“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” -Anonymous

Twins. If you are anything like me, just hearing that word raises your heart rate a little. I mean, I have a case of “perfectionism” pretty BAD, so any word that immediately brings images to mind of 2x the mess, 2x the diapers, 2x the feedings, 2x the dishes…well…raises my heart rate a little. But I will tell you the truth. Each time that I have had the opportunity to be around a set of twins, I can’t see them as anything but a miracle. Two babies that were knitted separately AND together, and will know each other better than I will ever know anyone. That is amazing. Breathtaking when you really stop to think about it.

Adam and Alex are two little guys that are just as sweet as can be with the cutest smiles you will ever see. I love the way they are the same but different and I can’t begin to describe how much that fascinates me. I remember that when Sarita was telling about how she read that it is important for parents of twins to see them as two individual boys instead of always seeing them as “the twins”, it really resounded with me. I mean, God tells us that we are each uniquely and wonderfully made, right? (Psalm 139:13-16) So as I spent time with these (stinkin cute) 6 month old boys, I was so excited to try and capture how they are given the miracle of being a “twin”, but how each one has his own little personality, likes, dislikes, smiles and laughs.

Sarita and Jason are just like you and I, when they heard the word “twin boys” that day of the ultrasound, I think their heart rate went up a little. But I have to tell you, I don’t know any two people better suited to have twin boys. They not only have a sense of calm and peace about them (even in the midst of a crazy photo shoot morning), but they also take such joy in how each little boy of theirs is so different and each still so perfect.

Okay, this photo above really cracks me up. The boys were not so excited about an early morning photo shoot when we started….and to me in this picture it totally looks like Adam is saying to Alex, “What did we get ourselves into here? Hold on brother.” I was dying with laughter when I saw this shot!

But we managed to get some smiles too….

Little Gap boys? No? YES. I am calling Gap today.

I don’t what it is about this image below, but it totally has my heart…I just love it.

Once we got the boys rested and inside ….their inner model came out! Their little smiles melting my heart.

Thanks guys for being so calm and flexible on our eventful morning! It is moments like that when I am encouraged and inspired by you. I can’t wait till next time!

“Beauty is not in the face;  beauty is a light in the heart.”  Khalil Gibran

In the last few weeks I have received two of the most incredible compliments I have ever received. Yep, I mean EVER received.  They were almost as nice to hear as the words “Will you marry me?”  They were the kind of compliment that  sits with you and warms your heart for days, no…WEEKS, after you hear it.  I feel like sharing them with you, not out of pride, but just out of thankfulness and joy. I simply love this job with all my heart and am so thankful God has given me the opportunity to do it.  And thankful for friends who encourage me.

One friend told me that my photography seems to reflect each family that I photograph.  That I seem to try and capture the essence of the family, who they are, not just what they look like.   I was floored when she said this.  This is something I think about before each photo shoot. Something I strive for.   It is so important to me to try and capture that for them.  Give them more then just a frozen moment in time, but give them an image that reflects how beautiful they are as people and as a family.  I am beyond elated to think that it might actually come through in my images.

The other old friend wrote to me saying,  it as though I control the shutter of the camera with my heart.   Even now as I type this, tears well up in my eyes and my heart thumps a little faster then it did minutes ago.  WOW.  How does one say thank you for that?

The truth is that part of the reason I love photography is that I love people.  I love everything about people.  I truly think that each person is beautiful.  And I truly believe that each person is just trying to make it and do something good in this crazy whirlwind thing called “life”.  I know some people might not agree with me, and sure when someone cuts me off in line and then flips ME off, it is hard to see their beauty in that exact moment, but it is there.   So to me photography is just a tool to use to try and capture all that is “us”.  All that beauty, both the external beauty and the beauty from the light in the heart.

So thank you so much to the two people who made my day, week and month.  Thank you for giving me encouragement, helping me to believe that I might actually be capturing something more then just smiling faces in each image that comes into my camera.  That I might be capturing moments, and people and all that is “us”.  Thank you.

