Fall Mini Photography Sessions in Carlsbad

Back by popular demand! I’m thrilled to offer four mini session dates this fall.

Mini sessions are a great opportunity to get updated family pictures at a reduced cost than a full session. They are perfect for Christmas cards, senior pictures, maternity photos or updated photos of kids. Mini sessions are shorter than a standard shoot and are great for small kids or reluctant husbands. šŸ˜‰

Cost: $195. A $25 deposit is required to reserve your spot.

Photos: 15-20 (or more) high-res, fully edited digital images with print release. 

Time: Sessions are 20 minutes. 

What to expect: Mini sessions are quick, fun and to the point. While we primarily stick to the same physical spot, expect a variety of poses, groupings, and prompts to give you pictures of everyone smiling at the camera, as well as fun “candid” style photos. I will have the pictures to you within 2 weeks.

*UPDATE* More sessions added!

  • *NEW* Location 2: Saturday, November 8 – Beach in Carlsbad
  • *NEW* Location 3: Saturday, November 22 – Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad

Four Dates/Locations:

Location 1: September 13th Evening – Park in La Costa, Carlsbad

This location provides a beautiful backdrop of eucalyptus trees and a pretty rock-lined path. Walking up a short but steep dirt trail is required to reach this spot.

*FULL* Location 2: September 20th Evening: – Beach in Carlsbad

*UPDATE: This session is full. If you want a beach session, fill out the form and mention it in the comments and I may be able to open another session.

My first year offering a beach location! Due to the nature of lighting at the beach, these spots will be very limited to give you the best opportunity for glowy pictures. This beach offers a beautiful sandy path with a lifeguard tower (usually) in the background, open sand and a rock jetty. Keep in mind – beaches, while beautiful, can also be a little more unpredictable with lighting, tide, fog, wind, crowds, etc. See above for examples of this stunning location in various types of lighting.

Location 3: October 11th Evening: – Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad

This location showcases meandering green paths, large pampas grass and lots of variety. This location lends itself better to small to medium size families.

Location 4: October 25th Evening: – San Elijo Hills in San Marcos

This location showcases a glowing, natural setting of light-kissed trees, dried grass and neutral foliage. This wide-open space easily accommodates large groups or small families.

Questions?: Ask Away!

If you are interested in more photos with a greater variety in backgrounds, consider a standard session which offers a lot more options and flexibility.

If you are interested in a mini session but are not available for any of the dates above, please fill out the form and I may be able to open up more slots on a different date.

Please note – your images may differ from examples based on lighting, timing and weather.

Family Beach Photography in Carlsbad

Such a stunning night for family photos with my beautiful friend and surfing buddy. We’ve had the best times learning to ride these waves together. Photographing her and her family on one of our go-to Carlsbad beaches in the most magical light was just a joy.

Fall Mini Sessions 2024: Carlsbad and San Marcos

*UPDATE 9/17* All listed mini sessions are FULL. If you are still interested, please fill out the form and I will try to accommodate you on a different date. Thank you for your support!

Back by popular demand! I’m thrilled to offer two mini session dates this fall.

Mini sessions are a great opportunity to get updated family pictures at a reduced cost than a full session. They are perfect for Christmas cards, senior pictures, maternity photos or updated photos of kids. Mini sessions are shorter than a standard shoot and are great for small kids (or husbands!) with short attention spans.

Two Dates/Locations:

Location 1: September 14th Evening – San Elijo Hills in San Marcos

This location showcases a glowing, natural setting of light-kissed trees and neutral foliage. This wide-open space easily accommodates large groups or small families.

Location 2: September 21st Evening: – Rancho Carrillo in Carlsbad

Featuring a gorgeous backdrop with blooming bougainvillea, rocky walls and cactus foliage, this spot offers a festive look with multiple background options.

Cost: $175. A $25 deposit is required to reserve your spot.

Photos: 15-20 high-res, fully edited digital images with print release. 

Time: Sessions are 20 minutes. 

What to expect: Mini sessions are quick, fun and to the point. While we primarily stick to the same physical spot, expect a variety of poses, groupings, and prompts to give you pictures of everyone smiling at the camera, as well as fun “candid” style photos. I will have the pictures to you within 2 weeks.

Questions?: Ask Away!

If you are interested in more photos with a greater variety in backgrounds, consider a standard session which offers a lot more options and flexibility.

If you are interested in a mini session but are not available for either of the dates above, please fill out the form and I may be able to open up more slots on a different date.

See below for location examples. Please note – your images may differ slightly based on lighting, timing and weather.

Location 1 Examples: San Elijo Hills

Location 2 Examples: Rancho Carrillo

Carlsbad Mini Photography Sessions

I’m thrilled to offer two mini session dates this fall!

Mini sessions are a great opportunity to get updated family pictures at a reduced cost. They are perfect for Christmas cards, senior pictures or updated photos of kids. Mini sessions are shorter than a standard shoot and are great for small kids with short attention spans.

Two Dates/Locations:

• September 23rd Evening: Rancho Carrillo in Carlsbad

Featuring a gorgeous glowing backdrop with blooming bougainvillea, this spot offers a festive, light background, beautiful for Christmas cards.

• September 30th Evening: La Costa in Carlsbad

This location showcases a meandering path with stunning greenery on both sides.

Cost: $175 for 15-20 high-res, fully edited digital images with print release. Sessions last about 20 minutes.

Questions?: Ask Away!

If you are interested in more photos with a greater variety in backgrounds, consider a standard shoot, which offers a lot more options and flexibility.

