Answers to questions about times and locations for Holiday shoots...

Why so stinkin' early?

So you want to know why on earth I'm scheduling shoots so early in the morning...?! No, I haven't cracked. :o ) The very best light of the day is just after sunrise, before 10am. Soft and pretty, few harsh shadows and believe it or not; once you get moving and out of the house the excitement of the shoot gets to you and "bright eyed and bushy tailed" DOES set in. I swear it. I'm truly not a morning person either so you've got to trust me... if I'm scheduling for such early bird hours it is really a great time to shoot. The photos will show that extra effort of hauling your cookies out a few hours early in the beautiful lighting and energy levels.

Tell me about the locations...

Aliso Creek Beach in Laguna is a lovely beach with great parking access and amazing blue-green water. Quick in, quick out, reasonable parking cost ($1 per hour) and beautiful background. Enough said.

Rancho Santa Margarita Lake- I love this location and have been shooting my family there for years. I shoot at the "back end" of the lake near the amphitheatre off of Los Flores on the opposite side of the shore from Santa Margarita Parkway. There is a parking lot at this end which is easily and directly accessible to the shoot location on the rocks near the water's edge. Here are some older shots from about where we will be shooting.

Above Portrait by Bob Ortiz

Refinery at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest... located on lower campus, it is an awesome lagoon like setting with pools and rocks on one side, green park like option on the other. Best of both worlds, I love to shoot there! Park in the park and ride to the bottom of the Refinery building if you want park like nature setting, and just adjacent to it in the upper Refinery parking lot for the more beachy, rocky setting.

Irvine Park in Orange... beautiful nature park setting in central Orange County.

Quick Q&A's:

Q: Will I get a CD of all of the images?

A: No. I have a lovely online photo gallery where you will have access to the 6-8 edited images from the shoot as well as access to view the remaining images. You may download the retouched images at will from the galleries. No CD's necessary. The gallery also has convenient online printing options right from the site if you don't want to deal with running around and printing them yourself.


Q: Will we look silly all decked out in our holiday best at the beach?

A: Yes and no. This shoot's feel is what you want to make of it and there's nothing wrong with green velvet on the sand. BUT I have found that the RSM Lake and Irvine Park lend themselves a little more to the more formal portraits and Aliso Creek Beach and The Refinery are a little more laid back settings. But remember, friends... this is California! We can get away with almost anything; so no matter the mood you want to convey... run with! Our out of state friends and family already think we're a little nutty so why not show off our uniqueness? Do what works for you. I'll make sure to take gorgeous images.


Q: What time should I arrive?

A: Because of the fast pace of these mini shoots, it is highly recommended you show up 20 minutes before your scheduled shoot time. If you are late, we cannot shoot longer in respect to the family scheduled immediately after you. 15 minutes is absolutely enough time to get some great family shots but the full 25 is optimal for you to get as much good stuff out of the shoot as is possible.


Q: My kids Cannot stay clean and unwrinkled for long... what do I do?

A: Again, arrive early and change your children into their clothing just before the shoot time so that their time is limited in the outfits you intend them to shoot in. It is important for you to be ready to start shooting right at your scheduled time, but hair and clothes can be adjusted just beforehand.


Q: What should we wear?

A: Whatever floats your boat! Jewel tones, blacks and reds look GREAT in almost any setting. White looks pretty but can wash you out. I've found that black against the ocean, lake and foliage just looks stunning!

I will address more Q's as they come in. Thanks for your interest!