I met Ellya and her parents shortly after she turned one years old. Her mom and dad wanted to dedicate this session to her first birthday. We decided to have a photo shoot in Irvine and picked the same park that her parents had their wedding photos taken in.

Being a family photographer in Orange County means you can have photo shoots outdoors almost any day of the year. Winters in Southern California look like a green summer day!

Ah the fun part! The cake smash! Ellya didn’t want anything to do with the cake until her mom hid some bread in it - her favorite treat.

If you want to celebrate your little one’s first birthday with a smash cake photo session, message me to be your family photographer!

What do you do when you’ve just given birth to a precious angel and you wish to transform every feeling and moment into eternal memories while having mother nature as a canvas? Book an outdoor newborn photoshoot, of course! Newborn sessions can and have been done outdoors, and the results are worth it.

I am a newborn photographer, located and operating in beautiful Orange County, and I will be more than happy to capture the short-lived moments of your newborn baby still budding and bright as a flower. The outdoors are one of the best places to have a newborn photoshoot, where you and your little loved one are surrounded by the beauty and magic of nature. There are several locations to choose from among alluring spots in Orange County, including the most favored park in Irvine. I understand if your concerns about the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic make you want to reconsider having a stranger photograph your baby.  I assure you that you can set your mind at ease. Protecting my tiny clients and their families is my number one priority!  During the session, I will wear a mask, and because most shoots are done with long-focus lenses, keeping an appropriate distance will not be an issue at all. Yes, we are all worried about COVID-19, nonetheless, your newborn baby photo shoot is not one you want to miss, so book a session sooner rather than later! You will not be disappointed by the results.

Capture the precious moments of your little baby before they are all grown up with one of these newborn photoshoots to put in a photo book you’ll look back on and smile. The album will be one that you can show your newborn when he or she is older. It’ll bring back the cherished memories captured in the eternity of photographs; a true treasure for the ages.

So your new bundle of joy has just entered the world. The times for celebrating cuddles, little hands held, and precious toothless smiles! These short-lived cherished moments are ones that you will want to keep for eternity, and you can! I am an Orange County newborn photographer and I would be more than honored to help you catch these moments in a newborn photoshoot.

Newborns are our little miracles, but they grow and change very fast! A newborn photoshoot is a perfect way to capture every bit of your baby’s first weeks and preserve it for years to come.  The best part is, you don’t have to leave the house! I will accommodate your family’s newborn photoshoot right in the comfort and safety of your own home. Typically, the newborn sessions take somewhere between two to three hours, but no worries!  During this time I will do my work around you and your baby’s needs! This will be a stress-free experience and you’ll be able to tend to your baby, feed, cuddle, and change them. As a newborn photographer, I understand that it can be a bit tricky handling a newborn for a lengthy photoshoot, so I can assure you the utmost patience and cooperation when it comes to what your bundle of joy wants and needs.

Now, the wardrobe! If you are unsure of what to wear, or what to put the baby in, no worries! I will bring props and outfits for the baby, as well as a few dresses for the happy mother, all of which come from my client closet (app properly cleaned and sanitized). 

Don’t wait for this moment to pass by, because it can be over in the blink of an eye. Book a newborn photoshoot now, and I will be sure to stop time and make these moments become eternal photographs. Timeless images to complement your most precious memories!

Maternity is a beautiful and fleeting period before your little angel enters this world, and it is a moment you will surely want to capture. Why not treat you and your unborn little one to a maternity photoshoot, where this special point in time can be photographed and kept forever?

As a maternity photographer in Orange County, I find it a very special blessing to be able to seize these precious moments. If you are in Orange County, consider a maternity photoshoot in the beautiful parks of Irvine or Mission Viejo. I can accommodate your photo session in one of the ethereal shores of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, or Huntington Beach. The choice is up to you; you get to pick where you want to capture your treasured moment. 

Considering photographing your future bundle of joy in the first weeks of his or her life? Book a maternity photoshoot and save $100 on a Newborn Session during a moment that is as darling and fleeting as maternity. 

The Golden Hour provides a perfect natural canvas for capturing the most memorable life moments. If you like, your spouse and kids are welcome to join! You can expand your maternity photoshoot to a whole family experience. No dress? No problem! You can borrow a dress or two from my client's maternity wardrobe. 

Book a maternity photoshoot now and receive a $100 discount on a Newborn Session. It’s a price you won’t regret paying. As your maternity photographer, I will ensure that your photographs of you and your little blessing are stunning; a true album to be kept for the ages as a cherished family heirloom. 

One of my favorite things about being a family photographer is meeting the little ones, discovering and capturing their personalities in timeless photographs. I met Josh and Ellen and their precious baby, Joseph for a late afternoon family photo session at one of my most favorites places is San Francisco Bay Area - Palo Alto Gardens. It was Joseph’s First Year photo shoot and the session became a real treat for us all. Joseph was a delight, all smiles and he made us laugh so hard by making the cutest and funniest faces. I had to take a breath to stabilize my camera. It was an afternoon filled with giggles and laughs, and beautiful photos that will be bringing smiles for years to come.

