Newborn photos

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Mdfrisco

We had the same photographer who did our maternity pictures come over to do Jacob’s newborn photos when he was 9 days old. He was so good and slept through the whole thing.

I found this hat when we were visiting my parents in Oregon. I had been looking online and in stores for one of these knit hats and I loved the colors in this one. The day before the photo shoot I put the hat on him and was surprised to find that it was slightly too small! So we stretched it out a bit and made it work.

This one is my absolute favorite one!!

I found this idea on Pinterest and loved it! Since Justin wears a suit and tie to work everyday it was the perfect touch to these photos.

Sleepy boy

Bathtime

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Mdfrisco

I love how Jacob is so happy and alert after we give him a bath. One time I made sure I had my camera close by so I could snap some pictures when we were done. I am so glad I did, these are some of my favorite pictures of him!

This is a common pose of his…Raise your hand if you have a question.
If you remember the post I did a few months ago about the photography class I took and the importance of lighting and how the catchlights in your subjects eyes can make the picture that much better, the next two pictures are a great example.

Here’s a cute picture of Jacob looking into the cameraBut if you compare the one above with this one where I shifted my position so he is looking up at the lamp behind him, his eyes come alive with the light.
Silly boy 🙂

Sweet boy
And finally he’s showing his Italian roots he got from daddy waving his fist around!

Smile

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Mdfrisco

When I was looking for a photographer to do a maternity session, I was trying to find a reasonably priced one. Photographers are not cheap, and with good reason, since I’ve been exploring the world of photography I have a much better appreciation for what goes on to achieve that perfect photo. Especially all the work that is done on the computer after the photo shoot. After researching many photographers I was sitting in the waiting room at my doctors office and they have these gorgeous photos of one of my OB’s kids on the wall and the photographer’s business cards readily available. So I grabbed a card, looked at her website and decided to contact her. There was a discount if you were a patient of my doctor, so we scheduled a session. I was wanting something outdoors that was more of a natural setting rather than a perfectly manicured photo. I was asking her if she knew of any wooded area in San Diego that wouldn’t require us to drive an hour to Julian or somewhere in the mountains. She said there was such a spot she has always wanted to try and was wondering if we would be up for it. Turns out it was exactly what I wanted!

There was a forest of trees and a pathway going through

We took our time trying out all different kinds of angles and poses

Turns out the path was a jogging path, so we had to jump out of the way for a few joggers

But it was perfect, just what I had in mind…

The lighting coming through the trees was beautiful

An outfit change and location change later we found ourselves at the top of Torrey Pines

Looking forward to this picture in the future only replacing the stuffed elephant with a little boy

I love the pop of blue with this neutral setting

This is Justin’s favorite one, he calls this my sassy pose. I have this same picture 6 years earlier, only I’m in my wedding dress

Another outfit change and we headed down the hill to Torrey Pines State Beach

Just in time for the sunset!

San Diego is such an amazing place to live!

Beautiful family

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Mdfrisco

So remember the post I did about those kind of friends…well another family that fits into that category are these people. We’ve known Drew & Keri for a several years through our church. Actually, Keri’s family and Justin’s family are old friends and go back even further. It is a small world since years later we ended up in a different city, at the same church and living about 2 miles apart. We’ve been in the same small group and spent many nights at their house in fellowship. Another thing that makes them good people in our book is they are Pittsburgh Steeler fans and we enjoy getting together to watch games with them!

Drew and Keri have 4 beautiful children, 2 boys & 2 girls, the perfect combination! The thing I love about them is no matter how busy or crazy their lives are (remember, 4 kids!) they always make time for you and always make an effort to get to know new people and build friendships. They are sincere, genuine and a lot of fun. I also love their parenting style, they have a calm, relaxed (at least what we see) style of parenting. It is very obvious how much they love their kids, but more importantly, it also is obvious how much they love each other. I’ve often thought over the years, I want to parent like they do when our time comes, they have been a wonderful example.

