Mike, Gina, Judah, and Jedidiah Steelman

A few weeks ago I posted some teaser shots of the very Pregnant Gina Steelman from a shoot we did out in Fort Ord and at a park in town. We were going for a bit of a grungy setting to contrast the delicate nature of a pregnant woman. Therefore, I chose to shoot some out on the abandoned Army base Ft. Ord. Since the shoot Gina has had her new baby, Jedidiah Titus Steelman. Pretty cool name I think.

Mike and Gina are a couple of the most loving parents I've ever seen, and Judah reflects this in his laid back and fun nature. He's one of the coolest little kids I've known.

I shoot a bit with Mike and have him to thank for helping me get started in this biz and it feels so good to be able to give back a little. You can see more of Mike and his work here

It's interesting how things work out in life sometimes. I met Mike through a friend at the fire department I work with, Jason, who grew up with Mike. I met Scarlett when I went with Mike to a photo convention in L.A. If you know me, you know Scarlett by this point.

Newest Family Member

My sister recently had her 16th birthday. It's interesting to see her reach this age because two years from now she will be the same age I was when she was born. That's right, 18 years between us. Sixteen is a big birthday. With big birthdays traditionally come great gifts. Well, sis wasn't getting a car (you should all thank my family for that smart move (yes, I'm a huge hypocrite)), but she did get the (for lack of a better, more manly word) cutest little Shih Poo puppy you've ever seen. She named it Finn. Finn's about 4 pounds right now and is a female dog. I can't quite explain the name other than it's what Lexi liked, so that's the dog's name. I like it.

We have another family dog, Bandy, who's getting up there in the years. I think mom not only wanted to get my sister a great gift, and a dog she could grow with that would be hers, but I think she also is secretly looking forward to having Finn around when Lexi goes off to college in a couple years. Finn has been a great companion for mom already. Mom's home most of the week as she fights the good fight against pancreatic cancer and having a new puppy around the house has been great for her spirits. The two days a week she goes to work, Finn gets a little closer acquaintance with her crate.

Well, at long last I introduce the newest member of the family....

FINN:

Taco Time

I saw this SNL vid that just cracked me up, especially being from Cali.

Gina Steelman Teaser

I had a great time doing a maternity shoot for Mike Steelman's wife Gina today. We tried to go a little grungy first then softened things up at the park in the last moments of daylight. I'm getting sick and feeling like crap so I'll leave it at that for now and post more soon. Thanks Gina & Mike.

Gavin & Alexis (Blessed Twins)

At long last here is the slideshow for the shoot I did with Gavin & Alexis for their mommy Charlotte, who by the way, just had her first Mother's Day. Congrats Char!

This was my first fully baby shoot so I was very excited to do it and happy with the results. Gavin & Alexis truly are miracle babies and they were a ton of fun to work with.

You can see the previous posts about them and see a bit of the rough journey they went through while spending months in the NICU. It's amazing to see these current photos while looking back and seeing them on life support.
http://www.marksweeneyphoto.com/blog/2008/11/babies.html
http://www.marksweeneyphoto.com/blog/2009/01/twins-update.html

Enjoy, pass it on, and leave me some comments (I could use a little encouragement after my first real baby session!)

Thanks for watching and thank YOU Charlotte.

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Hendricks Family

Today the rain held out and the cloud cover worked perfect for a mid day family shoot for my friend Katie's family. It was a group of ten with three totally awesome little ones. We shot up at Katie's gorgeous home in Las Palmas. The garden was great for some nice backdrops. When we were done with the more formal stuff I had some fun shooting some candid pics of the kids. I have to say they are by far my favorite. Once again I'm finding myself having a blast working with kids, especially when they start hamming it up for the camera. They always get a kick out of instantly being able to see themselves in the back of the camera.

Here's a few for a sneak peak while I work on the rest.

Thanks Katie! I had a blast.