photographs by nicole

New blog and Best of 2010 coming soon

2011-01-20T01:02:00.000-08:00

I'm changing my blog (for bigger pictures, slideshows etc) and still working on a best of 2010 slideshow. Both coming soon!

City dates for fall shoots

2011-01-18T18:12:00.000-08:00

I will be shooting in San Francisco on September 18th and 25th. A travel fee will not be charged for sessions on these days. It will be warm, you can get your cards done early.....yadda, yadda......

Email me at nicole@photographsbynicole.com to book your session.

Be creative with your light source

2011-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

Light only coming from an itouch

Light from an itouch and some ambient light from a tv.

The image below has ambient light from cfl light bulbs. The light from lower camera left is my computer screen. It eliminates the shadows from the overhead lights.

These were taken at night with just available light. The key is to underexpose the images. The camera will want to brighten the photos to make the scene look like daylight. So turn down the exposure settings so your camera is under exposing the shot.

First time on a slide

2011-01-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

This little guy was getting over a cold and still so happy and smiley.

Book Early - and no summer shoots this year

2011-01-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

If you are thinking of booking me in 2011, please book early. I don't have as many dates available this year and in 2010 my fall weekend spots were booked up in June, so it's never too early to book fall!!

I do not charge a cancellation fee, nor do I require a deposit so if your schedule changes as the date gets closer there is no penalty for switching or canceling.

Also, I will not be photographing this summer so If you have a baby due between mid June through August I will unfortunately not be able to photograph your newborn.

Go here to see my latest availability:
http://www.photographsbynicole.com/availability.htm

Accepting credit cards in 2011

2010-12-19T23:36:00.001-08:00

Starting in January 2011 I will begin accepting credit cards as forms of payment. Payment for sessions will be due at the time of the session. The only exception is for corporate sessions. In those cases I will invoice the client.

Images sent digitally or by disk

2010-12-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

In an effort to be more green and to give clients their files faster I now am using mobile me to send clients the high resolution images.

I still will deliver disks to clients if requested.

Hong Kong images

2010-11-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from my day in Hong Kong. Nov 2010

Indian wedding ceremony

2010-11-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

Just returned from an amazing work/play adventure. Hawaii, India and Hong Kong. I was in India photographing a friend's wedding. Here are a random assortment of images from that trip.

Urban in the suburbs

2010-11-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

Burlingame train station provided a lot of backdrops for us. Loved the balloons. Added a playful touch to the shoot.

dancing in sharon park

2010-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

a chilly day in golden gate park

2010-10-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

this little one was such a good sport! it was cold. she was sick, but she was a trooper through the whole thing.

i can touch my feet

2010-10-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

The great thing about this last shot is that we didn't tell the older brother to grab his feet. Both kids just happened to do it at the same time in the same way.

running at sharon park

2010-10-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

happy family!

2010-10-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

What to wear - fashion ideas

2010-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

I just found this southern california photographer's site. Great shots BUT she also posts outfit ideas every friday!

Check out her fashion fridays for ideas on how to coordinate your family

http://bloggingwithmichelleo.blogspot.com/2010/10/fashion-friday-fort-irwin-family.html

Fun beneath the redwoods

2010-10-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

sweet little man

2010-10-08T03:08:00.000-07:00

i love swings

2010-10-08T01:40:00.001-07:00

Put a kid on a swing and your guaranteed a genuine smile. I also like the angles you can get. Move the camera with the child as they are swinging and you will get a child in focus and the background will look like a motion blur. Shoot up at the child and you get the great perspective of the child being higher and bigger than the adult.

all smiles

2010-10-08T01:07:00.000-07:00

Sweet sisters

2010-10-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

These girls were troopers. We were at Happy Hollow Zoo and it was soooooo hot. They hung in there for over an hour and were so patient.

Sweet little one

2010-10-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

My brother: my pillow

2010-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

More twins! Love shooting twins. They always look like they're interacting and usually one is 'on' and the other is either asleep or can't be bothered. Makes for cute pictures every time.

all smiles

2010-10-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

Another session at Holbrook Palmer Park. Really easy family to photograph with lots of smiles all around.

not two kisses!

