storyboxart

The blog has moved to a new location

2008-02-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hello! I haven't had a chance to do updates as I have been busy trying to move my blog to a new location. Here is the BRAND NEW BLOG. Please note that the current blog will no longer be active so please bookmark the new blog.
Thanks.

Mini-sessions to celebrate the month of love

2008-01-31T10:55:00.000-08:00

True love stories never have endings. ~Richard Bach

I am offering a few spots for limited edition mini-sessions through the month of February. Please email me for details if you are interested.
click the image to see it larger!

my muse, my boy.

2008-01-28T09:13:00.000-08:00

As from the house your mother sees
You playing round the garden trees,
So you may see, if you will look
Through the windows of this book,
Another child, far, far away,
And in another garden, play.
But do not think you can at all,
By knocking on the window, call
That child to hear you. He intent
Is all on his play-business bent.
He does not hear, he will not look,
Nor yet be lured out of this book.
For, long ago, the truth to say,
He has grown up and gone away,
And it is but a child of air
That lingers in the garden there.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

A perfect winter day with the P family

2008-01-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is almost the end of January. It's going by so quickly! This has been a crazy, busy month trying to catch up with sessions, fulfilling print orders, taking care of taxes and other stuff for the business. The tax part is not my favorite stuff and I'll feel better once I get it out of the way. I am also upgrading to a new computer system and am hoping it will speed up my workflow. What did I get? If you are an Apple fan you will understand my excitement in getting one of these. Oh, and then I decided that I absolutely needed to get one of these too. The crazy thing is that the monitor is so huge that I am almost afraid to open it and set it on my desk as I am afraid I will need a new desk. And then a bigger office. It feels like the book, "If you give the Mouse a cookie" though I really am trying to de-clutter and scale things down (it may not seem like it). I really shouldn't have walked into the Apple store.

I wanted to post a quick sneak peek for the P family. I had a chance to take pictures of the beautiful family last week on what turned out to be a pretty nice winter day.

Such a pretty girl. Her personality is so much like my son and she was on the move quite a bit.

Gotcha!

Wide-eyed and spikey-haired baby A

2008-01-21T23:50:00.001-08:00

My first newborn of 2008!

Congrats to Mommy R and family. A very special family for me as I had the opportunity to take pictures of her four children when I first started out in the photography business. I was "on call" to take pictures of the little guy scheduled to arrive around Christmas and he finally arrived about a week late after her due date. Check out that full head of hair and those adorable big eyes...isn't he just yummy?

Little baby E

2008-01-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
I am still catching up with sessions from the last part of 2007 which was filled with baby sessions. Here are a couple of my newest little niece that I hadn't had a chance to post for quite some time. Look at those lovely, big eyes...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2007-12-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

good things come in tiny packages...

2007-12-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

like these sweet little newborn twin babies. Finally, a sneak peek for mom and dad. Hope they bring a smile through the holiday season.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

a bowl of baby goodness...

yawn...
a moment with daddy

the votes are in...

2007-12-18T13:48:00.001-08:00

drumroll please...
for no. 11 Curly Haired Girl
This little cutie pie's mama has yet to look at the proofs so this should be a nice surprise to have a 11 x 14" print to order! Congrats to the T family and Miss M for winning the blog contest.

It was an amazingly close contest with the difference of one vote. Coming in a close 2nd was no.10 Freedom. Since it was so close I am going to give the 2nd place winner a 5 x 7" print from their recent session. Please contact me to claim your prizes.

And then my little assistant helped me draw a name for the $25 Starbucks card. The gift card goes to Kimberley West.

Thanks to all of you that took the time to send in your votes. Wishing you all happy holidays!

picture perfect baby G.

2007-12-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

It was such a treat to take pictures of Baby G and his wonderful parents in their picture-perfect home. I loved their design aesthetic and wonderful modern furniture. And check out little G's nursery which is the cutest ever room I have seen. Don't you think??

At eight days old, little G didn't sleep a whole lot in the course of my stay but I still got some great pictures. Here is one of the sweet little angel when he did nap.
And a tender moment in daddy's safe arms.

Back in town from the midwest

2007-12-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

I am back! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

First things first... For all the clients waiting on prints, I know you must all be anxious to get your orders back and I have been working on them as fast as I can. In fact, I spent a good deal of my vacation processing the orders so you can have them back in time for the holidays. The normal time for custom art prints is between 2-4 weeks and your orders should be ready by mid-December with the exception of some custom fine art pieces (canvases, storyboards, etc). I will email you as soon as your orders are ready!