Keri asked me to take some updated pictures of her family and if you know them well you know exactly why, at first, I freaked out! They have a long history of absolutely stunning, beautiful family photos done by a professional photographer. They are the ones that make you gasp when you open their Christmas card and make a mental note to yourself to find out who their photographer is so you can use them next year. So…I was a little intimidated because I didn’t want to disappoint them. But then I remembered that they are the kind of people who don’t stress about those kind of things. Besides their family is so stinking cute, it’s impossible to get a bad picture of them. So I told Keri I would do it.

It was another beautiful San Diego afternoon and we spent a few hours at the Rancho Bernardo Winery. We had no idea how it was going to go with trying to get 4 kids to cooperate and smile at the camera (or at least look in the general direction of the camera), but I was impressed, there was only one child who was not to wild about this activity at first, but once we got in the swing of things they did a great job! Those years of practice with photographers paid off (or maybe they were just having a good day).

I love the outdoor, rustic type pictures and the winery provides lots of different backdrops. There were lots of old buildings and cool barn doors
The boys found all kinds of things to climb up on, wagons, tractors and a good old fashioned tree (I was excited to get a shot with his smile cracked to reveal his missing tooth)
The favorite spot that we kept returning to was an old wooden swing. Here’s momma with her girls
And dad with his boys
See what I mean by a cute family…
They sure make it look easy!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to take your pictures, for setting an example of how to be an awesome family and especially for being those special kind of friends!

Sweet little girl

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Mdfrisco

A friend of mine emailed me a few months ago and told me that a colleague of his was about to have her first baby and was looking for a reasonable photographer to do some newborn pictures and asked me if I would be interested. I was excited but at the same time nervous since this is kind of a big deal, I am still in the learning process and I didn’t want to mess up their precious newborn photos. It is one thing to take casual family photos of your friends that can be redone at anytime, but the importance of something like wedding pictures, or the small window for those newborn photos is not something that can be redone. But practice makes perfect and the only way I am going to get practice outside the comfort zone of my friends and family is if I put myself out there. So I decided to do it, but I was honest with her and told her that I am not skilled in editing that makes the baby’s skin perfectly smooth and creamy like porcelain, but I would be happy to do what I know for a reasonable price. She agreed and we waited for her baby girl to arrive. In the meantime I had to make a trip to Home Goods (poor me, I know) to get some props (among other things I really didn’t need, or maybe I did). Shortly after I got an email that her little girl had arrived and we set a date. They are such a nice couple and their little girl was so sweet and cuddly, I really enjoyed my time with them. Mom is a physician and dad is an engineer, so we did a tribute to all their hard work in school. Wonder what she will grow up to be?
I remember doing the same thing while studying all night during college
Whenever she would get a little fussy, dad came to the rescue and knew exactly how to calm her down. You can bet she has worked her magic on him and will enjoy being daddy’s little girl.

I love capturing the little details, like the ears, nose and especially the toes

Mom emailed me and told me that they love the pictures and will be wanting more on her 1st birthday. It made me so happy (and relived) that they were pleased. So I guess I can say I have my first official client!

What did it teach me

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Mdfrisco

I have been meaning to do a post on photography for a while now and the perfect opportunity for me to do so has come up. Before I get into it, here’s a little background.

If you know me well you know that I have always loved taking pictures. It is my favorite way of documenting memories. I have boxes and albums full of photos that are probably among my most treasured possessions. If we ever had to evacuate our house (which we did have to a few years ago) the photos are at the top of my list of things to take. Thankfully now that we are in the digital age, it is not such a space consuming hobby anymore, but I do have to make sure the digital files are all backed up!

A few years ago in Apollo’s dog training class I met a woman (and her adorable yellow lab), her husband was in the Navy and was deployed at that time. She was taking pictures during the class so she could send them to him overseas so he could see the progress their dog was making. She had a Canon Rebel and I was ohhing and ahhing over her camera and we started talking photography. She told me about a online class she was taking called Snapshots of a Good Life and how amazing the instructor, Karen Russell, was. So when I got home I googled Karen Russell and found out all about the class. Not only does she teach a fantastic class she also has a blog where she shares her family memories, tells funny stories and teaches us a few things here and there. I started following her blog and even though I’ve never met her or anyone in her family, I feel like I know them (at least what she shares online). Karen’s teaching style is all about how to achieve a great photo straight out of the camera, which is exactly what I want to do since I am not that skilled in the editing department. I love her pictures and immediately decided I wanted to take her class but was waiting and saving up to get a professional camera.

