I first met up with the Sinnema Family back in November. We hit it off immediately and had a fabulous session. I think before our session was even over, we were already talking about our next session to take place in the spring. Then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, five months pass and it’s time for us to get together again. I mean where did the time go? What happened to all those days? It’s as if they disappeared like sands through an hourglass or something like that …

Ha! Like my little segue? Actually, you probably won’t quite appreciate my clever little intro until I explain that Hailey and Lauren play Sydney DiMera on Days of Our Lives. These twins are hardworking girls with over 130 episodes already under their belt! And their sister, Hannah, most recently completed a job for Disney’s www.family.com website. Being the working girls that they are, however, they’re not resting on their laurels. It’s time to update their headshots for their agent and get them – and their sister — out on more casting calls for future gigs. I can’t wait to find out where we will see them next.

You can always keep up with the girls’ latest happenings on the Sinnema Sisters website. You might recognize a number of the photos from our November session.

Enough linking and talking about their work. Let’s get on with the show and bring out some of their photos! Big props go out to Mom and Dad – you guys helped A LOT throughout the session, doing anything necessary to elicit genuine belly laughs and smiles such as this one from Miss Hailey:

And one from Lauren:

Hailey, looking a bit more serious here, but not any less adorable.

The twins, together:

Big sis Hannah knows how to work the camera when she wants to. Ya just gotta make sure you’re there when she decides she wants to!

I wish the girls had been closer together when I snapped this shot. But with young toddlers, I realize that sometimes you can’t control everything.

When we wrapped up the shots in their nice clothes, we stripped ‘em down and let them enjoy some ice cold popsicles on this hot summer day. They had worked hard for their reward and definitely deserved the little treat. L&J, here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll see in your gallery. There are a lot of adorable popsicle shots but I’m not posting them here due to the naked chests. They are adorable but I’ll leave it up to you to determine whether you end up posting them for public viewing or not.

Lauren. Drool. Yum.

Enjoy! We’ll be in touch soon.

We had a threw curve balls thrown our way during yesterday’s session but I’m happy to report we (somewhat) successfully dodged them! Mission accomplished.

==> 90+ degree heat? No problem, we’ll find shade and drink lots of water.

==> 3,000 other people hanging out at Balboa Park? Pshaaaw, no sweat. We’ll drive around and find our own secluded park off the beaten path.

==> Meeting up the day after a busy and festive Halloween? Nothing to worry about. We’ll just use that candy as bribery. Perfect!

==> Daylight savings time throwing off the nap schedules? Hmmmm … I have to admit, this one was a bit tougher to overcome. But never fear, we adults all worked hard to appease, entertain and play with our young models, sixteen month old twins and their three year old sister. You should have seen us. I’m sure it was a ridiculous sight. We were fake-sneezing, hootin’ and hollerin’, jumping and clapping, singing and laughing, shouting at the top of our lungs … but all for a good cause as you will soon see.

L&J, it was great fun meeting up with you and your family yesterday. I really enjoyed your company and appreciated your playful, easygoing and relaxed nature. Thank you so much for working hard to keep the girls happy, position them in the right lighting (then bolting out of the camera frame!) and just trusting me that our time together would result in some worthwhile shots. And L, I am still laughing at your ambition! After a busy session chasing after the kiddos, L mentioned that she was also thinking of shooting some portraits with more of the extended family next time … I’m definitely up for it if you are. It would be fun. I can tell that any activities with the S family are bound to be a good time. So sign me up!

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few pics with you. I hope that we accomplished all the goals you had set for our session. We’ll evaluate when we see your full gallery.

Can you believe it? A family shot with all eyes on ME!

As great as it is having all eyes on the camera in the last photo, I have to say I might prefer this one. I just love the smiles, laughter and movement in this one.

How adorable is H? I love her playful personality and sweet nature. And the backlighting in her hair is just gorgeous! Loved this shot.

No words necessary for this one of L. OK, maybe just one. GORGEOUS.

And don’t you just love this sweet shot of H? Here she is in those moments right after we rehydrated her!

This isn’t necessarily the best picture (from a technical photography perspective), but I just absolutely love the twins’ smiles!! And heck, who knows. Maybe Gerber will love the product placement with the little toddler snacks that H is holding.

Big sis, H, is so sweet and darling here. Holding her baby sisters’ hands, helping L stand up.

SWEEEEET!

(This pic is representative of our entire session, right?)

OK, I’m off to set my DVR to record Days now. I gotta find out if EJ will take Nicole and Sydney back … Sound random, blog readers? Not sure what I’m talkin’ about? Well, those adorable twins are regulars on Days of Our Lives and have a pretty big, recurring role right now. Check out the video below for a peek at one of the twins in action! (Click HERE if you don’t see the embedded video.)

Enjoy!

