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.

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.

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.

Catching Up with Eli and Lilian

Some of you may remember twin babies Eli and Lilian, who we're photographing regularly so they'll have a full documentation of the early years.  I've been a little delinquent in regularly posting photos of them so here are some highlights from the past few months.  They've now become little people!

This photo is by Adm:

Baby Eli + Baby Lilian Round Two

Remember Eli and Lillian?  I had another session with them about a month after the first, and I'm pretty amazed by how quickly they're growing and developing into their own person.  I'm very happy to continually photograph them and can't wait to see how they change throughout their first year!

I love the leg-warmers and sandals!  So California!

Baby Eli and baby Lilian

Here's a break from all the wedding photos:  I introduce you to Eli and Lillian, six-month old twins.  Their parents, Hannah and Martin (who are our landlords) brought them to our house for the first session of many.  I'm very excited to follow them for awhile since they change so quickly in their first couple of years so be on the lookout for their recurring appearances on the blog.

I haven't done too many baby portrait sessions, and so I was a little wary of what I was going to be able to do with them, particularly since they're not quite strong enough to sit up on their own yet, and their attention span is still pretty limited.  However, we were able to prop them up for a few photos, and they were actually very accommodating models.  I love how Lillian's dress matched our bed spread perfectly!