Tokyo Family Photographer: Hikawa Jinja
A family welcomes a new baby boy! They wanted some photos at a place that had a Japanese feel in Autumn. We went to a Hikawa Shrine that had some beautiful Gingko leaves. The timingg was perfect as their were shades of red, orange, and yellow everywhere! It was a bit chilly outside but the lighting was perfect and there were some beautiful moments captured!
Tokyo Lifestyle Photographer: Newborn Twins
I recently had the honor of photographing twin newborn boys! I loved being able to photograph a lifestyle session in the comfort of the family’s own home. The grandparents were in town visiting so it also provided a great opportunity to get them in the photos as well. One of the best things about doing this shoot was seeing the tremendous love this family has for one another. The grandparents flew from quite far to meet these cute little boys for the SECOND time… they were so proud! I loved seeing the affection everyone had for another and hearing stories of sentimental objects that were in the room!
Tokyo Tourist Photographer: The Ogawa Family explores Meiji Shrine and Harajuku
Taking photos for the Ogawas was a great experience. Meiji Shrine is one of the top sites in Tokyo, and their energetic daughter enjoyed running around everywhere, exploring the area! I enjoyed chasing after her, capturing her playful attitude and different expressions. It started to rain, so we headed toward Harajuku. We ended up getting caught in the middle of a dance festival! As hectic as it was, it was amazing to see so many people dressed in bright, traditional clothing while the Ogawas enjoyed some mango shaved ice! I love capturing families enjoying a day out in Tokyo. I can’t wait to take more photos in this city!
Baby Claire is 6 Months Old
Baby Claire is 6 Months old!
The Richards
The Richards
Stacey's Maternity
Stacey is one of my dear friends who I have known since high school. I had the opportunity to visit her in Florida to celebrate a SURPRISE baby shower for her son, Owen. We had a great time hanging out, catching up, and talking all things BABY. We also got to stroll around a beautiful park with lilies and colorful trees- it looked like autumn! She was 30 weeks pregnant when these photos were taken, and she has the cutest little bump! I am so excited for her in this new season in her life!
Gabi's Frozen 3rd!
I love taking birthday party photos for children. I love capturing the wonder and excitement of the children, and especially the birthday boy or girl. As a parent, I want to be able to participate and enjoy the party too. I really value my child’s birthday, as it resembles another milestone reached- it is a happy as well as bittersweet time. I think this really motivates me when I take photos for other parents- I imagine what kind of photos I would want on my child’s birthday… and then I snap away!
I had the privilege of taking photos for Gabi’s 3rd birthday. The theme was “Frozen” and not only were the decorations adorable, but the expression on little Gabi’s face as she came into her birthday party and was surprised with the decor and being greeted by Queen Elsa. I hope you get a feel for the party through these photos!
The Vauters
I had the opportunity to photograph this beautiful family at Palacio Engombe, an old sugar plantation in Santo Domingo. They are such a warm family, and baby Z was such a good sport. She was thoroughly entertained during our time together, playing with her soccer ball (“mamba”), watching mommy and daddy blow bubbles, and being tossed in the air. She already looks older from the last time I photographed her 3 months ago (and she moves faster too!)
Life with Baby W
I loved taking photos for this family. They wanted to have some photos done in their home, and they were so warm and welcoming. Their son had the brightest blue eyes, and he loved the camera- He even kept crawling up to me to play with it! Their home was beautiful, and had so much natural light seeping in through the windows. Besides these great things, what I loved most about taking these pictures is seeing how these parents interacted with Baby W- they were so playful with him and showered him with countless kisses.
The Hopes
The Hopes wanted to take some family photos in the Colonial Zone since they were going to leave the Dominican Republic soon. I love the architecture of the “Zona Colonial” – it was the first European colony and city of the Americas, so it has old cobblestone streets and buildings that are hundreds of years old. It served as a perfect backdrop for this session. I’ll make note of a few of the sights that are in these photos!
Alcazar de Colon
Baby Z turns 1
Balloons… Bougainvillea… Birthday Cake… and a Baby! All of these put together made a fun session with little Z, who turned 1!
The Mizells
What a happy family! I had a great time shooting the Mizells! We were originally supposed to take photos in the late afternoon, but since the forecast said rain, we decided to do the shoot a few hours earlier. Despite the heat at noon, we were so glad that we changed the time because it did end up raining in the afternoon! We had the photo session at the Parque Iberoamericano, which had a nice grassy area as well as playground area for the kids to enjoy the playground and ride their scooters around.
Richie's 1st Birthday!
I LOVE CELEBRATIONS. Especially Birthdays! Some people might think that I go over the top or might overdo it, but it’s ok- I’d rather do “too much” to celebrate someone’s life than to do “too little” ^_^. Richie’s parent’s have been our friends for 5 years now- we first met through young adult bible study. His mother and I were pregnant at the same time, and bonded since we were going through the same season of life. I was so excited to see Richie for his birthday that we drove 2 hours to go to his party at the park. Happy 1st Birthday Baby Richie!
Life with the Chans
Some people think routines are boring. Repeating the same thing over and over again cane sound tiresome, it’s true. But I believe there can be beauty in routine.
