Favorite Late Spring/Summer Locations || Orange County Family Photographer
Summer is almost upon us and with it come warmer weather and lots of sunshine. Besides the obvious like that the landscape will change, meaning less wildflowers and more tall brown grasses. That also changes the timing for sessions as specific locations as well. As an Orange County Family Photographer, I have to know how the seasons change the backdrops of our favorite locations.
Summer is actually one of my favorite times for family outdoor sessions and I bet you can guess my favorite place. We go there as a family almost everyday, its sun-drenched and everyone is happy there. The beach! Nothing screams summer like a beach sunset session. Summer at the beach also means the sun goes down much later so if you’re interested in a beach sunset session over the summer, plan a late night. The sun goes down close to 9PM so that can be a little rough for little ones. However a sunrise beach session would be perfect for little little kids so the beach isn’t out of the question for you with young kids. My favorite beach is Calafia State Beach in San Clemente or Salt Creek Beach Park in Dana Point. Both wide open beaches with easy access and great cliff backdrops.
Ps This image we printed on metal and size 30”x40” -HUGE! It’s displayed in their home and such a beautiful piece of art for them!
My other favorite location for summer photoshoots would be Thomas F Riley Wilderness Park in Coto de Caza. It’s gorgeous with tall brown grasses and rolling hill in the backdrop. This location offers easy parking and a little dirt walk way to some gorgeous places. This location also has some critters 😬 so if you have a tiny person who runs a lot, this may not be the best.
For late spring, my favorite location would just have to be The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. It offers modern designs, tons of foliage, flowers and strawberry picking. Strawberry picking is my absolute favorite spring time activity. It’s a bit messy though so that would be at the end of our session. This location offers super easy on site parking and very little walking. This is a new location and I cannot wait to shoot a session there.
Orange County Family Photographer
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel
Planning a first birthday party || Orange County Baby Photographer
If you’re reading this, that means you probably have a little babe who is approaching that first big milestone. You have survived the first insane year of keeping a human alive and it’s wild right?! First off, congratulations, you did it!! The first birthday is as much a celebration for you as it is for baby, and honestly you’re the only one who will remember it!
Planning a first birthday or really any birthday is stressful. Food and decor and entertainment and location and wardrobe and blah blah blah. It’s stressful! So today I am putting together a list of must do things for planning a first birthday party. As an Orange County Baby Photographer, I have seen a lot of birthday parties, a lot of themes, and a lot of fun planned. This part is actually so fun! It only gets stressful as it gets closer.
First off…
Choose small or large. Are you going to host a 100 people in a banquet room? Or are you keeping it small and intimate at home? No right answer but making that choice first is most important.
Pick a location. This largely depends on the first answer. Think outside the box, besides a park or a bounce house. Maybe a nature center , nail salon or reptile store.
Choose a theme. When you’re planning a first birthday baby has no say in the theme so enjoy it. Once they get older, they will have a big opinion on it and then you’ll find yourself with Starwars confetti everywhere.
Timing matters. If you’re planning a late afternoon party, you’ll have to serve dinner. Not a huge deal but just more work. Also super important - work the timing around the birthday baby’s nap for sure. No nap means cranky baby at their birthday party. My favorite time is 10am - serve donuts and coffee and fruit. Done and easy!
Hire a photographer! (shameless plug, sure but so true!!). Hiring a photographer just for an hour so they can focus on capturing the details and all the loved ones surrounding the birthday baby. Those are priceless and believe me after you put in all the work, you’ll want it captured forever.
So these are the biggest on the birthday party to do list. Start here and the rest will fall into place. The most important part is to just have fun and relax. No one has big expectations so the more relaxed and fun you have the more fun everyone will have. What do you think about cake smashes? Do you still love them or over it?
Orange County Baby Photographer
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel
Feeding Tips for 6-9 Month Olds || Orange County Baby Photographer
I have tried so many times, actually 3 if we’re being specific, to hop on the baby led weaning bandwagon. With each baby, when it coms time to start solids, I obviously start at Pinterest. All that comes up when you search ‘starting a 6month old on solids’, is BLW. Which in turn, makes you feel like obviously that’s what you’re supposed to do.
