Reza, Narmina and little Karli when I first met them

Baby Photography…I love it! Back in June, 09, I took baby portraits of Karli when she was just about 4 months old.  Narmina found me via google and she and her husband Reza came to my studio with their beautiful daughter sometime mid-day.  They are such a cute family..

Karli was a very happy baby and when Reza lifted her into the air she would laugh away with the most infectious giggle that we were all laughing with her.  So adorable!! A laughing baby is a beautiful thing.

Karli - 1 year old

Well it’s now February and a year has passed since she came into this world. All the way back in June, after she saw the portraits, Narmina asked me to photograph her 1 year birthday party Feb. 2010. I do event photography sometimes, when people ask, even though baby and family portraits are my main thing.

I like to photograph events because I slip quietly around and capture moments when people have forgotten there is a camera there.  Some posed shots come up, always but it’s the candids I love.

And the maneuvering it takes to get them right makes it a fun challenge, especially at events such as this.

I was expecting a smaller affair.  A party of maybe 20 at a restaurant.  When I arrived I found they had rented out an entire restaurant in the heart of Hollywood for 80 guests.  Family of all ages were there to celebrate!

I was really impressed by the turn out.  Narmina and Karli both looked gorgeous!  And I couldn’t help but think that with so many family and friends, Karli is sure to be surrounded by love and support as she grows up.  And the fact that we had the entire place to ourselves was great for me too, because I could shoot freely.

everyone was part of the party and everyone was to photographed.

There was lots of dancing, food, hugs and laughter.  It was quite an affair.  Russian music played and guests danced throughout the evening, arms in the air, wrists twisting to the melody, smiling.

Narmina loves to dance - and is great at it.  She and I hit it off during the original photo session in June and she invited me salsa dancing with her and her friends.  I quickly accepted (I love to dance, too!) and went with her sometime last August.  We had a blast.  I’d never been!  She was really good.  I was a mess.  A happy mess.

This night at the party, Reza played a video he’d made of Karli’s first year, which everyone loved.  There was of course a toast, and cake and a very happy baby girl.  I thought Karli handled all the attention really well.  She’s going to be a super star, so why shouldn’t she?  ;)

The best part for them was the party - the best part for me… receiving an email from Narmina after she saw the photos. “OMG! Felle! These are AMAZING!!!! I knew you were good, but this has surpassed my expectations! Such great photos, you managed to capture the most precious moments. Once again thank you! You are officially my family photographer!”

Best. Feeling. Ever.

Part of finding more balance in between being a baby photographer, a headshot photographer and having a life outside of work has meant my saying yes to invitations.  My friend Deirdre changed her profile pic on Facebook to a snowboarding image of herself from a couple years back, it spurred a rash of “We should DO THAT!” from a group of friends.  I hadn’t been to Mammoth in 12 years (!) and suggested we go there.  Mara put together the cabin for us which was a task in and of itself…and soon we had 8 people all set to go.

Rob, Doug, Me, Casey, Mara

Deirdre

Deirdre and I put the dogs in the car and headed up - the others would follow afterward.  We passed small town after small town along the 14 and the 395 and marveled at the fact that people could live so far away from any kind of city.  Signs pointed us to where we could buy things like frog balls, fresh jerky …and guns. It was really quite amusing.  When we drove up the final hill to Mammoth Lakes we saw our first snow.   From no snow to snow everywhere - !

Our cabin was decorated with dead animals which did not make us happy but Deirdre had a gay old time taking pictures of all of them anyway.  ”Look at how gross!” (click!)  I didn’t so you won’t see any on here.  That’s something I’d like to forget (but won’t, anytime soon.)  The others joined us that night and we all sat around and chatted over a couple beers about the plans the next day.

I planned to hit the slopes on Saturday only, and we all got up at about 7am to go to the rental place and take one of the free shuttles to the slopes.  I chose to ski so I would stay upright for the day.  Ha!  I’ve never snowboarded but I’m an okay skiier and what I looooooove to do is to glide down a mountain.  Just glide as long as it takes me.  And it was SUCH a beautiful day; sunny, not too cold, and not windy.
Casey, one of our friends had never been skiing or snowboarding before.  Ever.  He promptly lost his glove on the first lift and since he had chosen to snowboard this meant he would have his hands on the snow, and often.

