Monica had contacted me a couple weeks into December asking for a portrait session of her and her husband.  Monica revealed to me that on her wedding day back in August, everything that could go wrong, did.  It rained, her bouquet was wrong, her hair style didn't last, and as a result, they got very little photos of the two of them.   So while she and her husband, Paul, were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, they took advantage of having a session done to make up for all that happened on their day.   After hearing everything that had happened, I wanted to make sure we got some killer photos of the two of them.  Never did I think she would bring a gorgeous wedding dress to the shoot!!!

It was absolutely fantastic and even though it was a bit cloudy, we did get a little sliver of sunset.  And a whole lot of beautiful photos!  Enjoy!

When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately thought of doing a studio type of session when the time came.  I was super happy to have my husband take the others in the mountains for me and they are some of my favorites, however, these in studio just have a different feel.  I am so happy with them!!!

If you know me, you know that I'm not particularly fond of showing so much skin but being pregnant I feel like the tummy needs to be shown off!  I love it when my clients show off their baby bumps and so I too had a lot of fun. 

We took our own photos right here in our home last night and it was such a great experience to be able to take photos and pose all while trying to beat the 10 second timer, haha.  

So here they are! (You can see Part I HERE.)

I love having the beach so close by!  Makes it all that more fun when I have families who are from out of town come visit and take advantage of the view with a fun family portrait session!

Tere contacted me via Facebook letting me know that she and her family were going to be in town.  We coordinated and I met them at their resort, The Grand Mayan, in Nuevo Vallarta.  What a gorgeous location! The best is when the hotels have beautiful  beachfronts to soak in the sunset!  We had fun splashing in the water and getting to know each other a little better.  

If you are traveling to Puerto Vallarta or anywhere in the Riviera Nayarit area, please let me know and we can take advantage of the beautiful views and get a sweet portrait session done! An amazing memory to take back with you from your vacation 😉

Sometimes, things don't go so according to plan and you end up with even better results! We were headed to the beach on Saturday to take these but low and behold, it was pouring rain.  Like thunderstorm and wind pouring.  No chance of getting any sunlight at all.  So we aborted the mission and on our way home, Aldo turned to me and said, "Can I take some with the hills and the fog if we find a good spot?" I said, "Sure!"  As we made our way back home, we found a few good spots and quickly jumped out to take some photos.  

I love that Aldo has such a different perspective when it comes to taking photos and he can always make me feel absolutely comfortable in front of the camera.  

I LOVE these photos!!!

This is only part one.  Part two is coming soon ;).   We are so ready to meet this little baby of ours... the due date can't come soon enough!

I love when families come back and have more photos taken.  I met Nereida and Gabriel close to two years ago by pure happenstance.  I walked up to them at a Starbucks and offered them a session seeing that Nereida was pregnant baby Leah.  I handed them a business card and then went back to my seat and a few weeks later, I got a call from them!  They revealed that they had a bad experience with another photographer and were apprehensive to have the session done.  I could tell during the session they were worried as to whether I'd do the same.

I can honestly say it's such a gift for me to be able to give clients a great experience and have them come back for more.  Means I have restored their faith in photography and I can't wait to photograph them once baby Lucca is here!

Watching families grow has been such a great experience for me and I love having clients be happy with their memories, as we all know, babies grow up so fast!  You can view the previous session HERE.

This session was done on the last day of 2015.  Definitely the best way to end the year on a high note with this amazing and loving family!  They took me in and made me feel like hoping into the photos with them, lol!

That's why I love my clients.  I love that we get each other, joke, have a good time, and feel like family.  That experience is what I live for, really.  The photography is just a plus!

Thank you Mariana for inviting me into your home to spend a incredibly lovely morning with your family.  I love all of the Ulloa family!

I think I'm going to switch to these slideshow posts, what do you think? Or should I keep the old format?

*Español*
Esta sesión fue tomada en el ultimo día de 2015.  Definitivamente la mejor manera de cerrar el año con una familia increíble y llena de amor.  Hicieron que me sintiera como uno de ellos que casi sali en las fotos, jaja.  Por eso amo a mis clientes.  Amo que nos entendemos, que tenemos mucho en común, poder reírnos, y sentirnos como familia.  Esa es la experiencia que me hace sentir viva, las fotos solo son un plus!  Gracias, Mariana por invitarme a tu casa y hacerme sentir como uno de ustedes! Tuve una mañana increíble y los quiero a todos!

Officially December! I don't know about you but that makes me super excited!  

Back in October I had the privilege of photographing some really great families.  I always have such a fun time and love catching up with clients.   Especially when I see the children grow over the years! 

Here I am combining them into one amazing post because they really were so fun to photograph and just love all of these people! 

