San Diego Blog Stories
Within this blog you will find everything from Funeral planning for Veterans to Newborn photography. While we capture many events and share as much information as possible, our main goal is to serve others. We currently do that by providing information and curating things that are needed, primarily for our Military community in Southern California.
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From Bump to Pup: Capturing Pregnancy Memories with Your Dog | San Diego, CA
Looking for a unique way to add some personality and character to your maternity photos?
Consider including your fur family, However, before you do, it's important to plan ahead and make sure your dog is calm and well-behaved during the photo session.
Keep reading to find 3 reasons why you should include your fur family in maternity photos, some tips to do it the right way, and some reasons NOT to.
Purr-fect Choice in San Diego | San Diego, CA | Court House Photographer
The ultimate guide to say 'I do' with your four-legged friend by your side! Discover the charm of a San Diego Courthouse wedding with your furry best friend. Why an outdoor civil ceremony? So your pup can join of course!
Tying the Knot with Furry Friends: 3 Reasons Courthouse Weddings are the Purr-fect Choice in San Diego, How to include them, how to prep your pup, and restaurant/brewery recommendations for after the alter.
Boys ONLY! - The Hasicks’ 3rd Son | Escondido CA Newborn Lifestyle Photo Session
Newborn Session | Thanksgiving Baby | San Diego, CA
Having three sons is like having an unpredictable roller coaster ride. There’s never a dull moment, and you never know what’s going to happen next. One minute they’re playing video games and the next they’re off on some wild adventure - You are guaranteed to have a huge grocery bill!
When it comes to sports and activities, having only sons can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s great to have them all playing soccer or basketball together. On the other hand, it can be a bit overwhelming to try and wrangle them all into one place at the same time.
Life with three sons is a lot of fun. It can be chaotic at times but it’s always full of laughter and joy. So if you’re a parent of three sons, just remember to buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Here are a few photos of all three brothers together and some with dad.
Couples, Cuddles & Coffee | Couples photo Session with Dog | Downtown San Diego, CA
Couples, Cuddles & Coffee…. what more could you want? Oh! A Dog! Having your pup join in on a couples photoshoot, engagement session, or wedding is far more fun and exciting. Special shout out to Portal Coffee for the beautiful backdrop, hot coco, and pastries for this couple to enjoy.
Here are couples photo ideas to take with your dog in the cozy winter time in San Diego, CA.
Here comes the… Dog? | San Diego, CA | Elopement Photographer
Why an outdoor civil ceremony? So your pup can join of course! If you are planning to ditch the big wedding for now, and go for something more intimate, a San Diego Courthouse Civil marriage deserves huge consideration!
Here is why you should consider an elopement and Civil Ceremony at the Courthouse with your pup(s) when wanting to join your partner in marriage in San Diego County (or anywhere really!)
The Couple.
Lets start with describing this couple. Both are from San Francisco and wanted to get married! Sophia and Pramod are in their mid-20s and live in San Francisco with their Husky mix, Flash. they enjoy relaxing at home with Flash, eating vegetarian food with a glass of red wine and occasionally doing snow/water sports! Flash is a very friendly, easily distracted & lazier husky/pit mix. He loves food! They wanted family and friends to be able to join in on the celebration but were having trouble finding a venue that didn’t have a cap on persons that could attend. They decided to fly to San Diego (where grooms family lives) and get married at the court house!
Blog about the Civil Ceremonies in Downtown San Diego Courthouse
In-home newborn | What to have on hand | 2018 San Diego Throwback
Tips for parents who are having an in-home newborn photo session and want to know more about what to have on hand, what to focus on cleaning, and how to relax knowing you’re about to have an amazing experience!
Morgan L So Cal Newborn Photographer
3 Ideas for Epic Multigenerational Family Photos | San Diego, CA
Extended Family Photo Session Ideas for the family on Vacation in Southern California.
It's not just about the kids.
A family portrait should celebrate all generations. The special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren is worth capturing with a multigenerational family portrait. These images will celebrate the full family story can become an invaluable part of YOUR family history, and will also look great on the walls.
