I love this time of year. The crisp, fall weather has (almost) begun and football is in full swing (Chargers, ugh!). But the best part, for me anyway, is catching up with my repeat clients during family portraits. It’s always great to hear about the past year and to watch how the children have grown. Two of those clients are Sarah and Brian, and their son James, who turns two next month.

The shoot was held at the lower park at San Dieguito Park. The sun was streaming through the Eucalyptus trees and made for a great rim light. They were lit with an Elinchrom Ranger and a 5-foot octabox.

I’ve always been a fan of good matches, so obviously the best place to showcase the Coolest Family Ever is on the Coolest Blog Ever, right? Right.

The Coolest Family Ever starts with Dick and Dede. I’ve been close friends with Dick’s kids longer than I can remember, and Dick has been a great mentor to me over the years. He always has great business advice–he even gave me a little business pep talk as I was setting up. Dick’s wife, Dede, whom I’ve known for a long time as well, has two children, Peri and Cody. I’ve watched Peri and Cody grow from cute ‘tweens into beautiful young adults.

Next we have Dick’s daughter, Kristen, and her husband Greg. Greg and I have known each other since elementary school. Many years ago, Kristen introduced me to her new roommate, Jen, who after years of pressure and coercion, agreed to be my wife. Kristen and Greg have two of the cutest kids in all the land, Chase and Taylor, who are totally idolized by our daughter. On any given Friday or Saturday night, we can all be found at their home, eating great food, drinking great wine, and growing old together as a group. Needless to say, they are like family to us.

The shoot was on the beach in front of the beautiful new home Dick and Dede are building. With the low tide and great weather, we couldn’t go wrong.

So at this point I’m pretty much over this hot, dry, Santa Ana weather we’ve been having.  My allergies are killing me, the heat is bah-rutal, and I’m ready for real San Diego weather.  If one can draw a positive out of this heat spell, it’s that the beach has been beautiful and relatively uncrowded, which makes for a great place to shoot some portraits.

Rick, Any, and Maddie were photographed on Saturday down at La Jolla Shores. I’ve been photographing their family for the last 3 years and it’s been so fun to watch little Maddie grow. Rick and Any have another one on the way, and I’m looking forward to watching Maddie become a great big sister.

On Halloween, Emme’s preschool had all the kids dress up in their costumes (Emme was a witch) and trick or treat from classroom to classroom. In addition to a few pieces of candy, most of which were gone by the time we picked her up, she also got some cool little toys. She got a pair of bloodshot eyeballs, some skeleton rings (Emme calls them “stelekan” rings), and some pencils. But the coolest toy she got, hands down, was this pair of fake teeth. Years ago my roommates had some similar ones made by Dr. Bukk, and they used to wear them when we went out to bars. Chicks dug ‘em.

Anyway, I thought I’d make some cool portraits of Emme and her teeth. In one image she’s crying because she’s totally over taking photos, but I told her she could get a piece of candy if she hung in there. Her mood brightened in an instant.