I don’t claim to be well versed in the world of casting calls and show business. (Not yet, anyway.) At this point in time, my knowledge of the industry is limited to the general idea that great headshots can help babies and kids get called out for the auditions that could lead to future gigs. That’s all I know … but it’s enough for me to believe that I can play a role.

If you’re going down the road of child modeling or acting, why not place your best foot forward and submit professional photographs for your child’s headshots? The extra oomph in the image you provide could be what sets your child apart. Please contact me if you are interested and would like more information on services and rates. At this point, I have had the pleasure of photographing several children for one model/talent agency, Jet Set Models, and am proud to announce that I am now on its short list of recommended photographers. I am flattered and honored and excited for the opportunity and exposure.

I recently put together this flyer outlining a special Jet Set package. Bring on those beautiful faces! I’m ready to capture them and help launch their careers. (I flatter myself. AS IF I play that big a role in a child landing a job. But hey, it’s my blog. And I can pretend I’m bigger than I am if I want to. LOL.)

I always get a bit nervous when I meet a new client for the first time.  But as soon as I met this cool mom with the gorgeous smile, I was immediately at ease.   As Max Eastman once said, “A smile is the universal welcome.” His sentiment certainly held true today. Aside from the 95 degree heat we were experiencing at 10:00 in the morning, we had a great time photographing her gorgeous two year old daughter … one with a very bright future in front of the camera, I might add.  Take a look and see for yourself.

A:  It was a pleasure meeting you this morning and chatting with you (in between fits of two year old independence, that is).     As soon as I finish this post, I’m off to check out Hurricane Harbor online. Thanks for introducing me to that fun kidzone!  I’ll be emailing you your full gallery in the next day or so but in the meantime, you’ll get a sneak peek here while you’re on the road.  I can just visualize you checking your email on your cell phone on your drive up to Sacto. (In the passenger seat, of course.) As you will see from the pics, you chose the perfect colors to show off A’s beautiful eyes and contagious smile. A smile that would make anyone feel welcome.

Enjoy!

Now, we return to our regular programming: babies and families.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing sweet Baby S at her four month session. It had only been a couple months since I last saw her (click HERE for her 8 week session), but as many of you know, babies at this age mature and develop so rapidly. It was impossible not to marvel at her growth. Little Miss S was so engaged, physically strong, and very happy to dole out the smiles and coos.

We actually started the session with some headshots for Dad. Dad is in the very early stages of starting his business and needed some images for his corporate stationery and website. J, look at your handsome hubby. He sure does clean up well.

Then, we moved on to some family portraits:

I just love, LOVE, L.O.V.E. this moment:

And moving on to some solo shots of the little sweatpea. I had SUCH a hard time figuring out which images to blog. She is quite the photogenic little angel.

Here’s one of those smiles I mentioned earlier:

M&J, I’ll leave you with this image. With a face like this, she’s gonna have you wrapped around her little finger!!

Your gallery is almost ready for you. You’ll have more than your fair share of images to choose from. Yay! I’ll email you with the link by the end of the day. Stay tuned …

Life has been busy lately and as a result, there are way too many things on my ‘to do’ list that never seem to disappear. Well, now that time-sensitive things like “file taxes at midnight on 4/15″ and “make sure kids can swim before Hawaii” have been removed, I am finally making it a point to check that little box next to “update the viviZ blog.”

Not too long ago, I had a fun experience photographing my friend and her rapidly growing — and successful! — company in downtown San Francisco. I’m extremely proud of my friend for working SO hard to find her calling and build her business from scratch. And I’m very thankful for receiving this opportunity to grow my own business while documenting hers.

I had such a blast. For many reasons, both personal and professional. On a personal front, I really loved visiting with my friend, meeting her business partner and employees, and catching up with some of my dearest and favorite friends. I worked and lived in San Francisco for 11 years before moving south and do miss my many friends up there!!. On top of that, I really enjoyed cruising around old haunts from my days of yesteryear when I did the corporate thing (and where I met my now husband). Nostalgia at its best.

On a professional level, I felt very challenged. And rewarded. I typically work with young children and families and am usually very familiar with the locations in which we end up shooting. This engagement was quite different. Seven working professionals (read: people who actually stand still and do what I say) who needed headshots/company photos in a location that I hadn’t visited in years with rapidly changing weather patterns ranging from rainstorms to sun without a cloud in the sky. Needless to say, the combination of variables really pushed me, professionally. I learned a lot about myself as a photographer and gained so much from this experience.

My friend has a fun company whose clientele is comprised of professional athletes, professionals in the entertainment industry and high networth individuals. Their images needed to exude a certain vibe. We decided to shoot for some nontraditional headshots — something not too ‘corporate-y’, something fun, modern and professional with a little splash of hip and cool. What do you think?

And just a few examples of some fun shots we took: