“Happiness is only real when shared.”

~jon krakauer, into the wild

I have enjoyed seeing this family grow each year and it has been such a special thing to see the bond among these sisters and their little brother grow with each passing year.  They are so protective of him and you can tell he provides a real sense of joy to their already fun lives.  He is quite the little cutie and has everyone laughing–this beautiful family is so full of true love for one another.  Such a fun location with sweet little subjects…

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xoxo,

laura

“The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.”

~e.e. cummings

I finally am getting around to sharing this session from last fall with this sweet expectant couple.  They drove from California for our session, and it was so amazing to capture this special time in their lives. Mom has quite the adventurous spirit and it was so easy to see her strong sense of self and independence shine through.  She enjoys traveling and early in her pregnancy went on a trip to China with friends.   A true love of exploring and delving more into this world are incredible traits that I know she will pass on to their little man–can’t wait to see him very soon when they travel back for his six month session! Thank you for allowing me to capture this time in your lives!

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xoxo,

laura

“So this is love, So this is what makes life divine.”

~cinderella

When you are on the cusp of motherhood, all sorts of thoughts run through your head.  Happy thoughts, deep thoughts, worried thoughts.  For me, my thoughts turned to my own mother.  Suddenly, I saw her in a whole new light and all the talks and strictness were all at once understood.  The need for protectiveness comes and it never leaves.

When I was chatting with this sweet new mother-to-be (now a mommy!) about a vision for her maternity session, she spoke of her memories of her mother, no longer with her.  Those memories included sweet times watching Cinderella with her mother. In fact, her son was to be named Augustine–and called Gus, one of the little mouse sidekicks to Cinderella in the movie.  It was only fitting, then, that we photograph her in front of this gorgeous Cinderella wall, don’t you think?

What a beauty and such a darling couple.  I so enjoyed our time together visiting different spots, and they were both so sweet. Thank you for a fun time, E and M! Much love!

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xoxo,

laura

“Fun is good.”

~dr. seuss

…and this family had no shortage of it. I loved when mom and I chatted before the session and how she described her sweet family–they love to have fun and would embrace fun, natural and silly images.  These three kiddos were all so polite and funny, they were simply naturals in front of the camera! The love for one another within this family was quite obvious and shone through during their session. They came armed with yummy cupcakes from The Coffee Shop at Agritopia, welcomed smashing them into one another’s faces, no one skipped a beat when I asked them to jump over a mound of oranges, and it was as though it was the most normal thing in the world when I asked them to throw oranges at me. My kind of peeps, I tell ya! The session ended with a fun dance party in the groves, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

This fam’ purchased a HUGE 30×40 custom canvas collage and Fanciful Frames to show off images of their session that I cannot wait to share with you! SO gorgeous and such a fun memory of their family.  Thanks so much, H family!

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xoxo,

laura

 
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in

Oh, let it shine, c’mon
Now everybody just sing along
Let the sun shine in
Open up your heart and let it shine on in

“Let the Sunshine In/Age of Aquarius”, fifth dimension

I just lovie love this family + it was fun to see them again and how much bigger their sweet little man has gotten since our last session!! They seriously rock–I mean, mom didn’t even skip a beat when the little man happily soaked his fabulous little red Toms in the muddy creek!  Big mwah, lovelies!

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xoxo,

laura

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
~T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”

Thank you to all of my dear clients for such an amazing year. I relished meeting so many new people and getting to see so many familiar faces as well–such a blessing to be able to do this! This is a random selection of images from this year–it is just impossible to include all, so I had someone choose at random for me. Choosing among clients would have been like picking a favorite child–I just couldn’t and love you all too much! Each one of you is so dear to me, and thank you for the opportunity to capture your special moments in time.  Here’s to another fabulous year filled with fun, laughter and connection.

much love,

laura

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Here’s to more beautiful moments in 2012!

xoxo,

la

“Where you love somebody a whole lot, and you know that person loves you, that’s the most beautiful place in the whole world. “

~ann cameron

This sweet family has two of the most darling girls ever! They are both so happy, sweet, mild-mannered and loving towards one another–it was a beautiful thing to see.  The bond between sisters is a special one that deepens and grows from a very young age–playmates, confidants, allies.  This wonderful family just returned to the states from their current home in Japan, and I immediately felt a certain kinship with these two sweet sisters.  I also lived in a foreign country at a young age, and it has colored my whole life–in a beautiful way. I became a lover of cultures different from my own, learned how to make fast friends and caught the travel bug early. What a special gift these parents are giving their daughters.

Our session was almost rescheduled due to rain, but the sun came out in all of its glorious warmness just in time for our session–perfect!  Oh, and I am guessing that mama found confetti in all sorts of fun spots after our session–under hats, in the mouth, covered in the hair, in boots…it was well worth it, though!

Such a fun session–thank you for trusting me with your memories, S family. It was a true pleasure to photograph the love among your family, and your girls are simply precious!

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xoxo,

laura

“This moment contains all moments.”

~c.s. lewis

There will never be another moment in time like this minute right.now. Never. Your children will never be these ages again, they will never again look exactly like they do today.  The baby faces will sooner than we would like change into the face of a child, the chubby little legs will thin out and start to walk, the little hands that grasp at everything with a curious fervor will soon become more sure and stronger with age. Think about it.  Don’t you want to freeze time and capture where your family is NOW? There really is no perfect age, then, for a photograph. Yes, as photographers we do believe there are more optimal times than others when you are wanting something specific. When you simply want to capture your child and all that this very stage has to offer, though, now is the time. No expectations on what to say or how to pose or how it will look, for each child is different and shines in different ways at different ages. That is the true beauty of it. What a treat to have the opportunity to follow my smallest of subjects as they explore with wonder all the new things we encounter.

This session with this sweet family was full of walking and exploring new little nooks and crannies, with stops along the way for dancing with mom, twirling, nursing and games of tag with dad. That’s life and that’s beautiful! We ended our session at Paletas Betty, a darling little Mexican Popsicle shop that was the perfect backdrop as the sky darkened with night (also the perfect spot to nab a treat for a mama-t0-be on a hot summer day as seen in this session). Nothing quite like a little face covered in ice cream, full of the seriousness and concentration that comes with wanting to eat every.single.drip of chocolate.

Thank you, C family. Your moments in time are simply wonderful and I am so thankful for the opportunity to capture them!

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xoxo,

laura

GIGI KAESER

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xoxo,

laura

There is no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard
No song that I could sing, but I can try for your heart
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
With sepia-toned loving
Love is the answer…

~”Better Together”, jack johnson

This family has a special place in my heart.  When we met a few years ago, we forged a fast friendship. Grace is the creative force behind Finley and Oliver (the clothing line, that is–she is one half of the creative force behind the actual Finley and Oliver you see here ), a darling line of children’s clothing that everyone wishes was still available. For now, we are content with reading the musings of Grace on her wonderful blog–raising chickens, tutorials and photography.  Such an interesting and kind family, I just love them to pieces.

They have such a wonderful sense of style and I knew that these locations would be perfect for them–eclectic, interesting and ones that told a story.  They are so at ease in front of the camera and it was such a treat to photograph their love and interaction…

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a little hopscotch fun…;)

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This moment seriously makes me giggle…such a fun-loving family up for anything!

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xoxo,

laura