Brrr... It is so good to be back to our "warmer" weather. In the midwest, we were ill-equiped with winter gear and I had to run and buy some clothes to make it through our week plus long stay. I don't take as many pictures of my boy anymore but we were sorta in the middle of nowhere (at my IL's) and I got him to do a few pictures for me on the run. The tall grass made a wonderful foreground/background in taking pictures.

and he was done...I love the look on his face here.

Cast your vote and win a prize

2007-11-21T11:26:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of the holidays, I am running a little blog contest. All you blog readers....this is your chance to participate. I have picked just a few of my random favorite photos (sorry, I have so many favorites to pick from so please don't feel bad if I didn't pick your favorite).

How does this work?
If you'd like to participate, please send me an email with your vote for the picture you like best. Unlike traditional contests you can vote even if you are a client with a photo in the contest. But your family gets ONE vote... so you, your partner, pets, kids all get one vote. Go ahead and send the link to your friends/family by clicking the handy little link at the bottom of the post and ask them to vote. Your aunt, grandmother, uncle, colleague...anyone can send in their vote.

But what's in it for you?
A cool prize. The photo with the most votes would be awarded a 11 x 14" print. On Dec 18th, a random name will be drawn from those that have voted and you will get a $25 Starbucks gift card. Be sure to include your mailing address with your vote.

The contest ends Dec 17th (random day...but it is my parent's anniversary!)

To see photos bigger, click on the image
1. Mommy and baby
2. Hold on to me
3. Giggles with daddy 4. Chasing dreams
5. Innocence 6. Sparkle
7. Little boy found
8. The rock star9. The bond
10. Freedom
11. Curly haired girl

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish all you fabulous readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you are able to spend the holiday with your loved ones in good health and cheer. This has been a great season for storyboxart and I have been busy, busy, busy! I have been glued to my computer filling orders for the past week so you can have them in time for the holidays. For clients that have placed their orders you should get them back by mid-December (other than custom art pieces). I will be out of town from Nov 21st through Dec 2nd so emails in that time frame will be answered upon my return.

Ado(red)

2007-11-14T23:58:00.001-08:00

You've probably seen the Gap RED campaign. These two adorable siblings reminded me of it in their cute red outfits. What a great session it was. It turned out to be a lovely morning with the sun up bright and early. As a photographer, I was hoping it would pop up a bit later but really having a warm day meant no need to wear wintery clothes.

Did I say these siblings were not only adorable but also so very patient. Check out baby N's gorgeous curls and eyes. And handsome little E! Thanks so much for a wonderful photo session, R! Here is a peek at some of the pictures from the session.

isn't she gorgeous??

how old are you? Five, lol... she is 2.5
Handsome little E

Thinking about a canvas wrap?

2007-11-04T18:34:00.001-08:00

I've been asked by several clients about canvas wraps so I thought I'd post some pictures and share some thoughts. I really, really love them and think they are such a wonderful way to display art in your home. They are clean, contemporary and come ready to hang which eliminates framing expenses.

More Holiday Cards and November sessions.

2007-11-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have some lovely new templates from a fabulous designer. I haven't had a chance to upload them all but wanted to add one of my favorites. They are folded 5 x 7 cards available in a pack of 25 for $75. They are so worth every penny you spend on them. They come with white envelopes.

All my November sessions are now booked. I am only booking limited sessions in December and have a few spots open. Please book early if you are interested.

she came with a rocking horse

2007-11-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

a quick sneak peek for Mama T. I hope you like this one...it is one of my favorites from the session.

my little pirate boy

2007-10-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Thinking back, my little guy hated wearing costumes. At two, he simply refused to wear costumes and I had to bribe him with candy to wear one long enough to take a picture. After which he took it off and walked around the neighborhood trick or treating in his pajamas which were under his costume. Now at four, he loves costumes and this year has been Jack Sparrow, Spiderman and the Incredible Dash. Only tomorrow will tell what he will want to be for halloween...

ps. If you have have pirate lover check out How I became a Pirate.
It is a great adventure book and I do not getting tired of reading it over and over...

