Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog The blog of San Diego wedding and maternity photographer Rebecca Seal Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:23:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Maternity Session http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/maternity-session/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/maternity-session/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:23:32 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=2046 I love maternity sessions and this one turned out beautifully if I say so myself :)  After discussing with Racquel what type of portrait session she was looking for we decided the best location was in the comfort of her own home. Shooting in one’s home not only provides the obvious convenience for the soon- to- be mother but it allows me to personalize the portrait session for the family. Pre-shoot I like to offer tips on what to wear and arrive with a convenient backdrop to be used with natural window light and a variety of wraps and scarfs to use in additions to my clients wardrobe.

Racquel was at 33 weeks with her pregnancy and was in great spirits during the shoot, such a joy to work with. Her husband who was working in the office next door was also game to jumping in for a few of the shots :)

Stay tuned for part two of this shoot as I will be back on location around mid February to follow up with their newborn shoot (I advise to have these taken within the first 2 weeks of birth).

 

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]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/maternity-session/feed/ 0 Madeline Turns Three! http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/madeline-turns-three/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/madeline-turns-three/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:03:03 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=2031 Kristi and Trevor were wedding clients who I had photographed back in 2005. Fast forward several years and their family has grown. I was very happy when they contacted me to see if I would be interested in photographing their daughter Madeline’s third birthday. It was held at her Grandparents property which gave us the perfect opportunity to include some family portraits before the guests arrived. Madeline was a doll, she was ready and willing to have her photograpgh taken at all times. Not only was she a joy to work with she let me in on some of her top secret  kung fu moves!

The bounce house was fun though I think the parents had more fun in it then the kids :) The dinosuor theme was perfect and Madeline’s best friend thoroughly enjoyed the birthday cake!

Thanks for letting me a part of this special family day!

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]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/madeline-turns-three/feed/ 0 Megan and Kyle Post Wedding http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/megan-and-kyle-post-wedding/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/megan-and-kyle-post-wedding/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:37:47 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=2014 I shot this beautiful couple’s wedding back in June at The Thursday Club in Point Loma. Originally when they booked me Megan wanted to do a post wedding trash the dress session, however in the end she decided she couldn’t bear to destroy this stunning dress. I can’t say I blame her :)  Since we did not have the chance to go to the beach on their wedding day we decided to head down to Coronado Island and get their toes sandy. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny and after sunset we headed over to the bay side to capture the skyline of San Diego.

This is my first  post wedding shoot and I highly recommend it to those who would like to incorporate some of their favorite spots that just can’t logistically be worked into their wedding day. Megan commented how much she was able to enjoy this shoot without any timeline or worries about getting her dress dirty, etc. I think we’re on to something here………..

]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/megan-and-kyle-post-wedding/feed/ 0 Introducing Braiden Mann http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/introducing-braiden-mann/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/introducing-braiden-mann/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:59:17 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=2000 Get ready for a true cutie, this little one with big blue eyes and ginger hair will steal your heart! At 10 months old this was Braiden’s first official photo shoot, and I believe he aced it. I shot on location at Katie and Tavis’ house (former wedding clients of mine) during our Santa Ana winds in October. Despite the near 100 degree heat Braiden kept his cool and was absolutely fascinated with the workings of my camera. Crawling at lightning speed, we would place him across the room and in about 2.5 seconds he was nose to lens. Pretty impressive and hilarious. He is quite a serious little guy, but he was no match for Dad doing monkey faces behind me :)

This being Katie and Tavis’ first child I was asking how they were adjusting and received my favorite quote to date from Tavis, “We may not know how to steer this ship but were really enjoying the crew!”  Congrats you two, I look forward to photographing your beautiful family through the years.

]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/introducing-braiden-mann/feed/ 0 Introducing McKenna Winker http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/introducing-mckenna-winker/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/introducing-mckenna-winker/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:38:51 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=1980 Carolyn and Derek are former wedding clients of mine who were married in Temecula at the Ponte Family Winery back in 2008. I was thrilled to be contacted by Carolyn in July asking to have some portraits taken of their newest addition, McKenna Elizabeth.

I went over to Carolyn and Derek’s place which was a dream house to shoot a newborn in. They had floor to ceiling windows with no direct morning sun coming through, giving me the chance to shoot using all natural light.  McKenna is completely adorable and she had absolutely no interest in sleeping or sitting still :) We took advantage of her awake moments, took several breaks, broke out the heating pad to warm her into a sleepy hazy but the real breakthrough came when we broke out the fuzzy white blanket. As soon as she felt it she cuddled right in, dozed for just a few minutes while I furiously snapped away. The results priceless :) I look forward to photographing her and her faithful buddy, Gordo, through the years. Congratulations Carolyn and Derek!

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For those interested in having your baby photographed-

MOST newborn sessions take place within the first 14 days of life and they are better for it  Why?  Because when newborns enter their 3rd week of life, baby acne can start to show up… they tend to sleep less and are more alert and awake.  Plus, they start to lose that newborn curl and some other classic newborn traits.

