Beach Themed Nursery | Orange County Lifestyle Newborn Session | Orange County Newborn Photographer

Beach Themed Nursery | Orange County Lifestyle Newborn Session | Orange County Newborn Photographer

Beach Themed Nursery | Orange County Lifestyle Newborn Session | Orange County Newborn Photographer

Lately I have been welcomed into a lot of homes for newborn sessions and one of my favorite parts is seeing the incredibly creative nurseries the parents build & piece together! It makes this space for their little one that much more special. This beachy themed nursery is one that makes my heart flutter guys! I literally couldn’t wait to share more of the details with you guys! The vibrant colors were so fun to photograph and it was fitting for these two parents who live near the beach and have a sandy lifestyle ;) Scroll down to see more of this handsome little guys session and the beautiful love this family shares.  

Orange County Photographer | Mommy & Me Mini Sessions

Orange County Photographer

 Mommy & Me Mini Sessions

A couple weekends ago we had some gorgeous mammas & their adorable babies join in for the Mommy & Me Mini Sessions! It was so fun frolicking thru the golden fields at Bommer Canyon, Irvine . It was really the perfect soft light we needed for our sessions too! I just adore motherhood and getting to capture that raw beauty of it all is my absolute favorite. Here are a few sneak peeks from the mini sessions. 

Also, in case you missed it I opened up one more date for these Mommy & Me Mini’s on July 9th. I still have a few spots left so if you’d like to learn more about these sessions or want to reserve your spot let me know! ;)

Floral Crowns : The Blooming Bud

Large Family Session Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach | The Dowden’s Family | Orange County Family Photographer

Large Family Session Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach

| The Dowdens Family |

Orange County Family Photographer

So I’m incredibly behind on blogging guys! I have quite a few fresh new sessions hitting the blog soon though! 

This Shaw’s Cove Laguna Beach Session had that soft dreamy sunset light that I just love! The Dowden’s Family came all the way from Indiana to visit our California beaches and I swear they look like Californians, don’t they? Little miss Emily (age 2yr) is about to be a BIG sister! She was full of many expressions and excitement which made it such a joy to capture her! Not to forget to mention her adorable little boho dress her mamma managed to find for our session, I mean how cute are those sleeves?! This sweet girl is so incredibly deeply loved and it shows! Grandma Karen reached out to me to capture the generations of her family and I am so honored to have been able to document their growing family for them while on vacation. I mean, what better way then on vacay right? 

If you have been putting off family photos or trying to get a large session done, now is the time to do it! you wont regret having these tangible memories for years to come with those you love! 

The McKay Family | San Juan Capistrano Family Session | Hamilton Oaks Winery

The McKay Family | San Juan Capistrano Family Session | Hamilton Oaks Winery

The Barron’s Family | Orange County Family Photographer | Montage Laguna Family Photos

The Barron’s Family | Orange County Family Photographer | Montage Laguna Family Photos

A few of my recent clients have asked me , “Does the time of day you shoot at the beach make that much of a difference?”

Heres my answer : The golden hour occurs from about half an hour before, until about an hour after sunrise in the morning, and then an hour before sunset, to about 20 to 30 minutes after the sun has gone down in the evening. When you shoot in this soft light the light is golden in colour and often changes colour from yellow, to orange to magenta. 
-The light is soft, i.e. no major contrast such as hard shadows and very bright highlights. 
-Colors are more exaggerated, the color of the light is far more emphasized, much more oranges, reds and magentas are visible in the scene.
It is for these reasons that photographers choose to shoot in the early morning or early evening, these times produce the most dramatic images.

Many of us were taught to shoot under bright sunlight, in the middle of the day, with the sun behind us. Sure, that can work, but you won’t get dramatic results every time, in many cases, your images will look very average. This is because light is harsh at this time of day.

So to many of you who are wondering, yes, the time of day can make a HUGE difference in the outcome of your photos.

The Deprima’s Family// Orange County Family Photographer

These guys came all the way from Vegas to enjoy sunny Cali beaches, They were so excited to be here to soak up the sun and it was a great evening for family session with all that golden light shining. We shot their session at Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach to really capture the diversity of open sand + rocky shore with pools of salty water, pebbles and boulders. Just love this spot and these sweet families I get to meet along the way who travel from all over to visit where we live. 

Crystal Cove Family Session | Orange County Family Photographer

Crystal Cove Family Session | Orange County Family Photographer | Cori Kleckner Photography

Being a business owner & stay at home mommy | Audrey + Jaelene | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach CA

Being a business owner & stay at home mommy to Audrey + Jaelene

These two. They have my whole heart. Some days I feel overwhelmed with gratitude to be a stay at home working mommy while other days it can be very challenging and I forget to take the time to really relish in this beautiful time of them being little still and even needing me at all. Right now I’m juggling potty training a toddler, school pickup & drop offs, sports, homework with my oldest and all the other tasks of mommy duties all while running a business . Running your own business is no piece of cake. Neither is raising a family.  Though I always say family comes first , before work or house duties - it isn’t always easy.

