I love The Rodger/Feagle/Dubow families.  I seriously adore everything about them.  This is the type of Children’s Portrait session that I dream about photographing.  There was so much energy and playfulness.  Both Katie and her sister Amy (the mommies in these families) were amazingly patient in allowing me to follow their children around for hours while I let them snack on Dum Dum pops and bounce around the house.  The result was an array of wonderfully authentic images that perfectly depict the happiness of their children.

Cousins!

This is love.

I recently found out that this was Katie’s favorite image of Ben.  A portrait of Ben with his Bunny.  Love it.

Things were getting a bit wild with Ben & Tommy, so Katie picked up a story and the boys were instantly drawn in.  Really, who can resist “Llama Llama red Pajama”?  It’s these moments that remind me of why I love being a mom and also why I love photographing families.  These are the moments that make me smile.

Lookin’ good Ben!

Couldn’t have scripted a sweeter photograph.

This would be called a sugar crash….

…..and it’s not pretty!

However, there is some major healing power in a PB&J. Just ask Kate & Tommy.

Speaking of Kate…..her innocence is Beautiful.

There’s been a recent addition to the family.  Meet Andy.

He’s quite the charmer.

Gorgeous Baby Boy.

Andy adores his Mommy.

Mommy’s got a new little lover.

Grandma Coco has a new bundle of joy.

Ben’s got his hands full, but doing a great job adjusting to the role of Big Brother.

Katie’s family just grew bigger and a whole lot happier.

Rodger/Feagle/Dubow Family:  Thanks for letting me bribe your children and for reminding how sweet life can be.

I was convinced that Auburn hated me back when we first met.  See, she was my freshman year roommate and I doubted I was going be counted among the lucky few who find themselves friends with their roomie.  That first semester I quickly learned that Auburn was NOT a morning person.  During those first few weeks together I would eagerly greet Auburn each morning with a chipper “Hello!”, while her reply resembled a grunt.  She refused to utter an unnecessary word throughout her morning ritual and would often avoid eye contact until she’d  toss a goodbye over her shoulder on her way out the door.

Fortunately for me I was wrong.  Over the course of three years I learned to simply avoid any interaction with Auburn until 11 a.m.  She was the sweetest roommate I’ve ever had and one of my greatest friends.

Auburn has a new roommate now.  His name is Ryan and he adores everything about her.  This past summer they both decided to be roommates for life and I can’t wait to celebrate the wedding.

On New Year’s Eve I met up with Auburn + Ryan to snap some photographs for their Save the Dates.  We started out in front of their Wedding Venue – Foreign Cinema, and then made our way in and around the Mission District.  The evening found us sipping amazing cocktails (Ryan’s superpower) and dining at their home (these two can cook!).  Here’s what we came up with:

Though not a fan of having portraits taken, Ryan was amazingly comfortable in front of the camera.

Not sure what Ryan just said, but this is a classic image of Auburn laughing.  I know it well.

No portrait session in the Mission would be complete without some Murals.

When I asked Auburn and Ryan to take a seat on the curb and simply interact with each other, I could sense a shift in the portraits.  They both stopped looking to me for direction and started focusing on each other.  They have such an intense chemistry and these were the portraits I was striving to create.

What a penetrating gaze.

Can you see what I mean about their intense chemistry?

Auburn, you are such the romantic.

I’m still amazed by this image.  I’ve recently picked up a piece of equipment that allows me to trigger my flash off camera, which has opened up a whole new skill for me to learn. I knew that I wanted to try out this type of portrait with Auburn and Ryan, so as we were getting ready to leave, I made sure to suggest we set it up.  But here is the thing:  Seeing that it was New  Year’s Eve, I had already indulged in several cocktails and glasses of wine.  Apparently I didn’t seem to have any trouble setting up my tripod, manually metering my camera and flash, and creating this image.  Of course while I was shooting I didn’t even think twice that I would come across any trouble. However, the morning after I was quite surprised and a bit giddy that I was able to pull it all off.  I am so excited about implementing this new technique into my Wedding Coverage!

You two are a beautiful couple and I am so honored to be a part of  your Wedding day.

It wasn’t long before Kari & Ted started preparing for their roles as Mommy and Daddy.

And just like that, their lives changed forever.

Welcome Baby Emma!  You are the apple of your Grandma’s eye.

I recently met up with Kari, Ted, Emma & Grandma Marilyn to capture more photographs of this lovely little gal.

