She's Here...FINALLY!

I am so proud to introduce my newest beautiful niece: Grace Vivian Elcock, born 6/7/2011 weighing 7 lbs, 6 ounces and an astonishing 21 inches long! She is absolutely perfect.

I took the first chance I could get to book a ticket to Ardmore, PA (a suburb of Philadelphia) for a visit with my Sister and her first born. I knew she and my brother-in-law, Paul, would need some extra help the first week or so and (of course) I wanted first dibs on newborn pictures with that gorgeous baby girl:) The weather couldn't have been any more perfect for my visit. With just 4 days in Philly and a lot planned, I knew that I wouldn't have the time to drive into the city for equipment and lighting....but our improvisations proved just enough to get some amazing shots of Baby Grace. With just two large black blankets, a shady spot under a tree in the back yard and a big thanks to some beautiful, overcast skies, we captured day 6 and day 8 of Lady Grace's life using natural light. She was the perfect model!

Grace and Daddy

Jacey and Paul amazed by this precious new life.

Baby Grace

Mommy and Grace

I am so excited to be able to capture every milestone of Grace's life and watch her grow into a beautiful young lady. Many, MANY more pictures to come:)

Boys will be boys!

And they say GIRLS just wanna have fun.......:-)

Babies Galore!

These last few weeks have been jam-packed with baby shoots and I am up to my ears editing proofs of chubby cheeks and tickly toes. I just couldn't be happier:)

Little Mr Henry (pictured above and below) visited us this morning for a few quick images for his birth announcements. To turn the cards around quickly, I brought out my digital camera and got some great color shots. I am so excited to meet with Henry's Mom tomorrow afternoon to design her custom announcements with her. Henry has so many adorable shots that I'm not sure how we will choose!

We are also looking forward to meeting Henry's 2 yr old Big Brother, who will be joining us for a full shoot in late June:)

My Sweet Rachel

I just love the way that grainy film and natural lighting work together to give photos a classic, timeless look. 6 year old Rachel is a great little buddy of mine who stops into the studio almost everyday to say hello. I snapped this photo one morning while she was telling me a story about her kitties, and it remains a favorite image of mine. I love how Rachel's gorgeous curls frame her sweet little face and how you can almost count each individual freckle on her nose and cheeks:)

Newborn sneak peek

Beautiful Baby Asher was born just 3 weeks ago with ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes. I had the privilege of photographing Mom, Jen's, maternity images and was so excited when she informed me of the birth of son, Asher Leo. By special request, I brought our backdrop and lighting to Jen's home for Asher's very first photo shoot. Here are a few sneak peek images from Asher's big day:

How absolutely adorable is Asher's little dimple on his right cheek?! He almost looks like he's smiling in this image:)

Mom was just glowing and a true natural with her newest addition to the family. I can't wait to watch this little guy grow throughout these next few months and years! 

Asher's teeny, tiny newborn hands.

Ten perfect toes.

Joel's 21 day birthday

Meet Baby Joel. He visited us for his 21 day birthday on May 21st with his Mommy and Daddy. Joel enjoys eating, sleeping, taking long strolls on warm nights and his pacifier:) He is also a fabulous model, although he would never admit it himself.

 

The Mommy Glow

I was overjoyed to be able to get some maternity shots of my older Sister, who is anxiously awaiting the birth of her first baby. I love going back and looking at our mother's maternity shots from the 80's and know that Baby Girl E will appreciate these beautiful images of her gorgeous Mommy:)

I'm headed to the Philadelphia area in mid-June to meet Baby E and can't wait to capture her newborn pictures! I look forward to sharing all her photographic milestones, so stay tuned!

Until then, I have been busy stocking up on newborn tutus, headbands and everything possible to spoil Baby E silly. Here are some of my favorite LA shopping spots for luxury baby clothes and accessories:

Fred Segal in Santa Monica
Mechie on Venice Blvd
Poppy Store in Brentwood Country Mart
Bel Bambini in West Hollywood

Harold the Bear

Meet Harold the Bear, a very (or dare we say beary) special client of Classic Kids in Santa Monica:) Harold joined us for our recent "Lovie Project" to benefit the Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children in LA.

Harold's owner, Gayle Cooper, heard about our Lovie Project in the local paper and jumped at the opportunity to photograph 3 very loved and priceless family heirlooms. Harold, however, has an especially wonderful story. He has been loved for generations!! Here is his story as told by Gayle Cooper:

"Harold the Bear arrived from Germany as a gift to my Mother from her Uncle Harold in 1923. However, Herr Bear, with his unique, masculine, grizzly demeanor proved to be a bit too "hairy" for a newborn's taste."

Harold was packed away and sat undiscovered in a closet until his owner was old enough to appreciate all he had to offer. He later became a most beloved member of the Cooper Family.

"Harold was gifted to me (Gayle) in 1945 and later handed down to my grandson, Matthew, in 1967. Harold rivals famous Paddington the Bear (also photographed for the project) in miles travelled, having been Matthew's faithful companion throughout England, France, Hawaii, the Middle East, and even a nostalgic return trip to Harold's home in Germany."

Harold is now 88 years old and still going strong. He has a few dings and discolorations, but we think he looks pretty great for his age! See Harold below in his earlier years:)

                                    Matthew & Harold (1970)        Gayle & Harold (1949)       


A big thanks to Gayle and Matthew for sharing Harold with us and for the donation of several new Lovies for the kids at Good Shepherd!! Your generosity is truly appreciated:)

Baby Julia's big photo day

Proud Parents Tommy and Carolina Gallardo were so excited to bring beautiful baby Julia in for her very first professional photo shoot. We were equally excited to work with baby J, whose adorable smile and contagious laugh lit up the studio! Check out these proofs from Julia's big day. We can't help but smile when looking at these. What a wonderfully happy baby!!!

2nd Annual "Rock your Tutu" for St Jude Fundraiser

May is fast approaching and I'm really looking forward to kicking off our 2nd Annual "Rock your Tutu" event for St Jude Children's Research Hospital! Even more exciting, this year we are letting boys in on the fun with "Be a Super Hero for St Jude!". Check out little Mister Kellen, whose super hero powers include but are not limited to warding off evil villiains with extreme cuteness;)

Sessions start at $125. 100% of the session fee will be donated directly to St Jude!!!

 Call our studio to book your appointment today.

1627 Montana Ave

Santa Monica, CA 90403

 310.395.1468

Love to love these Lovies!

There's only 9 days left to book a Lovie Project photo shoot to benefit the Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children in LA. To date, we have heard some of the most amazing Lovie stories, captured some adorable images for artwork in children's rooms, and most importantly, we've collected over 60 new stuffed animals to donate to kids in need at Good Shepherd!

Meet "Teddy" and "Blankie", who each got a special spa treatment before coming into the studio for their modeling debut:) Proud owners, Little Lucy and Samantha, will be so excited to see how well their Lovie's got along for their special picture day. I can already picture how cute this image will look hung in the girls' room!