Change is Good...

We've ALL done it. Going to the little photo studios in the Mall and getting such (at the time) fun and precious photos of our little ones. We end up spending way more than we thought we would, but they're just too cute... right? Four years later we are still going there, but almost like it's a routine. Almost as if we have to keep going, because we've gone every six months for the past four years...
Well, as our kids get older... there comes a time when we just have to Change it Up...
I am so happy that They decided to.
The kids were WAY too fun and I honestly think they enjoyed it! We just went to a few different locations, just to give them more variety on the CD. Not one Complaint the whole shoot.... they were Awesome!
Such a Great group and I can't wait to work with them again....








{Little Sisters}

Cousins

I love having Company! Our Cousin Sharon came all the way from New Zealand with her daughter Nashanya... aka Shana. The moment they arrived at the airport, I noticed a huge resemblance between Lana and Shana. Since they're visit, Lana has been in absolute princess, barbie, and who are my brothers... Heaven. As for Sharon, I don't think she realized how much I long for grown-up conversation. It's usually just the kids and I.. but when another adult enters this tiny room.. It's all OVER. You can not shut me up. I really wonder what's going through her mind half the time...lol. These last few weeks have been so extremely busy. I've tried to take them to some MUST DO in LA spots, and get the kids somewhat ready for school (which really hasn't been done yet) and not to mention, prep myself for a wedding I'm gonna shoot. I'm still somewhat Sane... that's always good.

Mr. Thinker

So I took this photo a while back and I must say it's one of my faves. At the time, I was with my little Nephew everyday. Not knowing which mood he'd be in that day was always a highlight. You'll often find him doing whatever he feels like doing and whenever he feels like doing it. I really love how unpredictable he is.

Movin FAST....

I love that my Photography tells a Story. It's not always about getting the "Right Moment" , but getting what's in between that Moment. Everyone is different. Sure you can Match, Color Coordinate, Dress Up, and try to be Someone you're not... but why go through all that trouble when you just want to remember the REAL Moments?
Like in this photo for instance. You can clearly see that not everyone wanted to Jump on my count of three... (pause for a Smile) ok... I can't help but smile when I come across this Photo. These are the moments that really show and that you'll remember. Did he jump eventually? YES! and I think he had a good time...

So now you're probably wondering why I titled it "Movin Fast" right? Well... let's just call her "MOM"... she was one of my fastest moving clients ever....lol. I know she'll probably read this and start lauging, but I was sweating!!! Every shot was like BOOM... BOOM.... BOOM... over here.... BOOM.... now here .... BOOM... Seriously. and my oh my was it WINDY! You can't really tell in the photos, but they were COLD.... Burrrrrrr. Anyway, I'm so happy I got to capture some really FUN family shots for them, and I'd do it again and again and again. Thank you guys for such a Great Day!

He's born to Love my Camera...

Everyone got settled in nicely. Charlie is home and he is loving the chaos. The chaos of 7 other kids running around at all times...the chaos of his Auntie wanting photos of him... oh, and my singing (which he loves). Anyway, I finally got to get some great shots of him for my sister. Let's just say that this little boy is going to love my Camera!

Delivery Room

So I just realized I should have posted this a while ago. I am really surprised I forgot..... No... Not really, but I am doing it now.. so here I go...

We were all anxiously awaiting for Little Charlie's arrival. This was my sisters fifth child and not to mention (between the two of us) our 8th delivery at this very Hospital. Gosh I love this Hospital. Anyway, it's still so crazy to me how you live with this little life inside of you for 9 months (well actually 10) and you leave with this precious life in your arms that you can't imagine Life without... then they turn 3 and that's a whole other post.... lol.

How Sweet it Is....

