A few weeks ago, I drove up to Valencia for a maternity shoot with Shawn and Alisha and their firstborn: Chancy.  This was one of my favorite maternity shoots because Shawn and Alisha were so relaxed and easygoing.  And they made each other laugh so hard, which made the shoot fun for all of us.

Here’s one of my favorite shots of the day, featuring Chancy.  They already have it framed in their home.

I love this series.  Shawn is so tender with Alisha.

And makes her laugh, which is awesome.

The baby will of course be a Packers fan.

After some portraits at home, we took Chancy for a walk up a trail behind their home.

One of my other favorites.  Chancy is just so adorable!  I’m glad they love her so much that they wanted her in the pictures.

I love the lighting in this one.  Beautiful!

After a quick change, we took a few more portraits in the hills above Valencia.  The colors are so bright and vibrant – I love it!

This series is another favorite – there are just too many to choose!

Alisha has a great laugh and smile – so contagious.  I could hardly take the pictures, I was laughing so much.

Chancy always wanting to steal the show.

Isn’t Alisha stunning?  I wish I looked so vibrant and glowing the final weeks of my pregnancy, instead of swollen and sluggish.

I am so late in posting these that Alisha has just had her baby boy, Braylen.  I will hopefully be posting these adorable newborn shots soon.  Thanks for inviting me into your family during this special time.

You may remember Mason from his shoot a few months ago (check it out HERE).  It was time for him to get updated pictures for his acting/modeling comp card, so Dare and I met at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia for a mini portrait session.  After a few moments figuring out what was going on…

and giving his bear a hug…

Mason was off and running – exploring the arboretum.

We managed to get in a few portraits amidst all his playing.

Isn’t he just a huggable, lovable little toddler?  I’m sure we’ll be seeing him in commercials and ads soon.

I took family portraits of Keiko, Joshua and Noah before Christmas (check them out HERE), and I was glad they liked them enough to ask me to take photos of their family again.  This time Keiko and Joshua were having a small ceremony and reception at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga to celebrate their marriage before they moved to Japan later that month.

Here is the ever beautiful Keiko, looking just stunning on her wedding day.

Love the flowers and the bling.

A closeup of the rings.

And her adorable shoes.

The restaurant was beautiful, with lots of nooks and crannies to make great pictures.

Brian caught this candid moment between Keiko and Joshua.

I LOVED this silk drape, covering this back entrance.  Great color and texture to work with.

Some beautiful spiral detailing in the fencework.

After we took some portraits of Keiko and Joshua on their own, Noah joined us for some pictures to celebrate their new family.

I think my favorite shot of the day.  “Ah, whatcha doin’ back there?”

As always, Noah was definitely the star of the show.

Thank you for asking me to take pictures of your family again, Keiko and Joshua.  I wish you all the best in your new home in Japan.

After taking Jennifer and Jason’s wedding portraits at the San Diego LDS Temple, we headed over to La Jolla Beach.  It was already sunset and quickly getting dark, so we only had a few minutes to walk down to the beach and grab a couple of portraits.  Here they are on the bluff, overlooking the rocky shore.

Jennifer quickly ditched her shoes.

So they could climb on the rocks and walk through the sand.  It was a lovely beach with a lot of variety – I like these green moss covered rocks.

So sweet!

And of course they were laughing and having a blast, and Jennifer didn’t even worry about her dress (which is unusual since it was not a Trash the Dress session).  I was glad they were having fun and were relaxed – it shows in their photos.

Having fun in the sand.

Isn’t Jennifer stunning?  I couldn’t get enough of her doe eyes – very pretty.

A few passionate moments.

This is one of my favorites of the day.  I love the seagulls flying overhead and the beautiful sunset.

I don’t know why, but this one strikes me in it’s simplicity.  I love the folds of her dress, the darkness closing in, and the peacefulness of it.

As I said in Part One, I gathered a few of my favorite shots to process with these grungy textures by Tofurious.  I think they give some depth and interest to these photos.

Thank you for asking me to be a part of your day, Jennifer and Jason.  It was so much fun working with you.  I hope to see you guys again soon – maybe for some family shots with your little ones.  :)

Jennifer and Jason were sealed in the San Diego LDS Temple on January 24th.  They had been married 5 years with two adorable children when they decided to be sealed together as a family for all eternity.  I was so excited for them and was happy to be asked to take pictures.  I think they will be glad they decided to commemorate this special day with wedding photography.  I definitely recommend all brides and grooms hire a professional photographer (even if it’s not me) for their wedding no matter how small their budget is.  I hear too many stories of regret from people just having a friend or family member take the pictures.  It’s just too important – your pictures are truly the only thing that lasts and records the memory of the day once it’s over.

Anyways, back to Jennifer and Jason’s special day.  While we waited for them to exit the temple, we took some pictures of the beautiful temple and grounds.

Once Jennifer and Jason were sealed, they exited the temple with their family and friends.  We took some portraits of their group and then focused on the wedding couple.

Here they are with their adorable children.  I’m glad we got a couple shots before the kids were done.  It had been a long day for them, so we took a few pictures and then let them go with a family member while we finished the photo session.

In front of the temple – so sweet.

And while I was taking the main shot above, here is a tender moment caught by my hubby, Brian.  He is so good at the candids.

Jennifer’s strunning bouqet.

And of course their rings.

I love the personality in these next two.  Jason had a contageous laugh and big grin that just made me happy.

The biggest thing we noticed was Jennifer and Jason’s sweet relationship.  They had a quiet, relaxed way about them, even on this stressful and busy day.  They were so kind to one another and genuinely happy to be together.  They were up for whatever we suggested and always did it with giggles and laughs.

I processed a few with textures to give them a unique aged, worn look.  In part two, coming up – I processed a few more this way.  I like the look of this very traditional temple shot, grunged up a little with the textures.

And lastly for now – my favorite ring shot.  It shows off how amazingly thin Jennifer is (after two babies!!) and I love the light filtering through.

To come… part two, which we did at the neighboring La Jolla beach.