Here are a few things I noticed during our shoot:  Emma has Daddy wrapped around her Pinky Finger.

And is the love of Mommy’s life.

Grandma Marilyn is tickled pink at how enthusiastically Emma likes to give kisses.

Emma loves her Grandma’s games.

She’s already mastering her role as Gorgeous Baby Model.

Emma knows how to work the camera.

Family Heirloom:  This was Kari’s Christening Gown, which Marilyn has saved and now gets to share with her granddaughter.  It doesn’t get much more precious than this.

My favorite image of the Day:

I couldn’t be more grateful to have clients, and more importantly friends, like Kari & Ted.  I’ve been present at so many milestones in their lives.  I truly appreciate that they have dedicated their time and resources to document these important moments.  After our portrait session Kari invited me to attend Emma’s Christening the following week.  I was honored to be included in the festivities and though I wasn’t asked to, I couldn’t help but bring my camera.

I love this candid image of Emma sharing a moment with her Grandpa.

I am looking forward to documenting the next chapter in your Family’s story.

]]> http://www.casanovaphotography.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/04/the-story-continues-gittings-family/feed/ 0 http://www.casanovaphotography.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/25/sarah-chris-save-the-date/ http://www.casanovaphotography.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/25/sarah-chris-save-the-date/#comments Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:08:54 +0000 admin http://www.casanovaphotography.com/blog/?p=2365

I’ve been waiting to post these photographs for years.  Ok, well technically it’s only been about two months, but I have been excitedly awaiting the announcement of Sarah & Chris’ engagement for a while.

My friendship with Sarah began our freshman year of college.  I remember it quite clearly.  On one of the first days of our arrival, the gals from the second floor came up to the third floor to say “Hi”.  I lived on the third floor and Sarah lived on the second.  Thus began a friendship that is now entering it’s 12th year.   In college we crammed for midterms, learned how to make Thai Coconut Soup (by trial and error), drove down to Santa Barbara when we needed to do some “real” shopping and enjoyed our Thursday night happy hours at Mission Grill….$2 Mango Margaritas, on the Rocks with Salt, in Pint glasses!!!  Those were the days!

Now on to Sarah + Chris.  It’s a fairly simple equation.  Sarah is from Washington.  Chris is from Washington.  They both worked for PG&E.  They fell in love in San Francisco and are meant for each other.  Perfectly simple.

On a Saturday afternoon in December I met up with Sarah and Chris at her San Francisco apartment.  After a brief fashion show to determine which outfits would work best for photos, and some hair/makeup primping, we hit the streets of their neighborhood.  And what a fabulous photo shoot we had.

Sarah you are gorgeous….seriously, I mean it.

I can not wait to see the babies these two produce.

Outfit Change!

Sarah was a giggler.  She had such a hard time keeping a straight face.  This would then make me giggle, which would make it hard for me hold the camera steady.  But when I did finally compose the image, I LOVED  the result.

Funny Story:  In this type of portraiture (weddings, engagements) I routinely ask a couple to get close and kiss in front of the camera.  It’s part of the art in documenting a couple’s relationship and I am not bashful in asking for the couple to perform some PDA.  I do, however, feel kind of funny asking my friends to kiss in front of me.  Naturally, if Sarah and Chris were to share an intimate moment in public I wouldn’t stand and watch them, let alone snap about 25 photos of their lip-lock.  It’s an interesting position to be in.

I love how this image has a such an editorial feel to it.  And look at the position of Sarah’s feet.  She did it naturally without my having to ask her to change anything up.  See how perfect these two are for each other!

By the look of Sarah’s face, you would swear that I am the funniest person ever.

I think Chris might feel that Sarah is the funniest person in the world.

The setting sun gave off such a beautiful hue.  I love the way it makes their skin tones warm and rosy.

When I used to grocery shop with Sarah she would be horrified when I would open a bag of chips, which I fully intended on purchasing, and would start snacking on them.  How could I possibly begin eating something that I hadn’t paid for?!  So when I asked Sarah and Chris to stand in the middle of the street I immediately recognized that look of horror in her eyes.  But seriously, how could I not have gotten this portrait?!

And then the sunset became even more amazing….so Sarah and Chris found themselves embracing in the street once again.  This is my favorite from the session.

Keeping in mind that these photos were shot in December, I like to call this image “A Bit of Christmas Magic”.

I love you guys!  Can’t wait for the magic of your Wedding.

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