holiday gift certificates + december so-cal sessions

(this is a sticky post. scroll down for regular posts below this)

first. if you’re looking for a great gift ideas for the holidays, why not consider giving a gift certificate for a photo session with caroekg photography? give the gift of capturing treasured memories forever!

you even get this cute card to announce your gift to your recipient!

second. i’ll be back down in so-cal for another visit. session times are available on select days from december 18-29. great time to get some family shots while everyone is in town, take some cute early valentine’s day photos, or whatever else you had in mind!

e-mail me for more details!

the walldez family – sibling session

i had such a FUN time photographing these 5 siblings while i was in so-cal. these guys wanted to take pictures to give as a gift to their mom for christmas – what a sweet idea. i loved hanging out with them one afternoon – they were up for anything and weren’t afraid to ham it up for the camera! lisa, who is wearing the black scarf, is the oldest, and david is the youngest at 6…but whatever difference there is in age, they are still one tight-knit clan who all watch out for each other, and i love how that was captured in the photos. we headed out to caltech, which is such a cool campus – love how nerdy everything is – some of the fountains are modeled after molecules, DNA and viruses! totally cool. it’s also totally pretty, with lots of grass, cool arches, and awesome buildings.

i have WAY too many favorites to share with y’all from this shoot.

love me a family who is up for an awesome jump shot:

read, get set….

JUMP!!!

totally hamming it up:

this fountain is supposed to be a DNA helix:

and this one is supposed to be some sort of virus:

brady bunch style:

individual shots:

we were trying to get david to laugh, when one of these guys told him to try to touch his nose with this tongue. we then had everyone else try it too. LOL. too hilarious!

they love being silly:

lisa brought along a pack of bubbles for everyone to play with, and of course the youngest was the best at it!

but everyone else tried, as well…

manly men:

sisterly love!

the older kids:

still hamming it up:

thanks, guys!!! i had a blast with y’all! hope your mom likes her gift!

andy the dog!

my friend amy recently adopted the most adorable malti-poo a couple months ago. after seeing the cutest photos of him on facebook, i (and the rest of my friends) were dying to meet him. i had the chance to hang out with him while i was in so-cal for thanksgiving – and he really was the cutest thing ever! amy, andy and i went to garfield park in south pasadena, and then back to her house for a little doggie photoshoot.

here are the goods. i love how his “what am i doing? are we done yet?” expressions in half the photos, LOL.

amy and andy:

teasing with a treat:

lol, i love his “i’m over it” expressions here….soooo cute in that elf hat, though!

sitting pretty:

look at him jump!!

amy dubbed this one “emo dog”:

he looks SO adorable here!

here’s one of him with me!

the brady family – family session

i love me a fun family who is up for almost anything. these guys were one of those families. they were a complete blast to hang out with, and they were also one loving, tight-knit family. loved capturing that for them! we met up at lake temescal in oakland, which is a fabulous little location – definitely keeping it in mind for future shoots. it was a foggy, drizzly morning, but we made the most of it and had a great time, anyway!

here are my faves!

the boys found a cool rock and wanted to climb onto it:

loved the lifeguard stand! such a great contrast between something “warm” like a lifeguard stand, and “cold” like fog in the background.

we spotted a huge pile of leaves, so we decided to have fun tossing them!

boys being boys:

mom and dad being adorable:

we tried to get a jumping shot, but had trouble coordinating at first…

so we tried this instead…

what a great looking family!

thanks guys for letting me hang out with you! i had a blast!

baby damien – 6 month session

nothing is cuter than a chubby little baby. baby damien was just about the cutest thing EVER!!! those cheeks look so pincheable – too adorable!. aira, his grandma, contacted me to get his 6 month photos done. we did the shoot at grandma’s house on his actual 6 month birthday.

here are my favorites. they make me melt, and i’m sure they’ll make you go “awwwww.”

that dribble of drool – sooooooo cute.

he’s teething, to mom gave him a lolly to chew on…

baby multi-tasking….heee.

look at those eyes!

he’ll be crawling pretty soon!

they dressed damien in a santa suit…he makes a pretty darn cute santa, if i may say so myself.

i just happened to capture this, and it totally cracks me up. so cute!

this one is my favorite!

thanks aira for letting me capture this stage in damien’s life! looking forward to seeing him at 9 months!