It's 11:11 on 11-11-11

And Happy 29th Birthday to my oldest son, Kelvin! We love and miss you mucho!!

Senior Sessions

I flew to California Friday, October 14 to do my nephew, Jesse, and his best friend, Travis' senior portraits. Not only did we have many, many places to choose from, we had a blast! They picked out a total of 5 different places to shoot over 2 days.

We started Friday night at a farm of Travis' parents' friend. Funny thing was, their friend couldn't understand what on earth I could find interesting to take senior pictures on a farm! I told him I was in a photographer's playground.

Here's a few examples of that 'playground'.

This is my nephew, Jesse:

This is Travis:

We were at that farm for almost 3 hours. And I loved every single second!

Saturday morning we got up early, went straight to Starbucks, 'cuz we knew it was going to be a long day. Grabbed our coffees and hit the road around 9:00am. Our first stop was Sonoma State University. Grabbed a few there before driving up to the wine country.

Jesse:

And Travis:

Next stop, Martinelli Winery.

Then Korbel Winery near the Russian River:

Finally, we ended at the beach in Bodega Bay. Waiting, and hoping for, the same sunset as the previous night. But it never happened. We got several great shots though, and warm weather to boot. Even though the fog hung around.

Many, many more pictures to get through. I'll have more on my website next month.

Sunday I was lucky enough to get back on that "playground" and grabbed a few shots of my nieces. Then Monday and Tuesday, up at Hidden Valley Lake, took a family portrait of my youngest brother and his family, and a fantastic 'country girl' shot of my niece in a pasture! Exactly what I was hoping to grab while in California. I'll post those sometime next month after I finish the seniors.

In the meantime, I'm taking off for another mini vacation to Washington, DC in the morning. I'll try to squeeze in a post about that trip as quickly as I possibly can.

Enjoy your week!

I've Added Some New Hats!

I'm finding that crocheting is relaxing after a busy day! It also forces me to take breaks away from the computer, which I need because if I had my way, I'd be on it until the wee hours in the morning. You know, this time management stuff is a little tricky! So, in the evening, when all is settled, I'll enjoy time with the family watching a movie and crocheting.

I've added some new hats, as well as hat and diaper cover sets.

All hats in my gallery can be made with any color combination upon request. And if you have any recommendations, send them my way. I'll do the best I can to create it for you. Thomas the Train and the Tiger were requests, so as they come, I add them to my collection.

Zaffiro Is Heading To California

I'm on my way to California today! I'm super excited about this trip because I will be taking my nephew and his best friend's Senior Portraits'. I cannot believe he's a senior already! Sometimes when time flies, it's not so fun. Especially when all those cute adorable little nieces and nephews grow up!

I'm hoping to grab some of my oldest, and other nieces!

I'll be back next week and post some pictures for ya!

In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!

Trip to New York

Last week I took a last minute trip with my husband to New York. I wasn’t planning on going, but when I heard the 9/11 Memorial was open, I thought, why not. I made the reservation and then went over the site online to find out more information on the memorial. Which I should have done before I made the flight reservations. Even though the 9/11 Memorial is a public memorial, you are required to have a pass (which is free, of course) to enter the site. They were “sold out” of passes through the end of September. I thought maybe I could obtain a pass when I arrived in NY, except by the time we arrived; it was “sold out” through the end of the year. So heads up – if you are planning on going to NY and you think you’re going to be able to get in the 9/11 Memorial – get your passes online super early!

Our trip this

Yo Gabba Gabba

ATTENTION: PARENTS WITH YO GABBA GABBA CRAZY KIDDIES!

Yo Gabba Gabba Live! will be appearing in San Antonio November 30th, Houston December 3rd and New Orleans, December 6th.

I am currently taking orders for my Yo Gabba Gabba crochet hats. Deadline to get your orders in and out into your hands in time for your area are as follows: San Antonio – November 2nd, Houston and New Orleans - November 10th. Any orders in to me after those deadlines are NOT guaranteed complete in time for the show.

You can email me at zaffiroimages@gmail.com to receive more information on how to order and make your payment.

Hat prices are as follows:

0 to 3 Months - $14.00
3 to 6 Months - $16.00
6 to 12 Months - $18.00
Toddler (up to 19" circumference only) - $20.00

8.25% sales tax and shipping additional (0-2 hats $5.00, 3-4 hats - $7.00, 5+ hats - $10.00)

Sorry, Plex (Yellow) is not available during this promotion.

Get your orders in early!

Justin's Session

A little over a week ago my youngest son, Justin, came up to me after a session and asked if he could do a shoot. Justin NEVER likes his picture taken. I have to struggle to get him to pose and then try to say something funny just to get him to break a smile. He’s such a handsome guy and has a fantastic smile; I don’t know why he’s shy about his having his picture taken. Here’s one I grabbed of him a few months back right before a client came in:

Meet Porter

After so many little girls this past summer, I finally booked a newborn little boy in the studio. I was excited to say the least. Meet Porter. Porter and his family came in for his very first photo shoot, and he was the perfect little guy. He was so tiny and so precious and just 7 days old.

I also took his sister Stori’s newborn pictures a little over a year ago. Even though it’s been a year, I was amazed at how big she is now! This was Stori:

And here we are with handsome Porter.

Thank you for the opportunity to capture Porter's first pictures! We had a wonderful time with his family. It was great seeing you all again, and meeting Porter.

Jayden's Trip to the Trains

I thought I would make Mondays my day to post something about me. Or my family, or travel, etc. I have it on my calendar as a ‘project’ to do for Mondays, and I do plan to stick to it! Sort of my forced time management. Ha!