Mara loaned him her scarf to wrap around his hand, making him look bandaged and impossible. You can see it in this shot.

After one or two lifts I realized I could do without my gloves, and gave him one of mine.  One glove on and my bare hand tucked into my jacket a bit (which I’d borrowed from Deirdre because I don’t have any coats like that in my Los-Angeles-weather-friendly wardrobe) and I went on my merry way.  So much fun. (You can see how much fun in the video link at the bottom of this post)

Saturday night the boys made tacos and the next night the girls (or really just Deirdre - I don’t know how that happened but I’m grateful to her because I’m not the best cook) made jambalaya.  Both were a BIG hit.  The jambalaya was GONE and quick.  So so tasty in fact that she’s recreating it for her superbowl party.

On the last day there was a big snowstorm so we headed out early, only to arrive in LA in the middle of a thunderstorm.  I love driving in those conditions but I’m afraid I scared poor Deirdre who had to ask me to slow down.  The dogs were content and unmoved by my speed, but I slowed down to assuage her terror, just the same.  ;) I returned to prepare prints for canvases a client ordered soon afterward.  I’ll blog about them next.  And tonight I’m taking pictures at a birthday party for a baby photography client who’s daughter, Karli, is turning 1 year old.  I will also blog about that sometime later this week.  I took pictures of her when she was 3 months old and I can’t wait to see how much she’s changed!

Oh - and as promised…here’s a little video from the trip…click on the link below for 5 seconds of greatness.  :)  CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO

Rachel’s sister called me from another state to gift her sister a portrait session for Rachel’s new baby girl, Mila.  This isn’t the first time someone has called from another state to book a baby photo session, or a maternity - or both!  I think it’s such a great gift to give, over the normal baby shower items because the gift last a lifetime.  I knew Rachel was expecting soon, and I made up a certificate to mail to her (snail mail) so that she would know what her sister had given.  I let her know that when she was ready, she could capture the time she wanted, and directed her to my site, which she’d not seen yet, of course… so she would know what to expect.

I got word via email from Rachel that Mila had been born and we set up a time for them to come over.  Rachel also lives in Sherman Oaks so she opted to come to my studio.  It’s nice to do it either way.  When people come here I have music playing that is very soothing; Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong… songs from that era.  It’s happened often that I’ll burn a CD of the music - my clients like the mix so much!  It was a compilation made by a friend, and I absolutely love it.

Also, I always turn on the heater to make sure when the babies are in the birthday suits, they aren’t cold.  This day was a warm one, however, so we quickly decided to turn it off.  The weather has been so wacky lately!  Rachel didn’t want to be in the photographs but I did persuade her to include her hands in the photos, where she is holding her baby girl’s feet or fingers.  It’s so great to see the comparison in size, especially since they’ll never again be that tiny.  And it’s so sweet to see a child holding onto their parent’s hand… the symbolism of trust, intimacy, and support always moves me.

Mila was a little angel.  She didn’t cry once, which is rare.  Babies usually cry to let us know they’re hungry and need a minute to regain their supermodel strength.  She was perfectly content to have her moment in the sun, basking in the attention.  Plus the pillow I use for baby photography seems to have a magical quality to it.  Even the parents who say “Oh, he doesn’t like to lie down.  He prefers to be held” have to retract it with “Look - he loves it!!” as they see their child smiling away, or even falling asleep.

The session went by pretty fast and all three ladies - Mommy, baby, and me - said our goodbyes smiling.  I love my job.

I took a little bit of time off from shooting headshots and baby photography and family portraits to embrace life, enjoy the holidays with family and friends, and recharge.  Friends said I should post about my life too - to let you know who I am and what I’ve been up to.  I love to write… so here we go!

