With your donation to Riley’s Place, you’ll be getting 15 minutes in front of my camera AND an exquisite custom 8×10 Valentine print. Leave the “cheese” at home, and just be yourselves and have FUN. I’ll capture those precious moments shared between you and your child.

Allow me to get on my soapbox here. Let’s face it. If you are a mother, you just aren’t in front of the camera enough with your children. You do it all for your family: the caring, feeding, cooking, scheduling, chauffeuring. You bring your children to have wonderful experiences, and you take pictures of them having these wonderful experiences. Please remember that your children will also want to have photographs of you when they are older. This is your chance to get yourself in front of the camera and help out children in need! (You are also welcome to update your child’s portraits by themselves, too.)

Space is limited! Book directly online at http://jeannieguzis.bookmonline.com/schedules/valentine2012 or call at (925) 487-1442.

The great thing about it is that you can find lots of amazing ideas that are achievable, because the “pins” (the visual bookmarks) are often linked to a tutorial or a guide. I’ve always loved DIY, and Pinterest makes finding, collecting, and sharing ideas so easy. I used it to plan my oldest daughter’s birthday.

My daughter loves birds, so I created bird-themed party! The decorations for her party were made mostly of things I already had at home, plus a few simple things I purchased at Michael’s.

I printed some lovely vintage bird identification plates.

We already had these stuffed animals that Grandma sent to us.

We already had this little cage that we got from Michael’s. I made a bird mobile using an idea from the queen of DIY, Martha Stewart.

Tissue paper flowers and pom poms make the party theme light and feminine. I love how they add height to the setting.

On my daughter’s cake, I made a nest from spun sugar and Jordan almonds. The straws are good for a laugh, because when you drink, you drink like a hummingbird!

A little bird house that we already had.

Some cute clip-on birds from Michael’s.

I love the shadows cast by the mobile.

The great thing about Pinterest is that my collection of ideas is like a mood board, not just a list of links. I can see how it all fits together visually! I love that this theme was feminine, but not girly. Perfect for my bird- and nature-loving daughter!

Come pin with me!

Here it is! This is more rare than the spotting of a yeti: A SALE!

If you’re a current client, thank you! You are the best! This is a great time to plan ahead to your next session and get a jump on this very sweet deal.

If you have been thinking, pondering, wishing, and hesitating, don’t wait any longer. If you’ve ever wanted to capture your family’s memories in a truly meaningful way, this is the time to take the plunge. If you’ve ever felt that your little ones grow up too quickly, seize the day and don’t let another memory slip away. (By the way, did you know that your delight is 100% guaranteed or your money back?)

If you’ve ever wanted to give the most amazing gift to someone special, you now have the perfect idea that will make jaws drop! Gift Certificates are printed on deliciously thick fine art bamboo paper, nestled in beautiful packaging, and wrapped with a bow. They are ready to go under the tree the moment you receive them. The wrapping is already done for you!

To purchase your Gift Certificate, log in to my special Black Friday / Cyber Monday page. How to do this: in the drop-down menu (ABOVE), choose “clients” and then “login”.

Use this information to log in:

You should be then signed in and automatically redirected to the ordering page. Click on the thumbnail image to start your purchase!

Gift Certificate purchases are made in multiples of $200. For example, to make a purchase of $400, select Qty 2 ($200 x 2 = $400 // Final Value Certificate $800!!). To make a purchase of $1200, select Qty 6 ($200 x 6 = $1200 // Final Value of Certificate $2400!!!). You get the idea! The purchase value is shown on your invoice/receipt. The total value will be reflected on your Gift Certificate, which you will receive in the mail within 7 business days.

This offer cannot be combined with other promotions, coupons, or offers. Payments by credit card accepted! If checking out by e-mail, your CHECK must be received by December 5, 2011, for this promotion to be valid and applied to your Gift Certificate.

It’s a precious time right before school starts, and I’m always a little sad during this time. My sense of nostalgia was really strong, and I really wanted to capture my kids authentically at this threshold. We always love the beach, and it’s a treat for us. So, we headed there for our last hoorah of the summer.

Naturally, the beach was freezing, as is typical for San Francisco area beaches! We started out wrapped up in our towels to stay warm, but we soon shed them as we started to explore and play.