Mini-session sneak peek

2007-10-28T21:41:00.001-07:00

The halloween/holiday mini-sessions were so much fun. I had wonderful models in a diverse age range from 18 months to 12 years of age. Here is a sneak peek for parents. I am sure you are waiting to see the pictures!

baby in the windy city

2007-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, I visited Chicago for a few days on a mommy get away trip. It was so much fun to hang out in the city with some good friends. While I was there I also got to do a quick session with my friend L and her two and half month baby boy. Baby A shares my son's middle name and it was such a treat to take pictures of the little guy and his mommy. He is such a gorgeous baby with a head full of hair. He stayed mostly awake through the shoot and even smiled for me.

Mini-sessions rescheduled for Oct 27th

2007-10-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Please note that the Holiday/Halloween Photo Shoot has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct 27th.

When: Saturday, October 27th, 2007. Between 10am -2pm on every half hour.

Where: Cherrytown Kids, 579 Bancroft Ave (near Dutton Ave), San Leandro. (about 20 min from Berkeley)

Details:
1. Free sitting with $75 mini-package of prints and additional discounts on prints and holiday cards. The package is worth over $200 with the sitting fee.
2. Maximum of two kids in one sitting. For more than two kids please book two consecutive sittings.
3. Costumes are optional.
4. You will be provided a gallery of 3-5 photos of your child in an online gallery. photos will be available in an online gallery.
5. Option to order additional images at 20% off retail prices. Holiday Cards discounts available too.
6. Shipping/tax not included.

Book your session by October 15th and receive two additional 5 x 7 prints of the same print with your paid order! Also, be sure to check out costumes for your wee ones at Cherrytown Kids! Cherrytown Kids is located at 579 Bancroft Ave (near Dutton Ave), San Leandro.

I will be out of town from Oct 18th-Oct 21st and unable to answer emails until I return.

a few more from the barn.

2007-10-09T16:19:00.001-07:00

a few more for mommy...(and daddy).

the musician...

a family photo...

i love this far away look here...and the beautiful smile!

love how he is seems to be deep in thought.

framed.

2007-10-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at yesterday's session with my friend K and her family. The location was awesome and had the rustic feel that her husband P was looking for. It was his find and one that I will use again in the future. The light was golden and beautiful and this was one of my favorite sessions. E is my son's little buddy and it was such a delight to capture his energy which is so similar to R's.

I will have a few more but here is a sneak peek for now from the first location. K, I hope you like this one...

calling witches, goblins, vampires...

2007-10-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

and bumblebees, ladybugs, lions, monkeys, spidermen, darth vaders or any other creatures that bring forth the spirit of Halloween.

Storyboxart.com is proud to announce our first Halloween special in conjunction with Cherrytown Kids. This event will be held outside Cherrytown Kids on October 27th, 2007 with eight limited edition sessions. Each session will last around 20 minutes starting at 10 am and ending at 2 p.m.. Sessions would be available at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 am 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m..

Pricing: The mini-session is being offered for a special price of $75 which includes your time with the photographer, custom editing of 3-5 photos presented in an online gallery and your mini-package. Each mini-package will include 1-8 x 10 print, 2- 5 x 7 print and 8 wallet prints of one image (a $120 print value) with the added option of purchasing additional prints for 20% off retail price.
Please note that the mini-session allows time for one (maximum two) siblings to be photographed. For more children please book two consecutive sessions or book a normal session. Please be sure to arrive at least 5-10 minutes before your session to keep us on schedule :-)

Details: $75 fee is due at the time of booking and non-refundable. Shipping and CA sales tax is not included and applicable. Your images will be presented in an online gallery for viewing and available for one week in which time you must place your order. You may choose more than one image which would be available for 20% off retail prices. Additionally, holiday card designs are also available and can be purchased for a discounted pricing at the time of your order.

Book your session by October 15th and receive two additional 5 x 7 prints of the same print with your paid order! Also, be sure to check out costumes for your wee ones at Cherrytown Kids! Cherrytown Kids is located at 579 Bancroft Ave (near Dutton Ave) in San Leandro, CA.

holiday card designs

2007-10-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

If you have been waiting to get some personalized holiday cards here is your opportunity! Some have been designed by me and others by talented designers. All cards are available in a 5 x 7" size with envelopes. To review more designs please go to my website and type holiday as password in the proof your story section.

good friends

2007-09-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

My son is fortunate to have some very good friend's at such a young age. Looking back, I didn't really have any special friends at his age. We played with the kid's that lived in our appartment building in Bombay. There were no planned play dates by my parent's and most of the kid's we knew were the ones we had easy access to. On the other hand, my son has been in play groups from a very young age. We started with one when he was four months old and he has become friends with those kids over the years.

