Not much time to post….. Crazy busy over here but finally done with Monica’s portfolio shots. Love this girl. Lots of fun projects coming up….

I love this window. I have been wanting to do something with it for a long time now. I knew I wanted to incorporate the light that comes through and blow it out pretty much. And since I have a ton of editing to do this is how I procrastinate.

My big girl graduated from preschool this past Saturday! I can’t believe how fast time is going by. They had a big ceremony with lots of songs. I cried of course. And of course I pulled out the camera to get her in her beautiful pink and white dress she picked out. I stood her in front of a pretty patch of flowers in the backyard and you know what my four going on fourteen year old said? Borrrr-ing! Ok, I said, well, do whatever you want, show me how excited you are to be a kindergartner. So this is her official preschool graduation photo.

My little muse Monica. She’s putting together her modeling portfolio and wanted something new so we took her to a new spot way out in Wine Country. 

A girls first true love is her father. – Marisol Santiago

My older daughter loves to dress up. She is always pretending, always has a story in her head. One of my favorites is she’ll wear one of my sarongs as a cape, her go-to rain boots and runs around the yard with a piece of wood as her sword. She calls herself Pocahontas, or Po-kin-hontas in her little four year old speak.  I’ll sit and just watch her, totally enthralled. She’s the picture of childhood innocence and fantasy and I always want to remember her like that. So I told her to get dressed up and we headed out to a nearby park. Of course she was so excited to have a huge area to run amok in but as soon as she saw my camera she was not havin’ it. The stick was thrown down instantly, she lasted a couple of shots with the cape and then she took off running to the playground while I picked up everything off the ground pleading for a couple more and offering bribes. Nope. I got some good ones of her though, that definitely show her personality and that was my goal.

This was after she went running off. Any tree she sees has to be climbed.

I took my older girl out the other day to look for some wild mustard because as summer approaches it’s pretty much the only pop of color in the scraggly fields around here. My kiddo has an insane imagination, she pretty much lives in a fantasy world at all times. One of the cutest things she does is play “Pocahontas” or Po-kin-hontas, as she calls her with her little 4 year old speak. She takes one of my old red sarongs as her cape, her rain boots and a stick as a sword and runs around the backyard like a little wild thing rescuing spiders and sometimes her little sister. Always rescuing, that one. I’ll watch her sometimes and wish I could stop time and keep her like this forever but I realized I could stop time by taking lots of pictures of her. She wasn’t too cooperative especially after she saw my camera and said, “aww man, you’re taking pictures?”. Of course. I got some goodies I’ll post later but this is one of my favorites. She took a little break and sat on this fence and looked up at me. She looked so little and sweet and… like my little baby girl I will always see her as.

I’m so excited and honored! Remember this picture of beautiful Chloe from a little while back? Well, it was chosen as a finalist in the Savvy Photographer’s Viewer’s Choice Image Contest for the child category!! I’m so happy to be in such good company with so many beautiful images, especially because I’m fairly new and all. So I need your help and your vote! Go to The Savvy Photographer’s blog, scroll down to the bottom and choose Stephanie Matthew Photography. Voting ends June 18th. I would soooo appreciate your support! http://thesavvyphotographer.blogspot.com/

A couple more of adorable Ava at the Rose Garden. Finally getting around to posting the rest of these, I can be such a procrastinator but I always have that nagging feeling I need to finish things. And I’m glad they’re up because the Rose Garden is so beautiful in the spring time and Ava had so much fun with the pram and the doll. And how adorable is her kissy face with her mommy?

It’s starting to feel so much like summer around here. I know, it kind of always feels like summer here in So. Cal. but this past weekend you could really feel it. Something in the air. Could be that the kids around here get out of school in a week or maybe it was our first blueberry picking of the season or the backyard sprinkler play until 8pm. Summer for us means lots and lots of beach days. We have our little beach ritual too. Stop at our favorite market for the best sandwiches in Oceanside and then head over to our secret spot and hang out all day- sand castles, chasing waves, popping kelp with our heels, surfing, catching sand crabs and leaving tired, happy and covered with so much sand the kiddos look like Churros.