“Get it in camera!” That’s the mantra of any experienced photographer.  You can fix it later in Photoshop, usually, but it takes so much more time than just getting it right the first time.  However, with the unpredictable, moving creatures known as toddlers, sometimes you get what you get. So I don’t let a great capture go to waste just because one detail wasn’t right.

I thought you might find this interesting:

1. Cute pic, even with the somber face, but there is a driveway in the background.
2. Some cloned in grass at the top
3. More cloned in grass
4. Edges around the hat
5. Left side of hat is unnaturally shaven
6. Finito!

To see more of her finished shots, click HERE.

Finished product:

I’ve photographed Sarah and her family several times, as a 1-child family, to maternity to actual childbirth photos – a first!  That was stunning – totally rocked my world to see a little soul entering this world, especially after having been through it myself recently enough to get it.  Here’s their family with their newest addition, Baby C.  She’s  been out of the womb awhile now and is at that plump, smiley baby phase. This is such a real, down to earth family, so it’s easy to capture their spirit on film.

Look at that gorgeous shock of glossy black hair! She was born with a head full of hair, much like her older sister. She was two weeks old, but she was totally and completely awake the whole photo shoot, aware of everything going on. Her mom is a dentist an her dad a doctor, so her “baby intelligence” (LOL) isn’t a big surprise.

Update: I’ve seen her now as a year old, and she’s super gorgeous, and the hair was a true indicator of what to come. Both of the little princesses have beautiful, flowing black hair just like their mom.

Our friend Jack just turned 3.  He’s a couple of months older than my son, but they still seem to get along fine.  I always tell his mom that he looks like a cherubic statue come to life.  Maybe I should stage a photo shoot of his with cupid’s bow and arrow – he’d be perfect for that.

He chose a fuzzy leopard hat for his outfit.  His mom’s such a good mom, that she didn’t hinder his choices and just let him have what he wanted, although it wasn’t really the western cowboy look she’d envisioned.  She’s a great mom, ad his outfit choices will make for great stories and fun photo album reminiscing later.

Here’s a picture of the great cake she picked for his western-themed party.

One day, we were doing stroller strides in Van Nuys park, power walking, and I spied the cutest little door to someone’s backyard, and immediately thought, this is a great photo op.  I pointed it out to my photographer friend and we vowed to come back and shoot there soon.  So the next week,  we took our kids out in the height of the midday sun, found a nice patch of shade and photographed each other’s kids.  They came out nicely, but I learned at a subsequent shoot that this is a morning or daytime shooting location only.  By sunset, it’s super golden, but there are way too many shadows and direct harsh light. Here are my shots of her son.  – She dressed him very cutely in overalls with nothing underneath – one of those things that you wouldn’t do in real life, but looks fabulous in photos.

Here is Cole, almost 3 months old in a newly acquired, yellow-rag-ruggish blanket.  When I was a kid, I didn’t like yellow very much and thought it wouldn’t look good next to brown skin, but I’ve discovered quite the opposite in adult life. I was a child in the neon 80’s, so maybe I was right, back then! LOL.

My baby endured mommy using him as a test subject.  I only got a couple of shots without his pacifier.  While I still find those cute, I don’t think anyone else will!

This baby is extra special to me, because she is the youngest baby I’ve photographed to date.  She was 14 days old, which is slightly old to photograph a newborn, but she was great.  I also got to use my brand new prop that I adore – an old vintage pediatrician’s baby scale.

UPDATE: It’s been a year, and I’ve photographed her twice since.  Tune back in for a link to the later pictures.  Watch her grow! Please contact me for my special “Watch Me Grow” discount packages for the baby’s first year.