jill carmel photography | the blog

You Adults are So Silly!

This little angel had so many expressions. I counted up to fifteen and then lost track at one point. She had her "you adults are so silly" expression...

 

Her "okay, what is our photographer doing now?" expression (my personal favorite)...

 

Her "yeah, I know -- it doesn't get much cuter than me" expression. 

 
And you know I'm in love with the intimate, quiet moments and this one made my heart do a flip. How sweet are they? And her little foot -- love it!

 

Little "S" took a quick snooze in the middle of the shoot to recharge and I had a chance to chat with Mom and Dad. You couldn't ask for better people -- kind, compassionate and completely in love with their angel. How fortunate am I to be invited to share the day with folks like this -- just heaven.

So Very Welcome

I'm back from Los Angeles with some uber-cute photos of a little guy who was only five days old when I got to meet him. His mama had done such an incredible job decorating the nursery, that I had to show it (and the baby!) off at the same time. Isn't this little window seat gorgeous with the light all soft and yummy?

 

Check out Mr. Handsome. He was soooo good for me. He slept and slept and was just a dream to photograph.

 

I'm in love with this picture below -- so soft, so loving. You get the sense of how incredibly welcome this baby is to the family.

 

Gosh, what a handsome pair. Dad looks so happy and proud -- as he should be with a sweet little bundle like that in his arms!

One More Makes Four

I've been a bit behind in my blogging -- there are some very exciting things going on behind the scenes here that have been demanding quite a bit of my attention, although I'm always happy for the excuse to take a break and go photograph. And what a joy it was to get away and spend some time with this lovely family.

Their little girl is 20 months old and already knows 50-60 signs. What? I don't even know three signs...Let's see...I can wave (1) and can give a thumbs up (2) and I can shrug my shoulders (does that count?). This uber-smart kid can sign all kinds of things and her daddy was prompting her to show me a bunch of them...there were so many that I lost track after a while. It's a pretty amazing thing to see, and she's not even two years old yet.

Did I mention this kid's smile could light up Times Square? Check her out!

 

 

I love this picture because you can see how much mom and dad are enjoying themselves. The kids are just hanging out and the adults are having a blast. 

   

Little M was so sweet. He just quietly hung out for most of the session, eating and cooing like a good little boy. He had these big, bright irresistible eyes that my camera fell in love with. Ah, what a cuddle-bug!

Bringing Joy

I couldn't have asked for a better baby than little "G". At nine months old, she stayed happy the whole time I was there and had so many different expressions to show me. I think her big smile was my favorite because not only does her face light up, but both her mom and dad just glow when they see her laugh. And those two little teeth...so sweet!

A quiet moment...

 

Another silly face -- I'd take a million of these. You can't help but laugh when you see her smile. I think she knows that she brings laughter and happiness wherever she goes -- it's like she adopted it as her little job in life.

 

The strength and love between these three is tangible and I felt blessed to be a part of their day and to capture this time in their lives. They are such SWEET and kind people -- ah, I count my lucky stars every day to have a job like this and to photograph folks like them. 

I started this business a few years back because I wanted to bring joy to people's lives through photography. I wanted to be able to capture their love and give them a way to share and celebrate it. But as I go along, and meet more and more amazing people, I realize that they do the same for me. They bring me just as much, if not more, joy as I hope to bring them. Thank you to all of the lovely families that I have had the fortune to meet. You are wonderful. I look forward to meeting many more!

A Little Bit of Urban

This mom called me and said she wanted to do an urban session and I was all for it! Although I LOVE to shoot in the long grass and beautiful outdoors, it is fun to mix it up and include some parts of our unique and beautiful city. And what better place than Midtown...

 

As I was going through all of the pictures from the day, I realized that there was a strong theme of their littlest one running away and towards me (which was kind of nice -- he even ran up to me and gave me a hug - followed by the sound of my heart melting). He started walking a few months ago and now he really knows how to use those feet!

 Running some more!

 

I love this one below. They're all looking at him so admiringly. 

The weather was pretty incredible. Rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast, but Mom said that they'd just go until it started pouring, which is exactly what we did. We took advantage of the lovely overcast skies (they make a beautiful soft light) and shot right up until the rain started to fall. Thanks for being so tough! I had a blast with you guys!

    

Complete

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I thought I'd share some pictures today. I'll start with my favorite shot from this session. Their dog, Ferdie (short for "Ferdinand", one of my most-beloved pet names), jumped in the shot, looked at the camera for a split second, SNAP went the shutter. He seems to be watching over them, curious and responsible at the same time. And now that the baby's arrived, they seem complete.

 

Their little guy was already about six weeks old for our shoot and at that age, it's always a little extra challenge because they don't sleep as much as a newborn and it's VERY unlikely (if not impossible) to get the sleepy, curled up shots, but this little guy stuck it out and we got him eyes-wide-open, gurgling and cooing...

   

...as well as sound asleep. I was pretty impressed with all of us for pulling off a shot like this with a six-week-old. You should have seen us...Dad hovering over little "T" holding the heater, Mom standing by with an obliging pacifier and those wonderful "mommy sounds" (that only moms can make) and me oh-so-gently nudging him into place. But he stayed like this for a few moments and that's all I needed. What an angel!

  

Baby Photos in the Nursery

We wanted to capture some really special moments between this little guy and his parents and I think we did just that. Mom had a knack for getting close and making little G smile.

 

I love to include pictures from the nursery. Imagine looking back on this years from now and remembering that little blue hippo that sat up on the cabinet...

 

What'd I say?? Another smile!

What a Joy | Sacramento Child Photographer

What a joy it was to photograph this family. The two little ones had that look that photographers go ga-ga for -- big, deep blue eyes that seem to go on forever. I loved how different their personalities were -- the littlest was shy and calm while big sis loved to dance and explore. What fun they were!

 

 This picture below makes me smile. 

Little Beauty | Sacramento Modeling Photography

I've been photographing this little beauty since she was a newborn. She was stunning then and is stunning still and will likely give daddy something to worry about when she's a teenager...

But for now, it's modeling for her. I'm excited to see what lies in her bright future. 

   

Life & Curiosity | Sacramento Family Photographer

This lovely East Sacramento family found me through my newborn photography interview published in Sac Magazine last month, and on a lovely sun-filled afternoon, I met them and instantly connected with their energy. The parents were so calm and loving while the kids were filled with life and curiosity. 

The two boys are 6 year old fraternal twins and, eight months ago, they welcomed sweet "S" into their family. This being her first photo shoot, we gave her a little extra attention.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL??? And full of smiles, too. She was such an angel.

 

 

The boys were so good and gentle with her. Lots of kisses and hugs.

 

And giggles in the grass. One of my faves.