Nicole & Guillermo | Maternity | South Florida Maternity Photographer

Expectant parents Nicole and Guillermo were brainstorming for weeks

for the perfect location for their maternity session.

It turns out, the perfect location was just under their nose!

They decided to use their home and neighborhood as the setting for their shoot.

Mommy- and Daddy-to-be both beamed with excitement for

the arrival of their baby girl.

We all hit it off right away and I felt like I was just catching up with some good friends. :)

Everything about this session was genuine and enchanting,

and I truly love, love this set.

Nicole & Guillermo - best of luck to you for the remainder of your pregnancy.

Looking forward to meeting your little princess.

Christopher's 7th Birthday | Kids | South Florida Event Photographer

Christopher celebrated his 7th birthday kicking & punching!

The birthday boy and his guests got a great workout plus

they learned about hard work and discipline.

All the kids got a cool headband to wear

while they broke boards.

Christopher had an amazing gi cake and asian cuisine for all the guests.

I'm sure Christopher felt like a true martial artist

when he sliced his cake with the samurai sword!

KIIIIAAAAA!

Carolina's 1st Birthday | Kids & Baby | South Florida Event Photographer

I can't believe this cutie patootie is already 1 year old!

I have watched her grow up over the past year and

have had the pleasure of sharing some of her great milestones:

newborn, baptism, 6-months, and now 1 year. :)

She celebrated by tumbling, swinging and rolling at the Little Gym.

Everything was so colorful and vivd, from the parachute to the cake to Carolina's outfit.

She didn't have a slice of cake, but she enjoyed every morsel of a mini cupcake.

Happy 1st Birthday Carolina!

Austin's Baptism | Kids & Baby | South Florida Event Photographer

The last time I saw Austin he was still in his mommy's belly.

This was my first time officially meeting this adorable little nugget.

He is probably one of the most smiley, happy-go-lucky babies I have ever met!

And he has these soulful eyes that I can't get enough of!

His baptism was held at St. Timothy Church and he was truly an angel

throughout the entire ceremony.

The reception was held at Las Vegas Cuban Restaurant.

Austin's mommy, Ivy, created the elegant centerpieces for the guest tables.

The favors for the guests were magnets showcasing Austin's cheery face. ;)

Congratulations Austin & thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!

Baby Tien | Kids & Baby | South Florida Newborn Photographer

He's here, he's here! Baby Tien is here!

I met first time parents, Victor and Fiona back in June for their maternity session.

They were so sweet and so awesome to photograph at our first session together.

Victor and Fiona were blessed with baby Tien on

July 28, 2010 at 8:09pm.

He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and measured 19.75 in.

I had the pleasure of meeting him when he was just a week old.

As you can see from the photos, he was very awake and alert for our session.

Daddy found one of their bamboo bowls for Tien to be photographed with.

He even added a few apples for props!

I have to say my personal favorite shots from this set are the ones

of Mommy & Daddy trying to soothe Tien in the glider.

Their little family just seemed so complete at that moment. :)

Congratulations to the proud new parents

and welcome to the world baby Tien!

The Bugarin Family | South Florida Family Photographer

This session was a very special one to me.

I've known the Bugarin family, well...all my life.

My mom went to college with Rosalie (the mother of the group).

My dad and Benji (father of the group) have been buddies since college as well.

My first "overnight" sleepover was at their house.

(And I use the term overnight loosely. I don't think I made it past midnight.)

Basically both our families, along with a few more families, grew up together in SoFla.

The girls, Kate, Rowena & Jaclyn, gave this session as a gift

to their mother for Mother's Day.

It was the perfect gift for mom since she loves family portraits!

The walls of her home contain frames upon frames of photos!

Plus it's a good excuse to get the whole family together,

husbands and fiances included. :)

Our afternoon at the Deering Estate just flew by.

Rosalie & Benji were acting like a bunch of teenagers

while sharing a giggle during the start of our session (super cute).

We ended our afternoon together with a visit to Misha's cupcakes.

The perfect ending to a perfect day! :)

Babies who don't take their nap... | Kids & Baby | Behind the lens | South Florida Children's photographer

...will be forced to pose for photos!

Yup, that's how it goes in my household. :)

I promise, no babies or toddlers were harmed in the making of this blog post.

First of all, I know that my daughter is a toddler, but I still consider her my BABY.

Of course...all moms think this way about their kids.

Secondly, for the record, it was Mady's choice not to take her nap (on time) yesterday.

(She eventually did.)

She was quite excited to wear her new purple skirt and purple chucks.

