We started the shoot at the Sky Room in Long Beach, an inspiring building where Kelly and Sean held their wedding after-party.  Then we headed into downtown found a cool brick wall, which made a fantastic backdrop for a nice family portrait!

Our shoot started at the Carlsbad Flower Fields, which, unfortunately, were on their last legs.  We did manage to get some great Stuff of Maddie amongst the color.  The real fun began at the beach, though.  Jen and Brian had told me that Maddie loves to run.  In fact, they told me they often take her and she’ll just run for hours, leaving everyone else exhausted.  They were not kidding–this kid can motor!

This is the third year in a row I’ve photographed the Ferrell family.  This year they welcomed the newest addition to their family, Abby.  I’ve been photographing her older sister, Maddie, since she was about one year old and it’s been so fun to see her grow.

These images were made at Marine Street in La Jolla, one of my favorite locations at which to shoot.  The light was fantastic!

This shoot of the Reynolds family was done a few weeks back on the beach in Leucadia.  They were referred to me by Raul, an associate of my old friend, Ted.  Working with such a big group has its challenges, but also offers opportunities for some creative setups.  I prefer to stage large groups like this in “mini-groups” with varied posing for each group.  It gives the images more depth and allows me to work with the landscape a bit more.

Special thanks to Pete Santa Maria for the phenomenal work on the video.