It’s been a busy summer. Besides photography, I had my grandson visit for “35 days”, as he puts it. Trying to come up with things to do with a 5 year old when your summer is one of the hottest ones on record – days and days of 100+ degrees, and trying not to run out of things to keep him entertained, can be a challenge. It taught me several things: (1) make sure I’m in tip top shape to keep up with a 5 year old; (2) make sure I’m in tip

Meet Adorable Peyton

I realize it's been a month since I posted and shame on me. It's been just too busy with sessions, editing, blogging and both Facebook pages. I guess it's time for some time management training!

I've had several newborns in the studio but wanted to share an adorable 6 month old named Peyton.

Peyton came into the studio with her mommy, Amy, her Auntie, lots of props and ready for her photo shoot. Adorable as can be. Her Auntie did a great job entertaining Peyton as the session went on. I encourage my clients to bring props and was thrilled with Peyton's.

Here's a few of Peyton. Thanks Amy for bringing her in. I enjoyed meeting you all!

I'll have newborn up shortly. With all the little girls coming in, I finally booked a newborn little boy!

6 Month Old Session

I met the cutest little 6 month old ever! This is Jaxon, what an adorable little man he is. Sweetest smile in town too. We had a wonderful session, including his parents, Stefanie and Matt. It was great meeting your family, and thank you to Don and Wendy for a wonderful time at your home!

Adorable Addison

Another newborn session, this time with an adorable little girl named Addison. Her parents brought a saddle for one of their props. It was a bit tricky, but with Mom and Dad standing guard, we were able to prop her on there, get her comfortable and capture the shot. I hear when she grows up, she's going to get herself a sweet pony! How exciting.

Thank you Beth and Bob for allowing me to capture her first professional images! It was a pleasure meeting you both.

Sweet Olivia

An adorable sweet little girl named Olivia came to our studio for her newborn session. What a beautiful girl she is. Thank you Paula and Cody for this opportunity to capture her first images, and to meet you. She was just perfect!

Mr. Lukas

Lukas. My loyal, protective, intelligent, goofy, teddy bear lap dog. He’s also boisterous, strong minded and dominating, with Kali, that is. She’s our Silver Lab. He’s a true knucklehead, in a loving way. If you’ve never owned a German Shepherd, you’re missing out in a world of laughter. They are wonderful companions. His favorite games are football, playing in the water, tug-of-war with his rope, hide-and-seek, picking on his kitty-cat sister and taunting Kali. He loves to go to the field and just run himself crazy. He knows when I’m not feeling good, he’ll come over and lay his head down on my lap and give me those big puppy dog eyes. I broke my toe a few weeks back and he was right there walking slowly by my side, guiding me all the way. Well, until he steps on my toe with his 100lb self! Another thing he does that

*~*~*SUMMERTIME SPECIALS GOING ON*~*~*~*

Oh, it’s hot outside, but that don’t stop me from capturing families, seniors and kiddies having some fun in the sun!

We’re having our 50% Summertime Specials going on. They are as follows:

PORTRAIT SESSIONS

Portrait On Location Session NOW $175.00 - This includes a 1 hour on-location session for Families, Seniors and Children portrait sessions. Includes a CD of your images taken during your session. This special ends August 30, 2011 and you must book and complete your portrait/senior/children session before August 30, 2011. Location fees additional if required.

ARE YOU EXPECTING BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 15, 2011?

Sweet Pea Newborn Session – NOW $87.50 - This includes a 2 hour studio session of your newborn and a CD of your images taken during your session. This special is for newborns due now through November 15, 2011 and must be scheduled before July 31, 2011 to take advantage of this Summertime Special.

And if you LIKE us on FACEBOOK you'll receive a free 8 x 10 of your favorite image!

Contact us with questions or book soon at ZaffiroImages.com and remember to mention you liked us on Facebook for your free 8 x 10.

Images as Art

I have been working for some time on my art images. I have so many images, it's not funny. As many serious photographers do. Hard drives lining my desk saving each image. Sometimes I have a hard time deleting a duplicate image. So you can imagine if there are duplicates, why the hard drives are on my desk. My next project will be to

Jaydenism

Kylene picked up Jayden from daycare today. This is their conversation:

Jayden: Mommy, I can count to 10 in Spanish!

Kylene: You can?! Let me hear it!

Jayden: UNO, DOS, TRAYS, WAFFLES, CHEETOS, SAYS, DIETE, OCHO, NEW WINNERS, DIEZ!

LOL!

In The Middle of Nowhere!

I took a trip to Arizona weekend before last to visit two high School friends of mine. Peggy, lives in Anchorage but travels down to Arizona in the winter to run her horse riding business. Reta, lives in California. I seem to see Peggy every 2 – 6 years, depending on what’s going on and where we happen to be. Reta, I haven’t seen her in 31 years. So, in between ‘visiting’ Peggy, Reta and I were catching up on 31 years of life. We still have lots in common and our friendship picked up like it never left. We also pitched in and helped Peggy do some running around and moving items, as that was her last weekend in Arizona. She has a long haul back to Anchorage with horses in tow. A long haul I’d love to drive some day! I can only imagine the beauty traveling through Canada!

Being in the desert has it's perks and miseries. One perk was it's quiet. It's

Happy Easter Everyone

Hope you're enjoying this gorgeous morning with your families!

Thought I'd share some of my flowers blooming and goodies in my courtyard.

Happy Easter to my family, friends and clients!