT train, not for passengers."

Of course. Ryan was just implying by his tone how crazy it was to ask how many passengers a freight train carried. This seems an obvious point, but when it's coming from a kid, barely thigh high and just a shade over 3 years old, and followed with a fairly extensive explanation of the functional differences between freight and passenger engines, it was a little startling. This short dissertation seemed come from someone much older and taller, just on a good amount of helium. It was adorable and life affirming.

Kids this precocious, so obviously intelligent and charming don't just fall out of wombs; to track the language abilities and social intelligence to be a worthwhile conversation and also have the wherewithal to engage grown adults (we were at a mutual friend's party, so he was wondering why April and I were there) grow out of solid parenting. This was obvious from meeting Ryan's parents, Roxann and Marius, who we found to be just solid, friendly people who are doing their best to put some excellent people into the world.

Roxann and Marius are going to welcome another member of the family in just a few weeks, so we were asked to help them document these times just before their family gets a little bigger. Ryan was fully cooperative, which was impressive because even the adults might have been getting slightly cranky over the few hours on the shoot. We started in the Kelley Park/Zoo complex in San Jose, CA on a 80F day; nice weather, but the 11AM sun almost directly overhead was brutal, and the strobes needed to come out. This type of shoot necessitates a good deal of gear, and the family was all for helping schlepping around the stands, lights, and bags. Totally great sports, couldn't ask for more.

Roxann, Ryan and Marius were also an absolute pleasure to photograph, taking very little direction to get to really natural, beautiful interactions between them. I have to assume a lot of that stems from a real love between all of them, and it really comes through the lens. The little guy, Ryan, especially couldn't take a bad photo; dude just rules, and made no fuss about the sweaty dude flashing lights in his face. Just another day at work, it seemed.

When we changed venues to their home, Roxann let us know that the wanted to do a couple of silouhettes; like a dolt, I completely forgot my roll of white seamless (though I brought all the grip gear for the backdrops, good move!) so that was about to be nixed. Fortunately, Marius volunteered a white projection screen that was even better than the semi-small roll of paper I usually use -- totally clutch move. The result was really beautiful, and we were able to get a few more than what we planned.

It was great shoot with a bunch of great people; the new baby has a lot to look forward to, top to bottom. Roxann and Marius have a great thing going with our buddy Ryan, and we're certain they will continue the streak.

Malena & Family - Sunnyvale, CA

March 17, 2014 in family, portrait

Eileen and Chris have been wonderful friends of ours for years now, so it's been a joy watching them start their lives and especially their family. Their first child, Mason, is as precocious, engaging and intelligent as you could ask a little boy to be, so with that track record, April and I really anticipated the arrival of their new daughter, Malena.

Malena was an angel the entire time, but Mason being a 2-year old, was a handful. What you see here is the best we could do after bribery (a lollipop), patience (waited for a short tantrum to pass), and his own sense of humor (petting his sister in lieu of holding her like like he's interacting with a human relative). Either way, it was a good time with a great family, with results about which we're really proud. The love this family has for each other was truly inspiring.