“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing”

     This time of year, people are trying to get their holiday photos prepped to mail to family and friends.  Each family has their own unique goals and ideas about what they want to capture.  I encourage light filled locations, and a stunning outdoor backdrop.  However, this family knew that their pets were important to them, and they wouldn't travel well.

They also love being at home, so they chose to shoot on their balcony.

Everyone was relaxed and comfy and the photos conveyed sweet, loving connections.

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     After all, family and friends is what the holiday season is all about anyway.

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P.S. There are so many avenues for creating family holiday cards in our digital age.  You can chose custom printers, TinyPrints.com, Cocodot.com, Minted.com, and this particular template came from Shutterfly.com

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Photography is all about light, and the light at this ocean front location, quite literally, gave me cold chills.  

I arrived early to our pre-planned location, Plan A,  and the giant eucalyptus trees were blocking the evening light.  Thank goodness for texting, I sent this family a quick,  "911, we're changing locations!" text.  Plan B was in full swing.

I headed away from the trees, and toward the Pacific Ocean, and spotted this warm, sunset light.  A quick call, and we were shooting within 5 minutes.  As a bonus, this garden setting provided us with the perfect prop, a sweet dandelion.

These children were so relaxed and even playful.  We had a mellow photoshoot, and we were all pleased with our quick thinking and location change, and the photos. ;)

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” ~ Walt Sreightiff

     It's such a pleasure to work with children.  These sweet siblings were on their way to soccer practice after their photoshoot.

They were poised and ready to model, which resulted in relaxed, happy portraits.

They both had bright, blue eyes, which popped with the setting we chose.

We shot, we scored... and they scurried away to soccer! ;)

I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some degree of innocent envy on those who may be said to be born to friends. ~James Boswell

I had the good fortune to photograph a sweet sister and brother duo this weekend.  They were so sweet with each other.  I marvel at children and their wonderful personalities and how they express themselves in their portraits.

Their mother said they collaborated on the wardrobe choices, and the clothing they chose suited their personalities and accentuated their eyes.

In our pre-appointment, I suggested shying away from beige or white clothing, and suggested choosing fall colors.  Our photo shoot was successful, and the children looked great in their portraits.

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." ~ "The Wonder Years"

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." ~ "The Wonder Years", originally uploaded by Abby Lanes.

Welcome to my photography blog. In these days of social media, I've been through several name changes and ideas with blogging. It's time to settle, and I plan on leaving this blog name and address in place.

Photography has been a passion for me since I was 11 years old. I can remember the first photo I took. It was of my friend, and neighbor, Sue, She had curly blonde hair, and a bright, happy smile. I'll never forget the excitement of seeing the print of my first photo, printed with that 70's film processing tinge of golden yellow, and in the days when prints had rounded edges. The photo itself is long gone, but the love of photography stays with me to this day.

I hope my photos uplift, inspire, or spread the joy felt while taking them. Thank you for visiting Abby Lanes Photography - The Blog ;)

Sisters and Sunlight

These playful sisters were photographed during magic hour, one hour before sunset.

The sunlight casts a warm glow on their faces, and creates a relaxed mood.  

It is important to remember that the warm light does change the hue of the clothing. These dresses were actually a  bluish shade of purple.  

The sun warmed the dresses and turned that shade more burgundy. 

This photoshoot was for the family holiday card, so the final portrait was converted to black and white to give it a more holiday appearance.