I love days like this… photographing a brand new baby in the house with his family during his first two weeks on the planet… This little guy was just adorable, and we had a great time with him! Newborn first sessions are really great at home those first two weeks… since it’s hard to get everybody dressed and ready to go to the studio when all you want to do is sleep, feed, and marvel at this new amazing creature that has come into your life! I remember what it was like to be a new mom (and a mom recovering from a c-section) so I am always available to come to the house to capture those first magical moments and fingers and toes! If you or someone you know is expecting an addition to the family, please refer them to me, and you both will receive a $50 credit towards any product or session! Available in the San Francisco Bay Area and in our Grass Valley Studio by appointment. Call (415) 515-6370 or (530) 830-9189. Also makes a great baby shower gift! Gift Cards are available!

These lovely parents and baby are near and dear to my heart! They took care of my wonderful cousin Spencer, gave him a place to sleep, a place to worship and instant family! Sad to say they don’t live here in the Bay Area anymore, but are enjoying raising their boy near the comforts of family back in the South!! We miss you guys!! Here are the coolest urban maternity images and sweetest newborn images in your collection! click the image to be taken to your gallery… Enjoy!

Ahhhh newborn teenie-tiny babies… I just love them so much… So much in fact that I will photograph a newborn in the family home (or studio) in the first two weeks of life and waive the session fee!! I know what it was like to be a new parent… completely in love with this little person, and bleary eyed from lack of sleep!! That’s why I come to you! It makes it so much easier than trying to get out of the house, and less pressure dealing with feeding, changing and the challenges of parenthood! I also have a great baby plan for the first year which includes 3 sessions at key developmental milestones, and gets a collection of images worthy of your child’s first year life volume!

They change and grow so quickly (I write this as my cranky, tired almost-four-year-old just won’t drift off to sleep…) and you do want to remember each new moment! Here is one from Kai’s newborn photo session. Please feel free to tell any of your friends or family who are expecting to contact me about the newborn special session and Mill Cottage Kids baby plan!!

I have to kick myself into gear and blog… I have so many images to share, but lets start with one from a really fun session with Starla and Parker! So excited for them as they expect their first baby, and to add to the excitement, there is a documentary film crew following along to showcase the ups and downs of a first pregnancy… yep, that’s right people… today I got to be in a movie. Verdict is in, and I definitely prefer to be BEHIND the camera, but it was great fun! I love their style as a couple and wanted to do something beyond the ordinary maternity session… so we sought out interesting places in downtown San Francisco, and even got kicked out of the doorway of a private club… {puh-leaaaazzze… apparently people don’t like people standing on a sidewalk in front of a brick wall, so don’t forget about that…) Thanks to Parker and Starla for braving the “wilds” of the City, and being so completely adorable!! Enjoy!

Isn’t she adorable? Here is a cute little slideshow of baby Lily’s portrait session at Mill Cottage Kids Studio a few weeks ago!

I can’t wait for December… Kit & Ginny will be having their baby, and I am so excited for them!! They are such special people, and they will be wonderful parents! Here are a couple of my favorites from their  maternity session!

NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Did you have a new addition to your family this year? Do you have a beloved furry creature who is always there for you? Will beloved family members be coming into town for the holidays? Capture those amazing moments and make your holiday gift giving list a little shorter with a fun holiday portrait mini-session from Mill Cottage Photography. I am offering some holiday mini-sessions so you can get up, get out, and get your family portraits done in time for the holidays! Here’s the (amazing value) deal… Just $95 for a mini-session, which is about 30 minutes long and a $200 savings from our usual full session fee! If you need a session on the weekend, then there is a minimum order fee of an additional $200, which is credited back to you for your order. I am going to be at the San Carlos studio and a nearby park (weather permitting) on the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 27-28, so you can combine your holiday shopping with your holiday greetings!!! Specials will be available for holiday cards, and if you bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots, you will receive a bonus 5×7 print for your donation! Call 415-515-6370 to schedule your family!!! Happy Holidays from Mill Cottage Photography and Mill Cottage Kids!!!

