The One with the Collins Family

Daniel had me tag along with him on a family shoot in November. I finally got around to blogging them! We went out to Point Loma Nazarene University for the afternoon shoot.

We had such a fun time with them. Little Hamilton was quite stubborn at first, but I think I won him over when I let him tackle me to the ground in the grass. And little Ayla? PRECIOUS. She was such a ham for the camera! Plus, Mom and Dad were so awesome! You want me to throw her up in the air for some shots


A cute brother & sister shot.




The stunts photographers go through to get that perfect shot! Daniel on top of my SUV. What a rockstar!


















It's raining babies!!!











I love how Ayla's got her dad tackled to the ground.

Thanks for having me tag-along, Daniel!

The One with Chris & Clay's Family

Chris is one of those guys that you just love working with because no matter what is going on, he never fails to give you a genuine hello and smile. Even when everything around us seems chaotic and out of control, Chris is calm and collected. Being someone that wears my emotions so close to the surface, I deeply admire Chris' ability to not let petty things get the best of you. So when he asked him to help get some family shots of him and his family, I was more than happy to somehow give a little back to someone that pours out compassion and kindness each day.

We headed out to Mountain Hawk Park in Chula Vista. What a beautiful park. It overlooks Otay Lakes and has rolling hills in the background. We had a great time rolling around in the grass and playground. It was such a treat to spend time with Chris, Clay and Tanner. Tanner was such a trooper throughout the whole shoot!






Tanner did such a good job of wrestling Chris to the floor!




Tanner on the go!












I loved this series of photos of Tanner up on the shoulders!








Easily my favorite shot of the day.


Wasn't he just delightfully handsome?












Chris, Clay and Tanner... Adam and I were truly honored to be able to spend some time with you to capture some photos. Thanks for having us!

The One with Daniel's Family

In many ways, shooting for another photographer is more nerve wrecking than shooting for a client - especially when you have a ton of respect for that photographer as a person and a friend. My brother in Christ, Daniel Galang, asked me to do a family shoot for him while his parents and brothers were in town one weekend and it was such a blessing to be able to meet his family.

Liberty Station is where our church, The Rock Church, is located in Point Loma. It's a beautiful redevelopment with lots of grassy areas, fountains, and hallways lined with arches. In my mind, I've always wanted to do a shoot there, so this was a great opportunity to try it out. Luckily, the sun decided to peek out by noon and we got some nice, crystal clear blue skies. It truly was a typical San Diego day in all its glory.

Of course, Daniel's youngest brother, Jesse, stole the show. He was such a well-dressed little man of 6 years. They were on their way to Legoland that day, so I was pleasantly surprised that he stuck through the whole shoot because if I were him at that age, I think I would much rather be at Legoland pretending to be a pirate and shooting water at my parents than out in the middle of the day taking photos with some strange lady lying face down in the middle of the sidewalk with a camera.

No matter what kind of shoot I'm doing, I somehow (subconsciously really) find myself following the littler ones around. There's just something about kids that make them so much fun to shoot.











Such funny faces - esp from Daniel. :)




The three brothers.


The hallways of seemingly endless arches...



And then we had some fun throwing the football around on the HUGE grassy field. My fave shots are of Jesse in action. His hair flying the air and his little hands catching this huge football. Way too cute. And missing his two front teeth? I'm getting a tummyache from all this sweetness... :)




My fave shots of the day.


Mom and Dad even threw the football around a little bit. I love the look in her eyes.




A future football star in the making.



Daniel, thanks for asking me to shoot. I had a great time getting to know your family and I can see why you've become such a great man of God today. Vaness is one lucky lady because I just know in my heart that God has created you to be a great father someday after seeing you with Jesse. Praise God!


And special thanks for my lovely husband who did an excellent job as the bag/football/purse carrier. :)