McKenna was already entering her 3rd week when I first photographed her which accounted for all her activity but we used that to our advantage and got some beautiful awake shots. I also went back when she was at 9 weeks hoping to take advantage of her newly established nap times but she quickly woke up but this time it gave me the opportunity to catch her newly developing smile :)

 

 

 

]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/introducing-mckenna-winker/feed/ 0 Family Portrait: La Mesa http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/family-portrait-la-mesa/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/family-portrait-la-mesa/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:34:00 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=1974 I met Edwina several years ago when she was referred to me by a former wedding client. Edwina and her siblings were holding a surprise 50th Anniversary party for her parents Edward and Marie. The event took place in Old Town and was a huge success! The afternoon was filled with laughter, heartfelt speeches, and lots and lots of dancing! Having photographed several hundred weddings over the years this party was very special to me. It was incredibly  inspiring to see a couple still so in love, surrounded by two generations of family that they had created.

Three years later I was delighted when I received an email from Edwina asking if I was interested in photographing her immediate family as they were all in town for a “mini” reunion. They wanted to keep things simple, not travel far from her home and had one morning available before brunch. They were all staying in La Mesa so I used the opportunity to take a couple of trips out to the nearby surrounding parks to find the perfect location. The first outing did not produce anything but the very last park on the second trip was a success. I found the perfect patch of shade without any soccer fields, metal fences, or parking lots behind it (that can be quite a feat in San Diego sometimes).

It was so good to catch up with everyone and amazing to see how quickly the kids had grown. Edward and Marie are still going strong and I am happy to report still so in love :)

]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/family-portrait-la-mesa/feed/ 0 Megan and Kyle; The Thursday Club, Point Loma http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/06/megan-and-kyle-the-thursday-club-point-loma/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/06/megan-and-kyle-the-thursday-club-point-loma/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:50:04 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=1937 I had the pleasure of meeting Megan and Kyle through my wonderful personal trainer Jen Opaka from Progressive Fitness. I knew from the first meeting that these two were going to be a pleasure to work with.

Megan is an accountant originally from Colorado and Kyle is a firefighter and local San Diegan. They choose the Thursday Club not only due to its close proximity to their home but felt it was the perfect fit for capturing the “At Home Celebration” wedding theme they were looking for. These two pride themselves on hosting dinner parties for close friends and family that include both fine wines and exquisite dishes so with the help of Brenda from Swann Soirees they concentrated on bringing in personal touches from their home such as vases, dishes, and pictures that would complement their vision. They kept the ceremony personal by having Megan’s father officiate and had their two pugs attend the ceremony as guests. They also had something I have never seen (which is tough after attending hundreds of weddings), cake balls. I have seen cupcakes, doughnut towers, cookies, etc but never hundreds of individually decorated cake balls. I hear they were tough to find but Cake Ball Love pulled through and were divine!

I have worked with many brides and I must say I have never met a bride who looked so comfortable, so relaxed, and was so ready to have fun in her dress! From the moment Megan put it on she was all smiles and ready to just spin and spin…..We plan on doing a trash the dress session later this summer when it warms up so please check back for the update.

Congratulations you two, it was a beautiful wedding, thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Thank you to all the wonderful vendors who brought this day together-

Venue- The Thursday Club                       www.thethursdayclub.org

Coordinator- Brenda Swann                   www.swannsoirees.com

Catering- TK&A Custom Catering          www.tka-catering.com

Music- Michael Tiernan                               www.tiernantunes.com

Make Up- Lipstick and Luster LLC      www.makeupartistdirectory.com

Hair- Shannel & Co                                       www.shannelandcompany.com

Cinematography- Omni Stories            www.omnistories.com

Floral Design- Nancy Stevens                 www.nancystevens.com

Cake Balls – Cake Ball Love                      www.cakeballlove.com

Rentals- Classic Party Rentals               www.sandiego.classicpartyrentals.com

Linens- A Perfect Table                              www.aperfecttable.com

Personal Trainig- Jen Opaka                 www.sdprogressivefitness.com

]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/06/megan-and-kyle-the-thursday-club-point-loma/feed/ 0 Monica and Ryan; Balboa Park http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/monica-and-ryan-balboa-park-2/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/monica-and-ryan-balboa-park-2/#comments Sun, 22 May 2011 19:22:59 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=1910 Welcome to Monica and Ryan’s sneak peek. I believe there are many qualities needed beyond basic camera “know how” to make a good wedding photographer. One of these qualities that I feel most passionate about is having the ability to truly listen to your clients’ needs and customizing a photography plan that incorpoarates their personalities. Some couples want coverage from the time they get up to the time they go to sleep, some prefer more privacy and want only the main events covered, some are right in the middle.