Sharing some of my beach front maternity photos form photo shoot in Santa Cruz beach.

I must confess: this particular maternity photo session is one of my favorite for number of reasons. One is, I always look forward to spend some of those perfect early summer days on a sand at my favorite beaches in Bay Area.

The family I worked with in this photo shoot contacted me at my Santa Clara studio in search of a Bay Area photographer for ocean front maternity photos.  Future mom and dad had an image of a perfect natural outdoor photo shoot in mind, like the one they planned for their wedding day. However, the capricious nature of the weather changed the plans filling their special day with never-ending rain leaving no chances for the perfect photo session.  With setting a maternity photo shoot  we had advantage of choosing the day, the place…and the weather.  After not much consideration we collectively decided on Santa Cruz Beach, one of my favorite locations for family and maternity photo sessions.

We decided on minimum props allowing beautiful beach sunset to become the perfect canvas. One of my studio most requested dresses for maternity photo shoots the future momma wore flown perfectly in faint ocean breeze, and it seemed that nature redeemed itself. The session went effortlessly resulting in lots of positive emotions and beautiful photos.

To my great joy I had a pleasure to see this family once again, this time with their newest addition: a precious little baby boy.  We had a family newborn  photo shoot with use of a few of my studio cutest newborn props. This day became another one of my happiest and most fulfilling days as a photographer: new parents with faces aglow with endless love and joy for their little one and the baby: the cutest, cuddliest and the sweetest little gift life can offer…

Choosing a suitable location is one of the most important decisions you have to make when getting ready for your outdoor photo shoot. The location will definitely contribute to the whole theme of the shoot, will help to outline your portrait with a solid backdrop and determine all other decisions about the shoot, including which outfit should you wear, time of the day the shoot will take place, props you want to take..

Thankfully, Bay Area in San Francisco offers a wide variety of unique locations to suit every taste and desire. There are literally hundreds of picturesque places to choose from. Below I listed my favorite outdoor photo shoot spots in South Bay area. Based on hundreds family and maternity photo sessions, I have pinpointed their pros and cons.

   1. Gardens in Palo Alto and San Jose

These gorgeous gardens filled with lush vines, bushes, trees, cacti, and flowers.  White gazebo and tree-veiled benches look like secret treasures among this cool greenery. There is so much beauty in the scenery, it creates perfect secluded settings to a family or maternity photo shoot, where you can relax and enjoy hassle-free session.

    2.  Beaches in Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay or Pacifica

You have a big family? Want to have fun-themed or romance–themed photo shoot? Beach gives you a landscape that can cater it all. Sunrises and sunsets offer fantastic play of light and tranquil (or, sometimes, dramatic) backdrop. Kids and adults alike love beaches and it is easy to have fun and relaxed session here. Lots of my clients choose this location and love their experience!

On the downside - don’t forget about the wind (say goodbye to your perfect hair), chilly temperatures and humidity. Fog might be a problem as well… In any case, if you don’t mind the above issues, we will work these factors in our advantage and employ them into your photo fairytale. Oh, and there is a chance you might get lucky and have a perfect weather for your session!

   3.  Hills in Los Altos, Palo Alto and San Jose

“Can’t go wrong choice” for a family photo shoot with children – soft lights  and play of the shadows of the oak trees create a magical atmosphere of joy and relaxation.

The rolling hills are changing their colors from bright green during winter-spring to dazzling golden during the summer and fall months. Along with beach locations, hills are my favorite place to take “running” photos.

   4. Downtown: Saratoga, Mountain View, Los Gatos.

Downtown is such a fun place to shoot!

Local scenery gives the feeling of belonging, the casual setting, the glimpse of everyday life. We can focus just on the portrait or create a scene with you and your family harmonically integrated into the city life. Streets with their shadowy trees, old brick walls as a backdrop, weathered city benches, shops and houses with their own personality...This photo shoot location helps to reveal your/your family character and that’s what makes them so interesting.  Downfall of this setting: streets can be crowded, and often it’s hard to keep strangers out of the frame. For some people it might be difficult to relax with constant attention from passers-by.

   5. Parks and Lakes: Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Los Gatos

Photo shoot in the park often is an easy choice for many of my clients. This location works for any family photo shoot and with children of all ages. Vibrant greenery provides “open” shade protecting you from severe light and, at the same time, give your eyes plenty of light to have that sparkle that looks so intriguing on the photos.

Choosing the right location will tremendously benefit whole photo shoot experience and the quality of the final product.  When you are making the decision I recommend thinking about your favorite places. Where you would feel the most comfortable? What is your vision for the future photos? How convenient is it going to be for you and for your baby if you are doing a baby photo shoot? Answering these questions will help you to make the correct decision.

If you have any questions regarding photo shoot location, please don’t hesitate to contact me at lena.veller@gmail.com . I am sure that together we will find the location, which will be just perfect for you!