Kai's 1st Birthday!

When Wonder Woman is this cute it’s hard to handle. Kai came to me back in August to celebrate her first birthday. This was our third portrait session together. I got to photograph Kai when she was brand new and then again a few months later for her family fall session.

 She rocked her Wonder Woman look except she wasn’t all that into the Wonder Woman crown and wrist bands, but thats ok she was still the cutest little superhero. Those squishy cheeks and beautiful brown eyes just melt me, I can’t even talk about those curls. She is such a cutie and sweet heart too! She loved pushing the little stool around and was giggling at me through out her session.

After her Wonder Woman outfit she changed into a beautiful blue and coral dress. She looked adorable in it. The headband was amazing and that little pearl necklace just puts it right over the top. 

For Kai’s last look she put on a brightly colored dress with birthday balloons on it. She was such a gentle little lady when it came to eating her pink butterfly cake. She just wanted to dip a finger into the frosting for a little taste. 

I love photographing cake smash sessions. Watching a little one devour a cake or only take a tiny taste makes my heart happy. Weather they end up wearing more of their cake than actually eating it, it’s makes for great keep sakes.

It’s amazing how much of their own personality is shinning through as only a one year old. Kai is a happy girl and had moments of shyness, with some little laughs and melt your heart smiles. She was very quiet and gentle. I hope to see her again soon to capture more of this little dolls gorgeous smiles and sweet personality.

Quick indoor Princess Portraits

A while back I had a fun afternoon with my daughters. I curled their hair and tried out a few of the lace crowns I had made. Addison my youngest likes being in front of the camera, she poses and makes funny faces. She spins and is in constant motion. She leaps at the chance to help me test a set up or to let me practice something with my camera. Testing light is the biggest thing when I shoot inside. As of right now I’m using natural light from a window and on occasion I add a filler light or bounce light off a reflector.  

For these simple set ups I wrapped their torso in dyed cheese cloth and then used a couple bobby pins to attach the smaller gold crown just to keep it from moving around while she changed positions. 

I’ve included the straight out of camera (SOOC) image from one of her photos to let you compare the difference before and after editing. 

After touching up their skin, whitening their teeth and brightening their eyes just a bit, I add a couple of layers of color adjustments and matting effects. 

The above photo is one of my all time favorites of Lexie. She isn’t as interested in helping me test light or set ups. She would much rather watch a movie or find something else to do. Although usually after a little while she comes out to see what we are doing and wants to do a few too. 

Being a photographer or momtographer has giving me a way to interact with my girls in a special way. Doing these little mini shoots just for fun are memories I hope they will treasure their entire lives. While I know they get sick of me dragging them out for portraits three or more times a year, I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. 

Addison wants to do these kind of princess photographs again soon and I’m looking forward to seeing how much she has changed in just one year. Maybe even Lexie will want to do them again, I’m sure I can talk her into it!  Maybe this next time we will add glitter! Once it’s done I can’t wait to share them with you all.

My Sister Makes Amazing Cookies & I Take Pictures of Them!

So my sister Ashley makes amazing cookies, I’m completely serious. Her cookie shop is called Sugar Mama. You can find her on Facebook and on instagram, @ashley_sugarmama, if you are in need of beautiful and tasty cookies. Everything from your standard sugar cookie flavor to chocolate, almond raspberry, and pumpkin spice, just to name a few. They are all delicious, but they are also art! The thing people say to her more than, “OMG these are so good.” is probably, “It’s to pretty to eat!” and they really are too pretty. 

So she makes her edible art and calls me to photograph them before boxing them up and sending them off to be enjoyed. 

She began this cookie ride right around the same time I started photographing. So I had to quickly learn how to light and photograph cookies and it took a little bit to figure out the how to do it right. She likes them set up so that they are all clustered together to fill the entire frame. We have this down to a science anymore. I’ve lost track of how many cookies I’ve snapped over the past few years but I went back through and picked out a few of my personal favorites. 

The Kate Spade inspired were from yesterday and they are gorgeous! (pictured above) 

The Woodsy cabin set she made for me last summer when my friends from high school and our families went camping. The cookies didn’t last long with three husbands and six kids living in close quarters. 

For fall this last year she made pumpkin spice cookies. You could eat a pumpkin pie shaped cookie and it tasted like pumpkin pie. It was so good! At Christmas she gives us a box set and every year they are different.

Baby showers, birthday parties, holidays, weddings, charities and more. She is so talented and I love that I get to photograph her art and that she gets to keep a little part of all the cookies she has created over the years. Excuse me I have to go eat a cookie now… 

Chris and Amy's Maternity Photos

I have already introduced you to my amazing friends Chris and Amy in a blog last month about their fall session. Now we get to see a little of their maternity session. While we wait, some what patiently, for baby Ethan’s arrival, (I can’t wait to meet this little guy) I’m excited to share a few of the photos from their session at the beginning of the month. 

We went out to Heart Park at the beginning of February, it was stunning how green everything was. I couldn’t believe it! All three of us where just shocked and overwhelmed by the green. 

