NEWBORN: A New Addition

Technically this family has more than an addition under construction, they have a whole house under construction in a great spot in Venice, CA which they designed as they are both architects. But in this case, when I say addition, I am referring to the adorable little girl they just welcomed into the world.


This shoot was super fun, not only because I had had the pleasure of previously photographing this lovely family for their maternity and holiday shoot and so we already knew each other...but also because they wanted to shoot on the construction site of their new home. It's not everyday you get to shoot using beaten up ladders and wheel barrows as your props for a newborn shoot! The results are great and really managed to capture the wonderful changes going on in this family's life.

I hope you enjoy these. I certainly enjoyed taking them!

NEWBORN: Quiet Alert

Ever wonder what it might be like to have Harry Potter's invisibility blanket? I have.

At a recent newborn shoot in Pacific Palisades I had the opportunity to be a fly on the wall. Everyone was so comfortable that I just melted away into the background giving me the wonderful opportunity to capture intimate moments in this family's new found joy. I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that moment, with this lovely family.


And, while I think babies are often at their most angelic whilst asleep, this little boy wonder was in that wonderful quiet alert state for much of the shoot. I hope you enjoy these.



I love this last image because father and son are spitting images of each other, down to the expression and furrowed brow!

BIRTHDAY: Celebrating Number One

For my first shoot of the year, I had the pleasure of photographing a client's daughter's first birthday at their home in Burbank. When you see the gorgeous little girl you will surely remember her from the shoot at the Griffith Observatory, with the great jewel tone colors.

You may not be aware that THOMPSON and SPRING photography offers a "Birthday Package" for your kid's birthday. It includes two hours of coverage and you get CD of 40-60 high resolution images, however, in the case of the Birthday Package the photos are un-retouched.

For this birthday I wanted to try a makeshift photo booth, with a draped cloth. Her mom was happy to humor me. I'm glad, as there are some really great pictures that came out of it.


I also had fun turning them into retro images, by adding a 70's inspired fade and turning them in to B&W. You may remember my little obsession with all things Polaroid before the Holidays... BTW- I did get the Fuji Instax for Christmas and it turns out my son gets just as much joy out of the instant images as I did when I was a kid.

Thank you for allowing me to share in this great milestone and for making me feel like one of the family.

NEWBORN: Welcome Little Man

Most babies arrive in the world with little desire to do more than sleep, but at a recent photo newborn shoot in Westwood, this days old little boy just wanted to engage with the world. He was so alert, both a good thing and a bad thing when it comes to photos, since the lack of limb control while alert can be a little challenging.


Perhaps he was so alert because he stayed in mama's belly a week longer than most, and so just couldn't wait to see what this big world was all about.

But at the end of the day it's the parents' tenderness and love of these early days that always makes me melt. The focus at a newborn shoot is always the baby, but it's the parents' emotion that is magical when captured.

Family Portrait: Heavenly Sight

I have visited the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on a few different occasions, but never was it as crowded as it was for my recent shoot. However, from the photographs you wouldn't know we weren't the only ones there and I'm so glad we shot there, not only does the space have an added layer of significance for this "science minded" family, but the colors worked beautifully with the jewel-toned wardrobe.

The family was fun and high energy, and their darling little daughter was just starting to get comfortable on her legs and seeing the world from a new perspective. She ignored the crowds and humored me as a snapped away these gorgeous family portraits.

I'm also told that grandma hasn't seen her little princess standing yet, so I'm hoping these images not only capture a special moment in time, but make everyone in the family smile.

NEWBORN: Naked Love

For this recent newborn shoot I've decided to show you a few of my favorite shots that have a more dramatic fine art look to them.

The newborn baby was gorgeous and her room was stunning, but I took her out of context a bit more, because you can get real beauty from the unexpected. The gardener had just cut down a tree in the front yard of their lovely Pasadena home. When I saw the stack of logs I couldn't resist. Not all parents are open to such unusual settings, but in this case they were and the image below, just one of the many from that series shows that it's worth experimenting.