See below for location examples:

Location 1: Rancho Carrillo

Location 2: La Costa

Gunderson Family – Poway Family Photography

Look at the Gundersons! We took these photos at their beautiful ranch in Poway. The light was so beautiful coming through the olive trees, and don’t even get me started on the HORSES! I’ve never posed horses before, but they were surprisingly obedient and it was SO fun. One of them even SMILED. Scroll down to see…

Kitchen Remodel!

White kitchen remodel

I’m so excited to share our kitchen remodel! It was a whirlwind month and half but now it’s done and we LOVE it! I’m a total novice at home renovations, but I had some great help and wonderful contractors and could not be more pleased with how it all came together. All details are shared below.

We were not planning on doing a kitchen remodel when we decided to buy this house, but during the home inspection, toxic mold was discovered under the dishwasher from a previous water leak that was not properly remediated. We loved the home and decided to move forward with the purchase anyway, knowing it would mean a lot of work and expense. Thankfully the sellers agreed to help pay for some of the cost of the mold remediation. As soon as we realized how much of the kitchen would need to be removed, we decided to just redo the entire thing! From there, it snowballed into basically a complete home remodel.

As a first-timer at home renovation, I was so intimidated by this, not even knowing where to start. But when half the kitchen was torn out on Day 1 of ownership, it was baptism by fire and we learned quick! Playing general contractor with 3 little kids in tow was no joke, but I was determined to get the job done by Thanksgiving.

We closed on the house on October 21st and moved in November 20th (just less than a MONTH) and the entire home was complete except the counter tops, kitchen sink and backsplash which was finished just a few days later. It felt a bit like Extreme Home Makeover when we had up to probably 8 guys working in the house at a time. I dragged the kids around the city to counter top stores, flooring stores, tile stores, cabinet stores etc. It felt like I was running a circus. In the evenings I Pinterested like crazy. Talk about decision fatigue! I reconnected with a childhood friend who has a GIFT for this stuff, and she coached me through every step of the way. I didn’t leave any store without messaging her on Marco Polo first! I seriously could not have done it without her.

From the day after we closed until the day before we moved in, we had at least one person working on the house every day except one. The mold remediation took about 5 days. By the end of Day 1, all the flooring, as well as the counter and cabinets from the peninsula to the oven were completely torn out to the studs. The kitchen was sealed off while the mold was removed. From there, we were able to move on to drywall, cabinets, flooring, counters, plumbing, backsplash, under-cabinet lighting, electrical, etc. We were exceptionally fortunate to find wonderful contractors and all supplies in stock (a rarity these days!).

As stressful and crazy as the whole process was, I kind of loved it. It took a lot of coordinating but that’s kind of where I thrive. It was exciting to see everything come together, and we were so pleased with how it all turned out. It went way smoother and faster than expected – a miracle!

Overall, I’m glad we did it and I’m glad it’s done! Take a look at some before and after photos below. For a total beginner who struggles with design/decorating, I think it’s not too shabby! I can’t wait to show more of the house as we finish decorating. With 3 little kids, I’m going to go enjoy the kitchen now because it will never be this clean again.

Threshold counter stools
After
Before
Before
white quartz counter
Before
White pantry
Sooo excited to be able to add an extra pantry in the kitchen but still have room for my computer.
I’m in a phase of life where I need it to be in the middle of everything, so this worked perfectly!
White kitchen remodel
The kitchen on Day 1 of Ownership. Yikes!
The kitchen was sealed off for about 5 days for mold remediation.
When we saw how much had to be torn out, we decided to just remodel the whole thing!
Mold remediation done! Counter completely gone from the oven, all the way around to the peninsula – gone!
Making progress!
Sleepy baby at the counter store.
The general contractor and her “super helpful” crew. The two older kids watched a lot of TV that month…

The Details:

Cabinets: H Cabinet Inc, Installed by BeyondRemodelLLC
Flooring: Luxury Vinyl Plank – Coretec Pro Plus, color Springfield Oak, from Flooring Liquidators
Counters: Mara Blanca Quartz by MSI, Installed by Leader Granite
Kitchen Sink: Home Depot
Backsplash: Bedrosians Cloe White, Installed by BeyondRemodelLLC
Wall Paint: Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Baseboards: Lowes
Baseboard Paint: Benjamin Moore Simply White
Cabinet Pulls: Costco
Cabinet Knobs: Amazon
Counter stools: Target
Floating Shelves: Target
Faucet: Hand-me-down from my brother (Thanks, Kyle!)
Shelf decor: Ross, Homegoods, Walmart, etc.
Appliances: Samsung from BestBuy
Mold Remediation: EcoPure Restoration
Counter back panel: The Home Depot
Under-cabinet lighting, new recessed lights and new outlets: The Home Depot
Home Offer Letter that helped us purchase the house: LuckyYouPrintables

Nash Family – La Jolla Beach Family Photography

Such a beautiful and sweet family at La Jolla Shores Beach in San Diego. At one point, I was taking a shot of the whole group when suddenly everyone’s expression dramatically changed and a heard a commotion next to me. A seagull swooped in and pecked at the plastic baggie filled with treats for the kids – you know, the smile bribes. I don’t know who was more concerned – the kids or the parents! I heroically chased the bird away just in time to rescue the treats and, consequently, the rest of the photo shoot.

Bond Family – San Diego Family Photography

First San Diego photo shoot (and first shoot post-baby) in the books! Three kids (and MOVING) has made for quite the learning curve. I still feel like I’m barely resurfacing most of the time. Ha!

But look at the Bonds! We’ve known this wonderful family a long time, so imagine our surprise and delight when we discovered we would be moving to their very same street, just a few houses away. We knew so few people in San Diego when we got here exhausted and overwhelmed, but they embraced us from day one and made us feel like family when we needed it most. So so grateful they were placed in our path.