Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

Los Angeles Children’s Photographer | This One, She’s My Girl…

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

Getting into the spirit of “Back To School” I wanted to do a photo shoot with my oldest daughter to capture the last little bit of summer we have left for this year before she heads back to school.  This blog post is for her, celebrating her because I love her!

To my sweet, sweet girl.  You are my first born, my first girl and as you fall to sleep each night I think about how you are growing up way too fast.  Last year at this time I was nervously anticipating a day that had made my stomach churn for weeks.  You were heading to kindergarten and even though you seemed prepared for the big day, I wasn’t.  We dropped you off there for your first day of school and I can still recall the smile on your face and excitement in your eyes.  When your teacher had your class line up in the play yard for the morning prayer we watched you grow leaps and bounds in that very moment right there before our eyes.

I will never forget that last look you gave me before you headed in to your class room.  You looked back nervously at me and took a big gulp, gave me a tiny smile and then followed in line behind your classmates.  You were too far away to see the tears streaming behind my sunglasses, but that morning has left a lasting imprint on my heart.

A short 9 months later and you, my girl, were graduating from kindergarten.  You were still my same sweet “little” but you had also become such a grown girl in less than a year.  Attending your kindergarten graduation was another moment that made me realize how quickly the year has gone by and how fast you are growing up.  We were so proud of you that day watching you receive your diploma in the same church, from the same school, wearing the same paper cap that your father had worn when he graduated from that same kindergarten.  We are so proud of you and the person you are – you are truly a gift to our lives.  Your smile is infectious, your thoughtfulness is endless and your playful spirit and belly laughs always leave us with a smile.

Summer is ending and the time has come, we are back to the same place just one year later.  In a couple of days we will be walking you in to your first day of school and this time it will be first grade.  No matter how old you are or what grade you are in, my parting words to you will always be the same.   The words I said to you on your first day of kindergarten and every morning when I dropped you off are the same words I want you to carry with you every day through your life…”Be a good friend and be a good listener, I love you…”

I love these photos of you Fin, they truly capture you and who you are at this very moment.  Spending the time with you at the beach for your photo shoot was so much fun and I thank you so much for these perfect images.  I loved shooting your session and I love every moment we spent playing in the surf.  Most importantly, I love you – my sweet, sweet buggy! xoxo

Los Angeles Beach Photographer | Sweet Summer Sunsets

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

For the past few nights we have been rounding up the kids and heading to the beach.  The sunsets have been amazing, the weather is perfect and it’s been fun soaking up these last few days before summer is officially over. The beach photo sessions have been too much fun and I thought I would share a piece of our summer with you!  Don’t let this summer pass you up without one of our Beach Beautiful Photo Sessions – call today to book yours!!!

Los Angeles Photographer | Where does the time go?

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

This past weekend my husband and l packed up the kids and headed down south to visit some of our favorite/best friends for a birthday party.  I am stunned that we have not been there yet to see their new house – it seems like they just moved there but it’s actually getting close to them being down there a full year.  Makes me think – where did the time go!  If you know me then you know that when it comes to rounding up the kids and getting our whole family somewhere on time just doesn’t really ever happen, we seem to never be “on time.”  When I glanced at the invite for the birthday party as I headed out the door I saw what I thought was a 10am start time for the event.  Much to my surprise when we were almost to the party I was pulling up the invite again on my phone for the address and noticed that the invite said 1pm not 10am.  WHAT!!!! The utter shock that hit me that we might actually be on time (with two hours to spare, LOL) for an event felt like such an amazing accomplishment.  Due to our early arrival we decided to check out the area and take the kids to a park nearby.  It was nice just getting to hang out together and watch the kids have so much fun.  It also gave me another moment to think – where does the time go.  My oldest daughter is going to be 6 in just a few months and my son is 2 and my youngest daughter is already 1.  I cannot get over how they have grown and how old they seem now.  I love my littles to pieces and they amaze me every single day!  Here are their most recent photos at our park visit before the party!  To Paul, Sara, Adam & Jake (and Al & Angela) thanks for letting us come early and get extra hang out time with you all!  We love you guys so much and miss having you one street over!  We just need to move down there near you guys in candy land – LOVE where you live!

