Although they have been married a few years, they never had engagement photos taken. So we thought what a great opportunity to get some holiday photos and some fun lifestyle photos too.

This is a wonderful little grand child of a near and dear friend… he also has a twitter account too. If you need a chuckle about baby observations, it is definitely one to follow.

I am always so happy to see beautiful families smiling and having such a wonderful time. I know when they look back they will remember what a fun time we had trying to get this little one to smile.

I suppose this also includes head shots for friends… Becca Rillo, a photographer, did a shoot where we all got a chance to be in front of the camera.

Although I don’t think I am the only choice for lifestyle photography and I know their are other photographers out there that do a quite wonderful job,  I am always delighted when someone in my close circle of friends/past clients, ask me to capture their new additions, haircuts, or family.

I did a portrait session for my sister… And of course I had to self timer and get myself in there :)

I could go on for days and days how proud I am of my sister and how much she has achieved. It is beyond me how someone could raise two lovely kids, have two masters degrees, a successful marriage for 17 years, and still find time to be an amazing sister.

Of course I love my sister and with all the health issues she has had in her lifetime, I was happy to show her how beautiful she is from the inside out.

Rawr.

Sandra didn’t even have a boyfriend/fiancee. She had a crush on an unattainable man, a fast sports car, and a crazy party lifestyle. As for me, I didn’t have a photography company, or a blog. I was carrying heavy bags filled with another photographers camera equipment, and had a data entry job in Burbank.

Time changes everything. I get a call from Sandra that she is engaged. Wow. Not just that, but she is getting married on the busiest day, July 7, 2007. She was engaged to a boy that lived across the street from my family when we were kids. If this isn’t all a twist of fate, I am not sure what is… I gladly shot their engagement, and wedding. The wedding was amazing, complete with Columbia Dancer in feathered headdress,  two incredible wedding dresses, and a bubble/smoke filled first dance with huge television screens. It was also filmed for a pilot episode on TLC (sadly it never aired).

I did a fabulous testimonial video that I knew she had to be a part in with her husband. It was wonderful to hear her tell the story of her wedding and the importance of photography. I think that I started crying when her husband started talking about how appreciative he was to have so many beautiful images from their wedding day. (To see the video click here, they are about 1:35 in…)

I was excited when she called me to tell me that she was “trying” to get pregnant and wanted to make sure I would shoot her maternity photos. While most people wait till they are actually pregnant to schedule an appointment, I appreciated her enthusiasm and scheduling so far in advance, she held true to her word and was pregnant within a month or two of the phone call.

When she was about 7 months pregnant we did a beautifully chic maternity shoot at Laguna Beach. She wore a fantastically elegant black gown, and a greecian styles blue and gold gown. Both were stunning. She is my ultimate muse. She never complained, she stood on rocks, flowed her body like a dancer and moved with the wind. I know that not every maternity shoot will be like this one, but in my heart of hearts, I know that it wouldn’t of been as beautiful without Sandra.

Then the arrival of this little magic bundle happens. He is so sweet and polite. And they invited me to take photos of him upon his first few hours. I am so honored to be a part of this family’s milestone moments.

This is a very personal blog posting,  all these beautiful moments in my life and I am so lucky, I get to share them.

Both  Vanessa Brooke and Shannon Lee are amazing photographers. I am so lucky to have them in my life for support and friendship… We did a little shoot for each other, and then we broke out the Shootsac, and had a mini model session.

Yay us!

]]> http://cakesandkissesblog.com/portraits-cal-tech-pasadena-ca/feed/ 15 http://cakesandkissesblog.com/portraits-photography-by-vanessa-brooke/ http://cakesandkissesblog.com/portraits-photography-by-vanessa-brooke/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:27:27 +0000 Holly Steen http://cakesandkissesblog.com/?p=2112

Soooo if you saw my other post, you know that I love hanging out and shooting other photographers. Well here is the shots that Vanessa got!!

Check it out!

I insisted that we make a heart together… I am so happy when it turned out.. Yay.

My false attempt to be a supermodel… So hard when I have Shannon standing next to me with those legs to her ears… oh well at least I don’t look as silly as I felt.

So thank you to Vanessa Brooke and Shannon Lee!!