I will always encourage adding a generational component to anyone’s yearly family session. Weather it be family jewelry or a framed portrait of great grandma that’s recently passed away - It may not be something you have even thought of, but you are sure to love the images captured. Capturing a few extra frames with the children and grandparents doesn’t add too much time to your session and often having another set of hands-on set to assist with the kids can be extra helpful, especially when your children are small.
Here are 3 ideas to incorporate multiple generations in your next family portraits.
4th Birthday Portraits | East County San Diego, CA
Annual Birthday Portraits | Novalee | East County San Diego, CA
Last week we went down the way from our home and decided to take a few quick photos of our little lady to remember her last week as a three-ager. I am so glad we did. She was starting to feel better from sickness so we only stayed for about 10 min and it was so worth it! hope you enjoy this quick mini photo session.
Grandma Carol found this beautiful dress at a thrift store and Nova fell in love!
Fresh 48 Photography - Dealing with Dark & Small Hospitals | Balboa Naval Hospital
Fresh 48 Newborn Boy Session | Balboa Naval Hospital | San Diego, CA
Lets talk about the 4 most important things to remember when going into a dark and small hospital room for Fresh-48 Newborn photo session.
1. Make the Most of the Natural Light…First. I stay far away from flash when working with newborns in a lifestyle fresh 48 type of session. Not that there is anything horrible about it, I just don’t prefer it's disruption.
2. Focus on Details & Emotions Versus Perfection. We’re not here to worry about perfection. Fresh 48 or birth space sessions tend to trend towards the documentary photography end of the spectrum. This means that they are more true-to-life, less styled, and more “real”.
3. Black & Whites Can Improve the Emotional Value of an Image. Sometimes you can just embrace the grain or go with black and white. Honestly, black and white images are really iconic!
4. Utilize High Key Lighting & Silhouettes. In addition to black and white imagery, shooting towards the window allows for highlighting of details like peach fuzzy baby faces, and more.
Military Headshots | NJROTC Temecula Cadet Matheson | San Diego, CA
In 8 years of military service, my only "headshot" was during boot camp - my silly self never purchased it! Why is that? Especially in a military-heavy city like San Diego, why don't more photographers offer posed studio portraits with flags in the background? How does a service member get ahold of new portraits, anyways? PAO? Fleet and Family? MCCS? MWR?
I am on a mission to make these more common and to -eventually- get my uniform back on for one last official photo. In the meantime, let's normalize these portraiture opportunities to capture your military career before it's only a memory and you want to grow a retirement beard.
In honor of my mission, I am sharing some images that Cadet Matheson picked out from his recent portrait session. This Junior at Chaparral High School NJROTC in Temecula is on his way to a fantastic career in the Navy.
Photographers-Child Syndrome
I was on the brink of recovering from some icky sickness and felt creative. Asked my daughter to put on an outfit I made (thrifted crochet tree skirt turned into skirt and crocheted top by me). Needless to say, it was funnier to be sassy and play than listen to mom. I am going to miss these days, I am sure. Enjoy!
Here are a few photos that show the start of my vision of shooting through plants in a boho style. Next time, taller ladder, and bribery for good smiles, lol. Not perfect photos or super fine tuned just quick edits to show off this goofy girl!
Lt. Kristen Boye has earned the qualification of U.S. Naval Helicopter Aircraft Commander
Lt. Kristen Boye, part of a multigenerational military legacy, knew in seventh grade she wanted to fly planes.
“I grew up meeting my grandpa’s fellow wingmen during reunions and going to airshows with my dad,” Boye said. “I know I don’t want a regular desk job. I want to fly.” (Kentwired.com)
Boye applied for AOCS, like her father, and hopes to get into the program. She aspires to one day fly an off-carrier so she can contribute to her country like her other family members.
“I’m very excited to see what the future holds,” Boye said in her 2015 interview.