The following images are a bit more traditional, but suggest a more pensive, introspective mood that I love.

Newborn Girl: Fit for a Princess

Not all babies have even tempers, especially when rudely awakened from their nap. However, I recently had the pleasure of photographing a lovely little two month old baby, not quite a newborn, but very close. I was snapping away at her while she was sleeping and as I got closer her nap was disturbed. Rather than start to cry and wonder why her slumber was so rudely interrupted, she calmly acknowledged me and proceeded to comply with numerous wardrobe changes without the slightest complaint. The wardrobe changes are mostly due to the fact that since she is an adorable little girl and has already acquired little outfits fit for a princess.

Don't you just love the Cinderella shoes? These are just a few of my favorites.



I was inspired by the bonnet, so went for a more old fashioned look.

TAKING FLIGHT

Do you remember this handsome little boy from just a few months ago? We had done a beach photo session together. Unfortunately, dad wasn't able to join so they decided to do another shoot, this one with a decidedly urban vibe.

Well, when I met this little fellow just a few months ago he was still cruising. This time I couldn't move fast enough to keep up with this little runner taking flight. The family portrait session yielded some precious moments of pure love. I selected a few shots here that show a little variety. Enjoy!

I think we have ourselves a future Olympic gold medal sprinter on our hands!

SUMMER FUN - SPECIAL

Summer is officially here and that means it’s time to kick back with the family and create some memories that will last a lifetime. To help you remember those moments in years to come, capture them with photos... timeless shots of your kids jumping around the backyard, or eating an ice cream on the boardwalk or having their first swim in the kiddie pool… All moments you will want to treasure forever.

To celebrate summer, THOMPSON and SPRING Photography is offering a $100 Summer Fun print credit for your next session. Sessions must be booked by July 31, 2009 and must be scheduled in either July or August, 2009. Summer Fun special cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Value of the offer cannot be exchanged for cash.

A NEW WORLD

We often forget how small and precious newborns are. We see babies and toddlers running and crawling around and we loose perspective.

I recently had an opportunity to capture this very fleeting moment and have photos from the shoot that I know the whole family will treasure. You can tell the little one is still all curled up, he hasn't yet begun to stretch out his limbs, let alone comprehend the new world he has entered. The one thing he understands for sure is that he is safe in his mother's arms.

Also, have you ever seen a mother quite so radiant so soon after giving birth? Enjoy these tender moments.

A DAY ON THE FARM

With the current economic crisis everyone talks about getting back to basics. I recently had the pleasure of spending a day on a farm following a lovely couple and their boys as they enjoyed picking their own fruits and vegetables and seeing the farm animals.

It was both a fun day and an educational day, as the mother taught the children about healthy eating and respecting the land. She was rewarded at the end of the day when her eldest son declared "Mom, I'm a farmer." The youngest was more into the animals and the dirt, but a great day was had by all.

I had previously photographed them for family portraits, so I thank them for giving me the opportunity to document this wonderful day.


I was inspired by this and have decided that THOMPSON and SPRING photography will start to offer half days and full days of "A day in the life of..." That way families can have beautiful photo-journalistic photos of everyday and memorable moments to look back upon. I will be posting the details of this package soon to the main website.

SEEING RED

Did you know that only one to two percent of the world population has red hair? And did you know that the highest occurrence of red hair is in Scotland, where approximately 13 percent of the population has read hair? (according to Wikipedia) I became curious about this after a recent shoot where I had the opportunity to photograph a whole family of red heads, mom, dad and baby girl.

The shoot was super fun as you can easily tell from the photos. They were up for anything and really in the moment and their daughter had a delightful grin that lit up her whole face.

Next time you see a red head, think about how rare it is and ask yourself if you think you're seeing a real red head. In the meanwhile enjoy this great family.