Jennifer Bowen Photography » Engagement, Wedding, Portrait & Family Photographer // Scottsdale, Phoenix Arizona

If you follow my blog fairly consistently, you likely know these faces by now. These are my dear friends Shauna, Steve and baby Ella. I wanted to give them a thank you gift for allowing Jordan and I (and Chris for part of the time) to stay in their home during our week in Hermosa Beach last month, so we decided to head down to the beach one evening to take some family photos. Jordan and Chris tagged along and both had Ella laughing so hysterically in some parts that I told them both they were hired for all my shoots!

These were just taken when we were sitting outside one afternoon enjoying that fantastic California breeze. I can’t wait to late October when we see our nice weather return here in AZ!

I mentioned I had four shoots out in California prior to the San Diego wedding and wanted to start posting some images. We have been unbelievably busy since returning back in town, so my blog posts have been a bit sparse, but my goal is to have that change for the next several weeks. There is just so much to share and get up, so I’ll start with the Lammots!

You may remember this beautiful family from last year. The Lammot’s are friends from here in AZ, but they make it out to California every summer, so we were able to hook up again this year for some time under the Manhattan Beach pier. I love photographing this family because they are so laid back and just want to go out there, have fun, get wet, play and have me there to capture it. It was so great to see little Taylor and Luke again too – they are growing like weeds at almost 4 and 2.

Adorable little Luke – sooooo mushy!

Sweet Taylor giving her little brother a hug.

Chris used to do this with Jordan all the time too – I wish I had a shot of it!

Luke bailed out for this one, but the rest of the family looks great!

At two, he would much rather be playing in the sand than posing for pictures – understandably

But we did manage to get at least one of the four of them

The kids hated it when Dad kissed Mom! It was actually quite funny. Tears and screams started to ensure so we made sure not to do that again :)

Love this! Luke went to “kiss” Mommy and decided to take a bit out of her nose instead.

Thank you again Tom, Stacey, Taylor and Luke. You guys are the best and I can’t wait to see you again next summer, if not before!

Mullins are up next :)

Summer is almost here (at least in Arizona, where it’s already 95 degrees)! That means it’s time to head back to the beach and cool down a little.

I will be in Manhattan/Hermosa Beach, California August 10-17 and am now scheduling a few beach (or off-the-beach) portrait sessions for that week. If you are interested, please send me an email and we’ll get a session scheduled. Click here if you would like to view a slideshow from a family session last summer.

I will also be in San Diego the weekend of August 22-24 for a wedding and possibly available for a session or two down there on Aug. 25 or 26. If interested in a slot for those dates, just let me know and we can schedule! Here is another slideshow in case you like beach photos :)

On a related note, I will also be in beautiful Santa Barbara the week of August 18th for a super exciting retreat with my sister… more details coming very soon! We have something pretty unique planned for people seeking balance (literally and figuratively), creative expression, and goal realization. I won’t be doing any family sessions there, but I will share a good deal more about this in the weeks to come…

I mentioned I had a few beach sessions while out in California a few weeks ago. The Janssen family is one of my Year in the Life clients, but they are actually much more than that. I photographed Rachel and Kevin’s wedding a few years ago and then was delighted when they called me for pregnancy and newborn pictures. They selected the Year in the Life package where I document the child’s first life at different intervals throughout the year and culminate the first birthday with a custom designed album. It has been so fun witnessing little Ava’s first year. Since they had planned a trip to California during the same time we did, they thought it would be perfect to finalize eveything with a beach session. Here are a few favorites from our time at Hermosa Beach.

I also photographed the Hayes Family right after we finished the Janssen Family. Brooke and Aaron are good friends of Rachel and Kevin, in fact, Brooke was one of Rachel’s bridesmaids. Here are a few favorites from their session as well.

**Originally posted on my old blog here.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had some fun beach shoots while out in CA a couple weeks ago. Here are some of my favorites from my first one with the Lammot family. I have met them a few times before through mutual friends, so we really had a blast. They were completely willing to get all sandy and wet, in fact preferred it that way, so we were able to get some fun images. Tom is a surfer and grew up in southern CA like his wife Stacey, though they all live in AZ now, and so he was anxious to head out in the water with their 3 year old daughter Taylor (the “water baby”) and go swimming, which I loved for photos! They are a beautiful family in every way you can imagine.

Want to see more pictures? Click here to view the slideshow.