Los Angeles Photographer | Workshop Love with Kamee June

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

A couple of weeks ago when I had the opportunity to attend a workshop given by the amazingly talented Kamee June, I had no idea what to expect for the day.  I went there knowing I would learn a lot but I came away with so much more!  The day was transformative for me in so many ways and not only did I learn a ton but I also came away with so many new friends.  Being around such amazing peers made the day so much more special.  Many thanks go out to Kamee who was our fearless leader for the day!  She was flanked by her two brilliant sidekicks and workshop coordinators, Amanda Schiavi and Joy Grainger.  When we arrived at the workshop we were given super cute packets that were loaded with tons of information, thanks to the wonderful Bethany Graham.  The workshop took place at Kamee’s home and it was decked out with “Kamee June” personalized touches from the creative Shannon Eberhardt.  After spending the morning going over the “technical side of things” we headed out for a photo session at the Chino Airport.  Many thanks go out to the airport for hosting us and also allowing us to shoot around the airport and at Flo’s Restuarant.  I must also give a big thanks to Flo herself who let us take over her restaurant and turn it in to a steamy photo session for a brief moment!  Once we arrived at our shoot we had the opportunity to meet our models for the day and let me tell you, these two were fabulous!  This couple really knew how to work it for the camera and made shooting them simply easy and perfect.  When you see their photos below you will know exactly what I mean.  A huge thanks goes out to Kara Keough (YES, the one and only from the Real Housewives of Orange County) and her main man Kyle Bosworth!  The two of them were styled by the super talented team of Katrina Kirk and Diana Lopez.  I am so happy and thankful that I was able to attend this workshop and I was truly inspired by everyone there that day!  Thank you again so much Kamee, the day was perfect!!! xoxo

Los Angeles Photographer | Palos Verdes Street Fair – Come See Us!!!

Friday, June 11th, 2010

This weekend is the annual Palos Verdes Street Fair.  If you have never been before you should definitely head over to check things out.  You won’t want to miss the super fun rides at the carnival, the food booths are awesome with so many great treats and there are a ton of great vendor booths to check out.  This fair is a favorite of our family and our kids love going to it!  The best part for us this year is that WE WILL HAVE A BOOTH AT THE FAIR!  Please drop by our booth to say hello and check out everything we have.  We will be running some great promotions as well, so don’t miss out!

Los Angeles Baby Photographer | First Year Baby Photos

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Last Friday our youngest daughter celebrated her first birthday!!  We love our little “Grey Belle” – that’s her nickname – and we couldn’t wait to spend the day celebrating her!  She was a trooper and hung in there for a super busy morning and afternoon.  After a big breakfast we headed down to the studio to shoot these first year baby photos of her.  Everything was going smooth until we busted out the birthday cake.  Now, I have never met anyone that doesn’t love cake so I began to wonder if she is really my child :)  That being said, the cake smash photos never came to fruition, but she loved the pretzels she was munching on!  We will just have to try again next year!

Los Angeles Baby Photographer | Our Sweet Grey Belle, Happy 1st Birthday!

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Today was my youngest daughter’s first birthday!  What better way to capture the day than a trip to the studio for some photos!  I had to post at least one photo from today and will follow up with more in a couple of days!  Grey, we love you so much and you are such a gift to our lives!

Los Angeles Photographer | Friday at the Farmer’s Market

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Before I get started on my love for our local farmer’s market, I had to show these photos I took down at the beach last week.  The weather has been hit or miss lately, but on this particular morning it was just beautiful and I just had to break out the camera and take a few shots.

