…to end the year than with a fantastic maternity session. My very last session for 2010! It was just perfect. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the parents-to-be were so adorable together. I was reaaaally ecstatic that it was so gorgeous outside….the sunset was phenomenal and I thought it was so perfect for them…since they’re both from Hawai’i, it’s only right to stay true to their roots with a sunset beach session…although, LA sunsets cannot compete with Hawai’i sunsets – this as as close as it gets :) And, as I often write on my blog, one thing I love most about what I do is getting to meet such great people…and making connections with them. I lived in Honolulu as well (my dad’s side of the family is from the Big Island), so I’m always stoked when I meet my fellow Hawai’i peeps! So now, on to the photos. I think my faves are the last few…and the very last one shows how lovely the sunset was that evening. Thanks to mother nature for clearing away the clouds 20 minutes before sunset!

…mama to be is hot! Lookin’ fierce in her third trimester – very saucy and pretty as can be. She’s spunky, energetic, upbeat and positive — just the type of person I love to hang out with! We got along so, so well — it was as if we’ve known each other for years :) Though it was cloudy on the morning of our photo shoot, mommy and daddy to be brought enough fire to keep warm (how cute and in love are they?!) Plus, just look at Bruno, their first baby – he is seriously the sweetest doggie ever! He’s going to be a wonderful big  brother to buttercup. I’m so excited to meet her in a little under a month (or sooner!)

…mama! Hello gorgeous mommy-to-be :) Thank you for going along with my railroad track idea…and for not thinking I was too crazy as we strolled through the alleys looking for run down buildings and cars!

…third trimester! It’s clear that this lovely mommy-to-be is not letting the third trimester fatigue get to her! Many moms out there will probably agree – that during the last trimester you’re tired, swollen, hungry, and lacking energy for just about everything (with me, I was so tired I didn’t even want to wear make-up, a very scary sight, indeed – plus I was so swollen it looked like I was drinking salt water all day). But this lovely lady is just stunning during the home stretch of her pregnancy…Sweet, funny, energetic & just all around awesome. She’s due any day now, and looking totally beautiful.

Our goal for this shoot was to get some awesome sunflare…so we scheduled a sunset maternity session….I really love sunset sessions for pregnancy photos. There’s just something so magical about the golden light just before sunset..as it casts a warm glow over the pregnant belly. It’s really fantastic. I was very much looking forward to photographing this pretty mama! So after two weeks of waiting…and over an hour of driving for mommy and daddy to be, we meet up at our spot and guess what? It’s so, so, so cloudy. The clouds were completely blocking ALL of the sun’s beautiful rays :( I was so bummed, so bummed. BUT, because it was cloudy, I was able to capture the blueness of the sky and got the first shot below. Which has got to be one of my favorite maternity photo ever. I love it so so much :) As if it’s not enough to get to photograph her twice…I also get to photograph her baby’s birth…and then have a newborn shoot!  I <3 my job.

…that their baby is going to be quite the looker! I’m pretty certain of this. Just look at momma-to-be…in her 3rd tri, and still smokin’ hot! We had an awesome little maternity session…but what I enjoyed most was getting to know her and daddy-to-be just a bit more, since I’ll be photographing the birth of their baby very soon! I’m so, so excited! So here are a few sneak peaks from our session – sorry it took so long!

….for words. Is she not just the prettiest pregnant woman you’ve ever seen? Obviously glowing…and seriously beautiful. Extremely natural in front of the camera….and so easy to photograph! I’m *guessing* that her baby is going to be equally gorgeous…I’m sure he’ll be a handsome little stud!

…if I could look like this the next time I’m pregnant, I’d want to stay pregnant forever. I guess I wouldn’t be the only lucky one, I’m pretty sure my better half would be very stoked, too – a sight for sore eyes, indeed. I had an amazing time shooting this maternity session. Not only is Iris extremely beautiful, but she’s so so sweet & so so cute – especially when she smiles and laughs, adorable! She’s one hot mama-to-be!

Hello! She sooo rocked this pregnancy shoot – she was posing, moving, totally open minded to my ideas! When clients are open, it really maximizes the benefits of having a custom photography session. These are the types of sessions that get me hyped up – excited – inspired! This is why I LOOOVE what I do…getting images like these. I think I get just as excited as my clients do about the images from our photo session!

And wowsers – I don’t think I need to explain much for this image:

So, it may look like we took a trip to the mountains, but we were actually just down the street from her house. It’s a hidden Los Angeles gem :) I loooved the droopy trees, wildly overgrown plants….and to make it even better – the sunlight filtering through the trees as it set was perfection. It was ideal for me – a sun flare junkie – I just love sun flare any time and all the time…morning, sunset, and even at high noon!

More flare….and my intentional out of focus shot (thank you to amazing photographer, Michele, of PinkleToes who was my inspiration for this shot) – I just love how it creates a soft silhouette of her beautiful belly.

And what better way to end a maternity session than with a little break on the lovely green grass :)

I’m clearly a sucker for colorful photos…but sometimes black and whites just get the message across more effectively. This session was so inspiring. Embracing natural light, shadows, angles…truly captures the miracle and beauty of the pregnant form.