Introducing Bryant and Dylan!

When Adm and I first moved to Oakland five years ago, I didn't know much about some of my relatives on my dad's side of the family who lived up here.  I felt a little apprehensive meeting family for the first time in my twenties at a birthday party in Oakland's Chinatown.  After all the milestones we have since shared it is fun to look back on what it first felt like to meet them.  I am so lucky to have been accepted  as a part of their family with open arms.

So, without further ado, I give you my cousin, Yen Yen and her husband Davin's newborn twins, Bryant and Dylan.  The sleepy baby is Dylan, but you have to give him a break because he is a growing boy.  It was a lot of fun photographing my brand new baby cousins, and I am sure that there will be many updates on their lives along the way, just as we have followed their parents.  You can see Yen Yen and Davin's engagement session here and their wedding here.

Ms. Lily Bo

When we arrived to photograph Adm's niece Lily, she was wearing her Cinderella dress and playing with her dad, Adm's oldest brother Aaron.  Lily is four, and "a big girl now" she will be happy to tell you.  Her Golub traits were quickly made apparent as she cheesed for the camera, ready to pose and smile from ear to ear.

Adm and I had a blast chasing Lily around the house taking her from one type of light to another.  As you will be able to tell from the photos, she is an overabundance of joy.  Right now, her favorite thing is Rapunzel and she kept saying she was having the best day ever.  Even if she was just quoting the movie, we'll take it! (Photos by both Adm and me)

Eli and Lilian

Here's the latest set of images of Eli and Lilian.  I photographed them at Lake Merritt in Oakland, and enjoyed taking pictures at the perfect time of day (just before sunset).  They're getting pretty big and were scooting around on their little bikes.

Chow Family Photos

Last week, Adm and I had the pleasure of photographing the Chow and Liu families!  They're actually all my family so it was a fun excuse to see them and photograph them all together, a rare thing since half of them live on the East Coast.  We had three generations, my auntie Shirley and her husband, and their three daughters with their families, including 7-week old Kayden!  We started at home before heading to La Cuesta Park in Sunnyvale, which I discovered is a great spot for family portraits!  There's a great playground, redwoods, grassy hills, and blossoming trees all in the same park!

Above photo by Adm.

Above photo by Adm.

Don't forget that we're having a special rate for family portrait sessions booked now through Saturday, April 30 where we'll be donating 50% of all proceeds to the Japan relief effort.  You can read more details here or contact me directly to book a session at alison@alisonyinweddings.com.

For Japan with Love

Utterly Engaged and Ever-Ours came up with a great way to help the disaster relief effort in Japan.  They are fundraising for ShelterBox.  ShelterBox was one of THE first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake.  Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.  You can donate HERE.

They're also encouraging a "Bloggers Day of Silence" for Friday, March 18, as a way to raise awareness and respect and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.  With this in mind, I will not be blogging tomorrow.

Also, remember that Adm and I will be donating 50% of all proceeds from family portrait sessions booked now through the end of April to the disaster relief effort in Japan.  Initially, we were thinking we'd donate to the Red Cross, but since checking out ShelterBox, which is doing great work, we're not so sure, and so are open to suggestions.

Here is some more information:

Family portrait sessions are $300.  This includes up to an hour and a half of photography at a location of your choice within the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles and Orange County.  Family sessions can include babies, children, adults, parents, pets...  You can also purchase this as a gift for someone else.  The session only needs to be booked by the end of April, but not necessarily scheduled within that time.  To reserve your session, a deposit of $150 (which will be sent to Japan) is required.  You'll receive a CD of 40 high-resolution images that are ready for print in both color and black and white as well as a private online gallery good for three months.  Please email me at alison@alisonyinweddings.com with any questions or to schedule your session.

Below are some of our favorite family session images:

Eli, Lilian, and Raising Money for Japan

It feels so strange blogging such happy, innocent family photos when there is so much tragedy and strife in the world right now.  However, when you look at these family photos, it makes you realize what's important is family.  We have been photographing Eli and Lilian since they were six months old, and when I think about that, I also think about the families around the world who won't get to have those memories with their family anymore.  It is my hope that in this time of loss, we can all cherish our families and what we have with them a little more.

To help with the relief effort in Japan, I will be donating 50% of all proceeds from family portrait sessions booked now through April 15 to the Japanese Red Cross Society.  You can contact me at alison@alisonyinweddings for more information.