A while back, I was approached by Mignonne to do some portraits. Her and her husband James are expecting a baby boy in April and wanted to capture this special time in their lives with photos. I am always up to do “belly sessions” because to me, it’s the natural “next step” after getting married. Plus, how could I turn down participating in (and capturing) this important part of their family history?

So, this past Saturday they were in town attending their baby shower (hosted by their awesome friend, Jean) and the three-and-a-half of us got together a few hours before it began to shoot around. We met at noon on a very sunny and otherwise beautiful day which, though great for picnics and outdoor fun-in-the-sun, is not the best time to take photos. (It’s a good thing to keep in mind when planning any photo sessions or wedding ceremony start times: full sun during early afternoon equals harsh lighting conditions, which equals not-so-great photos.)

Nevertheless, knowing this beforehand I took some time a few days before and drove around the area we were going to be in so that I could find the best spots to photograph my expectant couple. Because we only had a couple of hours before the baby shower, I didn’t want to waste time finding locations the day of.

It definitely paid off. Please kindly enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them :o)

Florence and I have been friends for quite a long time. I photographed her and her then-fiancé, Nelson, last year in a small engagement session a few weeks before they were to be married. Unfortunately, Sandy & I weren’t able to attend their gorgeous ceremony and reception at the St. Regis Hotel because we were moving that week. But soon after their wedding, I got an Instant Message from Florence and she told me that they were expecting!

Fast forward to today, where she is currently about 37 weeks pregnant (yup, expecting any day now!!) We’ve been planning on doing her maternity photosession for the past two months…but things kept coming up. Last weekend, we were finally able to meet up and grab a few shots of the lucky couple. Fortunately, she was still pregnant but very, very expecting.

We started at their home in Rowland Heights, in the nursery room that Flo and Nelson had lovingly put together in anticipation of their baby daughter. From there, we rushed over to Newport Pier to finish up. During their engagement session last year, we re-located to the beach but were a little too late and missed the sunset. Not wanting to repeat that mistake, we left the house with plenty of time to spare.

I had a great time hanging out with Flo and Nel. Thank you guys for sharing this part of your lives with me! I can’t wait to meet Isabella!