My husband being the attentive person that he is got me a Canon Rebel for our anniversary 2 years ago (or maybe he was tired of hearing me talk about this class!) I signed up right away and it has changed my view of photography. I highly recommend this class for anyone at any level of skill to take. Here are some of the things I’ve learned:

I learned how to get out of the auto mode and take pictures in manual mode.
I learned what all the icons mean and what all the buttons do on my camera.
I learned how to use the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed & ISO) to create a properly exposed photo.
I learned how to take pictures in low light settings.
I learned the importance of lighting and how to create catchlights that make the eyes sparkle.
I learned that photography is not just about a perfectly posed photo, but a way to capture the story as it unfolds.
I learned about depth of field.
I learned how to use my focus points.
I learned how to create pretty bokeh.
I learned how to achieve that blurred background so your main subject pops in the photo.
And I learned so, so much more…

The last week of class Karen turns it over to Erin Cobb, who is another great photographer with a blog of her own. Erin designed a tutorial called Clean Color that teaches all about the editing process. I love her editing style and was so excited to learn that as well. Unfortunately for me, the timing of that part of class was when I had my surgery, so I never finished the last week. Someday I have promised myself that I will take the time to download her tutorial and learn (yes, I realize I am saying this as my life is only going to get busier with a newborn on his way…that is why I said someday…)

This now brings me to the point of this post. Karen sent out an email to all her past students asking them to share a photo and something important they learned in class then post it on their blogs, facebook, pinterest, etc… and then link it to her blog. I tried really, really hard to narrow it down to just one, I have so many favorite photos I’ve taken and so many things I’ve learned that I couldn’t do it, so I have two.

As with anything else, practice makes perfect. My dog and my husband are pretty tired of being my subjects, so it’s a good thing I am growing a new subject at the moment and starting January you will see LOTS of photos of him 🙂

Those kind of friends

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Mdfrisco

You know those kind of people who are always fun to be around. Who are always happy to see you and greet you with a hug and a smile. They are real and honest and you feel like you can be your true self around them. You know you can always count on them to listen, to be there for you and support you. Everybody needs some of these kind of friends, in fact, I think everybody should strive to BE this kind of friend.

We are lucky to have some of these friends, and one couple is the Hardy’s. Jason and Angelina have been a big part of our lives and we love spending time with them. They have a passion for people and truly have a gift of reaching out to others and being that kind of friend. Jason is the pastor of our church and Angelina uses her beautiful talent with the piano as a piano teacher. They have two adorable little boys, Caleb and Jayden. For the last year and a half we’ve spent our Wednesday nights at their house with 2 other couples doing a ‘Wine Study, Bible Tasting‘. Yes, you heard (read) that right. The first hour, we spend enjoying some wine (now water for me) and appetizers while talking about our week, what’s going on in our lives, sharing any God moments that happened, discussing the latest news, politics, movies, books and just laughing and enjoying each others company. Then we bring out dessert, get cozy on the couch and start our bible study. I love that during our conversations we really open up with each other and share our dreams, our struggles, our achievements and frustrations. Real friends know that life is full of peaks and valleys and they don’t expect you to be perfect or your house to be spotless. They don’t care about designer clothes or what cars you drive, they care about you and want to celebrate the highs in life with you and hold you up during the low times. We have some fun times with them outside of Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights and we are so thankful that God placed Jason and Angelina in our lives and we know that it will be a lifetime bond.

Angelina asked me if I would take some updated family photos. I love doing family photos, especially with fun people. We decided to go to the Midland Railroad which has a great rustic backdrop with a big barn, old trains, bridges and railroad tracks. Here are a few of my favorites from that day.

I tend to love the natural pictures that are not so posed…this one shows the boys personalities. I know Caleb was eying the trains across the way and planning our next spot to take pictures, he would make a great assistant. And Jayden’s spontaneous, goofy antics kept us laughing.
Seriously how could you not giggle when this is his version of “say cheese”