I did Adria's newborn session and maternity session for her mom. Now, it was time for her First Birthday session. Her parents decided to do a family/first birthday combo session. 
Park is a good choice to have a family session because there’s plenty of room for kids to explore and play. It is not easy to force children to sit still, look at the camera, and smile. Genuine interactions are the memories we all treasure most.

Every single picture from this family session is my favorite. It was a joyful afternoon with a very creative mom, super adorable children and a very patient dad.

I took these photos last fall & you might recognize this beautiful family because I am the lucky one who has been able to photograph them for the last 4 years.

I had great time photographing this beautiful family at Pico Canyon Park in Stevenson Ranch, CA and I am so glad it all worked out!

I asked S to give 'you are mine" hug to his family. He did. Now, it is one of my favorite family photo.

Two boys + one girl

What can I say about this family? I love them! It’s pretty cool when I get to photograph people that I know. We are  comfortable with each other, and have a good sense of our personalities. 

The choice of clothes for a photo shoot has to be treated seriously. This is one of the significant elements in preparation for a photo session. Of course, it is very important to reveal the warm and sincere attitude of your family during a photo shoot, but good and harmoniously matched clothing is also very important for its success.  

Wardrobe and its color

It is important to choose something more or less solid for the whole family, in a single color spectrum. This does not mean that I'm talking about blue jeans and white T-shirts. On the other hand, do not have dad wear a red shirt, mom – long green dress, and the child - yellow activewear cloth.
Color reproduction in the frame - a very important thing, it affects whether it is going to be a harmonious picture and whether you will like it or not. Therefore, to capture the family, as a rule, there should not be more than two or three colors. In addition, there is clothing that looks cool in life, and it loses in the photo. For example, vigorous purple, vivid orange or hot pink will not give a beautiful shade on the face of the one who wore such clothes, and, at the same time, in the face of others. Neutral, beige, gray and light blue are great.  White always looks nice. Solid colors photograph well. Big logos, graphics, characters or busy patterns can be distracting.
Long skirts and dresses, of course, always very effectively and harmoniously fit into the frame, and make a girl slimmer, more elegant, so I recommend it to all.  

Choose clothes that complement your surroundings.

Try to wear an outfit that matches your location. For example, if your photo session is going to be in a wheat field, then wear a casual outfit. However, if your shoot is formal, then a cocktail dress or a nice pair of slacks and sweater is the way to go.

Be true to your style.

The best photos are the ones where a family is just being themselves. Wear an outfit you are comfortable in and authentic for the family.

Prepaid your cloths in advance.

Clothes should be clean, pressed, and on hangers a few days before the shoot so you do not have to worry about it the day of the session.
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Shoes
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Shoes are an important part of your wardrobe! Scruffy shoes or tattered flip flops can ruin your beautiful outfit.  

I am very excited to share this family photo session as it’s a bit different from what I've usually done before. This session was in their beautiful  home. I spent a couple of hours with them doing a mixture of posed group shots and also some  candid shots of Yvgenia and her gorgeous daughter.

​What is brightening your life? I started to sing in the morning. I’ve never made my husband smile hearing my singing and now I do. I am singing because I am happy. Waking up in a morning with a long what to do list, and I am happy. What really is brightening my life is that photography gives me this opportunity to meet new people and capture memories for them that will be priceless in 20-30 years.
It was such a pleasure to meet and photograph this beautiful family, and I couldn’t resist sharing some special moments!!!!!!

The wind was blowing Lena's curly hair and it was so chilly that she could  only able to take her jacket off for just a minute for each shot.  This maternity photo session on the Ventura beach  was an adventure. It was a photo shoot in extreme weather contritions.  It looks like I am becoming a specialist in photographing in the wind.
  As we all know, Mom is the only one that arranges the session and the one that really  wants to be there. But Michael and Arseniy really surprised me. They broke this stereotype.  These boys were extremely cooperative and fun to work with.
  Despite the wind and cold this session was filled with love and tenderness.

It’s always a pleasure to work with Slavka, De Lyn and their sweet kiddos. I just love this family! Tyler and Emka are so full of life and the super windy day of our session helped me to emphasize this.  It  is always a joy to capture them being “them”.

*Please feel free to leave me a comment

There was a lot of love going on in this family and I think it is pretty evident by these photographs.
Great meeting you all!  It was a privilege capturing your beautiful family!