And thank you to all of you who have supported Sundin Photography…making my dream come to be a reality. You are a light to me. You too are an encouragement and a blessing.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart to you all. Thank you.

Her personality right away captured my heart.  I often think that one of the challenges of email is that your tone and personality isn’t easily conveyed.  This was NOT true with Rikkie.  When I got Rikkie’s first email it was so perfect, so sweet, and so her.  I simply adored her right away.

But when I met Kevin and Rikkie and Hesh, it wasn’t the girl in the email, although I adored her, which I was excited to capture.  It was so much more.   It was THEM.  All of them and the “them” as a family.  Within minutes of meeting them they melted my heart.   I always ask new parents how they like being parents so far and I get a cornucopia of answers.  But I have never heard two people, without any hesitation, exclaim “WE LOVE IT!”  in harmony, the way Kevin and Rikkie did.  And it wasn’t as though they were saying that through the usual first-time-parent-exhaustion, they said it with fervor, with gusto; they meant it.  And it was so apparent every moment I was with them.  As Hesh climbed and rolled and smiled, they all giggled with joy. 

There is something I love about capturing families and this family embodied everything I love about it.  The way Kevin looked at her as though he cherished her.  Like newly weds, but with the added respect for who she is as a mother.  The way he slipped his hand around her waist like he never wanted to let her go.  The way she spoke about him, with respect and admiration for the the man he is.  The way they both looked at Hesh as though he was their heart right there, outside of their bodies. They are such a lovely family and I hope I was able to capture, at the very least, a small sampling of their radiance.

Thanks so much you guys for being beautiful inside and out!  I had SO MUCH FUN with you guys and was so honored to capture this special time in your life.

We got to start the session with some naked baby bottom time! Something about naked babies makes me smile. That coupled with Hesh’s incredible cuteness and giggles made me feel like I was in heaven!

Rikkie really wanted some pictures with Kevin, his laptop and baby Hesh. Since Kevin spends so much time on the computer for his job, it is a part of who he is… and she wanted to capture that. I just LOVE that!

The lighting in their home was SO SCRUMPTIOUS for photography, so I was having a blast making it my very own “studio”. Hesh complied by becoming the perfect little baby Gap model for me…

This beautiful family rests their heads in downtown San Diego, so after our indoor time we got to just walk out their door for my second….wait for it….A-mazing ”urban” photo shoot! It was so much fun walking downtown and finding warmth and beauty amoungst the sky scrapers.

Somewhere, at some time, a photographer had told Rikkie she was “stiff” in photos. Um. I beg to differ.

Dear Parents, when I say, “I know he is asleep, but can we keep shooting?” Say, “Yes!” How sweet is this little family moment?

I wondered if there would be that moment.  The moment when the groom looks up at his bride, the bride clutching her father’s arm in both joy and nervous fervor as she walks down the aisle looking at her groom, and the groom radiating with nothing but love and happiness.  I wondered if this would be that kind of wedding. I wondered if you would be able to feel the adoration and respect and passion and pure love between the two of them.  I wondered if  there would be all that, with only 7 people present standing on the cliffs of La Jolla to witness Lisa and Aaron joined as one. 

There was.  It was all there.  Every moment.

It turns out you don’t need the church or the hundred people or the elaborate candles and flowers and bridesmaids dresses to have a wedding that is exquisite.  To have a wedding that is brimming over with love and happiness and perfection.

When we met Lisa and Aaron for the first time, she told me that they were not those kind of people.  The kind of people who want a big wedding.  The kind of people who are stressed about every little detail.  “We are casual, relaxed people.  We just want a small wedding.”  And it was. And they were casual and relaxed people even on their wedding day.  And I cannot begin to tell you how honored we were to be there, to witness it, to be a part of such an amazing day and to be able to capture it for them. 

