July 24, 2008

Horray for the Golden Gate Mother's Group

Any new SF mom must check out GGMG. I've been on the steering committee for over a year and started shooting the newsletter covers a few months ago. It is currently over 2,500 members and going strong. They put together kids activities, mom events, community support activities, and if you have ANY kind of kid-related question you can post it to the GGMG community and will get tons of great advice. Here are a few of the latest shots from the cover and inside feature articles...

POSTED BY DIANA :: 2:19 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL ::

November 10, 2007

The Beautiful Palace of Fine Arts!

This may sound strange, but I have never done a session at the Palace of Fine Arts! This family had a lot of great childhood memories of this gorgeous location. We picked a November morning and spent some time playing under the gaze of stone angels, feeding the ducks and climbing the columns.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 9:52 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: KIDS :: FAMILIES ::

Sun, surf and holiday cheer

It's the holiday season and I have been loving all of my family portrait sessions. The beach is one my favorite locations - you have sand, the bridges, the kids are happy and everyone can be a little more relaxed and playful. This family was very fun and we had a great morning session at Baker Beach.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 9:48 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

September 16, 2007

Maternity Session at Sutro Heights

I think Sutro Heights is one of the city's most beautiful spots. It's a bit tucked away and can be a little foggy. But if you've been to Sutro Heights and the nearby Sutro Bath House ruins on a sunny day, you know it is a gorgeous spot. I love the crumbling castle ruins of Sutro's old house and the view of the beach and ocean are breathtaking. The gorgeous lawns, twisting trees and vine covered stone walls all made a great backdrop for this fantastic couple. They are expecting their first child very shortly and wanted to capture some special images pre-baby.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 1:28 PM
CATEGORY — COUPLES :: GENERAL :: MATERNITY ::

August 25, 2007

Sunday Morning

I knew this family session would be fun when I was offered a cup of coffee as I walked in the door. Everyone just hung out, played on the lawn, read fairy tales to the kids and worked on the crossword puzzle...just spending time together on a Sunday morning.

Families are so scattered these days and this session was a gift for grandma who had been suffering from a lack of portraits of the whole family together. :-) We got tons of great shots and grandma didn't stop smiling through the entire 2-hour session!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 1:14 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES :: KIDS ::

August 05, 2007

Playground Portraits

Great portraits can be taken anywhere and there is no better place than the playground to bring out the smiles. I have several favorite playgrounds in San Francisco, but these two images were taken at Coyote Point (that playground is AMAZING) and a playground in Foster City. It's nice to escape the fog and get down to the Peninsula from time to time...

POSTED BY DIANA :: 8:18 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: KIDS ::

August 04, 2007

Wind in the Willows by the Bay Walk

I met this amazing family for their portrait session down by the Bay Walk in Burlingame. It got a little windy, but the baby loved the blowing willow leaves! It was hard to pick photos for the blog - they were all full of love, laughter and joy. Definitely my idea of a great portrait session.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 4:00 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

August 03, 2007

Muir Beach - A Sunny Family Session

Bright sunshine and blue skies at Muir Beach...I live in San Francisco (on the foggy side)and continue to be amazed by the sunny world just over the bridge and through the rainbow tunnel.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 8:23 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

July 17, 2007

Mornings at the Beach

We had to reschedule our first session due to a drippy, foggy day. Fortunately, the next weekend was glorious!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 3:45 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

June 10, 2007

Golden Gate Park Fun

There are a ton of great places to have a portrait session in SF, but one of my favorites is Golden Gate Park. This happy family let me tage along on one of their Sunday family days. We started off by the Japanese Tea Garden, hung out on the open air stage and played at the Blue Playground (a.k.a. the 9th Avenue Playground). They even played a game of soccer in the tunnel! A great family and a great day!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 8:47 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

May 19, 2007

San Francisco Baby

Time really flies when you're having fun! Sorry for the lag in posting...I've been so busy in the field that my posting time was limited. However, one of my summer goals is to post regularly - so please check back often and let me know what you think!

