san francisco bay area maternity, child and family photographer

making memories with storybook albums

alpana — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:16:07 +0000

I just got these beauties in recently and thought I would share some photographs that I took of them. I am not quite the product photographer but thought I’d recruit my new adored chairs as props. Not sure what, but something made me reflect back on my old advertising days as I took pictures of the Family Storybook Album. I thought about the various commercial photographers I had an opportunity to work with in my former life as an art director. Farrok Chotia is one of them and an amazing fashion photographer based in Mumbai. And one of the most influential individuals I worked with for a short but memorable period was Elsie Nanji at Ambience Advertising. I had been hired as a junior art director by her and had an opportunity to come to the US for my Masters. I ended up coming to the US but sometimes wonder what path my life would have taken had I stayed there. Nonetheless, I feel fortunate about my advertising background which has helped me provide a unique end product for my portraiture clients.

On a recent flight back from Chicago, I was reading the Delta in flight magazine which featured various advertising agencies and also a write up about the Emmy nominated show “Mad Men.” If you haven’t watched it, tune in and check it out. I am so hooked to that show! One of the articles in the magazine featured an interview with Lynn Power, the President of Arnold NYC. When asked how do successful brands stand out, she says, “Don’t try to manufacture coolness or try to be hip; consumers can see through that. Just try to be true to who you are, understand your DNA and make it relevant to people today.” I so love that. I hope to continue doing what I do and stay true to what I do as I build my brand and grow my business. My wonderful clients inspire me in every way possible so this is an ode to all of you… you know who you are!

Family Storybook Album with an assortment of images from a session

… and a lovely Storybox with digital files and prints

slice of summer | san francisco kids photographer

alpana — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:40:02 +0000

Alright, it has been much of a summer yet in the bay area. So we have to enjoy every little bit of warmth we can get. With some persuasion (and bribery), I had an opportunity to take a few photos of my little man on one of my fabulous Herman Miller chairs. When the holidays started I couldn’t imagine how we would get through the whole summer but with the end in sight I can’t help but feel a bit sad. We are hoping to enjoy the next two weeks at the fullest with a trip to Legoland and San Diego. Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

Again, I will be out of town from August 15-22nd so emails, call will be returned on my return.

fly away with me | san francisco family photographer

alpana — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:05:23 +0000

This little guy was super duper sleepy through the first half of the session. A short little nap was all he needed to freshen up after which he was full of laughter and giggles. His mommy commissioned me to capture portraits of him at about a year as well as family portraits. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to capture this beautiful family of three. Here is a teeny sneak peek for the D family.

On an official note, I will be out of the office next week from 16-22nd August and only available on a limited basis via email. Sessions will be scheduled upon my return.

Chicago senior

alpana — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:04:27 +0000

The summer is going by quickly with not enough hours to get to blogging sessions. Here are a few from an evening in a Chicago suburban field with a lovely senior. While driving around we stumbled upon this lovely field where we stopped for a few pictures. It was was a nice change of pace for me from chasing little ones.

two boys, ugly icebat and ox

alpana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:51:14 +0000

If you had asked me a couple years back, I was pretty clueless about Ugly Dolls. They were somewhat of a craze at my son’s school and we ended up getting a few. I wasn’t quite sure about the “Ugly” in the name but found out that it meant unique. Soon, I discovered that the Ugly universe was made up of the adorable plush toys, each with a distinctive personality and a story. The kids loved them and enjoyed having interactions through their dolls. So much better than electronic interactions, don’t you think?

One of the boys is my son’s buddy and I asked his mom to bring their dolls for the shoot. You can see how much fun we had! That’s about it for the sneak peek! But there will be several others without the dolls in your gallery.

away

alpana — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:11:11 +0000

I will be away from office from July 7-13th and returning emails/phone calls on my return. Happy summer! If you are interested in the Short Story Summer Mini’s please drop me a line. You can read more about them here.

Since I can’t have a blog post without pictures, here are a couple from a recent session. This was a rather spontaneous shoot for me but I loved the way it turned out. Beautiful light, beautiful baby girl + parents with some water play. What could be better than that? Since it was the couple’s anniversary, it made it an extra special day to capture these memories of their sweet little family.

if wishes were fishes…

alpana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:06:18 +0000

…I could photograph this little guy all day long. Besides being adorable, he is such a happy little guy. I loved every minute of being with him and his gorgeous mama. This is our third photo session together at almost two years old. I met him and his gorgeous family as a wee little newborn and have loved documenting him since. Mommy brought along some fabulous props including the gorgeous vintage high chair that used to hers as a child. Here is a sneak peek for the B family!

seven | san francisco kids photographer

alpana — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:40:48 +0000

my birthday boy.

There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise.
- storypeople

three little monkeys

alpana — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:59:10 +0000

and well-behaved ones too! A fun afternoon with these three siblings and their mama, the fabulous Rosa of Level 5 salon.

baby boy blue, a gorgeous family and their vw bus | marin family photographer

alpana — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:19:01 +0000

For this session, I trekked out to the Marin Headlands to capture this family in some of their favorite spots. I fell in love with this gorgeous family and spent a wonderful evening documenting their time together. Our original session was intended for little William’s one year photos though we ended up doing them around fifteen months due to a home remodel/move. He was a busy little explorer with a love for rocks. You can even see some of the rocks from his collection in the picture below. Amidst, the exploring I got moments of pause here and there and a gaze into his blue eyes. Nine year old Jack was such a sweetheart as well playing his role as a protective big brother keeping a watchful eye on baby W and keeping him entertained.

In honor of Father’s day I put together this storyboard of pictures that celebrate this beautiful family…