Bay Area Peninsula Photographer: Session Announcements
Did you miss your chance to book a session with me? I’m sorry, to hear that! I wish I could accommodate everyone that has reached out to me, but sadly there simply aren’t enough days and hours left in the season.
So what can you do? Please sign up for my session announcements mailing list. You can do that by simply entering your email address in the little form right here:
Coincidentally, this form is available on EVERY page of my website, down in the footer, with the “Subscribe To Announcements” header.
Are you guaranteed a session being on the list? Sadly, no, but I email this list before making general announcements on my website, and social media, so you get first dibs. It’s always first come, first serve, so be sure to be on the look-out.
Also, please follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZemyaPhotography. In case you’re wondering when to check your email, I give some hints there :).
Hope to see your smiling faces next year!
Cupertino Mini Session: Go with the flow
Hehe! How can I not love being around these guys? I get personality x 3.
I always strive to get a photo of all siblings together during my mini sessions. Well, we did! Not quite what I figured it might be, but honestly it couldn’t have been more perfect: two butts sticking up in the air, just seconds before they ran off into their respective directions. Honestly, couldn’t have gotten this if I tried. We did attempt to corral the babies, but unless superglue was involved this was the sibling shot we were meant to have.
There’s a spontaneity working with toddlers I wish I could just bottle up. I come prepared with a flow for each session, but am always ready to throw it out the window as soon as we get started. I’d rather have fun with the kids and go with their flow. Plus I find that the photos that kids guide me to are so much better… and the resulting photograph is about them: it makes it unrepeatable and special.
What helps kiddos feel at ease most though is how the adults around them act. M and A are always chill. They know their wee ones will go a little crazy from time to time, and they roll with it. In my experience, when kids see you stress out, one of two things happen: 1) this becomes a control game and they will keep pushing your buttons because they can tell it bugs you; 2) they shut down and I spend the rest of our time trying to lift everyone’s spirits up. So parents, please come ready to throw your vision of your session out the window (along with my poses list) and go with the flow too.
Now… enjoy this kid filled, toddler-riffic, twin approved, Cupertino mini session.
Cupertino Fall Family Portraits: First time
I feel like I should just copy and paste the first paragraph from my last post here, but just change the number 🙂 I’m loving how many families have passed in front of my lens, and with a month and a half left of fall family portraits for the year, I’ve gotten over the hump and looking forward to a (short) break before 2016. Speaking of 2016, my calendar to book a session with me Jan-Mar opens up in December. If you’re thinking about working with me in those first few months, be sure to reach out early. I’m already getting some warnings that bookings are coming, so it looks like it will be a busy time then too.
Now… onto the topic at hand. A and I have known each other for about 10 years. We both got married at Nestldown, which for me at the time was really rad because I knew so few people that did. Since then, we’ve shared many family journeys along the same timeline: home renovations, kids, a girls-out trip or two. She’s one of the smartest people I know, and I don’t just mean her PhD. A is also my gardening guru “go-to”. She has THE most amazing garden a person could ask for. When she says she works out in her back yard, the woman is not kidding: from blackberries to corn to fruit trees they have just about everything you can think of. She’s awesome at it AND she’s been working on kicking off her own food preservation venture. Her lemon curd is the bomb — that’s all I gotta say! When she’s ready to go live and big, I’ll share her contact info.
The red wall you saw in my last session is only a 90 degree body turn away from this lovely, classic building. And that’s not all. More views of this awesome space are coming soon. Their session was part of a mini session event I held on the De Anza College Campus. It was my first time working with me, and I’m so excited!
San Jose Fall Family Portraits: Color
It’s fall season and you know what that means: fall family portraits time. To say things are a little crazy around here, would be an understatement. In the past month alone I’ve met with over 20 families, and since delivering their family photos has been my priority, sadly, this site of mine has been a little neglected. I’m hoping to make a small dent in that today, though, by kicking off my preview of some of those sessions.
First up are J, J (double J-family, yeah!) and their adorable boxer fur kid, Chloe. This is the 3rd year I’ve met with these guys and every year I’m so happy to get to work with them. At the very beginning they were worried they were both “Chandlers” with how they respond to being in front of a camera, but clearly I’m doing something right for them to see them enjoy their photos as they do and come back. Chloe, and how these guys feel about her being in their family photos year over year, was also one of my inspirations to make sure that at least a few of my fall mini sessions are held at locations that are dog friendly. I’m glad I get a chance to practice my cat calls on her 🙂
We met on the campus of De Anza college. I seriously love this place. I hadn’t been back since early this year, but it’s such a great location, with so much versatility (stay tuned — I’ll show you how). More than anything, though, I love it for it’s color, and really neat architecture. Color for sure was our theme with J and J though, because between the red of the structure walls, and the purple of J’s hair, we were so set! I love it. J’s purple hair is courtesy of Vain A Salon in Campbell. Bobby is a crazy-awesome hair artist, and if you’re the kind of person that feels comfortable sitting in a chair and giving up complete control of your hair to someone with mad skills, you’ll love what he’ll do with you.
Get ready for more coming at you soon.
Portola Valley Family Portrait Photographer: Let’s rock!
A lot of my clients find me because of their friends. (I really appreciate the love you guys send my way by telling your friends about your family photos with me). A whole bunch of others find me through Yelp! Occasionally those worlds collide. S reached out to me because she found me through Yelp, but lo and behold as she was going through my gallery of past family portrait sessions she found photos of her colleague M. I love small-world connection stories like that.
S introduced me to the Portola Valley Town Center. They spend a lot of time there as a family, and I love going to places that have meaning to my clients. I checked out the spot a few weeks ahead of our appointment and fell in love. I really hope to come back here more often (and I’m already scoping this place out for next spring when the trees come back in bloom).
When I originally visited (mid-day/mid-week), the Town Center was pretty quiet. When we met that Saturday afternoon, though, it was so full of life — I saw kids on their scooters, and bikes, just playing with their friends. I can’t tell you the last time I saw such a gaggle of kids hanging out and playing. It’s the way I grew up, just moving with my group of friends around. No mom or dad chauffeuring me around. It was a nostalgic feeling, and thank you Portola Valley for letting me re-experience that for a little while.
The week-end we met, grandpa had come in for a surprise visit. I can’t say No to extended family, and I’m so glad he was able to join us for some pictures.
Little A brought his guitar, because he’s been rocking out at home, lately. We got some great renditions of nursery rhymes complete with head-banging. Go A!
