The Saul Family contacted us several months in advance before making their way to California for a vacation. Tina wanted family photos. On the beach. She missed the California sand since moving Texas.

We suggested one of our favorite spots here in Southern California – Crystal Cove Cottages. Natalie and Bailey, brother and sister extraordinaire, were so much fun to hang out with- getting to know them, hearing about what they loved about their mom and dad, and chasing them in and out of the tide pools. Sam, who LOVES tide pools, forget he was supposed to be taking photos; instead, he kept showing Bailey all the cool critters nestled in the lichen covered rocks. I can’t blame him really. Crystal Cove is just a magical place!

Tina and LJ.. your family is amazing!

These two munchkins had me laughing the entire time!!

Something that I learned from one of the photography greats, Me Ra Koh, was getting your families to fake laugh. Yes, that’s right. If you’ve ever had a session with me, or wedding, you know how much I love to get y’all to fake laugh. Well, I’m gonna share a little secret with you. The reason I demonstrate the fake laugh is to make you laugh. For real. The reason I make you fake laugh, is that it usually turns into real laughter.. and that’s what I aim to capture. But sometimes I get a little trigger happy and start shooting during the fake laughter part.. and I end up capturing moments like this.. and I LOVE it!! So campy, so fun, and silly! And why not?!

Saul Family, we are so glad to meet you and hope you visit us again the next time you come to California!!
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Enjoy your slideshow!

Happy August 1st!

wha, whaa, whaaaat…??!? What happened to summer? I blinked and summer is practically over.  Actually, as of next week, it IS over for us.  We start our third year of homeschool (or is it homeschooling?) next Tuesday.  But I can’t think about that right now, because my heart and soul are still in Costa Rica with the Ryan Family.

Remember when I asked the Ryan kids the secret to their family success?  The answer was vacation.. and I believe they’re right. When I think about our happiest times as a family, it is often of our little road trips to Northern California (we haven’t had a real vacation in a few years now).  Inspired by their amazing vacation, I started playing with the portraits I had taken of them while in Costa Rica and came up with this family vacation wall display.  Sure you can put your photographs in an album, but you can also create a little story of your time together right on your wall. I love this idea because you get to revisit that special place every time you walk by the collection.

Here’s a closer looksie… I love the image of the shoes on the tree with the family hanging out in the background. Being barefoot was one of the themes of this shoot, so naturally, I had to add it. Not only does it add a bit of whimsy to the set, but its a great conversation starter.
I can hear some of you, now.. But I don’t have enough wall space for a collection that big.

No worries! These are just matted and framed 5x7s and 8x10s (which we do offer, btw). Easy peezy and can fit just about anywhere in your home.

So pull out your vacation photos and hang ‘em up. Where are some of your favorite vacation spots to visit as a family?

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The last time I photographed these two little girls, the younger sister was just under one… I can not believe how much she’s grown…and her sister, too!  Grown in size and cuteness!!

It was so wonderful playing with the Ortega Family…so much fun, so much laughter… so much cuteness!! Seriously.. this is one cute family! Are you ready?

Don’t say I didn’t warn you….

Check out the slideshow!

A letter to the Peterson Family:

Dear Peterson Family,

Thank you for the kindness and the support you’ve shown to me over the years. Rose Mary, you’ve always been an inspiration – from your green thumb, to your skills with the circular saw (I’m still so impressed with the arbor you built and your beautiful backyard), to your devotion – your strength and guidance has been a blessing not only to me, but to many! Melanie, thanks for making me laugh when I wanted to cry.. and girl, I wish you knew how beautiful you are! Richard, you’re hysterical! That is all. Frank, I will always appreciate your help when I went back to school. You were a lifesaver!! Richard, did I mention that you crack me up? Jayden, you’re too much cute for one baby. I love watching you grow! And beautiful Holly, well..you are so special to me. You taught me so much about patience and working with preschoolers, which has become such an invaluable part of my business today, you introduced me to new ideas, new authors, new music and showed me how to live with an open heart. I love our talks… and wish we had more of them.