A little more grown up. A little more serious. Yet, still a little young and silly. I love to capture all the different expressions that my children show.

My oldest always loves to make things with her hands.

She tunes out the crazy mud fight between her brother and sister until her creation is finished.

Meanwhile, these two run around slinging mud at each other. They think it’s hilarious! (I do, too.)

I love the wind in their messy hair.

He got so dirty that I was cleaning sand out of his ears at the end of the day!

He still has chubby cheeks and peach fuzz.

A day is not complete until sand gets between his toes.

I love the drama of this.

They are so big.

But, I’ll always remember them like this.

I love the dreamy quality of this. It’s like a memory that’s not clear anymore. Rather than being about details, this image is about a feeling.

A time of childhood ends. A new year begins.

Needless to say, I love beautiful packaging. The way a gift or a purchase is packaged conveys so much more meaning than the mere exchange of goods. To me, it represents the thoughtfulness, warmth, and sentiment that went into the exchange. My own packaging is no exception. When I package my orders, each knot of the bow and each careful layer of paper, tags, or stickers represents how much I value my client. I think of it as not just “delivering pictures,” but delivering happiness!

Baby S is both joyful and a joy to know. He is curious, charming, and smart.

S’s name means “smile,” and he was always full of smiles whenever I came to visit. When I arrived at our portrait session, Baby S had just woken up. He greeted me with beaming smiles and laughter. His mom and dad had told me during our consultation that this is how they are greeted everyday when Baby S wakes up from his naps. How lucky they are! How cute are his two front teeth??

Mom told me how she loved all his little details—how his toes curled, how he held things with his fingers, his curly hair, how he smiled and frowned. These were some of the details that I made sure to capture during our session.

I was so touched by Mom and Dad’s dedication to their son. They told me how they so much enjoyed playing with Baby S. Baby S hasn’t learned to walk, yet, so they spend a lot of their playtime crawling around the house.

Dad loves the time he has with Baby S, and they are so eager to see each other when Dad comes home from work. Mom and Baby S wait on the stairs by the door for Dad to come home.

This is the smiling face that greets him!

I love how, in lifestyle photography, we can capture the beauty of everyday life. A baby’s life is about finding joy the simple things, such as a bath and playing with water. The way his hair curls and sticks up melts my heart.

I loooove this image of Baby S nursing and sharing a quiet moment with Mom. There’s no closer bond between baby and parent. Breastfeeding is beautiful, nurturing, and natural and is never something that should be hidden away.

Our session was an adventure, not only at home, but outside, too. We found the beautiful Concannon Vineyard to spend the afternoon.

Baby S is adorable in all his shortness. His tip-toes just barely touch the ground as Mom and Dad help him learn to walk.

The peaceful, happy images that portrait photographers show of babies and children can be a little misleading in the sense that we might think that only the most well-behaved kids produce good images. Quite the opposite. All kids have their moments of frustration and tiredness. Young babies have a lot of them. But, I’m happy to provide break-time to my portrait families to recover from these moments of frustration. I also love capturing some of those grumpy expressions. They are a part of our personalities just as much as the happy expressions.

Patience also pays off, resulting in images that make my heart skip a beat. I love how dramatic this family portrait is. Can you imagine this as a large wall portrait?

What a cutie!

My heartfelt thanks to the S. Family for sharing your family time with me! It was an honor and a privelege!

I’m thrilled to be featured on the East Bay’s Dublin Patch. Check out the article here!

As you might know from my previous post, that I’ve been adding voice-overs and video clips to my still photography to create portrait fusion slideshows.

I’m smitten by the results.

I love how mom’s or dad’s thoughts can be preserved for the future. When Baby J. is all grown up, he might not remember very much about being baby. Who does? I barely remember anything before age 3. But he can have a little token of the love he experienced. This is even a fabulous memento for mom and dad, because let’s face it—it’s hard to get around to recording all the little details about your baby growing up. Did you really fill out all of your baby’s 1 year calendar with all his miletones? I tried for my first baby and got it mostly filled out. I failed miserably for my 2nd and 3rd. I meant to write down all those neat, cute, funny, amazing things they did. I really meant to! I never got around to it, because life just got in the way. I can never reclaim those moments. How cool would it have been to have something like this?

Enjoy!