Family Photos 2015

I'm a little late in sharing this, but here are the photos from our mini session that we took back in October. We did these through a fundraiser for San Mateo Mothers' Club, and the package deal couldn't be beat. I've decided that mini sessions are the way to go. They take 30 minutes, cost much less, and we get the best pics before the kids get bored or melt down! 

Taken at Twin Pines Park in Belmont by Jennifer Maesen Photography. 

This Year's Preschool Photo

I'm loving the genuine smile this year. Turns out the photographer asked her to say "hot dog" right before the picture.

Colin's Newborn Photos

Finally, here are the final images from Colin's newborn photo shoot. We took these when he was eleven days old using the same photographer that shot Kaitlyn's newborn photos.

All images by Shirley Henderson Photography.

The photographer brought so many different baskets and props, I wanted to use them all. But Colin wouldn't cooperate. She needed a sleepy, relaxed baby in order to pose him properly, and Colin was awake and alert for a good portion of the shoot. So I didn't get as many basket poses as I would have liked. At least we got a couple of good portraits with his eyes open.

Kaitlyn also joined in for some sibling photos.

We had never seen Kaitlyn so happy to be in front of a camera. She usually hates getting her picture taken and never smiles like this for me. She really did charm the photographer!

Then some family and artistic portraits (he finally went back to sleep).

Finally, some naked sleeping photos.

Once I was put into this pose, the photographer started her "hat parade," which was basically putting on all these different hats and taking photos. 

The entire session took about four hours, with all the poses, outfit and prop changes. The photographer was very patient and brought everything with her. Our house was pretty much turned into a studio. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the session.

It's amazing what the right props, professional camera, and some photo-editing can do!

Family Picture Day

We took our annual family photos this year at the Stanford University campus. Despite having grown up twenty minutes from the university, I had never actually been on the campus before. Our photographer shoots there often, and suggested the location since it was dog friendly and there were lots of options. It's a beautiful place to walk around, and we had a lot of fun on this shoot. Even Kaitlyn enjoyed herself this time and warmed up quickly to the camera. It helped a lot that Brady was with us. She loves showing off her dog to people.

All photos by Kent Hwang Photography.

Love this pic just because the photographer captured Prentice doing what he does best...checking his phone.

This was my absolute favorite picture from the shoot. Totally deserving to be on the front of our Christmas card this year.