Here is a little preview from a maternity session I photographed of the amazing photographer Carrie Richards. I’ve known Carrie for a couple years and it’s great to see her enter a new chapter in life: another family member in her new home.

She’s just a month away from her due date, and I can’t wait to meet the little guy!

Their love (and goofiness) hasn’t waned, and we had the perfect southern California afternoon in late December as we explored the different gardens.

Congrats you two, and I can’t wait to photograph your wedding in July!

It took a little bit of time for the young twins to warm up to having me jumping around pointing my camera at them, but we all had a really fun time being silly, I think!

Check out those beautiful enormous leaves the girls picked up… they were bigger than the cute little heads!

There were other exhibitions at the museum we were really interested in, especially the California Design one, but we first went into the Tim Burton one. The exhibition covers a broad view of his career, showing clips, models, and drawings from his obscure 1982 TV interpretation of Hansel and Gretel (that was a surprise!) to his most recent efforts.

They didn’t allow photography inside the exhibition so I don’t have any to share here, but we spent a lot of time outside as well at the magnificent Chris Burden Urban Light forest.

I played a lot with freelensing technique to create the tilt-shift effect without actually using a tilt-shift lens. Check out an article on the subject at the fabulous Photojojo if you’re interested in learning more!

All of the freelensed photos were shot on a Canon 5D Mark II with the 24-105mm f/4L lens.

I love Nicole’s sense of style, and I wish I know how to accessorize the way she does! Thanks Nicole for a fabulous afternoon!

We first ventured into the thick fog, and I could feel the temperature going lower and lower. We couldn’t really see much of Alcatraz in the mist, but it made it all the eerier.

After freezing ourselves in the fog, our captain steered the boat out towards the Bay Bridge. The sun had already set behind the fog, and there was an intense blue behind the clear San Francisco skyline. The night lights were so beautiful and I think everyone had an amazing time sipping wine while watching the city come alive.

Enjoy the photos!

We spent a late afternoon roaming the streets of their old neighborhood, North Beach, finding some unexpectedly wonderful backdrops. Alena and Blake were such good sports, keeping their beautiful smiles on a cold, windy day, and even hopping in and out of traffic to get some street shots!

I know that Blake detests getting his photos taken, but I hope I’ll have the honor to photograph them again soon!

I think the adults and kiddies all had fun that day in the sun, eating oysters (raw and grilled) and clams straight from the farm and all the other food we brought to enjoy.

It has been the most perfect weather here, and I hope it stays this way for weeks to come.

It helped to have some beautiful sunshine that afternoon, but most of all, they were so willing to play with new ideas, it made everything go like a breeze. My top priority is always to keep my clients happy and comfortable, and I think it showed in their big smiles without any direction from the photographer!

This session was a gift from Stefania to Barry for his birthday, and I sure hope he enjoyed it. Thank you both for a fantastic afternoon!

I love that by bringing in a denim jacket, the outfit goes from feminine to sporty and playful!