The L. family was adventurous and willing to try something a little more rugged and edge-of-nature. Believe it or not, those areas do still exist in Orange County! We found one such spot on the border of Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. And Tiffany and Jef were smart to schedule their brood’s session a few weeks before the summer heat wave kicked into high gear.

We knew the greenery would make for a great mother/daughter backdrop.

But we didn’t realize the rocks and sand would be great entertainment for the little guys.

We might just add this location to our list of north Orange County options for family portraits. Thanks to the L. family for such a great afternoon!

Megan is beaming, isn’t she? With such good-looking parents, baby William will be a handsome little guy, no doubt!

Love that bump!

Congratulations Megan and Stuart! We hope you enjoy this sneak peek. And we can’t wait to meet the little guy!

Since we needed a little western flair for the photos, we opted to meet at Irvine Regional Park in Orange.  The rustic wood fences that line the park’s pathways complemented Chloe’s outfit perfectly.  And check out her awesome hat and red boots!  The girl knows how to accessorize!

Thanks so much to Erica and Chloe for the fun morning session.  We’ll be on hand to photograph the party in just a couple months.  We can’t wait to help celebrate.

And a special tip for all you moms and dads out there…you don’t need fancy backdrops or studio lights to get gorgeous shots of your little ones at home.  Just experiment with a little window light and some cool fabrics.  In the shot above, we had some great afternoon light peeking through one of the bedroom windows.  We stretched out about three yards of this cool swirly fabric (compliments of Jo-Ann Fabrics) on the bed and placed Linley on top.  Landon was awesome and held up some of the fabric in the background while Keith and I photographed.  The result: cute photos!

Again, here’s that great window light.  It made for a great mother-daughter shot.

And don’t forget the details!  Photos of tiny hands, toes, and bellies make for great shots for the baby book.

Congrats to Miko and Landon!  Thanks so much for letting us share in documenting this special time for your family.

We met up with the K. Family at our secret Irvine location.  The lush landscape and golden afternoon sun set the perfect backdrop for this four-generation group.  And while photographing such a big group may seem daunting, we actually had a great system in place—we allotted time to photograph the entire group, as well as smaller family groupings and individual portraits of each family member.  And one of the best parts of working as a photography duo…Keith and I can split up and tag-team the smaller groupings. Yay team!  Thanks so much to the K. Family.  We hope you enjoy your slideshow.

And what a perfect age! Over the years, Keith and I have learned that age six to ten months is a great time to head outdoors and take some family pictures.  Why?  Because the tots are just starting to sit up on their own, but they aren’t quite mobile enough to walk or crawl out of frame.  But what if they are little wobbly? No worries, a cute basket to sit them in is plenty to keep them balanced.

Thanks so much to the B. Family!  You made the afternoon fun.  Enjoy the slideshow!

1) Despite the rain we’ve had almost every weekend since February, we have managed to squeeze in a few portrait sessions.  We’re working hard to prep those photos for future blogs posts.  Stay tuned, there are some pretty cute shots on the horizon, especially of an adorable newborn that we can’t wait to blog.

2) Since this is the off-season for engagements and weddings, Keith and I have spent several weeks making sample albums from our 2009 weddings.  This year marks the first full year we’re offering albums to our clients, and we’ve got some awesome options for both press-printed coffee table books and traditional leather ablums.

3) Keith and I love gadgets.  We especially love cheap gadgets.  And it’s even better when those cheap gadgets come from Hong Kong via eBay! About a month or two ago, Keith and I attended a local photographer get-together to hear a presentation by wedding photographer guru Mike Larson.  His presentation included a brief off-camera flash demonstration.  And what was his device of choice to trigger his flashes remotely? Cheap gadgets off eBay!—Yongnuo flash triggers.  We were sold on their ease of use, speed, and small size.  That night we ordered our own set and we’ve been hooked since.  Want a little sample? Check out this photo we took at local park one evening.  We had a lot of fun testing the flashes that night. I’m just glad the residents surrounding the park didn’t call the police on us.  We must have looked like quite the pair.

But that’s not all!  Because of the great response for the contest, our second and third place winners won’t go empty-handed—they each receive an 11″x14″ print of their winning photos.  Congrats to the Matsuo Family (15%, 50 votes) and April & Matt (13%, 40 votes)!