waiting for ting-ting • the hsieh-schumacher family

little ones, outdoors, pregnancy, we are family

Yvonne is an looooong-time friend of my sister’s; they’ve known each other since fifth grade! Over the years, I have gotten to chronicle the friendship among nine of their classmates. Now, most of them are married with children, & every so often I get to marvel at how my little sister’s friends are all grown up. Luckily, Yvonne and her family live in Los Angeles, so I get to see them & shoot them regularly. Recently, Yvonne was a featured model for Belly Armor, a company that makes blankets & clothing for pregnant moms to shield their unborn babies from the effects of everyday radiation from cellphones & laptops. The company was founded by another one of my sister & Yvonne’s childhood friends, an entrepreneur & mom, Aileen. I got to shoot all their new product photography–a pleasure & an honor to be an involved with such a visionary company! And my follow-up was a pregnancy shoot with Yvonne, her husband David, & their older daughter Sonia. In just a few weeks, they’ll be welcoming Baby Sister!

ingrid & beth • celebrating mother’s day 2010

holidays, little ones, outdoors, we are family

We celebrated Mother’s Day last Sunday with my cousins & their two beautiful families. The spring flowers have been exploding in the backyard, so I was so excited to use them as a backdrop for a few quick portraits. We ran outside just before sunset, & gathered the mamas with their getting-too-big-too-fast children, ranging from age 9 months to 13 years…How quickly it all goes by!

Ingrid, Paul, & their kids Cassandra, Theo, Evangeline, & Zach Beth and her son Kyle

awaiting baby sister • the chiwata family pregnancy portraits

little ones, outdoors, pregnancy, studio, we are family

Yoshie is good friends with Nami Mizoguchi, whom I shot just a couple weeks ago; they were both pregnant & were due around the same time (Nami’s baby boy Ray has since arrived!). I was so happy to be asked to do Yoshie’s pregnancy portraits after she saw Nami’s & liked them. I had such fun with Yoshie, her husband Hiroyuki, & their daughter Sakura–who was just the sweetest little blossom! When I met Yoshie to go over her wardrobe, she said, “I don’t have much black or white” (which is what I often suggest); instead, she had lots & lots of floral prints, because they used to live in Hawaii. I said, “We HAVE to do one outfit with the flowers–it’s so you!” So, we did, & I’m so glad, because the bright colors reflect their joy & unique tastes. I think I have a whole new attitude toward prints! Thank you, Chiwatas, for a wonderful morning! I can’t wait to hear the good news of Baby Sister’s arrival!

christina • boudoir session

beauty & boudoir

Ah…film. How I miss it. I shot Christina with a Contax 645 & Ilford XP2 & Kodak 400VC (those just sound like the names of good old friends!). There just seemed to be a velvety quality about these images, which so perfectly evoked Christina’s essence & effortless beauty. She embodies a sexiness that is both deep & dark as well as free & light. She is always one of my favorite muses…Stay tuned for more of her…