Bug and Bean Blog

Yesterday’s session reaffirmed three things for Mike and I:

1) Family is EVERYTHING and we are so lucky for the big crazy happy family that we’ve been given.

2) We never want our kids to move far away from us, but if they do, we want them to know they can always come home.

3) We want to be the cool grandparents that builds a magical treehouse equipped with a zip line and pulley system to send up snacks for our grandkids.

And the 4th addendum we’ve added is that we want to be adopted by the Shankar family! Thank you for the fun morning. You have a beautiful family and we are very happy for the opportunity to meet good people.

Do you ever wonder if the people you see on reality shows are anything like their tv personas? I first met Bill Horn and Scout Masterson aka The Guncles of Tori and Dean’s Home Sweet Hollywood at a baby event in Los Angeles and they were just as warm and friendly as I had imagined they would be. Shortly after meeting, I was so happy to hear that they had welcomed into their family a sweet baby girl named, Simone. Recently, I had the honor of spending the afternoon at their home photographing Simone (9 months) with her daddies. Bill and Scout were so nice and down to earth helping to quickly calm my nerves. Simone had the sweetest disposition and the most pinchable muffin cheeks.  Together they make a beautiful family. It was obvious from start to finish how enamored they were with each other. Ain’t  love grand?

Thank you Bill, Scout and Simone!

xo nancy

There is something I find so comforting and familiar when photographing larger families. It probably has to do with growing up the youngest of 6 kids and the daily madness that is our life wrangling 4 kids of our own. There is a constant chaos but also a strange ease that comes with being around a large family. These days I find it rare to meet families with more than one or two children so I’m always happy for the opportunity to photograph larger families. (Don’t get me wrong, there are many days that I envy parents of one or two kids who don’t have to pack their kids like sardines in too small cars and are able to travel freely or find babysitting without having to split up your kids!)  Small family or big family, there is a lot of joy to be shared and it’s a lot of work having any number of kids.

I love capturing the dynamics between siblings and knowing first hand how difficult it can be to get a “good” family picture, I love the happiness these portraits will bring to the family.  I’ve been wanting to share this session for a while now, a favorite from last Fall.

Stay tuned for Part II later this week!

xo nancy

hello, sweet baby. you are beautiful in your natural form and need not be contorted or adorned. your parents must have told you that they loved you at least 20 times during our session. ♥

a true treasury

some images are made to be enlarged and showcased on your walls, but one of our favorite things to do as a family is to look back on family albums. we love mixing and matching colors and textures.

spent the morning with the cutest little family. photographing siblings aged 1 and 2 is not the easiest combo, but mom and dad remained calm and collect. cannot tell you enough how much of a difference that makes. thank you ‘g’ family!

Sharing some blue skies and son-shine on this gloomy Thursday afternoon.

A little preview of a beautiful sunset session Mike and I shot at Fort Funston.  More to come soon…

Hope you all enjoyed the holidays with family and friends and that the new year brings you many new adventures and happy memories! We kicked off the new year in typical adorable Bug and Bean fashion with a very sweet family visiting from the East Coast. Meet Ellie, the first Bug and Bean Baby of 2011! She braved the cold and dreary weather and lit up San Francisco with her smile and perfectly coiffed hair. Such a nice way to start off the year.

“We’re super thrilled to be new parents and we just want to capture this time in our lives before our baby girl grows up too fast. My husband and I lead very busy, stressful lives..as I imagine most parents do..but when things get to be too hectic, I’d like to be able to look at these photos and be reminded of how wonderful our family is.” -Karolyn, Ellie’s Mom

It’s not always easy for me to find the words to express how I feel about my photography and the importance of it without getting all mushy or cliche and I think Karolyn summed it up quite perfectly. I absolutely love being a photographer but being a small business owner is hard work and it can be draining. I know I am extremely lucky to be able to do what I do and hands down the best part of the job is getting to meet so many wonderful families,  and I am thankful, but I’m human and I’ll be honest, sometimes I complain. I complain about missing my own family, I complain about the driving, the late nights that run over to the early morning, the missed weekend gatherings and soccer games.  Especially now, after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Karolyn’s heartfelt words  are such a wonderful reminder of why I love what I do and how meaningful it is. As a photographer and as a mom, I go into every single session with the hopes that the photographs we make together will bring your family joy for many years to come and in turn, that makes me happy. I hope Ellie’s photos make you smile. Happy New Year! Here’s to slowing down and remembering how wonderful our families are.  xo nancy