Each October Guerneville Elementary School holds an awesome Halloween Carnival and fundraiser put on by the F.O.G.S organization. It is so much fun! Along with the fun of games and activities is a pretty impressive raffle. No joke the local businesses and families donate some fantastic items (do not miss it this year!). I added in a gift certificate for a mini family session and The lovely Throop family were the lucky winners!
I really enjoyed getting to meet Maile and her family. We actually had another location in mind when we set up her session. However a day or two before I messaged them saying I found this awesome place close by that had a great view and lovely light and asked if they would be interested. Thankfully they were and the evening sunset and gorgeous backdrop did not disappoint!
Here we have the sweet and sassy Miss Zoe being totally adorable!
Child Photography
Followed by the stunning Miss Micayla. She is such a natural in front of the camera and from what I could see an awesome big sister!
High school Senior/Teen
I don’t like to let the parents think they can get away from the spotlight too easily lol. I also captured some shots of mom and dad being love birds together. Such a beautiful and loving couple. The light was perfection here along the Russian River.
Now images of the whole family together. I love capturing families connecting and relaxed in addition to the posed photos.
After all the official photos it was fun to also capture some always popular (with the kids) rock tossing into the river as the last of the sunset slipped behind the trees.
Thank you so much Throop Family for trusting me with your family memories! If you want your own family photos along the Russian River or among the Redwood Forest please contact me today…I cant wait to capture the magic of your life!
What is Fall without a trip to the local pumpkin patch?
I fondly recall the Fall adventure with my 3 older childrens kindergarten classes to the pumpkin patch. My youngest “baby” is now in kindergarten (still hard for me to accept). I had been truly looking forward to helping chaperone this fun experience.
The journey starts with all the kids loading on to the bus. As mentioned this was not my first go round at a kindegarten field trip therfore I opted to drive myself;) I love those kids but the loud, stuffy, smelly bus full of germs…ya not so much. ha!
This was a new Pumpkin patch for me. It was a lovely scenic drive from the Russian River area across Sonoma County over to the rolling hills of Petaluma.
Peter’s Pumpkin Patch has it all! They are a real working dairy farm, how cool!? The kids where greeted by a sweet little lady farmer (I missed her name but she introduced herself as farmer ___). She explained the kids would need to
work like real farmers and they would be paid with ice cream! The kids LOVED that idea.
They got right to work first visiting the sweet calves the farm had. The calves weren’t camera shy at all and get a look at those eyelashes…..No mascara needed for those lovelies!
Next up it was on to milk the Dairy Cows! The kids, while somewhat hesitant thoroughly enjoyed getting to be up close and see how to milk the cows. Squeals and giggles filled the air as each child had a turn with the farmer learning the proper technique.
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Soon after they loaded up and headed out on the tractor pulled trailer to find pumpkins. I found it extra cool they actually had to pick the pumpkins (no pre cutting here). They all spent time carefully browsing the patch for the perfect pumpkin.
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Then it was time for the next job…digging up potatoes! I think us adults had as much if not more fun than the kids with this. The kids collected 3 potatoes each. I personally grabbed a few more to purchase for my family. (they made excellent mashed potatoes!) The farmer here was also fantastic. He explained all sorts of fun potato farming techniques and facts to us.
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
It was time to head back up to the main area of the pumpkin patch where the kids fueled up with lunch before tackling the corn maze and corn pit. If you have never played in a corn pit, just do it! They are awesome!
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
Documentary Photography
After all that playing the Farmers made good on their promise and paid the kids with their fresh homeade ice cream! A choice of vanilla or pumpkin flavor was offered. I could not pass up on the ice cream myself and purchased a cup of the pumpkin. As I write this I still am craving more, it was so yummy! It was almost like a pumpkin cheesecake filling. Absolutely delicious!!
Documentary Photography
All good things must come to an end so after a few more runs up and down the giant hay pyramids back on the bus they went. All in all a pretty awesome day. Beautiful weather and a very cool pumpkin patch.