I had the pleasure of photographing this amazing little girl in her San Francisco apartment. We used window light (it was a foggy SF day), integrated some of her toys and mom filled in as the background. I find that babies are much happier to be sitting on a lap rather than a hard table.

I know these two images aren’t the classic portrait, but I love them because they are taken from the baby’s perspective. What is it like to hang out in the gymini all day?

POSTED BY DIANA :: 1:51 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: BABIES ::

February 21, 2007

Family Session

I had a great portrait session with a local family at home. San Francisco is filled with such a great variety of houses. It's always fun to think about ways to use the space to really capture the way a family lives and plays. I make a point of integrating art, rugs, toys and textiles in the client's home to enhance the photographs. Of course, the best part of any photo are the beautiful faces. Here are a few photographs from our session.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 3:39 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES :: KIDS ::

February 13, 2007

Full Circle Fund

I have a background in nonprofit and public sector management and continue to look for ways to stay involved in community issues. Last year, I started working with Full Circle Fund, an engaged philanthropy organization focused on education, affordable housing and technology in the Bay Area. The members are organized into these three impact circles and give both their time and a financial committment to the grantee projects. The impact circles come together on a regular basis to learn from each other and hear from leaders in the community. Check out the slideshow from a January event with Steve Westly!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 9:53 AM
CATEGORY — GENERAL ::

February 02, 2007

A Return

Although we didn’t set out to do it, my husband and I ended up reliving our engagement last weekend with our one-year old in tow. We stopped off at Wild Flour Bread Bakery (I dream of this place!). It’s right across the street from Osmosis, an amazing spa we went to the weekend we got engaged. Last but not least, we spent some time at Sonoma Coast State Beach where Samuel practiced his walking skills and pointedly ignored all the warning signs.

All parents must feel this way, but I can't believe how fast the first year went! I've also noted that, while every age has been great for portraits, there is something special about a one-year old. A new light in the eye, a more adventurous spirit...I love it!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 2:42 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES :: KIDS ::

The Cookie

I love seeing how kids take so much joy in the little things. This little one refused to give up her cookie - and who can blame her!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 2:08 PM
CATEGORY — KIDS :: GENERAL ::

December 12, 2006

Winter Sunsets and Samuel

Samuel is coming up on his first birthday and his determination to explore the world around him continues to grow. I love seeing him crawl through the waves of sand and we simply can’t keep him off the stone stairs at Ocean Beach. I posted this set of images because they reflect both his independent spirit as well as the fun, supportive presence of his parent. I am always drawn to images that focus on the child with parts of the parent in the frame or background.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 10:35 AM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

November 24, 2006

Tania, Michael and Freya

The end of the year brings the most amazing days at the beach. It's still warm enough to take your shoes off, but there is definitely the feeling of fall in the air. I went with this fabulous family down to Crissy field to take some holiday pictures. This was definintely the type of session I love. They just had fun with their amazing daughter on the beach and I had the pleasure of capturing all their family joy and laughter.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 6:53 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

November 08, 2006

August at the Westfield

I took a trip to the Westfield Shopping Center on Tuesday and met up with the adorable August and his mom. The atrium is just beautiful and filled with gorgeous natural light. August was pretty indifferent to all the upscale shopping, but the low leather couches were a hit. The atrium background reminded me of the US Capitol building - a fitting image for election day!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 9:44 AM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: KIDS ::

October 31, 2006

Grandpa's in Town

Samuel's magnetic pull reeled in his Massachusetts grandpa last weekend for a short two-day visit. In grandpa's day, the whole family lived within a few New York blocks. Today he's got to drag himself thousands of miles to come toss his grandson into the air! (We are very thankful he's willing to make the trip!) We went to Crissy Field (my favorite place in all SF) and squeezed in a 20-minute photo session before dinner.

POSTED BY DIANA :: 10:13 AM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

October 26, 2006

Family Visit

We spent years on the East Coast and had a scattering of visits from family. Now that there is a grandchild/nephew in the mix we seem to get visits every other month. This month Samuel got a chance to get to know his uncle. I love the effect of cross processing to bring out the blue eyes!

POSTED BY DIANA :: 2:24 PM
CATEGORY — GENERAL :: FAMILIES ::

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