toddlers

farewell to SoCal • the taka family

little ones, outdoors, we are family

Azusa & Tamehiko invited me to their home & its surroundings to commemorate their time living in Rancho Palos Verdes with their two sweet boys, Kei and Rui.  In early July, they relocated to the Midwest, & they wanted to take with them some memories of Kei’s favorite places near their home.  We had a wonderful, easy time, walking around while Kei showed me his favorite daisies, his “hopping stones,” & of course, his speedy tricycle.  Kei and my daughters attend the same preschool, & I only wish that our families had hung out more!  I will miss seeing his smiling face and talking with Azusa…I hope these photos will always remind them of their happy years in SoCal…Bon Voyage, Taka Family!

the wirsig family • beach portraits

beach, little ones, outdoors, we are family

The first time I met up to shoot Heather & Johnny’s family, the winds were gusting and the coast was a brisk 60 degrees! We were caught by surprise–the sun was shining beautifully, & we all anticipated a perfect So Cal day…but no go.  So as they say in Hollywood, “Take two!” Our second meeting was warm & overcast–great conditions for being on the shore & shooting.  Their daughters Taylor & Maliah were totally natural in front of the camera, fearless in the cool water. And little Noah was such a lovebug, mellow & so agreeable, just contentedly falling asleep in the embrace of his parents & sister to the sound of the waves. I hope I captured what a warm & loving family this is! They were a joy to shoot!

mother’s tea • riviera playschool

little ones, outdoors, preschool

It’s a great privilege for me to be the “un-official official” photographer for my daughters’ school, Riviera PlaySchool in Redondo Beach. It’s truly a magical, free, cozy little paradise for children & their parents. I can’t say enough about what an extraordinary place it is–a sanctuary of joy & childhood that celebrates individuality & teaches children how to embrace their own emotions & how to get their needs met, & ultimately how to be kind to each other. If I had to sum up the school’s philosophy in one sentence, I think it would be, “For children to learn compassion, they must experience & be shown compassion.” What they do there everyday with our kids is show them how to honor themselves & thus others & the world around them.

For Mother’s Day, the children & teachers organized a “tea” to share with their parents. It included an exciting episode of Show & Tell, as well as pb&j sandwiches, obviously cut into heart & star shapes by little loving hands. It was my honor to try to capture some photos of the children with their moms (& some dads & grammas).

A most heartfelt thank you to Linda, the director, & all the wonderful teachers at RPS!

Blake shows his mommy his handmade Mother’s Day gift. Looks like she loves it, Blake!

some of the wonderful teachers at RPS who are in loco parentis–“in place of the the parents,” essentially the “moms” when we’re not!

(left to right: Andrea, Heather, Tasha, & Dawn)

flower children • the z girls • birthday portraits • spring 2010

little ones, outdoors, personal, we are family

We are neck-deep in birthday season here at the Shippee household! The spring is when we celebrate birthdays for both my parents (& their anniversary) & for my husband Max & both our daughters. I love doing “official” portraits for the girls every year, because, well, I can. Zara turned two on April 19th, & Zoë turned four on May 13th. As our Auntie Murphy noted, it’s the only time they’ll be exactly half & twice each other’s ages…As you can see from the pictures, quite a bit of hamming goes on when Mommy is the photographer. {Hmm…I still need to take ONE picture of me with the girls for Mother’s Day…}