I had the opportunity to take a few maternity pictures of Amelia before she had her baby.  Amelia and Brian love the outdoors so we went to Miller Canyon in Pasadena.  We had to hike a little to chase the sunset, but Amelia was up for it.

First, I asked Amelia to throw some leaves in the air.  I love this sequence.

Amelia has amazing blue eyes.  I wanted to showcase them.

A sweet moment.

After our little hike out to this ridge, the sun was setting with this beautiful golden light, making for some nice portraits of the happy couple.

I just couldn’t decide which one of these silhouette shots was my favorite, so I’ve included them both.  My favorites for the day:

I know Beth through a Parent Education class we attend.  I was so excited when she invited me over to take some pictures of her family and her pregnancy.  I’m so tardy in posting these that she has already had her baby, Dietrich!  Hopefully soon I will post pictures of her new baby.  But in the meantime, here is her sweet family.  Little Violet watching daddy get ready, she was definitely a daddy’s girl.

Calvin looking so suave.  He was too cool for school.

Hands

And feet.  I just love feet pictures.  They show so much personality.  I always ask if a family wants a picture of their feet.  They often say their feet are dirty or gross, but that’s what adds character.  Look how cute this family is.

A sweet family portrait with the belly bump.  :)

Families frequently ask me what to wear. I usually suggest wearing simple clothing that will not detract from your faces.  And it is best then the family wears colors that coordinate, like all jewel tones or earth tones.  I love the colors this family chose; they look natural and complimentary.  Great job!

I love this intimate moment with mom and dad.

When Beth and I were coming up with ideas for the maternity session, I mentioned that maybe the kids could paint her belly.  I thought it would be a fun way to include them in these belly shots.  What I didn’t anticipate was how much fun they would have.  They looked forward to this the whole session and had a blast painting mama’s belly.  Check it out – I love this series.

Little Violet wanted to get in on the action.  Her cute painted little toddler belly.

Calvin had some fun ideas for pictures, like climbing the tree.

Sometimes you have to just emphasize the BUMP.  Thanks for laying in the street for me, Beth.  This is my second favorite shot of the day.  I love her expression here.

After we were done with family shots, Beth and I stopped by Eaton Canyon Park for a few picturesque maternity shots.  The golden sunset light was streaming through this canyon.  It was beautiful.

I love the shadows of this wild grass on her belly.

And lastly, my favorite shot of the day.  You look so beautiful Beth.

Amrah and her hubby just got married and were up for a Trash the Dress session in Downtown Los Angeles.  We were lucky enough to be joined by Doug from Furious Photographers, who gave me some tips on posing and composition.  In addition, all the images are processed with their line of grunge textures.

We started out at this awesome graffiti wall in Downtown LA, near the art district.  Doesn’t Amrah look like a model?  It was great working with them.

Then we headed over to Los Angeles Union Station for some romantic vintage shots.  This is the old lobby which is usually reserved for weddings.  But if you are quick and look out for security guards then you can snag a photo here.

This beautiful golden light was streaming in the windows, which made for a perfect low key image.

Very dramatic – I love it!

Then we headed back to the tunnels for a few moody shots.  I think we picked the busiest tunnel, but we made it work and it was worth it.

As we left Union Station, the sunset light was streaming through the windows for a perfect last shot.

Doug had to leave, but we headed over to Olvera Street for a few last shots in the sunset light.  This little tree was in a meridian in the middle of the street, but it had beautiful light streaming through.  I hope you didn’t mind all the rush hour drivers gawking, because I think it was worth it for these.

Olvera Street had some interesting architecture.  Gotta love this almost kiss.

A last farewell shot.  Thanks for being up for anything.  It was fun to get to know you guys.