Melissa and I are actually retired from wedding and family photography, but if you'd like to take a look around you'll see some of the wonderful clients and memories we had with all these beautiful people.
It’s so fun to meet people at Disneyland. People come from everywhere! It’s like Disneyland is popular around the world or something! This wonderful family is from Colorado, and I had the privilege of meeting them and hanging out with them for most of one of their days during their vacation!
When mom Stefanie contacted me about possibly meeting her family in Disneyland… The answer was… yes of course! Melissa was really jealous that she couldn’t come with me this particular day, especially when she saw the pictures. “Cute kids!!” She exclaimed. Yep. I have a great job!
Thank you Greens for letting me hang out with you during your vacation. I hope I didn’t monopolize your time! I really had a blast with you guys.
Sun, smiles, vacation, and family. Sounds like a vacation in Hawaii! Wait, no.. This amazing family was on vacation FROM Hawaii!!
Melissa and I always jump at the chance to do a family shoot in Disneyland. We’re finding that it might be getting more difficult to do these types of shoots as Disneyland might be trying to adopt the “No Pros” rules that Disney World has, but we do what we can! We did have some severe issues walking in with our cameras, as security held us at the checkpoint for quite some time. It wasn’t pleasant, however, the chance to meet families from near and far on vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth is just too tempting for us. :)
The Sagayadoro family came all the way from Hawaii for the first time as a WHOLE family to visit Disneyland and a few other places. We feel so lucky to have met these warm, sweet and FUN people. Take a look at their day and let me know if you think they had a bad time.
Yes by the way.. Little Luke is reenacting the elevator scene from the Gangnam Style video!
Check out this sweet family session from a few weeks ago.. out at Hart Park! We had so much fun with the Raguindin Family! Cute Kids, Fun Parents and Grandparents and some amazing fall colors! So much fun in these...
Check out this sweet family session from a few weeks ago.. out at Hart Park! We had so much fun with the Raguindin Family! Cute Kids, Fun Parents and Grandparents and some amazing fall colors!
So much fun in these sweet faces! Thank you Raguindin Family!
Have I ever mentioned that I like Disneyland? No? :)
One of the coolest jobs I have as a lifestyle family photographer is being able to capture real-life moments as they happen. I certainly have an appreciation for posed family pictures, and they will always have their importance, but I’ve learned that the images that have always meant the most to me were the ones of great moments between me and my wife or those between family members. I may be completely wrong here, but I think this is why we like dog and baby videos on Youtube, because these are real moments that really happened, and most of the time they are fun!
One of the advantages (and blessings) I have to living in Southern California, is that Melissa and I are able to travel to Disneyland quite often -usually to enjoy the place- but we’re also available as Disneyland family photographers to those families who may be traveling from out of state or out of the country even! When heading to Disneyland, people sometimes realize that they need to hire someone to capture some real moments with them and their loved ones (even photographers realize this!), instead of taking the pictures themselves. This gives people some more freedom to just have a great time in a truly wonderful place! To some extent, this is why Disneyland invented the “Photopass” system. If you’re not familiar with the system, basically you buy a prepaid package of pictures of your family taken at pre-determined locations throughout the park, along with a collection of stock images of Disneyland (or the Disney Park you’re visiting at the time). All you have to do is look around for the cast member who looks like a photographer with a tripod and a vest (and a hat), you’ll know them when you see them. I think this is a great idea for families who would love to get some family portraits in front of the traditional landmarks of the park.
What I like to offer is something a little more special for those families looking for an “upgrade” of sorts. I like to spend some time with the family, and capture the real moments as they happen. This way families have pictures of them that capture more of their personalities and what makes them unique, not just pictures of the same smiles in front of the landmarks they saw. I will always do my best to capture traditional “portraits” in front of the main landmarks (you HAVE to have these!), but I also like to give families something special and hopefully more emotional. So that when they look back on the images, and even others see their moments, they can remember how happy their time was, and not just of the sights they saw. This is Disneyland! The HAPPIEST Place on Earth!
When Courtney approached me about doing some family photos at our favorite place, of course I jumped at the chance! Courtney is one of the lucky few who made it on to this years’ Disney Parks Moms Panel to answer questions people from everywhere have about visiting the amazing Disney Parks around the world. What a cool job! I may have to submit and application! :)
I had so much fun with the Bautista’s on this SUNNY day in July. Thank you for letting me hang out with you! … and I may or may not be stealing Mason’s outfit for myself.
