jill carmel photography | the blog

A Good Day

I had the pleasure of meeting this LOVELY family this week. Mom brought lots of ideas to the table and then gave me the freedom to do what I wanted with them. I thank her for that because we came away with some beautiful pictures that I, personally, have fallen in love with.

 

Love mom's face in this one. Utter bliss.

 

 

Found that smile!

 

Doesn't get much cuter than a baby in a pink taffeta tutu. I adore the way she kept rubbing her little toes together.

Lots more to come, Cari - can't wait to show you!

i {heart} trains

I'm loving all of the colors in this session...and the smiles!

There's definitely something special about this mom. Her kids are so wonderful. Big sis is always smiling and talking and little T is just the calmest, sweetest baby. They are such a joy to spend time with and I couldn't have wished to spend this shoot with better people.

Something Different

Although my blog is filled with sweet baby faces and expecting mommies, I wanted to share some pictures of a wonderful couple whom I photographed while up in Seattle. They were part of my awesome day with fellow rock-star wedding photographers, Sarah and Chris Rhoads.

Meet Kimiko and Billy. They were TONS OF FUN. They were so fun-loving and silly that it spilled out on to everyone else. They made me fall even more in love with love.

 

 

 

 

 

Good Times in Seattle

I'm back from Seattle and I thought I'd share some of the good times that I had there. I went there for five days, during which I met up with Sarah and Chris Rhoads to talk business and make some exciting resolutions for the future of Jill Carmel Photography (more on that to come later). They indulged me and allowed me take a picture of them (and Stella the cat) with my Fuji Instax.

My friend, Jessica, came along and we pretty much walked around, ate, walked some more, ate and then ate some more. I didn't really realize how much we actually ate until I reviewed the pictures of the trip and they were mostly all of food! Anyone who's been there, I'm sure would agree that it's like a mecca for people who love to eat organic, locally grown foods. Please note, the pictures below were all taken with my little point and shoot.

This was one of the best Thai restaurants I've EVER eaten at and that counts all of the places I've tried in LA. They cook the flaming food right in front of you. 

 

These are called "piroshky" and they are oh-my-gooooodness incredible!

 

We had to have the bucket-o-seafood spilled out on the table. Jessica's smile illustrates how good it all was.

 

Okay, we did do more than just eat...

The first person who can tell me what is going on here wins!

 A shot of the harbor from the pier just as the sun was going below the horizon. So Seattle.

And some more Instax fun:

Pike's Place Market

 

Bainbridge Island from the ferry.
 

As much fun as traveling is, I'm always glad to be back home. I love my job. Nothing can keep me away for too long... ;-)

In Seattle

I'll be in Seattle for a few days for work, but I will have access to email and will be checking my voice mail periodically. Have a great three-day weekend! I'll share some pictures when I get back. :-)

Jill

The Latest

You know you blog a lot when someone calls you to ask if you're okay because you haven't updated your blog in a few days...which prompted me to post today! Love you, Michelle!

Over the last week, I've been taking a little "me" time in between working -- going snowboarding on the weekends, taking Bueller to the dog park (he got pretty neglected over the holiday season...) and getting familiar with my new toy: the Fuji Instax Mini 7s...my latest obsession. It's a polaroid camera and it takes mini-polaroid pictures. 

I took it up to Squaw Valley for a test run last weekend and quickly discovered that shooting in manual all of the time for work makes taking pictures with an automatic camera harder than I remember! Ahh, the plight of the "big camera" people...

Anyhow, here are two quick and fun shots that I got from the day - enjoy!

Just so ya know, I'm cooking up some fun new products for 2010 - can't wait to tell you all about them in the next month or two!

Sweet & New - Photo Birth Announcements

I still haven't quite figured out why, but these next few months are the busiest time of year for maternity and newborn sessions. This makes me very happy because I love photographing glowing pregnant mommies and fresh newborn babies. 

In celebration of this time, I'm "announcing" two new birth announcement designs. They are simply scrumptious!

 

The back of this 5x7 flat card can fit up to six images. All colors and text can be changed to your liking as well. They kind of make you want go out and have a baby just so you can send out these beautiful announcements to all of your friends! He he - just kidding...sort of. ;-)

Valentine's Day Mini-Sessions

I just saw the movie Julie & Julia for the first time and, in the movie, Julia Child sends out the cutest Valentine's Day photo cards of her and her (perfect) husband, and I got all inspired to do the same.

So if you love LOVE, join me on Saturday, January 23rd, 10am-1pm for my 2010 Valentine's Day Mini-Sessions. (If it's raining, the mini-sessions will be moved to January 30th.)

Here's the scoop:

Mini-Session Fee....$95

Includes:

- 20 minute session for up to two people 

  (both children and adults are welcome - each additional person is $15)

- 10-12 retouched images to view and select from

- 25 Custom Valentine's Day Cards (ready in time for Valentine's Day giving)

*Shooting location will be in the downtown Sacramento area.

*Prints and additional products purchased separately

Just for this occasion, I'm releasing two new Valentine's Day cards that I just love (which is only appropriate since that's what Valentine's is about -- love. Right? ;-)

 

Everything about these lovely 5x7 flat cards is customizable - the colors, the text and the number of pictures you can put on the back. 
 

If you would like to reserve a spot, give me a call or shoot me an email. Please be prepared to pre-pay for your session with a credit card at the time of booking to hold your session slot. 

Here's to love,

Jill

jill@jillcarmel.com

916.933.8352

P.S. - If you haven't yet guessed what's gotten me all excited...I just got ENGAGED. He he.

December Winner!

December's Blog Comment Winner is Paige! She wins a $50 studio credit towards her next portrait order. Thank you, Paige, for all of your lovely comments last month. Keep 'em coming!

And, faithful readers, I've got lots of fun new things cooked up for 2010, so keep an eye out! I can't wait to share all of it with you!

- Jill