Dana Point Newborn Photographer || Nokks Newborn
My brother and his sweet family have been living in Saudi Arabia for the past two years and they just moved home so when they asked if they could fly our whole family from Dana Point to Texas to do their newborn photography session, the answer was an easy one. Oh how we’ve missed them so much! Okay now back to the first part, can you imagine being pregnant and living in Saudi Arabia AND right in the middle of Covid? Oh my gosh I would have been a wreck but my SIL did it with ease and grace. They also have two older boys, just the same age my oldest so we always have a wild, loud, chaotic time but it’s so fun!
This session was really a few sessions, I was lucky enough to get lots of snuggle time with Nokks so we took a few photos the first day and then a few over the next couple days. He is just the sweetest and tiniest babe ever. He was almost 3 weeks during this session and still slept like a charm and let me do so many poses with him.
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.
Meet Indie the bunny || Orange County Children's Photographer
Well this was supposed to wait until Easter but I have no self control so we got her early. I don’t regret it one bit though. She’s so stinking cute.
Indie is our 9 week old Netherland Dwarf bunny. She is less than 1lb and full grown she’ll only be 2lbs. She loves to cuddle and will run to you when she sees you. Her little hutch is right outside the studio doors so next time you come by you’ll get to meet her. She’ll also be starring in my Easter mini sessions in March so keep an eye out!
Orange County Family Photography || The Toal Family
You know when the universe aligns you with people and you just know they’re your people?? Well that’s the Toal Family. These people are so incredibly wonderful. They are loving and kind and I just adore them so much. Saylor came to me first as a model almost 4 years ago and now I see her every birthday and fall for a family session. This fall we did their family photography session in San Juan Capistrano at one of my all time favorite locations. This field has gorgeous afternoon light with colors and textures that fit every season.
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.
All About Homeschool || Orange County Family Photographer
If you’re on the fence about homeschool or you’re questioning your current school, this post is for you. Homeschool had been on my heart for a couple years but I hadn’t had the giant push I needed until 2020. In the spring of 2020 when the world shut down and my oldest was put in “virtual school” we saw there was a large disconnect to where he should be in regards to grade level and where he was. I immediately bought The Good and The Beautiful curriculum to implement as enrichment (because honestly the Zoom calls were a joke). We both fell in love right away and he begged me not to go back to regular school. Turns out this was one of the best things that has happened to our family and I am forever grateful for the extra push from 2020.
Homeschool has changed our family, it’s changed our hearts, our relationships and our minds. I am learning new things every day right along side the kids. The kids are doing so well and I can honestly say are thriving! The number one question I get asked about our choice to homeschool is “what curriculum we use?” We absolutely love The Good and The Beautiful. We use it for Language Arts, Math for Hudson, Science, History and Handwriting/Typing. It is rich in vocabulary with gorgeous drawings. It’s full of art, poetry, scriptures and meaningful stories. It’s also open and go style curriculum so there’s no lesson planning for parents. We literally open the workbooks and go. This is also wonderful for traveling! Nixon (5th grade) uses Teaching Textbooks for Math. For Spanish we lots tons of books and love ULAT, although it’s too complex for Hudson.
Our average day starts at 9am and ends by noon for Hudson (Kinder) and 1pm for Nixon (5th grade). We take lots of breaks and that includes PE. In that time, we do read aloud books, bible study, history and science together as a group, then they’ll each have age appropriate assignments from what we read. Math and LA are done individually and I sit with both of them. Each lesson takes about 30 minutes. They each do handwriting/typing and Spanish. For PE they ride bikes around our neighborhood, run laps, do YouTube videos together in the living room. All afternoon we play outside, go for hikes, go to the beach, etc. That’s minimum 4 hours of outdoor play a day. In the afternoon, I often disguise art projects I want them to do for school as play. We make bird feeders, sensory boxes, do puzzles in the grass, build STEM legos, the list goes on!
It is really important to me for our kids to be tech free during the school day so besides Nixon’s math and research projects, we don’t do any computers or iPads. Both the boys get an hour of electronics each night if they finish their school work and that’s it. That is just how we’ve always been an it works for us. We’re more relaxed on it during the weekends and school breaks but we are a big outdoor family all the time.
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.
This will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me as your maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood or family 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 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 2021, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
xoxo- Laurel
Orange County Newborn Photographer || Greene Family
When we moved into this neighborhood in Orange County, I really wanted a neighborhood that we would make friends but we both fell in love with this house. Low and behold, our street is full of kids and some of the kindest people we’ve ever met. On Sundays we do happy hour where we all bring our chairs in the street and the kids do tricks for us. We have block parties and whiskey tastings and it really is a dream come true. This sweet family is family of our neighbor and we’re friends with them now too. This little blonde is one of Poppy’s little besties and I couldn’t be more thrilled to capture their newest darling girl. The family is just the sweetest, so gorgeous and their style is superb. I knew this session was going to be insanely beautiful!
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.
This will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me as your maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood or family 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 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 2020, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
xoxo- Laurel
My heart in 2021 || Orange County Photographer
I feel like my heart has been telling me something for a while but I have been drowning it out with my own self doubt and criticism. My heart aches to tell my story in a bigger way, to share my life and our story with more mamas, to connect more. I’ve had friends and family tell me for years I should do more blogging and I know in my soul that I should.
But let me tell you something.
One time, I had someone I love very much tell me that I shouldn’t, that I shouldn’t be “one of those people” and that one tiny statement that she probably doesn’t even remember saying has stuck with me. It was just the bug I needed to drown out the noise of my heart so I don’t turn into “one of those people”. How silly of me. How silly to let that small, off the cuff comment effect me for years. Self doubt is a wild, ugly thing.
