JULY SOUTH BAY SUMMER MINI SESSION SPECIAL {Manhattan Beach Photographer}

Summer has arrived in the South Bay! The gloom burns off just a bit quicker, the evenings last a bit longer, ice cream tastes the absolute best, and the kids are home enjoying their time off.  Whether your kids are in school locally, or have left the nest but have come back for some lounge time between college classes, this is the perfect time for some family portraits.

For the month of July, we can schedule a quick 30 min family session on location at the beach, park or lounging at home. The session is $250, you will receive your choice of 15 full resolution images via my cloud site to print and share as you’d like.

Sessions can be on location at the beach or park, or at home in the South Bay (LA not SF, those specials will come soon!), and is limited to Family or Kids sessions only. Not for commercial sessions (headshots are considered commercial).

Sessions are best reserved in advance as the mini sessions book quickly and please mention the South Bay Summer Special Mini Session when booking.

I look forward to seeing you this summer!

Elena’s stunning Maternity Session {Manhattan Beach maternity photography}

I met with Elena and Kris on a super windy day in Manhattan Beach for her maternity session. This is their first little one, a girl(!) and they couldn’t be more excited. They decided that while on a baby-moon in the South Bay from the east coast, a little photo session would be a fun and beautiful way to document their trip. Elena even did some shopping at the fabulous boutiques of Downtown Manhattan Beach and picked up this stunning dress for her session. She wore it beautifully and to my surprise and insane joy, she was willing to get right in to the water! Oh my goodness, this is defintiely in the top 3 favorite maternity sessions in the 13 years of my career!

 

 

Oh Summer {Manhattan Beach photographer}

I am the worst at keeping up with the blog!

Here we are, already in August, how quickly that happens!!! I hope you’re enjoying your summer, the long hot days, and the wonderfully warm nights too. I hope you’ve had amazing adventures with your family and friends, I know I’ve had some amazing times with new friends in the wilderness, and enjoying time exploring locally. I even had the opportunity to foster an energetic kitten for a little bit while he recovered and learned how cushy life can be indoors.

I know we’re only in early August here, but I know some of kiddos are getting ready to go back to school, parents are rejoicing, and the routines of ‘regular’ life will soon be back.

For me in photography, this is the time I start to look forward to the holiday season (and every year it never ceases to blow my mind! I’ve been doing this for 12 years, and every year, it’s “the holidays are only 4 months away! WHAAAAT?!?).  I am beginning to think about locations for photo sessions, and I began thinking about some of my favorite locations around the South Bay.

I have lived in the South Bay of Los Angeles for over 4 years, and I fall in love with the Manhattan Beach pier with every shoot .

The pier itself lends for pretty architectural lines both underneath as well as while serving as a backdrop. Under the pier at sunset has some of the best lighting around, especially when the sun sets right through the opening….the reflections at low tide make for amazing details, and even in winter, the water lapping at your toes is incredibly refreshing!

I’m sharing some of my favorite images from previous photo sessions at the Manhattan Beach pier. If you live anywhere near, it’s pretty much a requirement to have your portraits taken there!

Well, hello there! It’s been too long {Manhattan Beach photographer}

It has been an embarrassingly long time since I’ve posted anything. Poor blog, neglected, left dormant for Instagram (@juliavargaphoto)….but I’m back! I’m back to share with you some love!

It’s been a wonderfully busy year filled with lots of families, babies, toddlers, weddings and even commercial work! I thank the universe daily, and my lucky stars that I am so fortunate to do what I absolutely love. Does that sound cliche? It shouldn’t, and if it does, I don’t care. It’s true.

Any work day that ends with me getting my toes in the sand and taking a knee high dip in the ocean, is a pretty awesome day at work.

Since being in the South Bay now for a few years, I’ve had many sessions at the Manhattan Beach pier, and each time I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s pretty much an obligatory photo session for families that live in the South Bay, or even if you’re not here, come down anyway; it’s magical at sunset…especially in the winter. Yes, it may be crowded at times. Last year during the holiday photo season, I counted 13 photographers at the pier, with 13 families all taking their holiday portraits. While you may not think that it’s so unique at that point, it is. Each photographer has their own style, their own way of capturing images. And honestly, I love being surrounded by such creative professionals who manage to create amazing images when we’re all elbow to elbow working. It’s actually pretty amazing to watch too, the dance the professionals do to make sure they are engaging their clients (especially the kiddos) while making sure their exposures are correct, composing an aesthetically pleasing image, making sure their backgrounds are uncluttered, and not being in another photographer’s shot. It’s wonderfully chaotic magic!

And here’s evidence to what a great afternoon can be like at the Manhattan Beach pier.