I hope you all don’t mind when I share some of my personal stuff here on my blog. I find it fun to share with you all how I document my own everyday life magic. Also I’d love to hear about your favorite Sonoma County pumpkin patch or other Fall traditions you may have Please share in the comments section below.
If you are interested in scheduling a Fall Family Photo Session please contact me here. I have an awesome Mini Session Deal going at the moment. I will also be having Tree Farm Holiday Photo Sessions very soon as well. I look forward to hearing from you.
Serenity, peace, love, joy…just a few words I could use to describe this photo session. When Kylie asked me to capture her pregnancy I was honored. We worked out a plan to do the first part of the session with only her at a very special location. This is on her families private property in Sonoma County, Ca. Have I said how much I love being here in the Russian River area? There are so many impeccable photo spots tucked away out here it is an absolute dream to work in my “backyard”.
Unfortunately Kylie lost her mother not too long ago. While it is difficult to not have your mother at your side physically as you have a child yourself there is no doubt Kylie’s mother is with her in spirit and watching over her closely. This luscious creek beneath the redwoods is where Kylie use to play with her mother when she was young. She has many special memories here. She brings her daughter here now and plans to bring her son when he arrives.
I love to capture the magic people have…the things that make them laugh, cry and FEEL. The reflections upon the water, the warm light seeping through the trees as the cold water rushed by was the perfect scene to show off how stunning motherhood is for Kylie. It was all the magic I could hope for and more.
Later that evening I met with Kylie, her husband Jason and their daughter Shyanne. We again had a lovely backdrop with this rustic barn and lovely Fall sunset light. Sonoma County is known for its wine and that means vineyards so how can we not take advantage of those being nearby? This family had me laughing so much! How adorable are they? Dancing in the Vineyards they look like pros. Shhh don’t tell that Jason looked at me like I asked him to fly to mars when I asked them to twirl and dance together haha! It was a great time!
Another favorite moment from their session was creating a special request Kylie had with the necklace she has in remembrance of her mother with her growing belly. As it came time to take this special photo the sun came shining down a loving light around Kylie.
I adore capturing Kylie and her daughter together. They have a very special bond and it is easy to see how much love they have for each other. Baby Levi is one lucky baby to be born into such a fun and loving family. Be sure to check back in with my blog soon to see baby Levi in a lifestyle family newborn session.
Having fun and being able to provide families with meaningful photos they will treasure forever is what I strive for in every session.Want to schedule your own session? Contact me today. I would love to capture the magic of your life!
Last year I had the pleasure of working with a few Teens and High School Seniors. I had so much fun working with this age group I decided to launch an official Senior Rep Program this year. I received a lot of great applicants but when I saw Seanna had applied I was super excited. I had worked with her before doing a family photo session. I knew Seanna had a great attitude, is hard working, kind and outgoing plus she is a natural in front of the camera! Of course she was chosen to represent my brand to other Sonoma County High School Seniors.
Seanna attends Casa Grande High school in Petaluma California (go Gauchos!!). The day came for her session and it was a perfect day! She had chosen a place her family enjoys together Cornerstone Sonoma. Unfortunately, despite checking in with this location we were only able to photograph for a short time before a private event started and we had to leave. Sometimes we can not control everything when using public locations. While this was a bummer I am one that chooses to roll with things and make the best of it. We decided that rather than reschedule we could check out another location. One reason I really wanted to work with this age group is because they are so creative and resourceful. Within minutes Seanna had found another location that she liked. I checked it out and felt it would work great as well so we packed up and headed to it. I have to say I was IN LOVE with this place as soon as I saw it. The gorgeous glowing light and rustic country scene was breathtaking and so worth driving up to. I felt this location really fit Seanna’s style perfectly!
Seanna looks stunning in all her images but I’d like to share some of my favorites of her with you all. I could not be prouder to have this lovely young women working with me this year. Be sure to see Seanna if you have any questions and she can even hook you up with a way to get a special gift from me when you choose me to be the one who captures your high school senior portraits! Get on my schedule by clicking here
I look forward to capturing the magic of your life!
