Meet Baby Henry

Only about a week and a half after I did Kamisha's Maternity Shoot, she delivered her beautiful baby boy! What a wonderful gift to have this Christmas. Meet Baby Henry Sullivan.

The Science of Gingerbread

Last week I headed over to "The Science of Gingerbread" exhibit at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, with my dear friend Sara Wilkens of the OC Gazette. Here magazine covered the exhibit on their blog and asked me to shoot the images for it.

Check out the full article and more images on their blog:
The OC GAZETTE Blog

Beebes, Brays, and Millers

I have known the Beebes almost my whole life, and what an awesome family they are. A family with three beautiful daughters: Kimberly, Annette, and Suzy. {sorry you weren't here Kimberly- who is in Hong Kong- have fun!} And now, there is more family to love... Suzy married Sean Bray and Annette married to Austin Miller!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Meet Kamisha, Joe & Paul

What a BEAUTIFUL family! I know Kamisha and her family through my church, and was so excited when she asked me to do their Family/Pregnancy Shoot. We headed down to Seal Beach for some shots by the pier, and we didn't stop there... we were in the playground, on the beach, the grass, and even by the giant tractors that were there for construction. They were so relaxed and natural, they made my job a breeze!










As a special way to remember her pregnancy, Kamisha got this intricate Henna design on her hand and belly. I absolutely LOVED the design and think its such an awesome way to celebrate the beauty of a pregnant woman.

Help-Portrait

Hi everyone! I just found out about a great event/movement for photographers to give back and want to spread the word about: Help-Portrait

"Help-Portrait is a movement of photographers who are using their time, equipment and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate this holiday season." The Orange County group is just starting to collaborate, please let Jan know if you want to join. We'll be going out and shooting December 12th- Save the Date!

We are also looking for makeup artist that will donate their time and talent to making this day extra special.

A couple months ago, I helped organize a similar event for some families in Women & Children Shelters and Homeless Shelters in Long Beach, called Portraits in the Park. I want to give a big thanks to the five other photographers that helped out:

Jennifer Owens, Nick Yutaka, James Bennett, Travis Wheeland, and Justin Koerner.

Thanks again you guys! Hope to see you at Help-Portrait!


Far left shot by James Bennett, second by Nick Yutaka, right two by yours truely.

Meet Linda & Danielle

Meet Linda & Danielle. It's so great to see that these two sisters are such good friends. They both know exactly what to say to make the other one laugh. We had a fun shoot exploring Old Town Tustin- very cute and quaint.

Here are some of the photos from the shoot... You can also view more pictures on my Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/photographybyjanet

As Seen In: The OC Gazette

I was thrilled when the Gazette team approached me to shoot the October cover story of their magazine. The Gazette is monthly direct-mail magazine that reaches 100,000 homes in south and central Orange County. This month's cover story featured Janet Lojeski, who sells Cancer Insurance Policies. The Gazette puts it perfectly, "With over 10 years in the business you can trust Janet to take care of you and your family as if you were her own." It was so nice to meet Janet and her family. Everyone was so sweet and I felt like I had even grown into the family.

Fun Fact: Janet Lojeski and I share the same favorite color: Yellow! It must be a "Janet" thing.

Photography Tip: Composition & Finding Fresh Angles

Whether you are a professional photographer, or just taking pictures for fun, give yourself permission to take great images! Get up, get down, move, lean, crouch. During a photoshoot you will often find me climbing up on benches, laying on the ground or standing right over you. I may look a little silly at the time, but the photos make it all worth it! Shooting from different angles can add so much more interest and excitement to your composition.


Don't be afraid to get down and dirty! Crouch, lay flat, or place your subjects high. Getting low can add new excitement and interest to your photos. BE CAREFUL. Shooting from a low angle is not always very flattering, so use your judgment, and if a low angle doesn't work, try another. Remember, we are 3-Dimensional beings-not flat, and there are so many different angles you can shoot from.



Shooting from above can be a very flattering angle. When you shoot a person from above, it brings focus to their eyes and face which can really give life to your images.


Try it out, and let me know how it goes!

Boards & Wheels

Yesterday I went to a Rip Curl sponsored event called Surfboards in the Sand, down at the Huntington Beach Pier. My good friend Sara came with me and we had a blast photographing all the surfers and their boards. Also, the Wheeland Brothers (and band) were playing along with three other bands. Fun, fun day, down at the beach.

Wheeland Brothers:


They sectioned off a spot on the sand for all the surfers to come bring their boards and stick them in the sand for some epic photos. They even shot one of the pics from this helicopter:


Tons of boards! I was tempted to bring mine and show it off, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to take pics. Can you blame me?


My amazing friend Sara and I.

SoCal Photog ShootOut [August 2009]

I love working with the SoCal ShootOut group- great models and lots of great photographers to mingle with and learn from each other. This last meet up was at the Irvine Regional Park and we had SIX amazing models. Special thanks to all who made this event happen! Hanssie Trainor, Matthew Saville, Tilt n Shift.

The Models: David Liggett, Rachel Amara, Kaylie Wilson, Amanda Shaw and Mark Laribee and Doug Franco.

Hair and Makeup: All Made Up.
Sponsor; Triple Scoop Music

Meet the Wheeland Brothers

A few weeks back I shot the amazing Wheeland Brother's promo pics for their new album "Four Flat Wheels of Fortune." Be sure to check these guys out at their upcoming show at Rip Curl's Surfboards in the Sand event Saturday, Sep 19 at the Huntington Beach Pier. A fellow photographer, Sara Wilkens (for the OC Gazette Magazine), and I will be shooting their show. So stop by and say "hi"!

As you can see, we had a blast at this photoshoot! Tavis, Nathan, Nicole and I headed down to our secret surf spot for some sun, surf, music and photos. These guys really know how to work it in front of the camera too. Haha. Check them out!





We set up our own photobooth amongst the trash- these guys are brilliant:







I know Nate, its a hard decision haha


I even got in a few shots! For those of you who dont know, I just so happen to be dating the great Travis Wheeland of the Wheeland Brothers. ;)