2010-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Tiny Prints storefront is live!

2010-10-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Go here before ordering your tiny prints cards:
http://www.tinyprints.com/storefront/photographsbynicole

why? because then i get credit for referring you, you get to see my favorite cards and OH- this is a big one, if you're a client I'll give you a discount code to use for your order.

I'll be updating my site soon with links to tiny prints and other card companies and will let you know which places i have codes for.

In the meantime you have this...

Happy baby

2010-09-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

Jammin' with Daddy

2010-09-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Cousins having fun

2010-09-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hot hot day at Baker Beach

2010-09-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Baker Beach, SF, CA. If you have someone in your family with great blue eyes, have someone else in a blue shirt like this family did. Dad's shirt set off the little girl's eyes so well.

Little S turns 1!

2010-09-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for baby

2010-09-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

I like the Maternity/newborn package because i love seeing before and afters. The calm, quiet, clean house before the chaos of parenthood starts. The anticipation and excitement of expanding a family. Plus, sometimes it's just nice to not have to run and lay on the ground, singing songs to kids. This couple was so great, and very easy to photograph.

So sweet

2010-09-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

This little one was shy at first and then warmed up after a game of hide and seek. Such an adorable little thing.
I love this wall too - Stanford Mall for those interested.

Red hair and blue eyes

2010-09-06T00:40:00.000-07:00

The twins are growing up!

2010-09-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

gotta love the arm creases

2010-09-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

All smiles

2010-09-03T21:32:00.001-07:00

Playing at the park

2010-09-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Less 'family portraits' will be posted here

2010-09-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

You'll notice that I'm not going to be posting as may family shots showing everyone together looking at the camera. That's because it's the start of holiday card season for photography and I don't want to ruin the surprise and post a picture that someone may use for their card. So lots of candid looking shots will be posted in the coming months.

Having fun at Stanford

2010-09-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

These were taken on Stanford's campus. My current favorites are Stanford mall and Stanford campus as there are so many different locations to get shot variety.

Hawaiian beauties

2010-09-02T10:07:00.001-07:00

Slow to post means I'm busy with pictures!

2010-09-01T10:10:00.001-07:00

Sorry, people. I now know that 10 shoots/week is just too much from me. Also, during my busy time I managed to fill up all of my hard drives (1.5 TB of data!) so now i'm moving over to 2TB drives! Yes, that will only be exciting to the tech geeks in the group.

So, what does this mean to you? Well, if I photographed you in the past 2 weeks it means you're still waiting on your photos. So my next post will be a montage of random pics from the past two wks so you patient clients will at least see a pic or two you recognize.

What else will change? For one, I used to be very busy on weekends and during the week I could process pictures. Now I have bookings every day so for one, it slows down my processing time. Secondly, it means I will be taking on less weekend shoots so I can spend more time with my family. If you know you need a weekend slot, definitely contact me months in advance as I seem to be booking that far ahead....crazy, I know.

you can't pick your brothers, but you can pick your brother's nose

2010-08-18T01:11:00.000-07:00

Summer fun on the lake

2010-08-17T02:37:00.000-07:00

Celebrating 40!

2010-08-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

Catching a newborn smile

2010-07-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

swinging around

2010-07-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

little pink shoes

2010-07-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

beds are for jumping

2010-07-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Inspiration

2010-07-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ok. I just checked out erin condren's blog and i'm now feeling like my house needs a remodel, needs some creative and fun pictures on the walls and that i need to update my blog more often.

So, a few things on my mind.

1. Any interior decorators or designers out there who want to swap services? i have a modern aesthetic but you'd never know it looking at my house! I need someone to put me on track.

2. If you see any great, colorful, inspirational pics, send me links to them. I love seeing other work and could always use the inspiration

3. if you're waiting for your pictures, i swear i'm on it! 2 wks of vacation has left me waaayyyy behind.