So with each baby I try, I want so badly to not be terrified of choking and embrace BLW but each time, they start to gag a tiny bit (which I’ve read is normal) and I’m out. Back to purees and tiny pieces. As an Orange County Baby Photographer, I am around a LOT of babies. Babies of all ages and parenting choices. Let me tell you, there is zero difference between a puree fed baby and a BLW baby. Sure there may be differences if you live with them but from the outside prospective, it’s all the same. I feel this type of pressure to BLW and its probably comparable to the pressure from formula versus breastfed babies. IT DOESN’T MATTER. Fed is best! If you feel that pressure from BLW or formula or purees or breastmilk, shrug it off. IT DOESN’T MATTER!
I’ll tell you what I do, (which is by no means expert advice! Talk to your doctor before starting solids). I do however have kids who loves veggies, eat whatever we give them without argument and are adventurous eaters. In my book, that means I did something right.
Like I said, I’m a puree girl. Choking is my worst nightmare so I don’t mess around. It’s not worth it to me.
Right around six months, I start with pureed organic veggies mixed with breast milk. For Poppy her first was sweet potato, Hudson has avocado, and Nixon had peas. That first month I seriously mix up, I TSP of one veggie and breastmilk and keep it super liquidy. I stick with offering the same veggie for 1 meal a day for three days, then switch to a new veg. They say it takes 14 tastes of something to learn to like it so most of these attempts are frivolous and you have to be okay with throwing it out after a couple tries. That’s why I only mix up a tiny bit at a time, you can always make more but breast milk is gold so I’m not wasting it.
The first month we try mostly veggies but a couple easy fruits too…
sweet potato
pea
carrots
broccoli
squash
asparagus
avocado
banana
pears
Once baby has mastered the art of actually swallowing food instead of it running down their chin, then we’ll start with more foods and making the food a little thicker. Still make sure its pureed well but add less breastmilk (or water). Slowly you can start pureeing the food less so they are a little chunkier. By 9 months months, I started to add in dairy and peanut butter but again check with your pediatrician before adding those.
Right now Poppy’s 10 months old and her favorite foods are whole milk plain yogurt with a tsp of Crazy Richards 100% peanuts butter. Buttered toast cut into tiny squares, bananas cut into slices and then quartered, string cheese is also a huge hit. Oh and of course pizza, but who doesn’t love pizza. She’s not a big fan of meat (neither am I) or veggies but we eat so many veggies in my house that I know she’ll come around.
What are your kids favorite foods? Should I do a post on little kids eating too or family dinners? Let me know what you’d love to see!
Orange County Baby Photographer
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel
Celebrate Motherhood Sneak Peeks Part 2 || Orange County Motherhood Photographer
As an Orange County Motherhood Photographer, this event literally made my heart sing. I’ve been craving these images for so long and to finally see them on film is incredible. I knew they would turn out amazing but my stunning clients have far surpassed my dreams and aspirations.
I am actually jealous I don’t have these with my own kids. My sweet hubby tried to take some with me and my littles the same day but it’s just not the same. This just goes to show you, it’s the artist behind the camera that your paying for. Not the equipment or the props or the wardrobe. The art behind all of that is priceless. That may sound cocky but I promise you it’s not. I’m not like that. I just hear people say all the time that upgrading their equipment or their wardrobe will make their images better, in a sense yes but not really. Really you need to work on the connections and the soul of your art. If you’re not a photographer, I’m boring you so that why this is all apart of a one day workshop I’m putting together for photographers, launching end of summer.
Back to these beautiful mamas…
Some BUNNY is turning ONE || Orange County First Birthday Photography
Who else is on that post Easter/sugar high?! Our house is absolutely covered in paper shred (basket stuffing) and candy. I mean we have candy coming from every direction. Hosting a birthday party and Easter in the same weekend basically meant all our kids did was ingest sugar. Cake, ice cream, gummy bears, Cadbury eggs, Pez, you guys it looks like we own a concession stand. It’s all getting trashed today while they’re at school. Mean mom 🤷🏼♀️ but they’ll survive.
Sugar rant over.
Anyways, I’ve always love the theme for a little girls spring birthday party as “Some bunny is one”. I’ve head a few clients over the past few years choose it and its so adorable. Today I wanted to share a couple sessions we’ve done in the past that are simple and pure, like my style, but also incorporate this cute spring/Easter theme.
Did you know we create custom birthday experiences for first birthdays? So we chat prior to your session about the theme you have in mind, the colors, the location, wardrobe and all of the other fun details. Each session is uniquely yours. Contact me today to book your own first birthday experience!