There is enough guilt to go around for any parent, so I make a conscious effort to let it go and focus on the positives. I may have a hectic schedule, and, as a result, my children are learning how to be independent and self-reliant. I also know one day they wont need mommy to  brush their hair or make their lunch or tuck them in at night, and some days I have to remind myself to slow down so I can enjoy these everyday in-between moments. The messes on the table, legos on the floor, dirty laundry piled everywhere ; one day they wont be there. I will miss that when its gone (well maybe not the laundry part;). Right now I’m juggling running a business and being home with a toddler and up-keeping a house (which is the first HOUSE we’ve ever lived in) and it can be a lot to keep up with it all. Daddy works long hours too and finding a balance can sometimes be hard for all of us.  But days like today, where I'm soaking up the sun watching my girls build sand castles so innocently in the sand, I remember that homework can wait, cleanup can wait, dinner can wait;  quality time with these two little beautiful girls (and my husband) is whats most important right now. Giving them my undivided attention when they ask - that is what I am doing my best to work on as a mommy who feels so busy and rushed for time all the time. I know they see that. I know they watch as I frantically run around like a chicken with its head cut off so that work is caught up, house stuff is caught up, everyones needs are met and the ’to do” list is all checked off. I know they see me regularly nod my head to them as they are sharing something with me:  “mommy look at the painting I made” as I am trying to return an email to a client or finish editing a session.  I know I should pause whatever it is I’m doing to give them those valuable minutes of  attention & time because all else can wait .  I know. I know. I know they wont be this little forever. 

Some days feel really short though guys, don’t they? Like their aren’t enough hours in the day to get breakfast started, shuffle to school & sports, prep dinners, clean the house, devote time to work and still manage to find time for yourself.  It’s all about finding a healthy balance. The truth is you can do it all if you just change what your definition of balance is. There are times where my business gets more attention than my kids and vice versa. In the end I like to believe that it all balances out. Part of being an entrepreneur is being comfortable with changing direction quickly. 

Entrepreneurship, just like motherhood, is not a 9-5 job. Some days I stay up until 3 am working and then have to do a 7 a.m. child drop off at school. Be kind to yourself. Make time for you even if it's just to breathe and smell the air. Kids are going to make messes, they are going to eat your reports and download viruses to your computer. Your best weapon is a sense of humor. Enjoy your mommy entrepreneur life, wear the title proudly. We are basically super heroes.

My goal for 2016 is to not sweat the small things (i.e.: messes, missed nights of homework, running late in the morning, getting behind on work. . .etc), not push myself to do it all and be it all- all the time; but to be present in the moment and give my family more undivided attention - Because believe me when l tell you, nothing in the world is more important to me then my family.

PS: These photos of my girls were taken on a whim one day when we decided to head down for the beach to catch some sun rays. I will cherish these photos of my two girls and their incredibly close bond. 

The McGuire Family | Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County Family Photographer

The McGuire Family | Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County Family Photographer

THE MCGUIRE FAMILY | CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK 

This sweet family came all the way from Salt Lake, Utah to visit sunny California! We decided to do our session at Crystal Cove State Park  to get those great rocky areas with a long open shore.   This location ended up being the best choice because the sunset was seriously breathtaking! The beach gave us all this incredible soft light with pastel tones in the sky like a watercolor painting. It was so dreamy ! These sweet boys were so excited to explore at the beach on their little vacation, and I loved capturing that excitement in their eyes. One of the greatest parts of my job is getting to witness children experience the beach for the first time. The sense of wonder in their eyes is always so neat to capture.  You can really feel the love between these brothers & their incredible brotherly bond. I absolutely loved this session!

The Peterson Family | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach CA

The Peterson Family

Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach CA

This sweet family was a blast to photograph! We captured some good laughs while we took a stroll down the shoreline... the light was killer and the sunset was even more beautiful! I really enjoy sessions like these, pure joy shines thru in almost every shot. This family is so incredibly bonded and you can feel the love in every moment captured. This is why I do what I do; to capture that raw emotion & connection between humans.

Thank you to the Peterson Family for allowing me to document your gorgeous & very fun family! 

Romantic Crystal Cove Anniversary Session | Leilani + Shane

Romantic Crystal Cove Anniversary Session

The Haileys

Leilani & Shane contacted me for an anniversary session to commemorate the 7 years they’ve spent together as husband & wife . These two have had their share of struggles with Shane having been in the military so early on in their marriage and Leilani often home awaiting for his deployment to end so that they could be in each others arms again.  Despite the distance, these two stayed strong and wrote letters back and forth constantly. We wanted to find a way to incorporate this very unique part of their story into their session, so we thought what better way then to bring all the letters he wrote to her on his deployments, with us to our session? This added a touch of intimacy and reminded them of the strong connection they share. We started at Crystal Cove State Park with open dirt paths to really connect to the nature around us  and then walked down toward the beach to get those gorgeous cliff views. These two cuddled under the sunset  with cliff views overlooking the ocean, wine glasses to toast the 7 years of marriage they’ve  shared and a cake to celebrate too. It was such a beautiful moment to witness as their friend + photographer.. Sometimes I would step back from the camera and just soak up their joyful presence. Their love could honestly light up a room.

I am truly honored they chose me to capture this incredible love they share, 7 years later.

PS: Wondering about the dress she’s wearing and where it’s from? This gorgeous fall colored dress is the Sienna Maxi Dress by  For Love & Lemons. It can be found at Free People or directly from them by clicking here. 

The Bentzien Family | Lifestyle Newborn Session

The Bentzien Family | Lifestyle Newborn Session