Category Archives: Family Portraits
Reid Park Family Portrait
Shayne’s an f-15 fighter pilot, and heard about me through a trio of fighter pilot-clients of mine. It’s been a cool bunch of guys to get to know. Beyond my appreciation for their service, I’m always frankly a bit in awe. First, it’s one of the two real-world jobs that I dreamed about as a kid, and think might be more awesome than what I get to do every day (firefighter is the other, in case you were wondering). Second, the people who do it have to have that wonderfully rare cocktail of talent and focus you find in pro athletes. Maybe it’s my imagination, but I think it gives them a kind of “dude-aura” – and so, apparently, do the ladies.
Anyhow, Shanyne’s a family man, a job equally tough and praise-worthy, and I think he’s pretty awesome at that as well. I met his wife Dana and their kids Brady and Bree out at Reid park for an early morning summer portrait session. It’s a great spot, with a ton of visual variety over the course of a short stroll. We hit the playground, the Rose Garden, the woods, the lake, the duck pond and the entrance to the zoo before it even got hot, and the kids were champions the whole time. We had a great adventure and made some gorgeous, natural pics – here’s a few of my faves.
Hey Drew, welcome to the world!
Amy and Jake have been my good friends for a long time, and I’ve been honored to photograph their wildly wonderful wedding back in ’08, and then their first child, Olivia just a few years ago. They’ve introduced me to so many great couples over the years, I see them at weddings every season.
When we’re not making cute baby photos these days, I make zany company portraits for Jake’s fantastic printing company, CP Graphics, which he in turn splashes all over their web site. I’ve never seen any Tucson business with such a fun, upbeat attitude, and Jake made sure the web site – via the photos – really reflected their company culture. Check ‘em out and see if you can pick the one I didn’t shoot.
Soon, thanks to these talented souls, I’ll have some truly gorgeous, modern printed brochures for this little business of mine. It’s seriously amazing the small custom runs they can do for a outfit my size. No more late-night-before-the bridal-fair wonky color xeroxes at Kinkos ever again!
Disclaimer: I’ve also been known to ride mountain bikes in a reckless and childish fashion with both Jake and Amy’s Dad, Mike, and drink a few beers now and again with the whole gang. Jake and Mike both crash hard and still have more fun than anyone I know out there. I really feel less like a family photographer around these guys, and more like just family.
And there’s now there’s a new addition to the family – this little guy, Drew. It was our first meeting and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of me – I seemed to either alarm him a bit or bored him right to sleep, maybe both at the same time. I’ll have to work on a charm campaign.
Olivia, on the other hand, knows just how to play to the camera and doesn’t mind a stealing a little of the limelight back from center-of-attention baby brother. So while we set out to make a baby announcement photo of Drew, I’m just as partial to the shots of Jake and Olivia…especially with her adorable little mountain bike and pint-sized helmet – how cute is that? I suspect we’ll see her on the trail in no time. Family can register to see the photos online here!
David and Dorene’s family portrait at Oro Valley Country Club
David and Dorene suggested Oro Valley Country Club for their family shoot earlier this month – I’m always amazed what a cool green space it is, and what an incredible view of the Catalinas. We caught the last hour of daylight quite nicely (known as the “golden hour” for good reason) and had a great time making beautiful, relaxed family portraits before their son goes off to college. Sometimes I feel like a broken record saying how much fun these shoots are, but it’s true. I meet the nicest people in the most beautiful places at the perfect time of day, and make something uniquely precious for them. Talk about job satisfaction!
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