Orange County First Birthday Photography
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel
Celebrate Motherhood Sneak Peeks || Orange County Motherhood Photographer
Instagram has been down so much lately that it’s starting to freak me out. As a business owner and Orange County Motherhood Photographer, Instagram is a huge part of my marketing and strategy. Well tonight I was going to post a sneak peek from the Celebrate Motherhood event on Sunday but it went down again and wouldn't let me. So instead I’m posting them here, I probably should have done that anyways but we get into the habit of posting there and forgetting the rest.
So here are a few of my favorites from the Celebrate Motherhood event…
Orange County Motherhood Photographer
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel
Self care importance as a new mama || Orange County Newborn Photographer
As a new mom, there are so many new things to try and master. New baby, new body, new sleep schedule, new roles in your home and relationship, new emotions and most of all a new love in your life! As an Orange County Newborn Photographer, I see so many new mamas right in the thick of it. I see and feel their struggle to hold it all together. Typically the last thing to remember is yourself. You take care of baby. You take care of your other kids. You take care of hubby. You take care of the house. You take care of your job. There is a constant need to take care of things and people. That tug starts to wear on you.
They say the best way to relieve that feeling of constant neediness is self care. They say it’s vital to make you feel like a normal human again. They say it’s easy.
In reality, it’s not that easy. Unless you have a live in nanny or you’re surrounded by family, that is. In reality, getting away from a new baby is tough stuff. Baby needs mama to get to sleep, baby likes a certain way to sing or rock and only you know the right way to do it, baby needs to nurse, baby is fussy. Or the other side of it, you have anxiety leaving baby, you don’t want someone else to put her to sleep, you will miss baby and even if you want to get out the act of it is overwhelming. You know you’ll worry the whole time anyways right?1
Am I just talking about myself? Maybe I am, maybe someone else gets me. Maybe I’m just writing this to myself. Hint hint - I need a pedicure! Haha!
Self care is important. Self care is hard. But I do always feel better after I get out. I feel a breathe of fresh air. I feel slightly more myself and less like a mombie (that’s a mom & zombie). I know I need to do it more often and as baby gets older, it’s getting easier. Little by little.
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel
Fun Fun Friday || Orange County Kids Photographer
We are big on traditions in our family and one of our favorite family traditions is FUN FUN FRIDAY! As an Orange County Kids Photographer, I usually save Fridays from working to enjoy it with the family and make it a special kick off to the weekend. Saturday and Sunday evenings I am always working so Fridays are our time.
Our go to is pizza and a movie! My kids don’t watch a lot of television or iPads so TV is extra special treat for them. We try to pick a movie we all like so either the Blue Planet series or something educational. If were feeling extra fancy or have had a great week of school and chores, we’ll do dinner out to their favorite restaurant but as many of you know going to dinner with 3 kids isn’t really relaxing.
My favorite things to do are create special themed family dates. We’ve done an Olympics night where we watched the Olympics, ate food from around the world and gave out metals (painted mason jar kids on a string) for the fastest runner or ninja kicks. We’ve done Mexican night - So Mexican food and flan, watched a show in Spanish (Nixon goes to an Immersion school and is fluent), listened to Spanish music and danced. We’ve done art night - Food of their choice while we watched YouTube Videos of Bob Ross and attempted our own paintings at the dining room table. We’ve done make your own pizzas and the kids pick what they want to out on them. We also go around the season, so in March we’ll make an entire meal thats green (natural, not dyed), in the fall we’ll do Apple and Pumpkin, Christmas we’ll do Gingerbread houses and ginger chicken.
You see the theme here. Any theme, just get excited about it and the kids will be excited. In our house, Fun Fun Friday is a big deal and my kids look forward to it all week. What are some of your family traditions?
Poppy Lea Photography is a motherhood photographer in Orange County who specializes in maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood sessions and family photography in the Orange County area, including San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.
Hi, and thank you so much for reading this blog post. I love featuring my clients images here, and this will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me to be your Photographer in Orange County.
If you would like to see what an entire gallery looks like, please don’t hesitate to ask. My favorites are posted here, but all of the images you receive are worthy of being in a frame or an album!
If you have booked a session with me and are drawn to this session, please feel free to send me this link, so I can see exactly what you are wanting to take away from our time together.
If you are you interested in a custom portrait session with Poppy Lea Photography and would like more information, please click here to see the experience.
For investment information, please click HERE.
If you would like to reserve your date on my calendar, please click on the contact button above or email me directly at poppyleaphotography@gmail.com.
Sessions are currently booking into 2019, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
Due to the custom nature of portrait sessions, I take a limited number of clients each month.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
XO- Laurel