As I was setting up my backdrop and lighting, she kept saying "cool".

Yes, that's right Mady, this is VERY cool.

I thought I'd treat this blog post as a small intro to post production

and what I do, and what is usually done by most photographers, after the photos are taken.

The magic doesn't stop at the camera...there is still editing, editing, editing to be done.

I've posted a few images to see how post production

is a big part of the process (and I was testing out a new applied texture technique).

A few abbreviations:

SOOC - straight out of the camera

BL - before lollipop

AL - after lollipop

Mady is so used to the camera that sometimes it takes a little

encouragement (ahem, bribes) for her to sit still, let alone pose for me.

And yes, I do have a stash of these lollipops in my studio.

Rania & Locksley | Beautiful Bellies | South Florida Maternity Photographer

Rania and Locksley are expecting their baby boy in just a few weeks,

and from what I hear, the baby is kicking his way through! :)

Rania and I had been emailing back and forth for months

with ideas for a shoot location and I'm extremely pleased that we ended up in Hollywood Beach.

I have not been there in over a year, and I didn't realize how many cool spots there are!

Love, love, love all the little nooks and crannies...and colors!

Plus you have the beach, which was extremely busy since it was a Saturday afternoon.

Locksley, who is also into photography, brought his camera along

and we were able to share a few photography tips during our session.

The expectant parents were naturals in front of the camera.

Engaged in each other, fascinated by this surreal experience that is parenthood. :)

All three of them (baby included) were so great to photograph.

At the end of our session, mama had a treat for being such a great model: ice cream!

It made for the perfect shot!

Congratulations to the soon-to-be parents!

Keep us posted with Baby R's arrival. :)

Gianna | Baby | South Florida Newborn Photographer

It is my pleasure to introduce to you this precious little doll,

Miss Gianna.

It was less than 2 months ago that I had photographed Mike & Sheli's maternity session.

And at that point Gianna was just "the dude".

We had no idea she was this amazing little girl.

Although she is asleep in all of these shots,

she was very awake in the beginning of our session.

She didn't want to miss any of the action. :)

The baby rattle pictured with her is her daddy's rattle from when he was a baby.

It's so great to see sentimental items shared from generation to generation.

Congratulations to the new parents! She is simply perfect.

Gianna Scott Leonardo
July 17, 2010 - 11:05am
8lbs 3oz.
21.5 inches

(gotta love that smile!)

Pretty Little Dancers | South Florida Kids Photographer

Ok...I think I've found the next generation of Disney's The Cheetah Girls.

Miranda, Nina & Valentina are just too darling and sassy for words.

These girls had their dance recital a few weeks ago

so we got together to capture their cuteness in their dance gear.

They love to pose and they know they look good doing it!

Pedro & Valentina | South Florida Kids Photographer

I shared a busy afternoon with Pedro & Valentina.

We started off with Pedro's First Communion photos at the

Church of The Little Flower in Coral Gables.

He was looking so dapper in his suit and he is quite the gentleman.

I was pleased to see that chivalry flourishes. :)

We continued into the afternoon by joining Pedro's sister, Valentina

for some shots in the backyard of their home.

Although Pedro was a bit modest in front of the camera,

Valentina was not shy at all. :)

They were both extremely adorable with warm smiles.

The Bossola Family | Kids | South Florida Family Photographer

I met the Bossola family at their stunning home for our session.

Their community was modeled after the city of Tuscany in Italy.

We had many great photo spots to choose from!

The Bossolas had just moved into their home a few months ago.

Shannon mentioned to me that she wanted to have photos of her

family in their new home. She wanted to have a memento

of the home where their kids would grow up in.

It rained off and on during our session, but that didn't stop us!

Shannon & Jared's kids, Dominic and Capri, enjoyed showing

me their swing set and playing in the rain.

They were the cutest duo, up to the usual brother-sister antics.

Plenty of hugs and laughs were shared throughout the afternoon.

Despite the unpredictable weather (and humidity!),

we had a good time and Dominic even asked his parents

why I had to go home. :)

Adrian's Baptism | South Florida Event Photographer

Joined by his family, friends and loved ones,

Adrian celebrated his baptism at St. Jude Church in Miami.

After the ceremony, the reception was held at the

mansion in Santa Maria off Brickell Ave.

It was a gorgeous day for the exquisite event and

Adrian looked so very handsome in his baptismal gown.

He is very blessed to have such an amazing family

and wonderful padrinos: Liza, Maria & Guillermo.

Congratulations Adrian!