One of his best buddies is E. Whenever, I say R you are soooo handsome he gets mad at me and says, "Mommy, I am not. I am funny. E is handsome." Yes, he is a handsome little man and I got a few pictures of him at their soccer class this week. We got to the class pretty early but I had a special treat to R...chocolate milk which we waited to drink at the opposite end of the soccer area so we wouldn't have to walk back to throw away the garbage. Turned out that little E was patiently waiting for R and refusing to go play until his friend got there. What a sweet little guy.

“Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there." -Anonymous

Holiday Cards/Mini Sessions coming soon...

2007-09-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

Holiday Cards are coming...

Get $25 credit toward prints

2007-09-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

by simply signing up for my email list. Just drop me a line with your name and address to be added to my list for special offers and news (don't worry, I won't be sending you a lot of stuff). As a thank you, you will receive $25 on your print order with a full session. How easy is that? You don't have to buy anything to have the $25 credit. (Some limitations apply and will be sent to you via email! There is no cash value with this offer or can't be combined with other offers).

Please sign up by October 2nd!

Reflections of the ukulele boy

2007-08-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to update the blog for a while. Much has been going on...I have been a bit unwell, catching up with print orders and also trying to work on marketing material for my business. Most of all, I don't get to spend the time I used to taking pictures of my little man. He turned four in June and is so much into being a big boy! He goes to preschool two days a week and wants to for four days. Can you guess why? Because he is four. It's all about the number four. Four cookies, four bites to eat, four toys, lol.

But tonight my cute, available model consented to let his mama take some pictures of him for a photo contest. Since time was of essence, I had to find something quick and close by. Inspiration comes in many ways and I found it in my own backyard. Or side-yard. Well...really, my neighbor's, lol. They have this bright green trailer that has been screaming photo opp for the longest time. I have thought about it forever and finally got to take some fun pictures using it as a backdrop. Be sure to look around you. Your next best photo may be right around the corner.

reflections of the ukulele boy.

one more song...

the reward.

two more for Deb

2007-08-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

another sneak peek for you...
i am working on your gallery and should have it ready this week!

He's here!

2007-08-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Congrats, L on the birth of baby A. I am so excited for BP, A and you. Wish I was there to take some pictures of the little guy. So glad I was able to be there for the baby shower and spend some time with you in your gorgeous home. Did I tell you that I love your house? lol. I haven't been excited about a house for a long time and your place is beautiful and all of what you have done with it.

I wish I could have taken more pictures of you. It was quite rushed but I got a few on our last day that I will be sending you soon. Hey, tell A that Ro had so much fun playing with him.

friends are family

2007-07-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

at least, it has been that way with my friends p+r that i have known forever. we met in peoria, illinois and stayed friends over the years after they moved to chicago and us to the west coast. their two lovely daughter's are grown up and it is hard to imagine that they are the kid's i used to know in diapers. during our recent travels, i spent a couple days at their place. i wanted to take pictures of the family together but got three out of four for a quick few minutes.

yep. another twin session

2007-07-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

plus gorgeous mom deb and baby girl. this was my first time taking pictures of older twin kids and three sets to boot if you look at the older posts! i was truly lucky to have an opportunity to take pictures of these beautiful families.

the light couldn't have been better...it was a photographer's dream. it had been raining on and off in chicagoland with an overcast sky. i was a bit worried we'd be rained out but it turned out to be a perfect day for the photoshoot.

meet baby n. she finally warmed up to me after several bribes of fruit snacks, lol. isn't she beautiful? these were the last few pictures before wrapping up. the light was so beautiful that i had a hard time stopping!

running to the safe arms of mama.

miss r with mommy. it was such an idyllic setting with the geese wandering around the lake.
miss r collecting wild flowers. such a sweet and cooperative model she was.
deb, in case you are wondering... i got some great pictures of mr. m but i haven't had a chance to edit them! thanks for a wonderful session.

twin boys in the woods

2007-07-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

these are from my last mi session with s's twin boys. who knew kalamazoo has all these amazing locations? in fact, i love the state of mi with its natural beauty and lakes galore. my friend jan was a big help in finding my kalamazoo locations so a big thanks to her.

i had originally planned on doing the session at two different locations until one of the twin boys that arrived at my doorstep threw up. yes, the poor little guy seemed under the weather. his poor mom was quite distraught and i felt really bad for the little z. eventually, it turned out well though it took him some time to warm up to me and feel better. i got some great pictures of him along with his twin brother j who had no trouble posing for the camera!

j picking flowers for me! it was so very sweet. i love that look on his face.