I am currently editing a wedding and after, I'll be prepping my home for Holiday visits! I'm so excited for our families to come and I'll probably be a little tied up with that so I want to wish everyone a mega happy holidays and see you in the new year!

Forsee Family

1//Forsee Family        2//Jones Family       3//Valdez Family       4//Garcia-Medina Family           
5//Shramek-Miranda Family          6//Torres Family

Again and again I am blown away by how wonderful my clients have been!  The mini sessions this year were just downright FUN!  I am so glad that I was able to create something unique and beautiful for each and every one of my clients this year.  Mostly, in the streets of downtown Riverside.  

One thing about shooting in the same location is that it never gets boring.  It makes me work harder to get something different every time.  Use the energy of each client to make something new and one of kind.  I like that. 

I can't believe how grown up Astrid is now! Graduating next semester is a huge step toward something bigger and better!  Congrats beautiful!  I can't wait to see how you make your mark on this world!  

Oh boy, this beautiful woman is just breathtaking!  Laura and I have been friends for a few years now thanks to photography!  Can't say enough about how fun she is to be around and even more when she's growing a human. 

Everything about this shoot was just perfect.  The light, the dress, the location, and especially Laura!  Such an amazing shoot!  

Got like 10 more coming up so stay tuned for each sneak preview!

I am so happy that my clients are as wonderful as they are.  I am also happy that they ask all the right questions when it comes to their portrait session.  Where should we shoot? What time is best? and of course, What should I/we wear?

I've put together some examples and tips to help you answer that question.  Ultimately, it depends a lot on your own personality.  Keep reading and you'll see why :).

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1.  LOCATION AND WARDROBE

Now that you've settled on a great location for your session it's time to start searching for the perfect outfit.  There are many different ideas behind wardrobe, many photographers will tell you that you should match the background/location.  Others will give you basic guidelines and tell you what not to wear - large prints, too many busy colors, etc.  But I'm going to make it super easy for you to figure this out.  Here are two important questions to ask before putting it all together:

• Do you want to be colorful and really stand out from the background?

• What kind of feeling do you want to have in your portraits?

These two questions will help you determine what to wear depending on the location.  I know it's not a detailed, however, this will help you determine what kind of color scheme you should wear. If you want to stand out from the background, perhaps loud and bright colors are for you. If you want more of a calm feeling, then perhaps some neutrals.  And if you want serious and formal, then add in some grey and black to mix. 

2.  SEASON 

Ok, now that you have the location set and the feeling you are going for, it's time to consider another important factor: Season.  During the summer, you want to stay cool.  Especially if you live in an area where temps can reach the triple digits at 8pm.  *Hi California!*  

For example, if you're shooting in the summer try light or bold colors with a little added fun and keep it lively.  If you are having your fall portraits, think boots, scarves, and hats.  This way you don't look out of place with the background during the season you are having your session in.  

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3.  PERSONAL STYLE

Your personality is the number one important factor in a portrait session.  I make it a point to capture my client's' personality during the session.  This is great because no one wants stale photos that look like the family before hand.  I try to mix it with a few fun personality photos and a few classic photos.

This is where your personal style comes shining through and sets your photos apart from anyone else.  How you feel comfortable in your favorite outfit is so important and creates fun, natural, and YOU photographs.  Don't wear something that you wouldn't normally wear or something that makes you feel uncomfortable.  It always shows in the photos. 

4.  TYPE OF SESSION

The type of session that you are going to have can determine the wardrobe.  Of course we want your personal style to shine through, however, if you're having a maternity session, maybe we can play with some fabric to create more ethereal and serene photos.  

Family session?  Here we can play with each member's' personal style and add to the overall look of the family! It's especially important to allow kids to shine and have a lot of fun! 

Each session is different and so it's important to discuss this with your photographer and get ideas of how your session can be more fun and really let you shine!

5.  STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WEAR?  BRING YOUR WHOLE CLOSET

I probably say this more often and it is such a huge help.  Usually my clients look at me like, "really Jackie, just whatever I want?"  

Yes!  I'm totally serious when I say to bring all of the outfits you love and feel great in.  Load up your car with your closet.  I say this because it is such a horrible feeling to have wanted to bring an outfit but didn't and now, you wish you had.  So bring it all.  I love being able to sort through the outfits and help my clients choose the best outfits for their session.  It's like being a stylist and knowing what will look best!

That is my job, after all, to make you look your absolute best!

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I hope these tips help you at your next portrait session.  Speaking of which, I'm so excited for the fall mini sessions we'll be having in October!  Can't wait to have lots of fun creating unique photos for some awesome people! Yay! 

If you liked these tips and found them useful, please share them with your friends! I'm sure they have the same questions when it comes to their photo sessions :).  

Until next time, Happy Thursday!