The Chans, my wonderful friends from Cambodia, asked me to do a lifestyle session to capture what “everyday life” is like for them with their son. I can see how the Chans find so much joy in doing the simple things, such as saying good morning, giving him a shower, changing his diaper, changing his clothes, cutting his nails, giving him milk, reading him a book, saying goodnight, and of course many hugs and kisses.
There is so much warmth and joy in this house. (Can you tell that I really miss my friends in Phnom Penh?) I hope you can experience it by looking at these photos. Enjoy!
Cooking with the Chans
Within 24 hours upon arriving in Cambodia back in October 2011, my husband and I met the Chans (but there was no baby Elijah yet). Since that day, we have grown closer to each other through church, board games (SETTLERS!), and of course FOOD! Also, our children were born within 2 weeks of one another so we enjoyed many play dates with one another. We are so thankful for the Chans who helped us figure our way around Phnom Penh. They became one of our best friends during our time there and have been so blessed by their friendship.
Before I left Cambodia, I offered to shoot some family photos for this wonderful family. They wanted me to shoot photos of their family in their home in Phnom Penh, doing “everyday” activities. I LOVEd this idea- as special as big moments like weddings and birthdays are, there is so much beauty and value in our “normal,” “everyday” lives. One thing to know about them is that this family really enjoys cooking! Nathan himself used to be a chef and director of a catering business- I’m sure their son will be experiencing and enjoying many moments like this as he grows up!
I loved being able to “peek” into the home of the Chans and show you all a snippet of their lives. Enjoy!
Baby I is 3 Months!
A few weeks ago, I took photos of Baby I and her family. When we entered the house, she just began to wake up and I thought to myself, “HOWWW PRECIOUS.. she’s so tinyyyy!” I picked her up and she was so light and fragile. I was a bit scared to hold her, even though I have a baby too! I really can’t believe it was just 6 months ago since my own daughter was just as light and fragile as little Baby I! Oh how time flies and how quickly babies change!
Hope you enjoy these photos! Baby I’s parents said she pushed up the highest she has ever pushed during the photoshoot… yay! Good for Baby I! Overall Baby I was such a good baby and trooper during the photoshoot… near the end she started getting cranky, but I love photos of babies that cry (don’t judge me! They are just so cute when they cry) so I kept snapping away 🙂
Velvet and Ruffles
I bought this dress for my little Pom Pom while I was still pregnant. I adore this dress, which is not a typical-looking baby dress (especially since it is black!). I like almost all the dresses in the Harajuku Mini line.
Anyway, Pom Pom wore this dress when Tony and I took our anniversary photos when she was 3 months old, but these photos were taken when she was 7 months old. I wanted her to squeeze into it one more time before I neatly place it in the “Save for Baby #2 Box.” (BTW I’m not pregnant, I’m just saving it for the future!)
The outfit reminds me of classical music, like something from Mozart and Beethoven times. I wish I had a little piano or instrument to place as a prop!
Pom Pom enjoyed just touching the textures of the dress- the black velvet and the ruffles. I love how she is so curious about everything!
Every girl has a dress of them as a little girl holding onto the end of her dress and lifting it up– well I know I did!
Enjoy!
Baby J is 8 months!
As promised, here are Baby J’s other photos! Baby J is such a little cutie and she loves to stick out her tongue and reach for her mama all the time. She is such an active baby, crawling around everywhere. And she crawls quickly! I see why it can be so difficult to take portraits for babies when they are around this age, but I also see how fun it can be do since they do other “poses” besides just lying down on their backs sleeping ;).
This photoshoot required 3 adults- photographer, mommy, and someone to make baby laugh/support her in certain positions. Thanks again to Lydia for the help!
Baby J is so KAWAii!
KAWAIIIII!!
No, I’m not talking about that beautiful Hawaiian island. I’m talking about my friend’s daughter, Baby J! (“Kawaii” means “cute” in Japanese!)
L and I have babies really close in age, so it’s fun hanging out with them every week! I offered to take photos of her and her daughter and she took me up on that offer. She showed me the various baby outfits that she brought for the photo shoot and I was the most excited about this little Japanese robe! I wish I had more time to prepare some more Japanese-esque props, but thankfully I had some Japanese blinds, Hello Kitty, and Totoro to add some fun to the photos. Taking photos with the Japanese blinds proved to be a bit of a challenge since Baby J liked to climb on them and push them over! (I see more and more why baby photography can be so challenging once the little ones get so mobile…)
There were a lot of fun photos from this shoot (especially with Baby J playing around with Totoro, Hello Kitty, and Miffy) but here are some of my favorites. I would love to do another photo shoot like this for Pom Pom doll one day!
I will be posting a few more photos from Baby J’s photo shoot soon. I loved her outfit and this theme so much that I decided to dedicate one whole post for it ^_^.
Baby E is 7 Months!
My friend asked me to babysit her son, Baby E. He and Pom Pom are just a few days apart and play with each other all the time, so of course I said yes! Unfortunately once his mummy left this was how Baby E felt most of the rest of the time:
Special thanks to Lydia to help me babysit Elijah- feeding him, calming him, spotting him, and trying to make him smile.