So my word for 2021 is heart.
My heart will be leading the way with my business and our lives. Starting homeschool this year has brought me closer than ever to listening to my heart. It’s a miraculous thing, when you start trusting yourself and believing that you can do all the things that we’ve been told we can’t. Homeschooling was one of those things for me. We’ve been taught since we were in diapers to go to school, we were taught that teachers are the smartest people we know and to trust their words right along side the pastor and our parents. I still believe most teachers are superior humans and should be given a raise and a stiff drink to deal with all they deal with. But my heart does not agree with the system. My heart doesn’t think kids should be forced to sit in desks for 7 hours a day. My heart thinks they should be learning to read using scriptures and poetry, not mindless politically correct sentence structures. And my heart really aches for my oldest’s experience so here goes. Despite negative test results, we were told year after year that our oldest had ADHD and a learning disability called dysgraphia (handwriting so illegible that it’s a learning disability). Within 2 months of being homeschooled we corrected both and his handwriting is now better than mine. He is perfect, the system was the problem. It was my fault too, I’m not just blaming the system. I should have worked more with him, I didn’t know better. Not once did a teacher suggest he needs more practice, I would have sat him down everyday. That is my problem with the system. Not enough one on one guidance, not enough love and compassion, just not enough. These teachers are spread thin on a normal year and now even thinner. Homeschool has been a huge blessing for our family and I plan to share more about that too.
The heart of my business is still the same. I feel so content and right where I want to be with this business. My heart is for babies and mamas and I’ll continue to share those with you everyday.
I’ll also be sharing more personal stuff. Analytically speaking personal posts do 8x better for me than a gorgeous photo anyway of the week. So I’ll share our home and life, more recipes and clean living. One of the biggest things that has interested me over the last year is our health and how we support our bodies. I’m currently obsessed with natural healing, herbology, gardening and oils. I don’t sell anything though so don’t worry and I will not be a fashion blogger so don’t expect to see that either. You’re welcome! 😂 I much prefer workout pants and a slippers anyways.
The last important thing my heart needs to say is while I’ll still post of social media, the real guts of my business and me are here on my own platform and I really hope that you’ll check in here often. I really hope you move past the pretty pictures on my Instagram and get to know me and our story. I really hope to connect and hug you in real life. Come to my book club. Meet us at the park. Let’s get a glass of wine. Motherhood is not meant to be done alone and I really hope you’ll do it with us!
Cheers to 2021 friends, I know it’s going to be sooo good!
Xo- Laurel
Gorgeous family photos taken by my insanely talented friend Shannon Worley in Austin Tx www.shannonworleyphotography.com If you’re in Austin, you have to her take your photos!
Orange County Newborn Photographer | FAQ
Being a newborn mama is overwhelming but your newborn photos shouldn’t be. As an Orange County Newborn Photographer, I do my best to make the process as smooth as possible. I know its scary and I’ve been there three times so hopefully I can ease your mind.
Before our session… We’ll talk either on the phone or in person. We’ll discuss timing, wardrobe and your vision for the session. You’ll get a contract and invoice via email to sign and pay your session fee. Your appointment isn’t finalized until both of those are taken care of. A few days before you’ll receive an email with some details on how to prep yourself and your baby for our big day.
When you arrive… After you wash your hands and get settled. Wardrobe will be available so you can change yourself and any siblings. I have wardrobe for everyone but dads. I usually start with sibling and family photos and then finish with some of baby alone. The session is usually between 60-90 minutes.
After your session… We’ll get you scheduled for an ordering appointment within 2 weeks. At the ordering appointment you’ll see printed proofs and choose what wall art and/or products you’d like to purchase.
If you ever have a question at all, feel free to call or text me. 949.444.1200
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.
This will give you a glimpse into what you will receive when you commission me as your maternity, newborn, baby, motherhood or family 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 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 2020, so please inquire when you know you’d like a session.
I find such joy in capturing a family’s story and would be honored to help you tell yours!
xoxo- Laurel
How to make my all time favorite Cinnamon Oak Milk Latte | Dana point Photographer
As a Dana Point newborn photographer and mama of three, I basically run off coffee. I feel like most mamas probably feel the same and if that’s you. Well I am about to rock your world when it comes to making your coffee at home. It’s better than Starbucks (honestly I don’t even like Starbucks anymore) and it’s healthy, low in sugar and much more affordable than a coffee shop.
Step 1 : Good quality espresso. I use a Nespresso and honestly I’m obsessed with it. Most pod coffee is so watered down and flavorless in my opinion but Nespresso is not at all. Here is the one I have but if you keep your eye out you can almost always find a really good deal on them.
Step 2. Oak Milk. I have tried every oat milk on the market within the last year or two and there is only one brand that reigns supreme. OATLY. I can only find this brand at Target, Sprouts and Whole Foods. I seriously buy 4 or more at a time. People are out buying TP in bulk and I’m buying oat milk. It’s fine.
Step 3. I steam my oat milk while my espresso brews. Oatly oat milk foams so nicely too, way more than other brands. Add in a scoop or two of Vital Proteins Collagen, a little agave and mix it all together. Lastly sprinkle some cinnamon on top and voila!
Step 4: Lastly, I must recommend a Yeti coffee cup, it keeps my coffee HOT for hours. As a busy mama, this cup lets me enjoy a warm cup most of the morning!
If you try this, let me know what you think! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Xo- Laurel