natural

bellboys • the bell brothers & families • playa del rey, ca

little ones, we are family

Bryen & Michael Bell are hilarious. They always, always crack me up when we do pictures, because they are so much fun with their kids, & if you could see the eye-rolls they get from their wives! In fact, I wanted to title this post “ding-dongs,” & I think they would have loved it. It’s so great when dads really get into being photographed with their families, & these two dads bring on the goofiness & the one-ups-man-ship (check out the pic of them tossing their kids into the air–I think they were competing to see whose flew higher!). I’ve known Alithea & Bryen for six years now, & a couple years ago, I also had the pleasure of photographing Ann & Michael–& everyone together, including the four kids: Mikayla & Connor, & Bradley & Jettrin. How wonderful that those little cousins will grow up together, playing & wrestling & driving each other bonkers. Here’s to brotherhood & sisters-in-law & cousins & families getting together…

little bells • the corter-bell kids & family • palos verdes estates, ca

little ones, we are family

Ah, my good friends, the Corter-Bells! We have known each other on the crazy journey of parenthood for the last six years. We met through our wonderful mutual friends, Karen & Jason, who encouraged us to get together when Alithea & I were pregnant with our first babies. We both shared an interest in homebirthing & natural health–Alithea & Bryen are both chiropractors who have contributed so much in healing & education to their larger communities. Every year, I get to update their family photos–once in the late winter for Chinese New Year & the children’s birthdays, & once in late fall for the holidays. This year, because I had a newborn in February, we had to put off their first session. So, we finally got around to it this month! So much fun watching these kids grow up…

rock & water • wang bo • shaolin monk & kung fu shifu

beach, martial arts, sports

My daughter recently started taking kung fu at the Shaolin Temple school near our home. The first time we met Yuan Shifu & Wang Shifu, we knew that we had finally found the teachers we were looking for–their presence is strong & caring, & their expertise is obvious. (I was also excited that Zoë might get to learn kung fu in Chinese!) Wang Shifu is an experienced performing martial artist as well as warrior monk of the Shaolin Temple. I had the amazing opportunity to do some pictures with him at a beautiful location that inspired us both. I have been so excited about the photographs; I just have to post a few here now, even though I have so many more to go through. Thank you, Wang Bo, for a spirited, energetic collaboration! I look forward to more in the future…

mama s. • beautiful belly pregnancy portraits • palos verdes estates, ca

pregnancy, we are family

I am so in awe of the pregnant form. It’s a magical, biological wonder, & I love photographing it. I’m glad I am part of a movement that celebrates the beauty of this special time; since Demi Moore was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair twenty years ago (!), women in cosmopolitan cities & modern communities have been flaunting their baby bellies. No more tent dresses, no more muumuus, no more hiding the bumps (as if you could anyway after those first months). And more & more, women & their partners want to commemorate this fleeting time with pictures that feature the belly front & center. We take pictures of every other milestone in our lives from first day of school to prom and wedding, & for women, pregnancy marks the most major change that will have ever happened to us since puberty–a physical, mental, spiritual transformation that reshapes who we are forever. And the body leads us first with its metamorphosis–first the journey “up,” then birth, then the journey “back.” If you really stop & think about it, it’s nothing short of amazing that our bodies–& hearts–can be expanded so beyond limits of what we thought possible…& we can enjoy & revel in it so much.

Here are some highlights from my recent session with Mama S. & her family who are expecting their third baby. Gorgeous & glorious!