I know I have mentioned this before on my blog, but one of the great things about my photography studio is the location.  I love all of the textures and colors around the building and the choices are endless on where to shoot.  The other thing I love about the location of my studio is that when you step outside the front gate of the building on any given Friday, you step right into the perfect farmer’s market.  It had been a while since I had been to this particular farmer’s market but recently I have had sessions at my studio every Friday, so after the shoot I head downstairs and outside to check everything out.  There is so much to see and eat and drink, walking around to check everything out is so much fun.  All of the produce is so fresh and the fruit is all super sweet.  The flowers there are gorgeous and smell so good!  There are many interesting people to see down there, so if you are in to people watching be sure you hang around long enough to check everyone and everything out.  I must tell you about two stands you won’t want to miss.  The man that sells all of the Greek olives and cheeses and flatbreads has a good thing going!  Everything tastes amazing and the goat cheese with sun dried tomatoes is awesome!!!  The other stand that we here in my house love is the Kifani Creations cookie stand!  I have to tell you, those white chocolate chip with macadamia nuts cookies are sooo good, be sure you grab a bag or two!


Los Angeles Family Photographer | Rollins Family Roadtrip

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

I realized today that I never posted photos on here from our trip to Texas that we took about a month ago.  I posted a link on my facebook page and sent out an email blast with first newsletter and the road trip photos were in that, but never here on my blog.  In case you want to take a peek at the newsletter, you can see it here.  Our trip to Texas was so much fun and we all were sad to leave.  Being in a car with three children under the age of five on a road trip driving from California to Texas can definitely be koo-koo at times, but overall everyone did great!

One of the first things we did on our trip was to go visit my grandparents.  My children are their only great grandchildren, so it was so fun having them get to see them all.  They had never met our two youngest children and had not seen our oldest daughter since she was around 10 months old, so this was a much needed visit.  The first photo is of my grandparents together – I think they look so good in this photo!  The second photo was not so easy to shoot and kid wrangle at the same time, but thanks to my mom for taking that shot!

One day we decided to head on over to the Children’s Museum to check everything out.  Our kids had a blast seeing and doing EVERYTHING.  After we left there we headed over to Hermann Park to ride the train and just hang out.  I remember doing this as a child and I was so happy to be able to take my three littles to ride the train and keep up the tradition.

If you are in Houston I would definitely recommend you go check out Kenny & Ziggys.  We LOVED eating at this deli and my kids were so happy to have their fill of Matzoh Ball Soup, Kosher Dills, Kosher Dogs, Cheesecake and Rice Pudding – just to name a few!

Another stop on our agenda was to head over to the local Western Wear store and deck our kids out in their buckaroo gear!  Our oldest daughter picked out every single item in her outfit and she was in love with being a cowgirl.  Our son still walks around our house everyday wearing that cowboy hat.

Once we got back home and settled back in, we were all sad that the road trip was over.  Mom & Dad, thank you so much for letting us surprise you with our visit.  We had a blast and we were all sad to leave.  Hopefully we will be back real soon and I can say we might even be brave enough to make it another road trip!

Los Angeles Family Photographer | Rollins Family Easter Photos

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

I apologize for being gone so long!  In a very last minute decision my husband and I decided to pack up the three kids and head out to Texas to visit my family.  It was my daughter’s spring break and none of us had been to Texas in almost 4 1/2 years.  To make things even more exciting, we decided to make this a road trip.  Yes, you read correctly, a road trip.  Being in the car with a 5yr old, 2yr old and 10mos old for that many miles can be quite crazy, but to our surprise everyone did great!  I took some REALLY FUN photos on our trip and will be showing you those over the next few days.  With all of that being said, I must first post these photos from our Easter Sunday.  This was the first Easter for our youngest daughter, Grey, and she had so much fun and looked too cute in her dress.  Finley our oldest daughter was all about the chase in finding those eggs, while our 2yr old son Tanner didn’t want to take a break from playing and running around with his cousins.  You may wonder why you don’t see more photos of him on my blog and it’s because he absolutely does not want me to take his photo and he runs FAST when he sees me pull out the camera – LOL!!  I hope you all had a fun Easter weekend and I promise our Texas trip photos will be coming soon!

This last photo is my favorite of the day.  I absolutely love this photo of my husband and our baby girl!