I have been so excited and eager to share with you that we adopted the most amazing dog. Admittedly, after years of not having a dog, or any pets, actually, we were a little nervous about this huge responsibility. And by huge I mean nearly 100 pounds of golden, silky-haired, sweet and perfect dog!
Buddy came into our lives a few weeks ago when my daughter Andrea introduced us to her Baby Boot Camp instructor (mom/baby fitness class) who was looking for a home for her dog. The instructor, Nancy, and her husband, James, had been relocated to Russia for work. They knew that if the 14+ hour flight to Russia didn't do Buddy in, any possible time in quarantine would. This is a dog who just wants to be surrounded by his people. He will go to great lengths to make sure he is by the side of the people who love and care for him. Knowing this, Nancy and James began to search for a new home for their boy. Somehow the fates aligned and brought Buddy to us. We knew he was meant to be with us, and us with him.
Though it devastated us to separate Buddy from Nancy, James and their children, Ricky, Fiona and Vanessa, we brought him home in early May and have been having a wonderful time getting to know him. With the help of books and tapes by Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) we have established an amazing connection and relationship with Buddy. Buddy follows us around all the time and just wants to be near us. He is with us when we work, eat, play, and sleep. When we leave for a quick dinner out or a trip to the store, we come home to Buddy's beautiful, huge face smooshed against the glass in the front door, waiting eagerly for our return. He is the most well-mannered and gentle dog whose greatest desire involves a prolonged rub of the tummy or some chewed up tire pieces.
Our granddaughters, Makenna and Annika, finally got to meet Mr. Buddy last weekend. He was in Heaven with all the love they were giving him! They were petting his giant head as he rested it in their little laps, laying their little heads on his belly... they were smothering him with attention and affection. And Buddy has probably never been happier!
Every morning we wake up and take Buddy out to the Upper Newport Bay near our studio. He loves these hour-long walks and never seems to tire. I'm telling you, this dog is so happy and easy to please. Yes, he loves the belly rubs, hugs and kisses, but he absolutely adores being out in nature as well. You can see him taking it all in - each flower, each bird, each scent. He is really in his element out there.
We can not imagine what it was like before these 100 pounds of love were in our lives. We have been blessed with the most perfect dog and can't wait for you to meet him. Please come and visit our new studio mascot soon!
One of our favorite things is photographing children! Recently we photographed the most beautiful little girl, Naaya. She is an absolute doll. We like to call her our little princess! She is smart, funny, shockingly beautiful, and quite precocious. We have the most amazing time when we are working with her. She keeps us on our toes!
She is hilarious. She is so used to us (we've been photographing her since birth) that she walks in, owning the place, and proceeds to do her own little model moves!
It was a lot of work to keep Naaya still for two seconds to snap a photo. We were constantly being creatively challenged, trying to find new games that would help keep her still for a moment to capture her adorable expressions!
But as you can see, it was well worth the effort. This little princess was a delight to photograph and we always look forward to her sessions.
Look at those big, beautiful brown eyes! She just emanates beauty. And mischief!
We can't wait until we get to play with her again.
We met Mary and Michael several years ago when they were a newly engaged couple. We photographed the beautiful couple for a Christmas card announcing their engagement and later photographed their engagement session and amazing wedding on the beach. They wanted children for many years and, just when they thought it would not happen, Mary finally became pregnant with a little boy, their Miracle Baby. Baby Noah came to us for his newborn photos. That felt like moments ago. Now he is 6 months old already!
Getting to know Noah has been such a joy! He's a delightful, happy baby who loves to laugh. He's surrounded by love, and we can't wait to see him again and capture all those special moments as he grows!
He is just the most adorable little boy. What a joy it is to work with a couple as wonderful as Michael and Mary, and now they've brought this sweet, handsome little man into the world to share with us!
We recently had the pleasure of photographing two of the most adorable children yet. I suppose I may be moderately biased, being that they are my grandchildren, but they really are quite cute!
We traveled to the Bay Area over Labor Day weekend to celebrate our youngest granddaughter’s first birthday. And what is a first birthday without a photo session?
To commemorate the big day we did a session of our granddaughter, Annabelle, and her big brother, Jakey. We had such a blast photographing these two little cuties. And boy, do they love the camera!
We were exhausted by the time it was all said and done. Trying to keep a 1 year-old and a 4 year-old happy and laughing is no small task, especially when the 1 year-old is dead set on escape!
Between chasing after her, bouncing up and down to make them laugh and rolling around on the floor with the camera for some perfect shots, we were bushed! But it was all worth it in the end.