One of my girlfriends had her 30th birthday in New York.  I thought I wouldn’t be able to attend, since I live in LA until I realized that I had a JetBlue credit that had to be used by Jan. or it would expire.  I went for a short weekend and had a fantastic time.  The weather was in the 50’s which isn’t bad.  

Spent one of the days with my friend Katherine, who lives in NY, and we met some nice people who were visiting from SF.

I talked all of them into going ice skating in Bryant Park.  They weren’t having any of it at first.  They’d have much rather stayed inside to drink hot toddys at the Bryant Park restaurant but I insisted they wouldn’t regret it if they skated.  So we walked over, paid the extra bit to not wait in line, and rented our skates.  As soon as we all hit the ice they were grinning and laughing. No one fell!

I’m a big fan of doing things you wouldn’t normally do!  And creating memories is always about having fun.  Here’s me skating - and the gang at the subway when we were all heading to the West Village(above).  It was a very short, unexpected trip, but with the bday party, ice skating, spending time with my friend Esther, and simply relaxing, it was well worth the trip.

J

ust before that I visited family up north.  They live in between Auburn and Truckee, in gold rush country.  It’s very, very beautiful up there… and very rural.  Pretty much the complete opposite of living in LA. This waterfall is near my dad’s house.  It always reminds me of my mother, who passed away in ‘05. One of the reasons I so enjoy taking pictures of families, and of moms and babies, is the close bond I had with my own mother.  She was an amazing woman.  Smartest person I’ve ever met, and also one of the most dignified.  She loved this river and we went there together a few times.  She loved the country so much, and bought her retirement house up there.  Now my dad lives there, and my siblings aren’t far away.

My sister “came into” some donkeys.  Ha.  She has a couple acres of property at her house and when someone in town needed to get rid of their donkeys, Shannon jumped at the chance.  Free donkeys!  Who wouldn’t?  I wouldn’t… but I’m a city girl.  ;)

Here’s one of my crazy nephews, Liam.  I have 6 nieces and nephews. All, thankfully, are great kids.  And they know how to have fun… as you can see here.  He’s doing this specifically because I am photographing him.  No noise was made during this pose.  Silent scream, I’ll call it.

And just for the fun of it - because I’m addicted… let me plug my favorite holiday find.  This is the pumpkin loaf from a box which I found at Trader Joes. Oh my goodness… so GREAT.  Put some Cool Whip on it.. or eat it by itself.  But I have to say, drinking my morning coffee while snacking on pumpkin bread topped with Cool Whip… THERE IS NOTHING BETTER.  You will either thank me or curse me for this!  But I’m pretty sure it’ll be the former…

Miriam and Jim had me come to them for their baby portraits.  They live in one of the canyons and I always love that drive.  So peaceful and pretty driving around the turns.  And I love hitting the top of Mulhulland and seeing the city below.  When I arrived they showed me around so that I could find the best place for my studio to be set up. Jim teaches martial arts and one of his rooms is a practice room. It was ideal for what I needed.

We also scouted potential locations outside, on their back deck overlooking the canyon, which is where I captured this family portrait of the three of them.

Since we were shooting outside I had them find clothes that were a little more fun than the normal solids I prefer for studio shooting.   We outfitted little baby Stephen in green and tan… and the family was all set.

(The few images I’m using here in the blog come from the coffee table book I designed for them, which is why you see overlapping images etc…)  In all of my family portrait sessions, I like to have people interact naturally with each other. I rarely pose them, instead only giving the slightest bit of direction and letting their personal connection guide the moments. 

When people are allowed to be themselves, it captures more intimate photos that show obvious love… like this one where they are simply looking at each other. It’s little moments like these that are so beautiful.
The main reason I love my job is I’m  able to witness the love a couple shares with each other, and the love they then pass on to their child(ren).  I think we need more examples of this in society today, and I really enjoy the fact that I get to see them often.  It’s not always easy doing what I do, but each and every time I come away happy.  There is rarely an occasion where I don’t feel more energized than when I arrived, despite the carting around of all my equipment!