"peek-a-boo" is what he said after taking his foot out of the shoe.

a much happier z making forts with tree branches.

give the gift of an album

2007-07-23T18:13:00.001-07:00

to a special someone in your life. grandparent's or other family members will cherish this album for years to come. this beautiful accordion album comes in its own box with twelve of your favorite session photos.

twins the word.

2007-07-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

who can resist these beautiful twin girls?
while vacationing in MI, i drove up to charlevoix to do a session with C + R and their beautiful family. they were such a joy to photograph and such wonderful, natural models. here is a sneak peek pic for mom H...isn't she gorgeous too?

i will be posting a few more photos from my 2nd MI session with another set of twins.

greetings from michigan

2007-07-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

hope you are all doing well! currently, i am on vacation in the midwest and will be back to the bay area in the week of the 23rd. i have limited internet access and will try to return emails as quickly as possible. for clients that are waiting for a gallery or print order, i should have it ready shortly after my return. if you have been sent a proofing session please get back to me by your scheduled date. have a wonderful rest of the week! i will be posting some sneak previews from my midwest sessions soon.

on a lighter note, we have been enjoying beach bumming, looking for rocks and building sand castles. this vacation has been about family... and hanging out with them.

cousins at the suttons bay beach
boogie board mermaid

twice the goodness

2007-07-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

my first new born baby shoot. that too with baby x 2!
both awake. crying.
one asleep. one awake. quiet.
the cutest teeny, tiny sisters!
here is a sneak peek for elizabeth. thanks so much for letting me take pictures of your precious babies!

website has been launched!

2007-06-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Finally! My website storyboxart.com is up and running. Be sure to check it out as I will have some new and exciting offerings in the coming months.

tea, anyone?

2007-05-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

meet six month old baby bronwyn. i got to take some pictures of her and her parents in their home. they said she didn't really like being on her tummy but was such a good sport to let me take a few pictures of her.
typically, i am not a prop using photographer but in this case, I couldn't resist taking pictures of baby b in the teacup. i had to take some quick pictures as dad could let her go for only a few seconds.

elizabeth.

2007-05-26T23:35:00.000-07:00

i had an opportunity to do a maternity shoot a couple weeks back with elizabeth. she is 35 weeks pregnant with twin babies so it can be any time now! have a safe delivery, elizabeth!

one of my favorites from the session.

i-scream!!!

2007-05-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

while catching up on proofing client sessions, i haven't had a chance to take pictures of my little man. so here are some token pictures of him (well, one) from our playgroup this week in our renovated, lovely backyard. he dressed himself in the morning as i was shooting some pictures for a client in the backyard. he wore not-so-summery clothes but i was too tired to change them...at least they matched!

so after a lot of screaming and chasing around in the house, we thought it was time for a cool-down ice cream social outside.

don't be fooled...this was the only time they all sat quietly...

cheers!
ms. a
baby d...don't ya love those big blue eyes?
baby S...the sweetest baby i have known.

the banks family

2007-05-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

from a couple weeks back. i had a chance to take pictures of this wonderful family. sylvia is a playgroup friend and wanted to get some shots of her family. d is my son ro's friend and such a cute little guy! her daughter a was such a sweet, chatty girl and a good sport. she said she come by to play with ro sometime...
here is a sneak peak for you, sylvia and danny...

two boys and two girls.

2007-05-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

last week, i did a photo shoot for a lovely family with three kids under 4 and one teenager. it turned out that the mom is friend's with my playgroup mom which was a surprise. what a small world! it was so much fun taking pictures of those beautiful kids though it was hard to get them all in one spot at a time. here are a few pictures from the shoot!

everyone has a story.

2007-04-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a story.
-Neil LaBute

a tall story.
a short story.
a sob story.
a suspense story.
a happy-ending story.
a cock and bull story.
a hard-luck story.
an old story.
the same old story.
a cover story.
a news story.
a Christmas story.
a holiday story.

or just about any other story.

welcome to my blog of photo stories! please feel free to stop by and drop a comment or two. i will be posting sneak peaks and updates from my photo shoots.