Back to this lovely family’s portrait session. We finally got a date down after some sickness in the early months. As luck would have it, PG&E randomly decided to turn off power that day. The family decided to roll with the punches after some back and forth and it turned out to be a great decision. Mom was worried about not having lights working. That wasn’t an issue as I work with natural light. The main issue would have been a freezing house which wasn’t the case and the little five month old was such an amazing little model too. The family will forever remember the day of the shoot and have that story to tell

Abby’s mom had contacted me about a session over a year back. Finally, the stars aligned and we did their session on an overcast day back in November. Prior to our session, mom had told me a bit about Abby and her two sisters and I was excited to meet them. I was a bit nervous as well not having photographed anyone in a similar situation. Mom was open to going anywhere local she could navigate Abby’s wheelchair and I settled on a local park. Just as we got started the clouds rolled in at an inopportune time but we rolled with the punches and captured some moments of the family together. It was pretty amazing to see the love and affection the family had for one another. Hugs and kisses. There is so much unspoken in the way this family cared for each other. And mom being the pillar of strength navigating through the session with multitude of emotions. These pictures are a surprise present for dad for the holidays! Mom ordered a memory box that I hope to share in a few weeks after the holidays. Meanwhile, dad will be getting some favorite prints for the holidays.

I had asked mama if it was okay to share some info about Abby after getting some questions after a facebook photo share. This is what mom shared with me about her little girl. “She has a brain injury from an accident she experienced at age 4. We were in the hospital with her for 4 months, not knowing how severe the injury was and what the effects would be. The good news is that Abby remains medically healthy. She goes to school and really loves her teacher and the kids around her. She loves to watch movies and she just lights up when family and friends are around and playing with her. She’s just as social as she ever was!

Abby just had a surgery recently and has been in my thoughts. Hope she is recovering well and getting stronger each day!

A few impromptu photos of the cousins with my little man during our recent visit to the Marin Headlands after a stop at Muir Woods. The kids spent a little time being silly, laughing, and letting me take a few photos in this lovely meadow. These photos are a mix of digital and film that I have been exploring for personal work. Brings back memories of my good old days of shooting film back in college and through art school when there was no digital camera. The last image is a cameo appearance of me with my family that my sister-in-law was kind enough to take after setting up my camera for her.

Thank you for stopping by! If you haven’t “liked” our facebook page please do so to check out sneak peek and other news.

There was a lot of anticipation for this family photo session that mama booked months back scheduled to work around my New York trip in late September. Murphy’s law prevailed and it turned out to be a wet, cold week in the duration of my stay out there. I don’t think I have ever checked the weather channel to the extent I did hoping to catch one of the better day/times for their shoot. The family was willing to be flexible and stayed on-call to let me pick the best day/time. We did their shoot on a pretty overcast day expecting rain the next day. Even with our dreary weather, the family persevered and we had lots of fun together. Their six year old daughter was quite the mama’s girl and almost year old baby boy was daddy’s boy. Perfect, to have one of each. It was wonderful to capture their connections and spend time hanging out. Such a wonderful treat to meet his lovely family! So grateful that my job gives me these wonderful opportunities to meet good people.

I was really excited to work with this family for their signature album session. They booked a family portrait session that would result in the fabulous Manhattan Album keepsake for their family starring their almost one year old baby boy. Little Ko-chan was able to stand assisted which made for a wonderful milestone and perfect time for the session. Check out this adorable little guy and his myriad of expressions here as well. Konnichiwa N family and I hope you treasure these images forever.

Two adorable brothers with their cookies and milk. That’s how we rolled for this end of the day session. A few laughs, a few tears and lots of mommy hugs. I photographed big brother a few years back and it was wonderful to see how much he had grown. Such a treat to see him again and meet his little brother!

Heading into the holidays, the schedule fills up pretty fast and I am almost booked through the end of this year. If you are interested in a family session please email me soon or for a kid’s only session, I have a few spots left for the upcoming Short Story Sessions on November 6th.

Have had a sluggish run blogging recently so I thought it was time for a share as I head out soon to the east coast. Love this family I photographed about a month ago. Our shoot was quite the adventure hiking out to a spot in Walnut Creek. The interesting thing is that you never know what is in the cards as the story tends to evolve along the way. At least that tends to be my shooting style. The kids were real troopers on our hike, even the new baby. Mom brought along Pokeman cards which were a huge hit with the older boys. I just love the first set of photos where the younger brother is trying to sneak a peek at his brother’s cards. Those are life’s little moments to remember and cherish…

Storybox Art has only a few more spots for a signature family session through the end of this year. If you have your heart set on a session please be sure to get in touch. Please provide a number to contact you as well for us to be able to chat and get to know each other better. If you haven’t “liked” our facebook page please do so to check out sneak peek and other news.

Can’t believe I haven’t shared this session yet! Have been a bit slow with updates on the blog.

I got to photograph little Jude and his family a few weeks back on a gorgeous warm evening. Remember him? I have been photographing him since he was a wee one and have grown to be rather attached to this family. Mom booked his annual session and this time around dad was able to come out for the session. I am so lucky to be in these lovely people’s life and document their real and intimate moments. I can see how much they adore their little guy. And how beautifully they handle him in his few difficult moments without frustration. It speaks volumes of how they are raising their sweet little guy! It was so evident with Jude being so receptive to me so quickly, a relative stranger that sees him once a year.

The session started with him just waking up after a ride out to the east bay from San Francisco. He adjusted pretty quickly to being thrown into a photo session. We explored and played together. Some of us ran and some of us chased those that ran. One of my favorite moments from the session was with little Jude in the driver’s seat of his vintage car. He was having some car troubles and mom just jumped into the frame heels and all to give him a little push. That look of glee on his face was just priceless.

So here you go… the perfect spot, perfect light with the perfect family. What more could one ask for?

If you have been considering a session please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Summer is going by and I only have a few spots available. Am offering a few weekday short story summer sessions. Are you a facebook fan of Storyboxart? It is a great way to keep up with news and updates.

A few from a quick afternoon rendezvous in Palo Alto with my lovely childhood friend Rita, her mom and kids. Rita and I met in eighth grade in India and followed somewhat similar paths as we continued our journey in art pursuing a BFA and MFA. She has been such an inspiration not only through art but as a super mom raising two bright, polite and well-rounded kids. Hope you like the photos!

If you would like to see more of our current work or keep up with updates please visit us on Facebook and be sure to “like” our page. Alpana is primarily a kids and family photographer that creates unique story-telling emotion packed images. If you would like to reserve a photo session please email her through the contact page.

Storybox Art offers Short Story mini-sessions 1-2 times a year. If you are interested in a session please email us through the contact section to be added to the mailing list. You can also find Storybox art on Facebook.