I know arranging a photo shoot for the family can somewhat stressful. Well, maybe for a mother that is. You have to get the kids ready, convince the hubby it will only be an hour or so (we might even say 30 min.) and then it's your turn. By then you're probably sweating, going down your checklist of what eveyone is wearing including yourslef, hair, makeup while checking the clock every five minutes... Feeewwwww.
So I get to meet you after all of this... YAY! Let me just warn you... The plus side is, you should feel totally comfortable around me. The down side is, I Talk A LOT. lol... but you get some Natural, Fun, Fresh photos that are well worth all the prep. Have fun with it!!!


SHOW ME THE LOVE...

{ Hi-5 }

So my sister is pregnant with child number FIVE... and I have found what I want to do for the rest of my LIFE... We must have a photo shoot! So I'm a bit late, and no other child has a maternity photo shoot... That might make it a little better, for mom that is. If I had a maternity shoot with every child, I'd probably be comparing my body in each photo and then go into a slight depression. I must say that She looks so beautiful and no words can describe how amazing she is. I am so happy she's my sister and I HEART her like crazy!

Sweetest Thing~

I Love referrals... but when you come across a client that just so happen to pick you because they saw your website... WOW!!! I mean ... WWOOOOWWWW! That is always such a Great feeling. Makes me feel like I'm doing Something RIGHT... and I just got goose bumps. Seriously. I don't have many photography friends I can call and ask if I'm doing something right or doing something wrong... I don't have another Job to fall back on if this all doesn't work out... and I definitely don't have the funds to just go out and by a lens when I want. This has all been ME. Putting my Heart, Soul and Brain Cells into everything.... and speaking of Heart... This little girl has a piece of mine. She was the sweetest little thing and was kinda my little buddy for the day. Which made me realize, how do you shoot someone that will not leave your side? Hmmmmmm. I've never had that problem before... but it all worked out. Thank you Rocks!

Ten Years.... YAY!

This family has the same last name as I... hmmmmmm Do I know them? DUUUHHHH.
I have to admit, that I get kinda nervous photographing family. I don't know why that is exactly, but I do. Maybe because you don't know if they asked you because you're family, or they really like your work? Thank GOD my family is the BOMB! They trust in me and they're honest, open, you can pack up the car and bring the hubby and the kids to work with you.... WOw, that sounds like a lot of fun. So that's what we did. Most of the time, or quite often, I hear families bribe or threaten their children... Well when Auntie is taken the photos... Guess What? ....lol So we took some amazing family shots and also got The BIG ONE OH ... that's 10... in there also. 10 years of marriage... where does time go? I'm so happy I got to take these and I'm so blessed to have such a great family.... LOVE YOU ALL....

Summer Pillowcase Dresses...

So I have a friend who makes these Super Cute Pillowcase Dresses. I'm always using different things in my photos and I thought it would be a good idea to have a few of these with me. So real last minute, I ran into a fabric store just to see if they had anything simple and cute. I hadn't asked her yet for this favor, but the worst that could happen is that she'd say no and I'd be left with some really cute kids table covers... Well... as you can see in some of my other photos... She said "YES"... I am always so grateful for people that help others and I really wanted to repay her in any way I could. First thing that popped into mind was to maybe show off these cute Dresses. So I did... Now the dresses are really cute... but her daughter who got to model them is seriously BEAUTIFUL...
*** IF YOU WANT TO ORDER OR INQUIRE ABOUT THESE DRESSES I WILL LEAVE HER EMAIL FOR YOU. ** Dress sizes are 2-6 email: robjoflo@msn.com

uRbaN...

I really love when families have a style in mind. I know a lot of you don't, so don't think I hate you... There is nothing I love more than doing my own little thing. I get the look sometimes like, ummmm What is this Lady DOing? BUT, I really enjoy taking your ideas and just playing around with them. This family wanted the whole Urban Theme. WEll, when I hear Urban, I think street, brick, buildings blah blah blah.... all that fun stuff. So for this shoot I only had this couple risk their life only once on a busy intersection.... lol... no seriously. "Kids, you stand here on the side walk and watch mommy and daddy go run out in the middle of the street and Kiss... OK?" Fun, Crazy Fun... it's all the same. I'd love to see these on a huge Canvas and that may happen on day when I have an Office....lol. Not any time soon though...