Every photographer has someone in the very beginning of their business who takes a chance on knowing you will do a good job! Someone who knew you could do it even if you hadn’t done it before… someone who believes in you and chooses YOU! Christy and Matt were those clients for me. When I met them I knew I wanted to photograph their wedding more than anything, and after interviewing quite a few photographers they chose me to do just that… They were married at the beautiful Carmel Mission, and their reception was at the Marriott, and it was a wonderful day! I love both of their families (and photographed Matt’s sister, Bridgette & Darren’s wedding a few years later) and so the time has come… Christy, Matt and awesome-hound Indiana have a beautiful baby girl who was born just 10 days ago. I could have just snuggled her all day… Here’s a couple of favorites… Happy First Father’s Day Matt!!

Newborn babies are just the best to photograph! I don’t know how many times I have said it, but I LOVE it when my wedding couples call me to share the good news of the arrival of a new addition to their family!!! Shannon and Tim came to me from a previous wedding couple, Michelle and Ted. It was great to see them at the wedding with their kids too! Now Shannon and Tim have a beautiful little boy named Justice (LOVE his name!!) and he wants to tell everyone “hi!” He was wide awake for most of his session, until the end, when we managed to get him to sleep on his daddy’s grandfather’s guitar…

Seems like yesterday you saw Matika’s gorgeous baby bump in her San Francisco Urban Maternity Session, and newborn baby Liam came just a few days later… Oh, he’s a yummy little guy, and I am so glad I got to hold him, and get my baby fix… Here’s his first professional family portrait in his home… So wonderful to see you guys today, and can’t wait to show you all the images soon!

oh, the sweetness of a brand new life… As I said to her mommy, there’s not a better way to start my day than photographing a brand new baby! Welcome to this little miss, and congratulations to her family, especially her wonderful big brother, who is getting so big!

Remember all you future mommies out there… your newborn session (within the first 14 days of life) is in your home, easy, all about the new baby, and my baby gift to you! If you have a friend or loved one expecting a baby, please tell them about this San Francisco bay area newborn photography special offer!!

Oh, how I love a happily ever after… this baby is soooooo loved, and cherished by all of us who know her, especially her mommy and daddy! Her newborn photography session was a joyous day, and look how much she has grown!!! She’s just so super smiley, and it’s always great to see her and her mommy!! Oh, Mel, you are not gonna believe these photos… oh, well, you probably WILL believe them because you live with Ellie, and see how cute she is every day… mwah! Big hugs and kisses!

Oh yeah, been getting creative with fun children’s photography wall collections! This is our newest springtime offering, and can be ordered in sizes from 10×10 to 30×30! Just choose a few of your favorite images, and we’ll do the rest! Can be completely customized to match your child’s room’s color scheme! See how our creative adorable garden grows!! This would also make a perfect custom invitation to your little one’s birthday party!

I could say it a million times, baby portraits in my San Carlos studio are such a joy! I will have a blog post for each of these babies (oh, how they have grown!) but first, here’s one of all of them together! (no small feat at 4PM when the afternoon crankies can sneak into the sweetest of babies!) Their mommies are all the best of friends, and I have photographed each of their weddings over the years, and as fate would have it, they all have wonderful sweet babies in their arms these days, who I am sure will love growing up together!

mmmmmm… photographing lots of babies today! Have to give you just one for now! Joel, Pia & Noah, thanks for sharing Ossi with me today! He is just so wonderful and snuggly! More to come, of course, but now I need to snuggle my own baby!

Right around the corner from my San Carlos photography studio is a wonderful park where I have done many portrait sessions! Today I had the honor of photographing a 4 year old’s birthday party, and you might think that was all in a day’s work… Well, let me tell you why this little lady is especially incredible! I photographed Alana, and her parents and their doggie for their holiday cards when Alana was about 9 or 10 months old. She took her first steps in my studio, and then the following January her mommy brought her back to do a one year session with CAKE!! (one of my favorite things to do!) To this day I have two big canvases of that session in my office, and her smiling face and adorable blue eyes greet me every day! Fast forward to a few months ago when I was devastated to hear that she was involved in an accident that almost took her life. Thanks to the amazing first responders, the emergency team at Lucille Packard Hospital, and an amazing staff at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, as well as so much love and devotion from her family and all of us who love her and prayed for her, she was running around, enjoying her party, and everyone who was there couldn’t be happier! I came to document the celebration, and we even set up an impromptu portrait station, and my lens was focused on a non-stop parade of adorable children! Just wanted to share one of Alana for everyone to smile, and be so thankful for every day we have with the ones we love! Happy Birthday special girl! I can’t wait to see you and your family again soon!