Happy big brother

2010-07-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

models in the making

2010-06-07T01:35:00.000-07:00

baby sister gets bored

2010-06-06T23:56:00.000-07:00

backyard fun

2010-06-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

look, no hands

2010-06-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

smiling newborn

2010-06-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

cousins

2010-06-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

kids in the garden

2010-06-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

fun at the park

2010-06-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

fun at the farm

2010-06-03T23:19:00.000-07:00

peaceful baby boy

2010-06-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

More sisters

2010-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

sisters

2010-05-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Maternity lifestyle session

2010-05-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

5 days old

2010-04-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

fun at the bayfront

2010-04-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

kids in profile

2010-04-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

...i know, i say i don't do weddings.....

2010-04-26T01:37:00.000-07:00

snips and snails...

2010-04-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

Smiles in her sleep

2010-04-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

A newborn who looks at the camera!

2010-04-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

so fun, and a great view!

2010-04-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

she turns 1!

2010-04-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

more twins!

2010-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Mr. Blue Eyes

2010-04-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Big brother and baby sister

2010-04-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

Twins!

2010-03-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

My business started from shooting twins (thanks Nayna), and I've loved shooting twins ever since. I think it's the challenge of getting them to both smile or look the same place at the same time.

Vote for me as Best Family Photographer!

2010-03-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

So, I've never been really into these 'best of' things, but then when I see the results it dawns on me that some of the winners are just the best marketers. So, time to turn on my marketing a bit and ask for you to vote for me as the best family photographer in the Bay Area Parent poll.

It's fast - you just vote for the topics you feel like.

http://bestofbayarea2010.surveyconsole.com/

After clicking on the link, click on the small 'continue' button on the bottom of the page to start the survey.

beautiful day for a party

2010-03-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

Maternity - future longhorn

2010-03-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

we go way back

2010-03-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

wow, the color looks off on this last one folks (bc it's compressed to a tiny file size).

newborns can be funny too!

2010-03-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

and now for the ones that make me laugh....

born with hair

2010-03-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

love the curls

2010-03-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

two shoots in a row with boys with great long curls.

Great Maternity shoot

2010-03-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

I love so many from this shoot, i couldn't choose just a few.

Catch the smile as you can

2010-03-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

I'm now offering photography lessons by the hour

2010-03-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

Photography Lessons: $100/hour

Due to numerous requests, I'm now offering photography lessons by the hour. Many people have bought the gear but now don't know how to use it or don't know the basics like f-stops, shutter speed etc. Others do know the basics but are looking for their specific questions to be answered and don't have the time for an 8 hour class or 4 wk class.

There are a number of classes around town and if you are interested in nightly classes or an all day class, I can refer you to some places in the area. As a mom with a working spouse I know it's hard to find time to go to the classes, get a sitter etc. So I come to client's homes (or a location like a park) and go over any questions you may have about photography, how to do basic shots, how to make your family candids better etc. Our talk will be tailored to your needs and your kids can be there as well (both for convenience and they act as great subjects). If 2 or more of your friends want to do a lesson together the cost is $75/person.

Nearly 3 months old and very happy

2010-03-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

baby boys

2010-03-01T23:31:00.000-08:00

I'm clearly obsessed with the mustard field

2010-02-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'll clearly be sad when the mustard is not in season...but until then, i'll shoot away.

It's spring!

2010-02-13T23:26:00.001-08:00

Celebrating Chinese New Year

2010-02-13T23:17:00.000-08:00

Simchat Bat

2010-02-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

...and just when you're looking for a sleeping baby pic..

2010-02-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

this baby did not want to sleep. That is, until i packed up my equipment to leave.

Pretty in pink

2010-02-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Mustard plants in bloom

2010-02-03T21:26:00.000-08:00

Gift Certificates

2010-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

My new gift certificates are now available. A newborn session is $200, family session is $400 or i can work with you to come up with a session and amount that works for your recipient.

Marcy Tivol did the design. If you need a great graphic designer, I can give you her info.

Maternity candids

2010-01-18T00:57:00.001-08:00

Photo tips

2010-01-17T21:40:00.001-08:00

I'm going to start sharing photo tips on facebook. So if you'd like to see some tips on how to make your pictures better, search for 'photographs by nicole' on facebook, or twitter.

Playful fun

2010-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00