One, Big, Happy (DANCE) Family.....

So when I hear the name, the Deaver Family.... The only thing that automatically pops in my head is DANCE. See everyone, we grew up dancing every single day of our lives... no really... every single day was Dance and Gymnastics. Once we got picked up from school, it was straight to DANCE. The Deaver Family is part of my Dance Family. It is so crazy to see everyone all grown up, doing their own thing, havin their own families, crazy, crazy, crazy! So when she asked if I can come down there and get a whole family shot, I was totally honored. The Day went GREAT, well great for me, not so great for the two younger little girls...which then = not so great for the parents, which then = not so great for the Grandparents... LOL. But sure FUN for ME! People often asked me how I handle some stressful situations on a photo shoot... Well, EASY... It doesn't bother me! You'd be surprised how many parents think that this isn't going to work... and me saying... OH yes it is....
So this Busy, Hot, Don't Know if this will Work, Fast Shoot... Went GREAT! and so Happy I was asked to do it for such Long Time Friends....






A Tea Party makes everyone Happy!

{True LOVE}

Beautiful....

So I have ideas all the time. I feel like my mind never stops. Whenever I think of something new, I know my Friend would never say "No" and never turn me down. So here is just one of my random ideas....lol.

Ring Ring, "Hey it's me, Can you come down in your wedding dress and just have fun with it?" Then she says, "Sure, When?"
Tomorrow would be great... and just get ready to Rock it Out!
and that's what she did.. and for that I am forever Grateful. Grateful not only for her as a friend, but for inspiring me to this next chapter ..... Wedding Photography!!! Whoop Whoop....

I heart my Friend...

I heart my BOOTS...

Thank you Girli... your support is totally appreciated

Graduation....plus a Million Other Things....

Well this shoot has been in the making for a few months....lol. Yes a few months! A mother of five + work + sports + school + twins graduating + the THOUSANDS of other things going on = Many Crazy Photo Shoots! Really happy she's a great friend of mine though.... We still haven't even gotten the Whole Family there for a picture... that's how busy they are. Here are a few for now that I thought i'd share. I haven't even shown her these and I've had them FOREVER! So here's just a little sample of what's to come...

Good Day...

So much fun to get out to new places. This family had this location in mind and I'm ALWAYS willing to go to new places. Now the only things that pop into mind when families choose a location is LIGHTING. I work with only natural lighting, which makes some locations a little more of a challenge. I know they're not thinking of shadows, natural reflectors and so fourth.... That's my job right?... but I've never run into any major problems... My mind just works extra hard to try to find the best spots... and this place had quite a few. We walked and walked and walked... I described it like being at the zoo with NO animals... (not the best description...lol)
Very nice location for a very nice family... Thank you!

A Great Gift...

A photograph is really a priceless gift. I love when I get calls from people who want to give a loved one a PHOTO SHOOT as a gift. Seriously... What a great gift. It's really the only way we can freeze time. I was so happy to meet this family. I knew that it had been a while since they were photographed as a family. Now that I think about it, I might need to work on that with my family... hmmmmmm ... ok, sorry. So as you can see, they got some really memorable shots that they will have FOREVER...

Sisters...

Loading my car up with a few props was kinda fun. I decided to take on more with photos. I have these thoughts sometimes that I feel I just have to make happen. You sometimes get these funny looks when you bring this up with the families you will soon be photographing. A combination of looks like "ya, ok.. is she all there?"... I never got that look with this family and they really loved the idea. Vintage again was on my mind... huh.. maybe my new Ebay Vintage friend i've been hanging out with... ha ha ha.. you know who you are. Anyway, vintage it was. I had so much fun with all of these and they really remind you to never forget your SISTER... (if you have one)

Yay! It's a Girl...