Stephen was a little prince. The photo to my right, where Jim is kissing Stephen… also not staged.  I love how he’s looking up at his dad in this shot.  So sweet.  He was very patient with all of us pesky adults.

The Gollers are very sweet, good people.  They smile a lot and obviously love each other very much.  All of the times I saw them, during the session and when I brought them their prints, and later their coffee table book, they were open, smiling and kind.  They even invited me to a party they were having one of the nights I came by.  I have been very lucky to come across a lot of really great people when I photograph families.

The great majority of my sessions, whether they be infant portraits, or family portraits, have been filled with warmth and love.  It’s a wonder I found this profession in the first place… it’s been such a gift.

When I met Riley, she was three months old.  She was incredibly alert and had the sweetest demeanor. I don’t think she cried once, which is unusual at that age, when crying is the only way to communicate a need.  Celeste had found my card at The Pump Station http://www.pumpstation.com/pumpstation/ and opted for me to come to her.  She was sweet and down-to-earth from the moment I arrived.  Usually I put my clients at ease, but she beat me to it!

I placed Riley on my magic pillow (I call it magic because all the babies seem to love it) and she just posed away!  Celeste and I were so happy watching the little beauty.  Celeste loves Riley so much - it shows in the continuous joyous laughter coming out of her each time I’ve met them both.  Sooo cute.

Riley fell asleep in a basket I put her in and I grabbed this shot of her smiling in her sleep.   9 months later I got the call that Riley was turning one year old.  Celeste hired me to come to the birthday party where first I set up my portable studio in the garage.  I took some pics like I’d taken before, to show the difference in her… and this time Riley’s grandmother was there so I got some great shots with her included.  I always love that.

Celeste lives close to the ocean so we’d taken Riley there during our first session and grabbed this beautiful shot of mother and daughter.  And when she was a year we opted to stay in the park across the street.

at 3 months

at one year

I followed Riley around as she played and again - she was always smiling.  And Celeste, always laughing at everything her baby girl did.  It was a really fun shoot.. but they pretty much all are!

James and Beth are one of the cutest couples I’ve met.  Their obvious love and respect for each other is a wonderful thing to be around.  I first met them in December of ‘07 when Emma, their first child, was 3 months old.  I brought my lights and studio equipment to their apartment and set things up.  They’d found me through a mutual friend whose family I had photographed.  They had seen the portraits, liked them and contacted me, asking if I did baby photography.  I said yes, but didn’t have a website for it.  They checked out my other website, fellephotography.com, and we set it up.  (the photo on the left is of Emma in ‘07)

Emma was such a sweetie… and the photo of her lying in James’ arms is the first photo in my gallery.  When I photographed their new baby, Lucy, last month, they told me that when their family saw that picture (in color) of Emma, they asked if the baby was wearing contacts! 

Can you imagine us putting contacts in her eyes so they’d be more blue? That would be a little crazy.   haha.  And the truth is, I didn’t enhance them in photoshop either.  There was no need.  Baby Lucy shares the blue-eye trait but hers are a deeper midnight blue.  Very soulful.  I think she’s going to a very thoughtful girl.  (the pic to the right is Emma now)

When I shot Emma’s baby portraits back then, we stayed with the studio-style for the whole shoot.  When I returned a year and half later to photograph her new baby sister,  we shot studio-style and also went to a park nearby.  There we chased around Emma, who could now walk - and run away! - so  that we could get the family portraits too.  (the photo to the left is of Lucy, taken last month, when she was 3 months old, too)

What I do with children is simply follow them around and let them be themselves.  It’s a little unconventional I guess because the parents are always sure we didn’t get enough shots - or even “the shot.”  Then, when they see the portraits a few days later -  they are always shocked.  (I love that part.)  

I’ve never been one for posing people.  I prefer to capture them as they really are.  I will make slight adjustments when I shoot portraits but for the most part I like families to interact with each other.  

The resulting portraits then portray their truth.  And their truth is what brings their beauty out, their individuality. You can see from my new portrait session on the baby website how everyone is really relaxed and natural looking. I think it’s far more fun.  And you can see the love. 