Amy looked beautiful in her turquoise dress and it popped against the bright green of the grass. We had the sun come out here and there throughout their shoot. I’ve added a few of my favorite images from their session. The one of them looking into each others eyes made the list because I feel like it captures their feelings for one another and their excitement in becoming parents. 

The photo of Ethan’s name across his mothers belly is one I had to add because of the map background. Ethan’s nursery is decorated in a map and adventure theme and his mom and dad can’t wait to start the adventure that is parenting.

Another of my favorites is the photograph of Chris and Amy sitting in the grass together. I personally like this one from a artistic point of view. I love the way the light surrounds them, the lushness of the grass and their happy smiling faces. These two are definitely ready to meet their little boy. 

I know I’ve talked about how much fun it is to capture these huge life events for people but to do this for my friends, people that feel like family, is so incredibly rewarding and such a privilege. To have been invited to be a part of their journey and their story is an honor.

 Love you guys!

Linsey

Valentines Day Mini

I had planned to do two weekends of Valentines Day mini’s in January but life got in the way. Having a cast on my leg for a few weeks put a hold on a few projects. That being said I did get a visit from Mr Gideon this last weekend and knocked out a quick mini session for him. 

I love this little guy!  He is so cute! Those curls and that mischievous little grin. He is such a handsome little man to photograph. Adorable! 

While he didn’t really want to do a photo shoot with me… what three year old does? He just wanted to go play with my daughters and all the fun toys they have. No way does a kid that age want to sit on a chair or hold still for more than 10 seconds. Toddlers and little kids are fast and as a photographer you have to keep up and be ready for anything. I know it stresses moms out but I’m so used to it anymore. I know we will have something useable by the end.  

For the first few minutes of his session he covered his eyes with his hands to hide. The one I snapped of him covering his face is my favorite image from this session. It captures this moment in his life when he is starting to voice his opinion. This kind of image becomes one you look at and smile, remembering the frustration of the moment, when you beg them to look at the camera and smile so mommy can have one nice picture. These moments when they are small come and go so quickly that it’s nice to have a real authentic photo of that stage in your child’s life.

Often I find myself going through old photographs of my own kids when they were small and my favorite images are always the ones where you see them for who they truly are, their personality shinning through a photograph and taking you back to a moment in time. Those perfectly posed shots are nice for Facebook and a print on the wall, but the authentic ones, those we treasure forever.

Reagan's Newborn Session

Reagan made her debut a bit earlier than expected. She wasn’t due until just before Christmas but came a full 18 days early. Baby Reagan came into the world at 6 pounds 5.6 ounces and 18 inches long.  She just couldn’t wait to meet her wonderful family. Reagan’s mom and I have know each other for almost five years and it’s always so much fun to work with friends. 

Reagan was a doll to photograph. She was such a relaxed and mellow baby girl. She seemed to love the little box I put her in for a few shots and snoozed through most of her session. The box does seem to be very cozy for newborns. 

We breezed through photos of baby Reagan with mom, dad, and big brother. Family shots are some of my favorite images from a newborn session. I love capturing everyone in the family together with their newest member. Reagan really loved being all bundled up and wrapped. 

Even though she was a tiny little thing she didn’t want to stay all scrunched up, she wanted to stretch out long every time I moved her into another pose or position. 

The photos of a big brother or sister holding their new baby sibling melt me and parents everywhere. Carter and Reagan were no different. Carter has the sweetest disposition and was so gentle with Reagan throughout their session. He gave her some sweet little kisses and would softly touch her face. He’s going to be a terrific big brother. 

 It was so fun having this gorgeous family come in for their portraits. I look forward to watching Carter and now Reagan grow and change in the years to come. Thats one of my favorite things about being a photographer, snapping these fleeting moments of a brand new family and seeing the love they have for eachother. Congratulations again to this beautiful family!

Rainy Days Make Me Miss Fall

It's been nothing but rain here in Bakersfield. With over two and a half inches of rain this January and still more to come, I find myself missing the sun and warmth of fall. Don’t get me wrong, I love the rain, but it’s been rain for days almost weeks. This many storms back to back are uncommon here in Bakersfield. I’m missing that Southern California sun. 

So with that in mind I thought a warm family fall session from back in November was just what we needed. 

Can I start by saying how amazing this sweet little girl was?! She was so into our shoot. Her big blue eyes are gorgeous and her wispy blonde hair! Not to mention her outfit! I almost squealed in delight when she got out of the car. Seriously so cute!

Mom and dad where the nicest and we knocked this family session out pretty quickly. I did this shoot at River Walk Park in Bakersfield during golden hour, those last two hours before sun set. I shot most of my family sessions in this same location all fall long, including my own families fall session. I just loved it!

I could have photographed this family all day. These photos of each parent with their little girl melt me. She is so loved. 

I even had my little model help me behind the camera. She snapped this darling photo of her parents with a little help from me. (Below) I think it’s so special that they will have the photo their little girl took.