At our first meeting Monica expressed her concern about not being a big fan of having her photo taken, as she was a bit shy and her tendency was to get a bit “stressed” before important events. Taking that into consideration we decided it would be best for her to skip the getting ready portion of the day and to complete the couple photos after the ceremony. We did choose to shoot their individual and immediate family portraits beforehand, allowing some time to get warmed up in front of the lens and dividing the photo sessions into smaller pieces. We took our time, took breaks as needed, and had some fun letting Mother Nature work her magic on Monica’s veil (the picture below says it all) :)

The ceremony was an intimate affair, performed by Monica’s grandfather, and continued the Kamphius family tradition of  getting married at Balboa Park, following in the footsteps of Monica’s parents and sister Maria. The reception was held upstairs in the Loggia Room, and the beautiful flower arrangements were created by Monica’s mother. The DJ was a close personal friend who wrote and performed  a “love ballad” for them–it was pretty awesome.

These two were such a joy to work with and having been together for seven years already it was so inspiring to see how in love they still are. Just perfect. I wish you both many years of happiness!

 

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]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/monica-and-ryan-balboa-park-2/feed/ 0 Kristen and Matt; Villa de Flores http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/kristen-and-matt-villa-de-flores-2/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/kristen-and-matt-villa-de-flores-2/#comments Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:40:31 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=1850 As usual for spring in San Diego, Mother Nature kept us on the edge of our seats leading up to Kristen and Matt’s wedding. Cold winds and rain had dominated most of the month of March, but as so often is the case here in San Diego the sun decided to come through at the last minute and join us for the beautiful celebration of Kristen and Matt’s new life together.

Their ceremony was held at Kristen’s family church, St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Encinitas, and the reception was held outdoors on the gorgeous grounds of Villa de Flores.  The garden setting fit perfectly with these two’s relaxed attitude and was enjoyed by a hundred of their closest friends and family.

Matt is a pilot in the Air Force so Kristen surprised him with one of the best  groom’s cakes I’ve ever seen (see pictures below) and he surprised us all when he busted out his personalized cow shirt, which had been hidden underneath his uniform the whole day. It was a fitting tribute to how they had met working on a dairy farm while in college at UC Davis.

Currently living in Oklahoma these two are preparing for the next chapter in their new life together with a move up to Alaska. Let’s wish them all the best and many years of safe travels.

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Thank you to all the vendors who helped create this wonderful event-

Coordinator- Rachel Peniche www.planitandiego.com

Getting Ready Venue-The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe www.theinnatrsf.com

Ceremony Venue- St. Andrews Episcopal Church www.standrewsepiscopal.org

Reception Venue- Villa de Flores www.villadefloresevents.com

Catering- Crown Point Catering www.crownpointcatering.com

Cakes -Sweet Cheeks Baking Co www.sweetcheeksbaking.com

Flowers- Joyce LaVigne www.jdesignfloral.com

DJ- Toby Russell www.tobyrussell.com

Rentals- www.abbeypartyrentals.com

 

 

 

]]> http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/kristen-and-matt-villa-de-flores-2/feed/ 0 Shira and Gregg; The Thursday Club http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/shira-and-gregg-the-thursday-club/ http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/shira-and-gregg-the-thursday-club/#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:25:58 +0000 Rebecca Seal Photography http://rebeccaseal.com/blog/?p=1743 Talk about a couple who wants to have fun! Shira and Gregg are close friends of my wonderful assistant Jill and I was thrilled when they asked if I would be their photographer last year. Having hung out with these two at various birthday parties, bacherlorette parties, and bbqs over the past few years I knew we were a great fit. These two met on Eharmony and I’m pretty sure they need to be nominated for the next TVcommercial………as you will see from the photos, these two love to ham it up!

Everyone got ready over at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island, then we had both bridal parties meet up for pre-ceremony photos at Liberty Station. I choose Liberty Station since we were going to be working with midday sun and wanted a place where we could not only get some shade but stay out of the way of all the vendors who were setting up at the Thursday Club. We then took some time during cocktail hour to get some shots of just Shira and Gregg around The Thursday Club and the nearby  Sunset Cliffs. Luckily the weather gods were smiling down on us and I could not have asked for better lighting down at the beach, I LOVE when that happens.

Bethel Nathan did a fantastic job creating their ceremony vows, making them very personal, hilarious in parts, and so touching. I have to admit there were quite a few of us who were working hard to hold back a tear or two. A special note I would like to add for future brides getting married at The Thursday Club. Normally the ceremony is set up with the chairs facing north which makes for a long aisle to walk down but tends to get quite crowded up front with all the bridal party. Shira and Gregg chose to have everyone facing west and though it creates a shorter aisle it gave so much more room up front and from a photography perspective works much better.

I want to thank Shira and Gregg for being so wonderful to work with. The day ran so smoothly and the love you two have for each other was felt by all. I look forward to seeing you both soon and enjoy your sneak peek!

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I would like to thank all the vendors who helped make this day run flawlessly:

Venue- The Thursday Club                   www.thethursdayclub.org

Catering, Flowers, Cake, and Linens- Ranch Catering               www.ranchevents.com

The Officiant- Bethel Nathan         www.ceremoniesbybethel.com

DJ- High Energy DJ (he is not kidding check him out on the dance floor-he is awesome!) Paul Peterson       www.djpaulpaterson.com

Coordinator- Sara Brown     www.sarabrownevents.com

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