52/52 - Project 52 {New Years Eve}│Sacramento Family Photographer

I can't believe the year has come to an end - and that I actually finished my Project 52 (with a little catch-up help)!  I'll end the year with two pictures from today.  The first of my mom sitting on the couch holding my son's hand as they watch a video (utilizing my new external flash my hubby gave me for Christmas):

This second picture gives you a little idea of what hubby and I are doing to celebrate New Years!  I've been sick since Christmas Eve and my daughter is sick as well, so we decided to stay in tonight and keep the germs confined.  We just put the kiddos to bed and now we're looking forward to an evening of Lord of the Rings and breaking open that 2 lb. box of See's candy my grandma gave us - yikes!

Wishing you a wonderful and safe New Years!  Thank you for following my blog and supporting my passion for photography - I couldn't do it without you friends (and family)!  May you be blessed abundantly in 2011!

Merry Christmas!│Sacramento Portrait Photographer

Thank you to all of my clients for making this first year of capturing your lovely families such a rewarding and wonderful experience!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Greg, Raeane, Jared + Grant│Sacramento Family Photographer

I am so thankful for the great friends that I have and am especially thankful when their kids love my kids and we're able to have "playdates" for the kiddos that result in another awesome opportunity for the mommies to chat.  This is Raeane.  She's terrific.

We first met when she and a couple of her friends came to preview my college and they stayed the weekend with my roommate and I.  Her two friends ended up coming there for school, but I didn't see Raeane again for about 4 more years when we randomly saw each other at the church we started going to after my husband and I moved back up to Northern California.  It's been fun getting to know she and her husband Greg and to experience our pregnancies only months apart. 

Meet Jared and Grant - boys so full of life and adorable too!

I love capturing siblings!

And I really adore capturing mamas and daddies with their precious ones!

Thank you Raeane and Greg for trusting me with these moments!

51/52 - Project 52 {A Lunar Night}│Sacramento Portrait Photographer

We were blessed with a break in the rain and a clear night which made it possible to see the total lunar eclipse which happened to coincide with the winter solstice.  It was one time when I really wished I had a longer zoom lens, but I'm happy with this shot. 

50/52 - Project 52 {My Merry Family}│Sacramento Family Photographer

My Merry Family at our son's preschool Christmas program

It's Not Too Late - Christmas Gift Ideas│Sacramento Family Photographer

I am nearing the end of my holiday sessions and have been so grateful for my fabulous clients this year!  I've met some fun and wonderful people and have been blessed to be a part of your memory-making journey.

If you are still stuck on some of your Christmas gifts - I have some fun and practical calendar options for you to consider!  Don't delay though because the final day to order will be this Friday, December 17th.

Treasured Boys

11x14 - $15.00

8x10- $10.00

Classic

11x14 - $15.00

8x10 - $10.00

  Fun & Fresh

5x7 or 8x10 available - $10.00

49/50 - Project 52 {Feeling Loved}│Sacramento Family Photographer

As a photographer, taking a good picture is all about the right lighting, correct exposure and getting everything technically correct and then tweaking it some to match your style.  These next couple of Project 52 posts though are nothing to do with quality and everything to do with the feelings and love they evoke each time I look at them.

I will forever feel my baby girl's cherubic arms tight around my neck as she nuzzles her cheek next to mine and hold's on for dear life while saying, "Cheeeeeese!" with her wide, wide smile:

48/52 - Project 52 {Tree Is Up and Decorated}│Sacramento Family Photographer

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!