What a fun day! Once you glance through the pictures, you’ll see what I’m talking about.
I’ve known Jeff for a few years now, as we used to work together in TV. I may not be there anymore, but Jeff is still producing greatness!
Speaking of greatness!! What a great day this was! Melissa and I were honored to be asked to shoot some family photos in Disneyland. If anyone reading this knows us, the answer to this question was “Um, Yes!” The Lenk’s were celebrating Madeline’s 2nd birthday, and we were lucky to tag along.
For some time now, I’ve been curious how I would end up shooting a family session inside Disneyland. My predominant style of shooting is a “lifestyle” approach, and hoped that I could give the them (or anyone else) something they could cherish for many years. When we go to Disneyland we see cameras everywhere. EVERYWHERE. With this session, I really wanted to try to produce images that were taken in familiar places, but maybe in a way people haven’t seen before. I was really anxious for the challenge of shooting this sweet family at our favorite hangout!
I hope anyone finding this page will enjoy the pictures, because they make me happy too! I think what I enjoy most about them, is seeing that sweet bond between brother and sister in these. I love the honesty kids show and live.
Thanks Madeline for letting us be a part of your day, and life!!
I work with Jeff at the station, and was excited when he and his wife asked for this session. I knew it was going to be good! Jeff is always good for a laugh. He’s a producer at our station who is really...
I work with Jeff at the station, and was excited when he and his wife asked for this session. I knew it was going to be good! Jeff is always good for a laugh. He’s a producer at our station who is really great at heckling people.. especially the directors and anchors. Okay, so he’s a great producer and father too.. but heckling is what I know! You see, before we stopped using physical tapes for the newscasts, the shows used to be a lot more, uh.. ‘vocal’ on the intercom. I used to load the tapes for his shows, and he and I used to play off each other upping the harassment of the good-natured directors. We still find opportunities to harass when it’s called for… like when we find out co-workers haven’t seen movies that ALL Americans should see, like It’s A Wonderful Life!
We decided to meet at the beautiful HartPark. I had actually never been there! I’ve lived in Bakersfield now for a combined 7 years or so, and people couldn’t believe I hadn’t been there.. neither could I! Wow this place is nice. If I haven’t been to a shoot location before, if I can, I usually like to show up beforehand to ‘size up the joint.’ Melissa and I made the short trek out there a couple times to figure out a good place to shoot. I couldn’t decide! No wonder its a favorite for Bakersfield photographers!
I love the way this session came together. I hope you enjoy it, we certainly did!
We fumbled our way around the breathtakingly beautiful Cambria, California to find the spot. You know, the one that looks like a little piece of heaven on earth.
Gorgeous sunset, a little breeze, and Bakersfield’s finest—The Short Family. Christopher is a charming one-of-a-kind drummer, and Kate is his perfect match with a voice that belongs in a choir of angels. Together, they are harmony.
And they make ADORABLE kids!
Our second location was a cliff overlooking the beautiful beach and sunset. It was chilly and windy, but the moment we placed little Emmrie Jane Short inside that bass drum… peace! Everyone felt it. Mom and Dad stood proud. Emmrie explored her surroundings, gave us a few big smiles, and a whole lot of drool!
We are so blessed to be a part of this new chapter in the Short family’s lives, and are eagerly awaiting the seasons to come. Here are some of our favorite shots from our day in Cambria…
Last Friday, Melissa and I had the pleasure of hanging out with Sadie and her daughter Roxy. These two were so fun and energetic! It was a little warm, and since the grass had recently been watered, it was also humid… So.. sweaty me of course! I still had a lot of fun, even when Roxy was chasing me around!
“Let’s meet at the Apple Shed.” I had no idea what that ment. I thought we were actually going to meet at a shed full of bushels and Fujis. I’m not familiar with Tehachapi, so I...
“Let’s meet at the Apple Shed.” I had no idea what that ment. I thought we were actually going to meet at a shed full of bushels and Fujis. I’m not familiar with Tehachapi, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I really enjoyed myself that day though! I got to meet Amy’s son BC who was in town from Georgia. After the session, we all got to sit around talking about food, prisons, xbox gaming and HyperboleAndAHalf.com. Now.. If you’re not familiar with this site check it out, you won’t be disappointed.