James and Beth are such sweethearts.  Since the first baby session way back when, we’ve stayed in contact.  I’ve even gone to see James sing in a few gigs around Los Angeles.  He has an incredible voice.  Really incredible.  Very full and soulful. (maybe that’s where Lucy gets the soulful quality in her eyes) But what I like most about him is how much he loves the three women in his life.  He and Beth are in love with each other.  And you can see it’s a good match.  Balanced.  Respectful.  Kind.  They both weigh in on all the decisions and it’s plain to see that beyond being married, they are also best friends.  

During this last shoot, when I took the picture of little Emma hugging Beth, James said behind me, “Oh man, that just breaks my heart!!”  How sweet is that?

 And both parents were very patient with Emma the entire time she was running around the park, insisting on not cooperating.  I’m glad they knew my work from before so they didn’t stress too much.  I could see they were just a little worried we weren’t able to get great shots with all the running around.  A few days after the shoot, when they saw the portraits for the first time, James called and was so excited. “I didn’t think we got a good picture with the whole family and I was looking through the shots, and there it was!!!  It’s perfect. It’s totally us.”  That picture is the one you see below.

I’ve put a lot more time into baby photography and family portraits over the last year and a half since I first met The Kenney Family.  I’ve been lucky to have shot for a lot of really nice people, some of whom I’ve become friends with.  (I’m going salsa dancing with one new mom, and her girlfriends, next Saturday, in fact!)  To spend my time helping people photograph love is a real gift.  I’m very grateful and aware of how lucky I really am.

The first time I met Erica was when she arrived at my studio for the maternity portrait session.  Mom-to-be, Erica, her mother Linda, and her sister Gaby arrived at my studio together.  Linda had called and set up what was to be the first of two portrait sessions, first Maternity and then the infant portraits once her baby was born… but Erica had never even seen my work.  She didn’t know what to expect.  Soon we got to know each other and she realized that my sessions are very easy and fun.  We played around with different ideas and shot a lot of great images.  There was one image she came up with where she’s sitting indian-style, naked, but her nudity is tastefully and strategically covered.  Those images were kept for her private use so I’m not displaying them on the site.  I always honor my client’s privacy.

It was a couple months down the line when Linda called and told me Aaron had been born.  We set the date for me to come to them this time.  I brought an assistant along with me and I’m glad I did!  Linda’s home was on a hillside and there were many stairs to take to get us where we needed to go.  My assistant and I got a nice work out carrying my portable studio up them.  The whole family was there, six or seven people although the only ones I would be photographing where Aaron, his father Raphael and Erica.  She looked lovely as usual and Aaron was such a cutie.  Only 3 weeks old.  

I had the parents interact with each other and with baby Aaron and the shots came out beautifully.  I like to keep things natural, even in a studio environment.  It helps me capture people as they really are, not posed and uncomfortable.  

At the end of the session Linda and her family had made beef tortas for us and Deirdre (my assistant and friend) were in loooooove with them.  I didn’t know it but ‘torta” means, simply, sandwich.  Her family had a good laugh at my naivete’.  :)  I’m always willing to learn!  I’ve actually bought DVD’s to teach myself how to speak Spanish.  When my schedule slows down a bit, I’ll begin my lessons so I don’t get caught with a silly question mark expression on my face again.  haha

The last shot of the day is my favorite.  It’s the one below where the new family sleeps quietly together.  When I made the coffee table book for Erica after she chose all of her favorite images, this one was the cover, and the image on the last page as well.  The peace they all share, what a beautiful thing.

Craig contacted me back in March while I was in Ireland.  He told me his wife Beth was in her 35th week and they wanted to book both a maternity and infant photo session, opting for the package.  He told me they’d been in Ireland last year and really loved it, and hoped I was having a good time.  What a sweet way to make an introduction!

