as much as i adore shooting families… i must say, my heart flutters photographing couples in love.

i love my people.

on our trip to santa barbara last weekend we passed by some interesting things while walking down the wharf.  some very clever homeless people.  it was really entertaining.  you couldn’t help but chuckle and toss some money off the wharf onto the blankets.

this one kind of breaks my heart.   i love that the thought was there to place a floral arrangement at the table.

this one, quite clever indeed.  though i can’t figure out whether the designer of this display is a republican or democrat.

and my very favorite. especially since i just purchased the ipad last week.

and how about a fun little game with these two beach bums…  can you guess which claire is mine?

and one more of my favorite family.  the reason i was in santa barbara to begin with.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to have FOUR Professional Photographers photograph your children for a $385 tax deductible donation!

When: Saturday, May 8th 4-7 pm
Where: Private Ranch in Agoura, a beautiful rustic location, as seen HERE
Who: Four Fabulous Photographers:
Jennifer Wilson  Jennifer Wilson Photography
Je Neuhaus   Rosestone Studios
Katie Davies   Claire Alyse Photography
Desiree Durang   Images by Desiree
Why: To raise money to fight Leukemia in honor of Tyler, a local second grade boy.
How: Be one of the first 12 families to donate $385 to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via Jen’s Fund-raising Page

Hi Blog Friends!  I’m helping my fantastic Photographer friend Jen Wilson raise much needed funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This is truly an amazing chance to get some gorgeous photographs from four separate Photographers at a very low cost while doing something charitable as well. All four Photographers are all donating their time and talent, and ALL money raised will go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

For your minimum charitable donation of $385 (you’re welcome to give more, of course!), your family will have 4 Mini Sessions, rotating through each Photographer at the ranch. Each Photographer will then choose their 5 *favorites* and you will receive the professionally proofed files with a print release on a CD (20 files total per family)!  Our goal is to raise at least $4000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This opportunity will be available to 12 families, so if you’re interested, EMAIL ME NOW to book.

If this is not something you can participate in, please lend us a hand in spreading the word on your Facebook pages and Twitter feeds by sharing this link: http://clairealyseblog.com/2010/04/26/4photographers/ 

xo

it’s funny how when you have contact with a person for the first time, you have NO idea how you will impact each others lives.  it’s like the universe is one big whirlwind of connections, people just swirling around waiting for things to make sense.

two and a half years ago i was browsing photos on flickr and a photo of a little girl caught my eye because she looked just like mine.  then i saw she had the same name as my little girl. browsing through their photos i then noticed they were the same age.  so i thought it was kinda funny, and i sent claire’s mom melissa this message (can you believe i still have it in my sent mail?)

hey – i randomly came across your photostream when i was doing a search and i first i noticed you have a little blond girl about the same age as mine (she will be 9 months on dec 2) and then i noticed your little girl’s name is claire too!   anyways…. thought it was funny… and great pics. :)

congrats on your beautiful daughter.

-katie

as it turned out, the girls were exactly the same age.  by 24 hours.  claire alyse and claire olivia. melissa and i stayed in contact through flickr, commenting on each other’s photos here and there and watching our claire’s grow. last year her family came out to california for a family vacation and invited claire and i to meet up with them at downtown disney for dinner.  we had a BLAST.  the girls ran around in circles giggling.  and after about 5 minutes hanging out with melissa i knew we’d stay “real life” friends.  she’s fun, really sweet, and probably the most easy going person i’ve ever met.  melissa, her husband will, miss claire, and baby boy bennett turned out to be an awesome family.

and i guess they liked me back.  :)  this weekend they hauled the fam over from arizona and met up with my family in santa barbara for a weekend vacay/photo session. i can’t even begin to tell you how much fun i had.  basically, i would like to do this every single weekend.

first, let me show off my new baby boyfriend, bennett. this kid ran over and threw his arms around my legs the very first (and second, and third) time i met him.  i think he might have had a crush on me (and really, i don’t blame him).  i wanted to just ditch my camera and snuggle him all day.  he was quick, difficult to photograph at times, as that age usually is, but a face that was worth the wait.

and here’s, as my claire liked to call her, “the other claire”.  just a complete sweetheart. gentle, carefree, silly… and loves to hold hands.  i felt so special when she came up to me as we were walking down state street and says “hey, do you wanna hold my hand?”  yep.  i do, and i did.

here’s melissa. hello! could she BE any prettier? it occurs to me that maybe i just want to be her friend in hopes that some of the hotness will rub off on me.

here’s will.  will is really funny. honestly, he cracked me up with little bits of sarcasm and witty remarks here and there.  meeting will, it was really apparent how much he loves his family.  he’s not one of those dad’s who stands back whilst chaos ensues and lets wifey deal with it. he’s there making sure noses are wiped and people are happy and fed and safe.  you can really tell how much he loves his wife and his children.

and here’s a million other photos that have caught my eye so far…

this was the first photo of the session.  i love sharing that.  it’s like the first page of a really great book.

this one cracks me up.  he’s like, “ssssssshhhh don’t tell anyone i’m a mama’s boy.”  ;)

and my very favorite of the entire session:

thank you so much melissa & will, for choosing me to photograph your family. you all are truly beautiful people.

claire and i have been stuck at home all week.  i was super sick and she wasn’t 100% either.  so we stayed on the couch and snuggled a lot.

here’s a bit of this and that from our travels.

(I promise you her room is only that messy when she’s in the middle of being a tornado playing.)

(dinner time blues.)

(tending to life.)

today is the 3 year anniversary of when the infamous claire alyse was due.

{claire on her due date}

7lbs.  6oz.  20in.

annnnd this is what was happening 49 days earlier…

{claire on her birth date}

4lbs.  5oz.  18in.

so proud of my preemie. <3

what to wear… that is the question. below is a suggestion.  one of many to come.

how absolutely perfect would your little girl look in this?  a bit of frill, a bit of glimmer, yet still subtle enough to let their personality glow.

this kid really makes me happy.  you can’t help but smile when you meet him.

thanks for letting me take your picture, H.

*awesome product alert*

below you’ll find a few photos of a float wrap.  the standard sizes i sell them in are 8×12, 16×20 and 20×24.  float wraps are personally, one of my favorite products.  they are fancier than a standard print, more affordable than a canvas, don’t require a frame, and they are fairly new to the industry so you will totally be a trendsetter amongst your friends. ;)

a bit about the product…

float wraps add dimension to your images by standing out a bit from the wall.  one might say they appear to be “floating”.  i find them to have a elegant, modern and simplistic look.  a print, protected with laminate, is wrapped around masonite and padded to create the thin wrapped look.  on the back of the float wrap you’ll find a black paper backing and a 3/4″ thick gatorboard block that allows the float wrap to extend from the wall.  there are drilled holes for hanging.  and basically, they are awesome.

beautiful, huh?