Trying to choose photos for their gallery was so hard, I loved every shot! The love this family has for each other shines through in each image. With a baby due this coming spring I hope to see this beautiful family again soon to capture more memories.

So rain… while I’m glad to see these storms help with our drought, maybe we could have a day or two of sun shine.

Bakersfield Almond Blossom Photography Sessions

The almond orchards in Bakersfield California bloom roughly around the end of February. The almond blossoms are hard to find anywhere else. Fun fact : Almonds are the seconded largest agricultural commodity in California, just behind milk.  

These beautiful white and pale pink blossoms make a wonderful backdrop to any photo session. With February right around the corner I thought this gorgeous family’s session should be on the blog. These where taken last year and became one of my favorite sessions and remains one of the stand outs of the year. They traveled over from the central coast just for the almond orchards. The blossoms only last about two weeks and farther into that time frame they begin to fall and cover the ground in white. Sometimes the wind will blow the branches causing them to shake loose their petals and the results look like snow fall. It’s romantic and beautiful. 

With all the storms that have come through lately and the extra rainfall I expect there to be lush green grass growing between the rows of trees. These magical sessions make stunning canvases for your home and show cases one of the most beautiful times of year in Bakersfield. 

I love photographing outside in the natural light. The warm tones of the afternoon light really bring out the pink tones in the blossoms. This time of year the air seems cleaner and the weather is perfect! I hope to see you out there enjoying this wonderful time of year in our beautiful city. The almond orchards are lovely for engagement, maternity, and one year photos.  

Now is the perfect time to book for these limited sessions. Don’t miss out. Head over to the contact page and let me know if you would like more information or to book one of these gorgeous sessions for your family. 

Pismo Beach Fall Family Photos

This fall family session was done in August on the Central Coast of California. Pismo Beach is Bakersfield's go to beach. With dad being a teacher and school about to start up this family wanted to get their session done and ready before the fall frenzy started. They had their Christmas Cards done and ready to go by the end of August. 

It was a very busy day on the beach, people everywhere but with a little photoshop magic we were on a beautiful secluded stretch of beach. We moved around and used everything from the dunes to the pier. Their little man was a trooper in the cold wind. He’s a busy and active growing boy, so I made sure to let him get the wiggles out in-between shots. He loved getting to play in the sand while I snapped some photos of mom and dad. 

Their love for one another was easy to capture, the huge genuine smiles and easy laughter made this a fun session for all of us. There are so many wonderful photos from this families session, it’s hard to single any one photo out, but one of my favorite photos from this session is the close up image of the little boy, his adorable curls blowing in the breeze, the tiny bits of sand on his face and the joy in his eyes as dad lifted him up into the air. Dad is hilarious and the photo of him attacking mom and making her laugh is everything!

Capturing these little moments in a families life means so much to me. Children grow and change so fast. The joy of my work is in the moments my clients see their images for the first time. Not everyone loves having their photo taken it can feel awkward and silly, but all that fades away when you hang a beautiful photo on your wall of your family.

Chris and Amy

Chris and Amy are some of my favorite people and closest friends. We have known each other since High School (don't ask how long ago that was, it's been a while) they were in our wedding and are a huge part of our lives. My girls adore them and they feel like family. We do game nights and celebrate all the life stuff together, birthdays, holidays, house warmings, and baby showers. We even rang in the New Year together!

I'm so excited that they will be welcoming a baby boy this coming spring, and they couldn’t be happier. These two exceptional people served in the Air Force and after living in Colorado, Sad Diego, and Los Angeles moved home to Bakersfield to settle down and start a family.  

This was the first time I used the Kern River Bed near River Walk park for photos and this quickly became my go to spot for fall family sessions, the light was amazing and the wild undergrowth and trees gave the images a lushness that can be hard to find here in Bakersfield. Chris loves the outdoors and especially enjoyed walking around the river bed and little bit of wilderness we found. The park was great with the little stream running through and the rocks made for a great place to pose them for a few shots.

I’m sure they would have been easy to photograph even if I hadn’t known them before. With their maternity session coming up and a new baby boy due soon, 2017 is shaping up to be an amazing adventure for this wonderful couple. I’m so happy for them and wish them all the happiness in the world. I'm looking forward to meeting their baby boy when he arrives in a few months and helping to capture his first year! He will be so loved by these two amazing people.

Welcome 2017!!!

Hello! It is so exciting to start the new year off with a brand new website. 2016 was an interesting year, I found most of my friends and family had some big struggles; from illness and loss to job insecurity and financial strain, 2016 was a rough one and I'm not sure I've ever seen so many ready for a fresh start. Goodbye 2016 it's time to start over and make 2017 one of the best years yet! The past year has really been amazing for me as a  photographer, my business grew and I felt like my work got better and better. I was able to photograph so many wonderful families and saw  babies change and grow to celebrate milestones. 

2017 is already promising more brand new babies and adorable cake smash sessions that I just can't wait for. With February coming up soon it means the almond orchards here in Bakersfield will bloom and spring will be right behind it. Hope to see you this New Year! Happy 2017 from Linsey Gallup Photography!