I love to photograph newborn babies, and today was twice the delight – TWINS… 20 tiny toes and all the sweetness I could handle! These beautiful twins were born to Nicole & Miguel, whose destination wedding I photographed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! I am so happy for their whole family!! Lovely to see Miguel’s mother again too!

Sound the trumpets, strike up the band, in other words, “hit it!” Sydney is here, and she’s such a pretty little newborn baby. You forget how small they are when they are newborns… and how soft they are, and how cute and tiny their feet are, and those soft little birdie sounds they make… Ahhhhhh!!! I love to photograph newborn babies! (Nicole, yours are next, just say the word when they are ready!!)

I am very proud to be Brooke and Todd’s family photographer… I love to go to their house and see images of them that I photographed over the years, their engagement, their wedding, them at friends’ weddings… Love them! Todd was one of the very first people I met when I moved to San Francisco through our mutual friend Dina, and fate would have it that he would meet and fall in love with the wonderful Brooke, who was friends with my friend Jamie, and the fabric of all of our lives was woven together from all different directions… Ok, so that’s the story of how eventually we would all be completely elated at the arrival of their beautiful daughter, and again me with my camera in tow (which is a great excuse to get in for visits with friends with newborns by the way… :^) gathered with the family to capture Miss Sydney’s new sweetness. I was tempted to sneak her out in my camera bag, and leave my 5DMark II in her place, but even though Brooke is a photographer, I don’t think she would be at all excited about the switcheroo…

Ok, Kim, quit your yapping and show us some pictures…

It’s so hard to believe that I photographed Michelle & Patrick’s wedding almost 4 years ago… and I was thrilled to hear from Michelle that they had a baby girl back in October! Today was the day I got to see Michelle and meet Audrey, and she couldn’t be cuter! She’s got her mommy’s grace (and that of her namesake, Audrey Hepburn!) and she looks so much like her daddy too! Here are just a couple of teasers for you guys!! Really looking forward to sharing them all with you soon!!

Early last month, I had a booth at a really fun festival in Mill Valley called Babes & Babies by Appel & Frank. I was lucky I had to work, or I would have gone nuts shopping… So many cute vendors with clothing, strollers, decor ideas, and of course glamorous bellies and babies galore! Special thanks to my friend and awesome event coordinator, Amy, of Oaks & Acorns, for photographing the event, and for coordinating our drawing for the free session (more news about this after Thanksgiving)
Here’s my booth!

Hi all! I am super excited about a special event I am participating in on Sunday, and I wanted to invite my loyal blog readers!!! I will be showcasing some really exciting new products that none of my customers have seen yet!!! Appel and Frank know how to throw a party (see my post from the Eco-Chic event in San Francisco just a couple of weeks ago…) So, I’ll look forward to seeing you there!

Appel & Frank “Babes & Babies” Shopping Event

Sunday, November 9th 10:00am – 2:00pm Mill Valley Community Center 180 Camino Alto
Babes & Babies brings together over 50 talented, emerging designers who create unique items specifically for modern moms and their trendy tots! Moms can outfit their little ones in high style as designers liven up traditional offerings of clothes, accessories and more, all at discounted prices. The first 300 guests will receive a fabulous goodie bag! A portion of door proceeds will be donated to FamilyWorks (www.familyworks.org/magazine).

Admission is FREE by entering the discount code DESIGNERMV at www.appelandfrank.com on the Purchase Tickets page.

Josh is 10.5 months old, and is growing like a weed! He has his own website!

Speaking of websites, Mill Cottage Photography finally received a much needed update to include some new images from last year! These are a few of my favorites, and there will be more to come! Stay tuned to the blog and the website to see our exciting new portrait products.