We've known Len-Dog for quite some time now. Yes, very few of us are aloud to call her Len-Dog... Dates back to our good ol waitress days. So happy most of us have all kept in touch and happy she made me a part of such an amazing experience called "Motherhood". To be honest, I don't think she was super happy of having a Maternity shoot, especially when I'm asking her over the phone to bring Tank Tops and Dresses... All I can say is her reply included a "NO" and "Beef Shanks"....lol. Enough Said! So as our shoot date got closer, I have to say she had me a bit nervous. Me nervous? on a photo shoot? The place where I feel most comfortable? I don't think I slept some of those nights thinking about it. I even think I had a dream of her in a turtle neck... I know ... I don't get much sleep these days. I have been having some Crazy dreams...Well the date was here and she shows up LATE... just kidding... She shows up and has this whole assortment of colorful clothes. I even saw some tank tops. Yay... I think I see some excitement! As I'm getting my camera ready, I keep telling myself "simple Desi, simple". These turned out Perfect! They really show Simple yet Beautiful...Just like her. Thank you for trusting in me to capture memorable photos.

Boys.. Boys... Boys and did I say Boys?

So first off I gotta say, I Love this Family! When she (the mother of these beautiful boys) first asked me about a photo session with her husband and Four BOYS... yes FOUR boys, I couldn't help but think of the words "Rustic, Dirty, Vintage and Farm". Seriously, that's what popped in mind right away. She seemed happy with that idea and I think we were on the same page with it. I knew of a great location for these pics, but I needed to get permission first. At first I thought about being a little sneaky and just showing up take a few pics and leave, but I hated the thought of getting asked to leave and ruin my day and my pics... errrr... so I worked up the nerve to call and thought the worst they'd tell me would be "NO". The lady I spoke with agreed I could take some pics just don't get in the way of the horses. Ok... not a problem. I was lucky to know someone who knows that location well and showed us a few great spots... wait .. GREAT SPOTS! So that's how it all worked out. The boys were so well behaved. It really made me think that something maybe wrong with my boys?? hmmmmmm.. I wonder what that's like to have such well behaved boys?? Well ok, maybe I'm starting to vent my hard day, but we will save that for another BLOG, and yes I love my BOYS! So back to this day. I had such a great time with you and your family and I love the softness of these photos. Very soft, very simple, and very you...

Happy Mothers Day..

Clients that call and use you more than once is such a GREAT feeling. Makes you feel like you've really done your job right and that you've made someone happy. I love that I'm able to give that. I was asked 7 months ago to take Little Emma's newborn photos... and was asked again to take some fun fun fun Mothers Day Photos. I wanted these to really be special and bright... This was her first Mothers Day and you could tell being a mommy was the most important thing. Once again had some crazy idea of an old swimmers cap and thought it would look super cute on a smiling seven month old. I knew it had to be RED! I went out and purchased real swimmers caps and a big bunch of fake flowers. After separating flowers from stems, I plugged in the glue gun. Started out with a tester to realize that you CANNOT GLUE SILICONE!!! Nothing worked... Then .. DING.. another idea. I knew it had to be somewhat stretchy, so I found some stretchy material, glued it together and started to glue flowers all over it. Fingers almost deep fried, but dang was it cute!
So I couldn't be happier with the turn out. These photos just make me SMILE! Thank you guys for trusting in me enough to get two (of many) magical moments in your lives... Thank you thank you!

Old Town

I had such a blast this day from start to finish. I love shooting away from home. It's kind of a rush for me to be out of my element, and also not really knowing who I'm gonna shoot is somewhat exciting. I feed off the unexpected (i think).
So, after meeting and introducing ourselves, the girls shortly warmed up to me. These girls were way too FUN. They really reminded me of my sister and I. Both Parents were super cooperative, Thank you sooo much... So fun girls and cooperative parents equals and Fun Shoot!

http://www.oldtowntemecula.com/ ROCKS!