dec 14: a month of charitable giving -- american cancer society | sf bay area photographer

i'm not sure about you, but whenever i see one of those commercials about celebrating another birthday, i can't help but feel grateful for the american cancer society.  cancer is such a vicious disease,  it seems like it is everywhere i turn these days -- from family to friends to my favorite tv characters and fictional book heroines, i just can't escape it.  so i help in the little way i can, by donating to the american cancer society throughout the year. 

james and i met sandy and john at a cooking class years ago, and we love seeing them every year.   enjoy today's family holiday photo, taken at hotel del coronado. 

happy holidays!

dani + james

dec 3: a month of charitable giving -- USO | sf bay area photographer

as many of you know, james is a former marine, so military-focused charities have a special place in our hearts.  for years, we have been donating to the USO, which provides care packages, entertainment and support to our troops overseas. 

it is amazing how little you can donate and still make a tremendous difference in the lives of the soliders who are away from their families for months at a time.  from phone cards to magazines to basic toiletries to snack foods, the USO provides it all.  and if you want to get more involved, you can volunteer with the USO and provide much needed help welcoming our soldiers back home or assisting in putting together care packages.  you can also check out their facebook page here.

for today's holiday photo, we are sharing a session from balboa park in san diego, one of our favorite locations EVER.  this little guy is so personable, and loves to rock it out with the camera.  thanks holden for being such a little rockstar!

happy holidays,

dani & james

family fun at old poway park | san diego family photographer

the last couple months have been pretty hectic around the bay area, so we have been on a bit of a hiatus from sharing pictures. but we're back and ready to share some more family fun.  first off, an absolutely gorgeous family from our holiday sessions in san diego.  these were taken at one of our favorite places, old poway park, which has a rustic vibe and some very cool old trains.

san diego portrait photographer | holiday photos: garrett and darien

its always fun to see good friends in the midst of all the holiday chaos, and especially nice when the kids are as cute as these guys.  always smiling, and always up for a lot of fun, darien and garrett are pros at holiday photos.

holiday photos: schramm family | san diego family photographer

another set of adorable kiddos, and a gorgeous mom and dad to boot, how can i not love doing holiday photos? these were taken at balboa park, alcazar garden

holiday photos: jackson | san diego family photographer

this little guy was such a pro at posing and smiling, he made my life super easy.  even better, he is so cute i couldn't stop taking pictures of him all around old poway park.  thanks jackson for being such a rockstar model, and thank you debbie for all the referrals, you are awesome!

san diego family photographer | holiday photos: luke

this little guy had so much style with his cute little fedora, and can you believe his t-shirt was his dad's when he was little? how cool is that? day 2 of our holiday countdown, this was at mission san diego 

san diego family photographer | holiday photos: holden

we've taken enough family photos in the last couple weeks to put a new picture up on the blog everyday until new years. so that is what i am going to try to do. first up, holden, with his mom, dad and dog along for the ride. is he not the most adorable little guy? and he likes to dance, even better!

its holiday photo time...and we are partnering with a new card company!

many of you have already signed up for holiday photos, but if you haven't there is still time left.  we'll be in san diego the weekends of nov 2-4 and nov 9-11, then again over thanksgiving weekend, so let us know if you are interested.  this year we are doing mini-sessions which are 15 minutes each, perfect for your holiday card.

and this year, we have partnered with minted.com for photo cards.  they are super cute, very stylish and very customizable.  you can check out our storefront here.  it is a fairly easy process, you go online, request photos from us and then we upload, send you a key and you can design your card.

sassy sydney

by now it is probably clear that i am pretty much obsessed with my favorite little 4 year old, sydney. and she has grown to love the camera, which is awesome for me. here are a few of my favorite photos from the last several months....

first, a sassy shoot downtown by petco park...

then it was off to see some wildflowers down in pt loma, so cute and romantic...


a few months later, sydney wanted to model her halloween costume, plus show me all her disney princess dress-up outfits...

lastly, christmas photos, so sweet, and so sydney...

viviana -- then and now

look at this little diva! we met viviana as a tiny little newborn, 6 months ago, and then saw her again for some sassy holiday photos.

holiday photos in san diego | san diego family photographer

if you haven't already booked your session, contact us because we are filling up fast. we'll be in the san diego area the following weekends

Oct 21-23
Nov 4-6
Nov 26-27
Dec 2-4

sessions are the same as last year -- 50 minutes for $150, 25 minutes for $100.

maurer family, absolutely adorable | san diego family photography

i can always count on some people to look absolutely amazing for photos, and my friend kim and her family are no exception. she picked the perfect outfits for the kids, just coordinated enough, and just holiday enough for the perfect photos. we played around at balboa park early one morning and here are some of our faves from the shoot...



i love, love, love these kids, they are super cute