Fast forward to 2022, stationed in San Diego, CA, achieving her dreams! After years of dedication and hard work, Boye is holds an impressive track record of qualifications and is commercialy-rated in both fixed wing and rotary wing. She is qualified to fly search and rescue, special operations support, surface warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare, torpedo employment, missile employment, rocket employment, night vision goggles and combat formation.
76th Annual 4th of July Celebration | Crest, CA
Yesterday, my family joined in on Crest, CA’s 76th annual 4th of July parade and park festival! Our first “public” event since we moved here was last year during their 75th and it was rather small due to the pandemic. Of course, this one was very ‘Merica and Novalee had a blast!
Very Patriotic - Red White and Blue!
It was so cool to see Bad Rabbit preform and the National Anthem sung. EVERYONE stopped to render honors. One of the hot dog vendors actually started crying. I over heard her say it was just so neat to see that there are people who still love our country. The veteran population up here in our area is huge, so no lack of patriotism was left at home. Candy and water guns. The sights and sounds of Crest’s 76th gala July 4th event never disappoints. Thanks to all those that worked so hard. All your efforts show. I hope everyone realizes all the effort it takes to make this unique down-home event so much fun.
How to prep your home for an in-home newborn lifestyle session
Part of why I love in-home newborn sessions is that everyone can be more relaxed and comfortable. Shooting these sessions in the comfort of your home allows for parents to have all the normal resources, making everyone (including baby!) feel more comfortable and relaxed.
I love newborn lifestyle sessions because they allow me to be a fly on the wall for all of the tender interactions between a new family unit.
Here are the 3 most important things to do to prep for your in home session:
Five reasons why you need to schedule an extended family photo session
As we all know, life moves quickly. It's time to get the family together.
We’re busy keeping up with work, family and other commitments. But it’s not just the pace of life that is increasing—it’s also the distance between us as families.
Perhaps none is more important than preserving your family albums full of photos of loved ones and getting to spend time together. As a mother myself, I can’t encourage you enough to prioritize extended family portraits. Years from now you will be so very grateful that you took the time to get everyone together for a large family session. It's more than worth the effort and I guarantee you'll love every minute of it!
Here are five reasons you need to schedule an extended family photo session.
Four reasons why courthouse weddings are underrated | San Diego, CA | Elopement Photographer
Why the courthouse? If you are planning to ditch the big wedding for now, and go for something more intimate, a San Diego Courthouse Civil marriage deserves huge consideration!
Here are 4 reasons why you should consider an elopement and Civil Ceremony at the Courthouse when wanting to join your partner in marriage in San Diego County (or anywhere really!)
Blog about the Marriage Hut Downtown San Diego Courthouse
Self Portraits in Boulder Colorado
How I take self-portraits I love my Canon R5 and the Canon Camera Connect App!
I connect my phone via Wifi or Bluetooth and can use my phone to nail focus, set timers, and change settings like ISO, shutter speed, and more.
The Canon Camera Connect is a free app for download on Android and iOS devices. To get started, head to the Play Store or the App Store and hit Install. It can work with many types of cameras including the PowerShot series and mirrorless series.
I start by taking a few test shots and seeing if I like my settings. I do a few different poses and then try to move my camera to a new position for some variance, we don’t need a million photos in the same pose.
After I get the shots I like, I then make sure I get some without me in them so I can overlay them or use them as a double exposure style in photoshop. This helps make sure I have a variety of images instead of the same framing and the same posing. (like the cover photo for this blog post!).
Child Portraits San Diego
Ms Novalee here, gets her photo taken quite often and absolutely loves to model. Modeling is so much fun AND she gets to try on new client outfits or dresses like these Balticborn gowns for toddlers.
ECHO Co MCRD Graduation Day 03.11.22
Here are amazing families of the nation’s newest Marines. I met up with these folks at Liberty Station, formerly known as the Naval Training Center San Diego, which welcomed its first Navy recruits in 1923 and closed after 60 years. Liberty Station is now San Diego's Town Square and perfectly replicates Marine Corps Recruit Depots architecture.
