A month ago, we had a chance to shoot with Daniel & Lily for their wedding in Fullerton, California.  With all photography sessions in this part of California, shooting in the early months (January / February) can be a little tricky, but thankfully the skies cleared up and it was a beautiful day.  See more here or click the image above!

Last month we had a chance to go with our family to the Philippines for a couple weeks of vacationing and spending time with family.  This was the first time my wife and kids had ever been and it will definitely be a journey that we will never forget.  Take a look at the Philippines through my eyes in the photos below!

Cheers!

​- Jason

It's that time of year again!  Time for families to get their family portraits done, print them on fancy cards and ship them out to loved ones all over the world... Whenever I get called on to do a family portrait there's lots in me that gets excited, but over the years I've learned that preparing for a family shoot is just as important on the photographer's end as it is on our partners & clients.  That being said, I've come up with a couple of things I always keep in mind when I prepare for a family portrait session... So here it is... my first ever post on things to think about if you're planning on shooting a family photo session (aimed at families with younger kids).

The window of opportunity for shooting a family session is so small.  Think about it... not only do you have to shoot at a time where the lighting is favorable, but you also have to shoot at the time your kids are at their best (energy-wise and attention-wise).  

As soon as I get to wherever it is that I shoot, I always jump straight into the family poses.  Especially if the kids in the family are particularly younger.  A typical photo shoot usually is me shooting the family in various poses for 30-35 minutes and then cutting them loose afterwards for some fun candid shots.  
​**No one was hurt in the photo above** 

If I haven't lost you yet... thanks for sticking around.  It's easy for kids to start veering off from the camera and to their credit... it's hard to stay posed and smiling for a camera even as an adult! The moment I start to feel like i'm losing my photo subjects, I'll give small and simple directions like, "tell your brother a joke", or "kiss your siblings head", one of my favorite go-tos to get them to look at my camera (or at least in the right direction) is... "is there something growing on my head?" < That's not a direction, but hey...

When thinking about where to shoot your family photos find a place that you'd feel comfortable being in.  If this sounds obvious and super simple... good!  I'm not reaching for anything dramatically profound.  I usually find that this comes down to 3 general locales (here in California) - 1. Some place city-ish; 2.  Some place nature-ish; or 3.  The beach (nature, but sans the trees).  As a dad-tographer, I always think of a place that I can go that not only feels comfy, but a place that I know my kids will enjoy (as a reward to play at) once we're done with the session.  **Special note - the tracks pictured above are not used and not connected to any used line.  I don't support photographing on live tracks or tracks that are even connected to live tracks.**

This week's spotlight couple had me out in Rancho Palos Verdes for the evening.  We originally had decided that shooting at the beautiful Terrenea Resort would be the place to capture this couple however, LA traffic had other plans.  Thankfully, when traffic throws you lemons... you make some lemonade.  I rushed over to meet them somewhere halfway between Palos Verdes and where they were coming from.  As luck would have it, everything turned out absolutely beautiful as we shot on the shores of Cabrillo Beach.  See more Jimmy & Autumn in their engagement gallery...

When was the last time you lost sleep over something you were extremely excited about?  I met Daniel & Lily just a week ago and right off the bat, I knew I would enjoy the opportunity to shoot with them if they would have me.  As we met to shoot their engagement photos it was such a joy to see their love for each other and the sheer "giddy-ness" of thinking about their big day.  As a photographer, I'm so glad I get to be a part of all of that and get to see couples begin this amazing journey.  See more of this beautiful couple in our engagement portraits gallery.

It has been a while since we last blogged!  Life has definitely gotten busier this past year with the addition of a new boy in the family.  This past weekend our family had a chance to celebrate mother's day in beautiful Laguna Beach!  Although the skies were gloomy, our family had a blast exploring the tidepools and dipping our feet in the cool, brisk waters.

Graduation season is upon us!  Such a fun and amazing time for a couple of these soon-to-be college students as they embark on new adventures!  Grad photo sessions are always tricky.  I'm always looking for ways to capture our grads in their natural element.  Whether it be in a folksy old home, out in the midst of nature or even in the chaotic comfort of a skate park... that's what I'm all about... snagging a moment of our partners that tells a story about their life.   Check out more of our grad pictures in our portfolio under the "Graduation" tab.  

Hello friends!  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!  Our holiday time was full of lots of warm conversations over many meals with delightful company!  Please excuse our absence from the blog-o-sphere!  We were busy spending immense amounts of quality time with family getting our hearts full for yet another wonderful year!  

Over the break we took our family up into the mountains.  Southern California is not native to snow (in most parts), and our children had been anxious to play in the snow.  Honestly, It has been a while since we've "played" in the snow and we learned a few things very quickly:  (1) we are cold pansies and (2) we have no idea how to prepare for the cold.  

Well, what we missed in our preparation for the cold I hope to make up in pictures documenting this epic moment for our family!

2015 is here!  Many blessings and prayers that you have a great year!  Call us or refer us for your photography needs!

There are people in our lives that leave lasting imprints in our souls.  They are the ones that you can't help but feel joy and welcome when you see them.  They are the ones that you don't skip a beat with no matter how much space and time come in between you.  Ryan and Jocelyn are good friends.  We grew up together, worked together, and after many years of following separate pathways in life it was great to see them again.  It was also awesome getting a chance to photograph a special moment in their lives with their adorably TALL son!  I hope you enjoy this beautiful, jolly, and light-hearted family!  Happy Tuesday!

I've been so behind on catching up with our life that I forgot to post the most amazing news we've had this year.  Last summer my wife gave birth to our third and beautiful child, Shane.  Shane came into this world with absolutely no complications... on that Monday morning, Annie and I headed to the hospital to get ready to meet Shane.  The delivery room was filled with tons of laughter, jokes, smiles, and hugs!  My wife is a champ... truly there is no vocation like motherhood and all mothers should be celebrated if not for the mere fact of child birth.   Enough words... I'll let the pictures tell the story now: