Waffles and Music | An Albany Family Documentary Photo Session

Meet the Lee Family; Jason, Jane, Elyse, and Andrew:

I met Jane over four years ago when our girls were mere months old. We were actually in the same moms group, so you can imagine how excited I was for this in-home session. Elyse, the older daughter, was so adorable, and so confident. Seeing a confident girl is seriously the BEST thing in the whole world! She started off the session making waffles with dad, and then the whole family ended up playing music together in the living room, which was so sweet. Elyse was incredibly content in creating music and playing her ukelele, putting her fingers on the correct strings, and going from chord to chord. Very impressive! You could tell Dad was so proud of her, and it was such a beautiful moment to witness. Later in the session, Elyse took a picture of her mom, and she really took the time to compose it correctly, which, as you can imagine, I totally appreciated ;)

“Music is the song the heart sings.”

— Unknown

When Siblings Meet for the First Time | A San Francisco Fresh 48 and Baby Naming Documentary Photo Session

Meet mom, dad, big brother and their brand new baby girl:

Anytime a special activity can be incorporated into a session, something that goes above and beyond the everyday, makes me SO EXCITED! For this family, it was big brother meeting little sister for the very first time in the hospital, and it was an incredibly sweet moment. Big brother was very curious at first, and then like a typical older sibling, he got a little confused and upset. Mom and dad were super laid back, though, big brother was very happy when mom let him have her big water bottle! It's truly the small things that can bring on the biggest smiles for kiddos, huh?

Fresh 48 sessions take place within 48 hours of your baby's birth, and they might be my favorite type of session. There's something so special, so real and so priceless about these very first moments of parenthood. 

I also had the honor of documenting the baby naming ceremony, which is a beautiful and vibrant Jewish tradition, where Dad shared the meaning behind the baby girl's name. The ceremony was full of love and family - and nobody knew what the new baby girl's name would be until it was announced! How fun is that? Can't wait to work with this sweet family again over the summer! 

An Endangered Species | A San Francisco Newborn Family Documentary Photo Session

Meet the Bellona-Wong Family: Dad, Mom, and new baby, Remy:

Okay, this new family of three is SO CHILL. If I just met them at a park, I would definitely think they were second-time parents. But alas, adorable baby Remy is their first, easily making them an endangered species!  

During our session, Dad, David, busted out incredible documentation genealogy logs from his family. How incredible of a gift to have this for their son?! But what touched my documentary heart the most was when he showed me journals his mom wrote during her pregnancy. Such beautiful memories to have! 

“What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all.”

— Benjamin Spock

New Bundle of Joy | A San Francisco Newborn Family Documentary Photo Session

Meet the Gagliardi Family; Dominic, Lauren, and new baby, Elena:

Back in early December, I had the honor of photographing Dominic and Lauren's maternity session. Even then, I could sense these first-time parents' profound anticipation of wanting to hold their baby girl so badly. So I was beyond delighted to see them and their sweet new bundle of joy, Elena, in their loving embrace.

Two-week-old Elena was the sweetest thing ever, wrapped up in her swaddle and wearing her little headband. And with two weeks of parenthood under their belt, it was a blessing to see some of the new routines Dominic and Lauren developed; enjoying a cup of coffee together, sorting through some of Ms. Elena's adorable outfits, milk-coma snuggles, and the timeless new parent ritual of watching baby's every movement, hiccup, blink or yawn in sheer amazement.

“The littlest feet make the biggest footprints in our hearts.”

— Uknown

Double the Sweetness | A San Francisco Family Documentary Photo Session

Meet the Alperin Family; Jordan, Erika, and one-year-old twins, Elliot & Lars:

This family is so near and dear to my heart. Not only have I had the pleasure of working with them for three sessions, from maternity to newborn to one year later, but this sweet family also has TWINS! You may or may not know this, but the twin thing is a big part of my personal narrative - being a twin, having twin brothers, and also having twin daughters. I know, those are some crazy twin genes!

It has been so remarkable witnessing this family grow. During their newborn session, the twins were so itty bitty. Getting to document them a whole year later, with full-on personalities, completely melted my heart. Lars was the most charming little guy in the world, continuously giggling and smiling. Elliot, the fierce little lady, was so happy to be back home after our first portion of the session, pushing her cart around with a huge smile on her face. Clearly a homebody (girl after my own heart)!

The last bit of our session took place in the nursery. We ended up taking pictures within the same space and frame as we did during their maternity and newborn session, which warmed my heart SO MUCH. This time the kids could sit up all by themselves on the couch, serving as a beautiful reminder of how quickly time flies and children grow.

“A child’s laugh could simply be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.”

— Unknown

Walking on Sushine | A San Francisco Family Documentary Photo Session

Meet mom, dad, and their adorable son:

This one year old is the sweetest, silliest, most expressive little guy EVER. We started out the session with snack time, which was his first time ever feeding himself with a spoon. Such a monumental occasion to capture! He was so proud, as he should be!

After snack, mom put on some music for the family to dance to, and I was totally expecting to hear children's music. But then all of sudden, "Walking on Sunshine" comes on! Everyone is jammin' along, and the little guy starts swaying side to side, trying so hard to snap his fingers. It was such a hilarious moment!

Thank you for the warm welcome and the delightful music accompaniment, too! Pretty sure I've had "Walking on Sunshine" stuck in my head for the past two weeks. 

“Music is what feelings sound like.”

— Alexander Mall

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