I Heart Faces - Scenic B/W

This week I'm entering a photo I took of my nephew Joshua on a local bridge.  I love all of the different lines going on and the memory of waiting, waiting, waiting for the bridge to be free of walkers, joggers or bikers for that "perfect shot".  It never happened but I still love this one.

Mini-Session - Awesome C Family!│Sacramento Family Photographer

Family photography is so rewarding - a chance to meet some fabulous people and get to know others better.  The {C Family} was one of my holiday mini-sessions and in order to accomodate their schedule we met early, I'm talking 7:30 AM early, and it was such perfect light and little Mr. R couldn't have been a better model!  The key as we found, was the bag of donut holes dad had picked up on the way to the session.  A genius move, that bag of donuts is not a trick I'll be forgetting anytime soon.  In addition, if anyone is ever up for an early session please let me know because the light is wonderful very early in the morning.

A gorgeous young family

I loved little R's sweet smile and fun-loving personality!

Thank you {C Family} for a fabulous time!

47/50 - Project 52 {Growing Up}│Sacramento Children's Photographer

I can't believe I don't really have any "babies" anymore.  My 2 1/2 year old is the closest thing and I appreciate her cuddles and how she still lets me rock her sometimes, but these two are growing up and I guess I'm going to have to get used to it somehow.

A is for Adorable!│Sacramento Family Photographer

I am truly enjoying this opportunity to meet so many lovely families and adorable children as I photograph them this holiday season!  The {A Family} contacted me about coming to their home and capturing them in their favorite neighborhood park and we had a fantastic time together as we documented their family of three and the sweet love they have for one another.

The adorable {A Family} with one of my favorite processing styles.

Little Mr. N isn't walking quite yet so he had a blast crawling through the leaves and playing with my crate.

Happy Birthday to this adorable boy who just turned 1 this weekend!

Thank you {A Family} for the chance to meet you and create these lasting memories for you!

An Excellent Choice

Fall is typically a family photographer's busiest season as everyone wants new family photos to send out in their Christmas cards.  With this being my first year in business I am finding this to be true and I've been enjoying the many lovely families I've been able to photograph so far.  I'm looking forward to seeing what they decide to do with their images for Christmas cards and as you've seen in this post, I enjoy designing cards for clients as well. 

Most photographer's offer their client's the option of choosing one of only a few designs to create their high-end press printed cards.  While I can definitely appreciate this and the many design options presented, I've found another alternative that you may like in Shutterfly.  For the past 3 years I have used Shutterfly to create photobooks for myself and to give to family members as gifts.  In addition, I use Shutterfly to create photo calendars each year using pictures taken from that exact month of the year before so I can see how much the children have grown and changed from year to year.  These calendars are also given as gifts and are now looked forward to each year.

This year while trying to decide what to do for our family Christmas card I saw that Shutterfly offers a huge selection of designs - ranging in folded 5x7s, to flat stationary cards to the more typical flat photocards.  I myself tend to have trouble deciding on just one photo to include with our card, so I appreciate their large selection and options of using one photo or multiple photos.  Here are a few examples of some of the designs I really like:

 Some designs like the one shown below, even offer you the ability to put more photos inside the card with the rest of your Christmas story.

If you don't care to send out Christmas cards, it's not too late to send out Thanksgiving cards or work on putting together a desk calendar for this next year.  Shutterfly offers many great photo gifts that I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding something wonderful to make with your family images this year!

Disclosure: As a blogger, I am receiving 50 free cards from Shutterfly for this post.  You can too - Bloggers get 50 free cards from Shutterfly, find out how!

46/52 - Project 52 {Polka Dots and Striped Delight}│Sacramento Children's Photographer

What is there not to love about polka dots and stripes?  I can't find a single thing.

The {G Family}│Sacramento Family Photographer

Most of my clients are friends so it's exciting when I get a call from someone I don't know who wants to book a session.  In fact, if you don't already know about it, I have a fantastic {Share the Love} referral program where you can earn a $50 print credit to use toward a future session for each new client that books and completes a session with Mindy Newton Photography referencing this program.

The Gustin family was a referral and I had a fantastic time getting to know them and capturing their lovely smiles.

I love the laughter that surrounded our entire session!

Thank you Brenda and Don - I hope you love your images!

Senior Peek│Sacramento Senior Photographer

You just saw this guy in my last family session, but in addition to the family pics we captured a few just of him as he is a senior this year and will be graduating!  Jacob is a very talented young man.  A phenomenal graphic artist and storyteller, he has impressed me over the years with his comic strips and stories.  In addition to his artistic talents and being a great big brother and overall joy to be around, he is an award-winning athlete winning numerous medals in cross-country.   I can't wait to see what your future hold Jacob!

Family of Five│Sacramento Family Photographer

Photographing this family sure made me feel old!  The oldest two children were our flower girl and ring bearer at our wedding and the youngest had just been born...10 years ago!  I can't believe time has flown so fast, but all kidding aside, the {L Family} holds a very special place in the hearts of my husband and I.  In fact, my husband actually lived with them for a couple of months while working at a job near their home the summer we were engaged and Dominick gave a touching testimony at my in-laws' recent 40th anniversary party we hosted.  

They are an all-around amazing family and I was so blessed to photograph them!  I've held back some of their family shots they may want to use for their Christmas card, but I hope you'll enjoy meeting Dominick and Julie and their three fantastic children.

 

I saw a picture once of Julie at a Keith Green concert in the '70s and her daughter looks EXACTLY like her!  Love those gorgeous big eyes!

I know Julie likes black and whites so I really had fun converting many images and have found for most I love the black and white versions best!

Thanks again Julie and Dom - love you guys!

 

Too Cool│Sacramento Family Photographer

At the beginning of summer I had the pleasure of photographing the {R Family} when little Mr. O turned 1.  Once the weather cooled and Fall had officially made an appearance, I was delighted to photograph this amazingly cool family once more at one of my favorite urban locations.  

While driving to this late afternoon session the sky looked ominous and I prayed no rain would fall.  We were rewarded with some yummy overcast light and a fun time together with these adorable siblings!

I love capturing the smiles and fun of children, but it's nice to take a step back and give mom and dad a few minutes alone in front of the camera as well.

 

I met Devon through a local mom's group and have always appreciated her gorgeous and unique sense of style.  This cloth rosette necklace of hers really caught my eye and it's the little details like these that can make a photograph stand out above the rest.  You see, even though the necklace is not the direct focal point of the image, it's uniqueness draws you in and makes you take notice.  Thank you Devon for giving me the chance to photograph your family again - I hope you will enjoy your images for many, many years!

I used one of the {R Family's} images to create this modern and fun Christmas card - if you would like more information on Christmas card designs please contact me soon!

I Heart Faces - Silhouette

When I saw the theme this week for I Heart Faces weekly challenge was "Silhouette" I knew exactly which photo to enter - a shot I took one night of some friends as we walked back to their house on the golf course.  I just love the rich, graduated color and the way they are looking at one another.