Aaron and Lisa, your day was just as flawless as I could have ever imagined it to be.  Your wedding was small, but it was lacking in nothing.   Your reception was filled with everything a reception should be filled with:  love of your families, excitement of friends, scrumptious and delectable food, glorious and stunning flower arrangements, laughter, hugs, tears of joy, and just a genuine warmth that filled the room. I now know how and why you are such warm, relaxed and casual people, because you are reflections of your families and your friends, all of whom made us feel so loved and welcome. Thank you for letting us be a part of that and giving us the honor of trying to capture it all for you. Many hugs…much appreciation…Ginette and Daniel.

Look how proud Lisa’s dad looks! I love that.

I can just feel the excitement and emotion here as Lisa hugs her sister and looks at her dad. I love that Daniel got this shot.

The “officiant” was John, Aaron’s best friend. Everything in this wedding felt so personal and intimate like that. It was incredible.

The glowing moms.

I love wedding details. Like that Lisa’s bouquet (as well as ALL the flower arrangements) was made my Aaron’s sister Trina. And that her shoes were pink. A-MAZING.

After the wedding we did the usual “formal” portraits…

Then we got to sneak away for some portraits of just the stunning bride and handsome groom. Those were the ones I treasured most from my own wedding and I was so excited to give that to them. First portraits as husband and wife!

After the ceremony Aaron’s mom opened up her home, the home Aaron grew up in, to host a slightly larger but still perfectly intimate reception for more family and friends. Every corner and detail in her home was the epitome of fabulous. LOVED IT ALL. Aaron’s family owns a floral company (Juniper’s  They do interior plantscaping services if you are in the need, and they are amazing people!) and you could tell, for the flower arrangements were simply gorgeous! Flowers graced every corner of the home, bringing warmth and joy to everything you saw. And like Daniel and I, Aaron and Lisa have a heart for great food. Lisa told us before the wedding that they were “foodies” and would love for us to take as many pictures of the food as we could. Since we also LOVE food and happen to LOVE food photography…this was a dream assignment. We were in heaven documenting all the DIVINE culinary display and heavenly floral arrangements. We snapped some shots other fun details too.

And instead of a fancy smancy wedding cake, Aaron and Lisa surprised all their guests with a doughnut vendor!! That is the best thing I have ever heard of! SO FUN!

I will end our post with a couple ring shots. I am not usually a wedding photographer, but I love when wedding photographers do the “ring shot”, so I thought I would try my hand at it. What better setting for the rings then food and flowers!

Thanks again guys! I hope you are having nothing but fun on your honeymoon!

I remember sitting on her bedroom floor, listening Green Day’s  album Dookie and talking about our crush on Brad Pitt.  There is something special about knowing someone from the time of childhood.  Something special about remembering all the “firsts” that we have shared over the years.  

Jen and I have known each other since the days of first kisses and first crushes and first boyfriends, and now we are sharing our first “mommy” moments.  And nothing delights me more.  I love watching her little girl grow, from perfectly knit by God in her womb, to brand new and beautiful, and now, these days, as she is just beginning to discover the world with her legs.  The best part about it all is seeing how much Jen and Jeff love their little Mallery.  Adore her.  To pieces.  As I did this photo shoot with them I got to see them look at her in a way that only a parent looks at their child.  I saw them look at her and was able to see the love rush into their hearts.  It is beautiful to see parents love like that. 

But as I watched them look at her, adore her, love her, it wasn’t love that came over me, it was thankfulness.  I am so thankful for the friend that Jen has been over the years.  Thankful that God has blessed us both with so many things.  And thankful that we still are sharing moments like these.  I can only hope and pray for our little girls that they too will know the blessing it is to have a friend that has traveled with them from childhood to mommy-hood.

Thanks you guys for an amazing time…for putting up with my crazy ideas and not screaming too loud at my crazy driving.  I had a blast!  All my love to you…

The many faces of Mallery

I brought some balloons as a prop cause I thought it would add a fun punch of color. It was so much fun to play with them and Mallery just LOVED them!

I think that it is hilarious that they are all making the same face here!