When they arrived to shoot the maternity portraits, my assistant Deirdre and I had everything ready for them.  They’d opted to take my advice and stick to black and white solid shirts, and a couple tank tops for Beth which make it easy to expose the beautiful belly.  She informed me that she’s not comfortable taking pictures.  I hear this a lot, and I wasn’t worried in the slightest.  The way I work is I let people be themselves, interact with one another and I never rush them.  The music I play is very soothing as well with songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Etta James.  

The session went wonderfully, with Deirdre and I completely moved by the obvious love Craig has for his wife. He was so proud and his love and attention helped her relax completely.  I heard from them later that they were really happy with their shots, especially because Beth looked so - well - herself, in them!  And that’s what I love to do best.

In the beginning of May I got the email that Perrin Skylar was born.  We set up the date for a couple weeks from then and arranged it so I would come to them.  On the appointed day I packed my gear, background support system, cameras, lens, seamlesses et. all, into my car and headed west.  After I arrived we took a tour of their home to decide where best to set up my portable photo studio to take the baby photos.  Because of the large windows their living room enjoys, I didn’t even need to set up my lights.  I simply used the natural light available and placed my backdrops accordingly.  

Perrin was snuggled up in a swaddling blanket when I arrived.  I’d not seen one of these yet.  I want one for myself, she looked so comfy!!  She really is a beautiful little girl, too.  I took quite a few pics of her sleeping away, as peaceful as can be.  

Infant and baby photo sessions are always dictated by the baby’s needs.  Whatever lets them be their most comfortable is what we do.  

It was Craig’s idea to hold her as you see in the shot to the left.  It is my favorite shot of the whole session, because after a few shutter releases, her head rested into this pose.  It just makes me melt, how sweet and tiny and trusting she is in this shot.  And I love the images where the father is holding his child.  It touches me very much.  

When clients order the 2 session package they also get 2 8×10s and this was one of their choices.  The other is the one to the right, of the two of them, when Perrin was not yet brought into the world.  Both of these were already on my site before they ordered them, that’s how much I loved them too.  They also ordered the CD with all the images and with the 2 session package I don’t charge twice for the CD, instead including both sessions for the one CD price.  I always archive all the photo sessions so when people decide later they want prints retouched or coffee table books to give their children when they grow up, I’m able to give them that.
When we’d gotten all the images we wanted, I packed up my gear and said goodbye.  I’m always a little sad when a session is over.  I guess I love my job that much

I took Sarah’s  maternity portraits when she was 7 months along.  She is a really beautiful woman and the photos came out great.  She brought with her several articles of clothing and we had a great time. I’m really good at helping people feel comfortable and be themselves during the shoots.  I don’t rush anyone and I really love my job so there is absolutely no tension in the air.  The subsequent results are portraits that really capture the person and the moment in such a beautiful way.  The pictures were a present to her husband, Rick and, if memory serves, I believe he didn’t even know she was having them done.

Months passed and Sarah contacted me again.  Their baby boy Jack had arrived.  We set up a time for them to come to my little studio. 

When they arrived, Jack’s grandfather Ray accompanied them.  Ray has tattoed all the names of his grandchildren on his arms.  He was such a nice man too, just beaming at little Jack and making Jack smile!!  It was so cute, I cannot even tell you.  To see this wonderful grey haired man cooing at the baby and the baby grinning every time he did just made my heart open up.

Sarah looked fantastic, which did not surprise me.  And this was the first time I met her husband Rick.  I loved the way he teased her.  It was obvious they are really great friends as well as husband and wife.  He complimented me on the maternity session’s images which was nice to hear.  We took lots of pictures of everyone, some with father and son, mother and son, grandpa and grandson.  I put Jack in a little truck. He wasn’t a fan of that for long, we soon abandoned that idea.  

They turned out pretty good though.  It’s hard for babies that young to keep their heads up so it looked like he was relaxed and kicking back in the little truck.  Hilarious!

I love the contrast of maternity photos and infant photos.  First the baby is inside - then he’s out!  And such is the cycle of life.  

I’m always happy to be a part of it - and to be able to give them photos that capture such a fleeting moment in their lives…