Family Portraits :: A Summer Treat

What do you do in the middle of summer, when it's too hot to be outside for more than 10 minutes? You do your family photo shoot in an adorable frozen yogurt shop and dress your family in equally adorable outfits.

Somebody in the fro-yo shop said that we looked like we were shooting a magazine spread. I think they are pretty magazine-worthy. Don't you think? 

This is my second shoot with them. The kids have already grown so much since our first shoot (I know, Amanda has the most creative ideas and outfits for her family)!

Just a year ago that kid was just a babe and sleeping in that buggy. Now he's standing in it?!
After some cool treats, we mustered all of our energy for a quick 15-minute shoot downtown. I love all the new murals that are popping up in the arts district! So colorful and fun.

Family Portraits :: Edgells

It's the middle of summer. Triple digits. The sun is suddenly our enemy. It's about this time of the year that we Phoenicians are asking ourselves why the heck we live here. Are we crazy?

It is now that I have to remind myself of the rest of the year, the days where I don't curse at the sun every time I go outside. I maybe even liked being outside and in the sun. Do these day exist? It seems like I can't even remember anymore... until something as sweet as this family session brings me out of my silly melodrama and into reality. ;)

This beautiful family session took place this spring. The Edgell family met me at South Mountain for a mix of edgy old ruin and desert landscape. That sweet desert sunshine gave us the perfect afternoon light!






So gorgeous, Becky. Love your eyes here!




Love love love this one of A. Something about her expression says so much about how it feels to be 5 years old. A lot of times, I talk to kids as I'm snapping their photo to get genuine expression out of them.
"A, I love your smile. You look like a princess. Does anyone ever call you a princess?"
"Yeah," she said as she looked down with a sly smile.
"Really? Who?"
"My daddy!" she beamed as she looked up at me.
That exchange just about killed me with sweetness. At that moment, I decided that I needed to have a daughter someday. :)

And now, I leave you with this beauty. This image begs (and demands!) to be blown up on a canvas and put up in the living room!

Alright, so this is why I love living in Phoenix. That gorgeous sunshine.

Newborn Portraits :: Micah

Micah and his thoughtful, furrowed brows are going to solve the world's problems. At least a good chunk of it, don't you think?

Sleeping in Seattle

Joel and I took a semi-spontaneous trip to Seattle. With summer upon us, overcast days and chilly weather was the perfect getaway. I even crocheted a scarf on the way there because I knew that this was the last chance I'll get to wear it until November.

The Pacific Northwest is so beautiful. It never disappoints.

We did lots of regular touristy things like visiting Pike Place and going up on the Space Needle, but mostly our trip was planned around food and coffee. It may sound silly to plan a vacation around food, but it's true. We made a list of restaurants and cafes we wanted to visit and planned our daily itineraries accordingly. I think you can learn a lot about a city and its culture through food, but the bottom line is... we love food.

One of the greatest things about our trip was that we walked or used public transportation to get everywhere we needed to go. It saved us some money and made the trip more fun because we got to see all the in-between places.




We had the best apple from these guys. Why don't apples taste that good all the time? We actually fought over it!



From the top of the Space Needle


Coffee is an art form in Seattle. I enjoyed every drop of it.

This guy always knows how to make me laugh. I'm grateful to walk through life with him and to laugh all along the way.

The Smallest Baseball Fan

Lorenzo was just over a week old when I took these photos. Such a sweet little guy!




I love doing newborn photos in the clients' homes because it cuts down on the hassle of traveling with a newborn and everything they need is within reach. Lorenzo slept really well at the beginning of our shoot, allowing me to get these peaceful portraits of him.

I like mixing portraits with lifestyle shots, so it worked out that Lorenzo started getting hungry about an hour into the shoot. While Lorenzo cuddled with his mom, I took the opportunity to capture some in-between moments. These shots almost always end up being my favorites because they are so authentic and naturally unposed.

Since my family moved around a lot when I was a kid, lots of family photos were lost during the transitions. I wish I have more baby photos, especially ones like these to look back on.



Lorenzo's mom, Adrienne, is a huge Dodgers fan. Of course we had to work that into a few photos! :)



I love all of his expressions here. I wonder what Lorenzo was dreaming about.


Another sweet moment with mom!


Adrienne, thanks for the chance to meet your family. Congrats on a healthy, sweet baby boy!

Dusk

Walking hand in hand, their laughter trailed off into the melodic rhythm of crashing waves. There were few minutes left before nightfall. A few other stragglers were leaving the beach, but none of them existed in their world. I love the moment this captures -- the simplicity of two people connecting and enjoying each other's company.

Happy Chinese New Year!

My mother is a wonderful cook. Everything she makes is comfort food to me. Mapo tofu, stir-fried spinach, red-cooked pork... warmth for my belly. She has no use for measuring cups and spoons because she just adds ingredients and spices until it's "about right." Sometimes it's frustrating to ask her for recipes because it's always "now pour in some soy sauce" and "add sesame oil until it smells right."

Today is Chinese New Year. Last night I was missing home because we'd normally have a big feast to celebrate the new year. Since Joel and I didn't plan anything, I decided to make some Chinese almond cookies. I thought it was ironic because while my mother is a great cook, she has no use for the oven. I don't think she's ever baked anything in her life. The oven is just extra storage space. Chinese families don't have the tradition of baking like many American families.

But that's how I found myself growing up -- in between two worlds, hanging on to Chinese traditions while assimilating into American culture.

I actually do have memories of these almond cookies from my grandmother's house. New Year's is the one time during the year where there would be lots of sweet treats in the house -- all store-bought, of course.



Chinese Almond Cookies
Adapted from Cooking for Engineers
Makes about 30 cookies

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (1 is for egg wash)
12 ounces butter
1 ounce water
1 teaspoon almond extract
Blanched almonds for topping cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and almond flour in a bowl, set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat in one egg, water and almond extract until combined.
Mix in flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
Spoon out cookie dough and roll between your palms to form 1-2 inch balls. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Press an almond into the top of each cookie.
Beat one egg in a separate bowl for egg wash. Brush the egg wash over each cookie. This will give cookies that glossy, cracked top.
Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Enjoy!