It was honor for me to capture your family in this moment and I hope I made you proud. I’m so lucky to know you.

Much love to you all,

Carrie Vines

check out the slideshow!

Thanks to my good friend Stephanie’s quick thinking, Tannis, Andrew & I were able to join the sold out CAVA whale watching field trip when 3 tickets suddenly became available at the last minute.  The condition:  we had to take my daughter’s classmate, whose family’s tickets were the very ones we would be acquiring. They couldn’t go, but they didn’t want their son to miss out!  We were more than happy for the company, not to mention grateful for the opportunity!

I have never been whale watching, and while we didn’t see any whales, we did see many, many dolphins! 4 species to be exact. We also saw seals and sea lions, pelicans, and other marine birds.   Andrew and his new buddy claimed the bow of the boat and being the overprotective mother that I am, decided to stay close to my son.  Oh, am I ever so glad I did.  As we approached the many pods of dolphins, they would ‘surf’ along the bow of the ship.  We just leaned over and enjoy the view! It was exhilarating to say the least! Every time a new pod would join, the kids would cheer.  I was cheering.  Then I was crying.  I was overcome with joy.  Even Stephanie pointed out that I looked happy.  I never want to forget that feeling.

So, where are the amazing photographs?  I don’t have any.  When I first discovered that I brought all my gear sans battery, I was crushed.  But then, in that moment with my arms around my daughter, wind whipping through our hair, hearing my son whoop and holler and looking down at those dancing dolphins, I realized that I needed to live in this moment and be connected with my kids and not behind my camera looking at life through a lens.  I don’t regret for a minute that I didn’t get that pro photo.

I did, however, grab a few snapshots.  I pulled out my phone because I wanted to take note of the different species of dolphins we were observing.  When I saw my camera, I couldn’t resist.

One highlight of the trip was seeing the rarer Risso Dolphin.  Not usually seen around these waters, we saw a pod feeding on giant squid.  The giant squid off our coast must have been a big deal, too, because KTLA had a news van at our dock talking to a fisherman about their recent catch.  To learn more about the Risso Dolphin, click HERE.

When she called, our calendar was pretty booked, but Kirstan was persistent.  Well, persistence and an early morning wake up call totally paid off! This Family Fun Session was an absolute blast to shoot, even with the frigid morning temperatures.  After a round of hot chocolate at this beautiful estate in Riverside, the girls were ready to play once more!  And boy, does this family know how to play, and jump, and tumble, and run, and twirl, and smile and hug! I think tickling might be their favorite past time.  I’m just sayin’.  I wonder if they would adopt me?  The beautiful Boynton family sure knows how to have fun!

Grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy their slideshow HERE!

I couldn’t be more excited to tell you about the Haynes Family.  Mom contacted me last year and wanted to schedule a shoot after her daughter was born. Well, Rachel is now 6 months old and is just the cutest little thing on the planet. Both mom and dad are completely devoted and loving parents and in just the 2 hours I spent with them, I was smitten with this family. We met in Citrus Heritage Park in Riverside for a very relaxed shoot, with Rachel running the show.

And let me add there is nothing more wonderful in this world than a man who adores his wife with every fiber of his being. I know this is true of this couple, not only because of his actions (Franklin doted on his wife’s every need) but also just from the way he looked at her. All the time. You can just see how much he loves his baby’s mama!

I had fun playing with textures on this one…

Just look at this angel baby…

Click in the middle of the pic to watch the slideshow.

 
Franklin and Cathy, thank you so much for spending the day with me. I know I’ve already told you this, but it is worth repeating, for when I see these pictures of your beautiful family I feel so much love and joy. I hope they do for you, as well.

One more thing, Franklin is the owner of Haynes Marionettes, so if you’re looking for excellent entertainment for your kid’s party, or for your preschool, check him out! He has a variety of shows for the various holidays and celebrations. He was the hit at my son’s Halloween theme birthday party a few years ago.