mila | photog shootout group

i'm waaaaaaaaay delayed on this post.  i got so caught up in the dane sanders workshop that i attended in NY, then came a slew of holiday mini sessions to keep me busy.. then thanksgiving holiday just popped out of nowhere... aaaaagggghhhhh!!!  then i found THIS treasure trove of photos from the last photog shootout that i hadn't even posted yet!!!  shame on me!


the theme for this shootout was TRASH THE DRESS.  and when hanssie says trash the dress... she's not kidding!


if you haven't joined the photog shootout group yet you should!  we're trying to get a group going nationwide.  see if there is a group near you....and if there isn't one... YOU should start one.  email me and i'll tell you how.




a million thank yous to the cast and crew...

venue guru and food expert -- Jay’s Catering and Mary Lallande
the venue --  Bella Collina
makeup by  Kacee Geoffroy Makeup Designs and Kim Bragalone
hair accessories by Bows-n-Berries Hairbands
flowers by Jay Jensen Floral Design
video provided by Avery J Productions
The Models: Lindsey Addie, Stevie, Joe, Tiffany, Micah, Chelsea, Shannon, and Megan

mila | laguna beach portrait photographer

i've got such a great job and so much to be thankful for.  it allows me to hang out in some really kool places and to meet such awesome people.


here's a family that i feel i've watched grow...  from 2 gorgeous girls to 3 adorable children and now the welcome addition of their niece.  i feel like i'm part of this family, documenting their growth, watching as their personalities bud into little people.  i couldn't ask for more.

  

mila | north orange county portrait photographer

i got ALL worried when she said it would be a family of 18 coming to the portrait session.  it was a one hour holiday mini where four families were coming together to get the full family portrait.  worried that it wasn't enough time to get all the shots we needed ... i brought in the big guns.  i dragged curtis along to this session.  better safe than sorry right?  well i was sooooo safe.  everything went super smoothly.  i roused the boy outta bed for nothin!


see how a family of 6 turns into a family of 18...like magic!

mila | tustin portrait photographer . leoncio

sometimes the players don't always want to play.  such is the life of a family portrait photographer.  like the weather, kids can be unpredictable.  brando and rocco had just gotten up from a nap and were a little hesitant at first.  they were probably thinkin... who's the chick with the camera and the big belly?  and why does she keep telling me to look at her?

this is why i tell parents that we should shoot in a fun location... like a park!  nothing like a playground to bring the kid out in every kid!  before you know it they're running in different directions.  the hour goes by quickly and all the lollipop bribes we used to make them smile for the portraits are being used to lure them home.  yep!  i love a successful shoot!  i know we did real good when edit time comes and i can't stop grinning over the pictures.  sigh... life is awesome.

mila | MY baby bump week 24

entering into the third trimester now and i feel huge!   my excercise days seem to start with rolling out of bed ... 3rd attempt is a charm usually.  what happened to the dancer in me is a constant question.  doing photoshoots is like a MAJOR work out and i'm always winded it gets embarassing.  i meant winded ... like short of breath .. although i will admit to major gassiness (it's an inevitable part of the preggo cycle).  that's embarassing too.  i've had to learn to make light of it.  it's a reality check to know that when i get old i won't have control over my body functions and this is what it's going to be like.  so i laugh it off... and that produces more.  haha!


last month i started feeling the baby move.  curtis felt it this month.  he had such joy on his face.  makes me tear up to think about it.  it was really kool until he got it into his head that he wants to feel her kick all the time.  so he pokes my belly, hunting for the munchkin, prodding her into annoyance just so he could feel her fight back against the pressure.  then proud papa pats my belly and says... "good girl".  it's becoming a daily routine.  i can already see the daddy-n-me bond forming can't you?


so we got into a discussion early on about race affiliation.  curtis' biological mother is white and his dad is black.  his skin color dictates his ethnicity (right or wrong that's pretty much the way it works).  i'm part filipino and part euro mutt and half the time people don't know what to call me.  but i denounce my white side and call myself flip coz i grew up there.  so the question is... when it's time to fill out those questionnaires and we need to identify the baby's ethnicity do we just pick OTHER?  coz you know .. you can only check one box.  they really need to change that.  it won't be long till everyone is just a mish mosh of racial ethnicities.  if they ask us for specifics we're jotting down BLACKAPINA.  hehehe.  brw people... if you know me n curtis you know that we say all this with mirth in our tone so keep the nasty letters away.


btw... we've finally settled on a first name.  unfortunately i've been sworn to secrecy so don't ask or i'll get in trouble.  still struggling to find that second name.

on a different note...


curtis and i were walking through the patchwork indie art show last weekend and found these two lil guys sitting in a booth just staring up at us.  it was like looking into a miniature mirror.  even the shop guy started laughing when we held them up.  so of course we had to buy them.  our replicas ;)

mila | mission san juan portrait photographer

twins!  most people cringe at the thought of juggling multiple babies at once but seriously... take a look at these two and tell me you wouldn't want several batches of them.  meet anne-marie, james and their brood of three (twins + one new addition).   


anne-marie opted to have the shoot at the beautiful mission san juan capistrano.  the kids looked like little angels flitting around the historic building.  they were in great spirits!  curious about everything and happy to smile, we had a great time.  we snuck in some couples shots while the kids were counting rocks.  can you believe this gorgeous couple hasn't gotten photos of them taken?!?!?  say what?!?!  yep... i took care of that.


p.s. if i could look like anne-marie 8 months after my baby is born i will be sooooo stoked.

GIRL + BOY -- first the kids, with mom and dad on the sidelines telling them not to laugh.  yeah right!

then we switched. 

with the kids on the sideline telling mom and dad NOT TO LAUGH!  yeah right!!!  guess who was laughing?

and now back to group shots...