Baby Sister Is Coming - Family Maternity Photography at Stow Lake, San Francisco

Oh how special this darling family is to me. Any day now, Lauren & Matt will be expecting another little girl, and I'm so happy we were able to shoot these family maternity photos together at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. What you're looking at is a super mom, who shines beautifully through all the hard work and pain of building a new human whilst caring for another rambunctious &  intelligent tiny human (big sis).

I can't wait to meet the newest Van Horn... congrats L&M&S!

p.s. Yes, you've seen this gorgeous mama and her darling first-born before. Check out their mommy & me session that they gifted to Matt for a 6 year anniversary gift!

Sonnie & Vito's Family Maternity Session in Golden Gate Park's Stow Lake

At 35 weeks pregnant, Sonnie is glowing! She, along with her husband, Vito and their incredible 3 year old son, Xander visited San Francisco's Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park for a maternity photo shoot on a nice, typical cloudy day. The sun did sneak out once or twice as we strolled around the beautiful island, and we had a great time. Lots of love here! Congratulations, Sonnie & Vito on your growing family!

Natural Looking Speedlight Flash with Hafiza in Golden Gate Park

For a few months, I'd been borrowing a buddy's speedlight flash(es) and diffuser. I remember the first time I borrowed it -- I had no idea what I was doing and everything came out over-exposed, and it was intimidating to learn when I was so used to shooting with only natural light (don't worry, I still live by my reflector!). With time, I learned how to add a little light for some extra pop while still keeping the photo looking natural. So eventually, I purchased my own set!

Here's a little example of the same positioning of the model and camera with and without flash. Both photos came out nicely -- Hafiza looks beautiful either way. But I think adding some light draws the eye more to the subject.

Left: Off-camera speedlight flash. Right: All natural light.

Each of these shots below used my new wireless HVL-F60M speedlight triggered by an on-camera HVL-F20M flash. My friend, Jason assisted in holding the speedlight to either camera left or right, except for the shot where the flash is behind Hafiza in a tree. I should note that I find the line-of-sight to differ between the two HVL-F60M speedlights I've used. I'm going to keep experimenting.

If you're interested in seeing more of Hafiza's work in front of the camera, follow her on Instagram here: @hjnoorie. I'll leave you with a (natural light, higher shutter speed) shot of this jumping beauty. 

Nelson & Jennifer: San Francisco Stow Lake Family Photography

Quick #momlife story -- sometimes kids fall asleep on the car ride home, and it would be disastrous for all parties to wake your kiddo up. So sometimes, I drive to somewhere beautiful to enjoy the view and wait for my son to wake up so we can play. It turns out, when my little Noah woke up, we spent a solid few hours hiking around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park finding the best sticks to carry, the cutest flowers to pick, and generally just running around. 

Naturally, I had to suggest this location to Nelson and Jennifer who were looking for family portraits with their baby boy, Nicholas. There is so much love here -- you can totally see it, goofiness or not. :) Thanks for inviting me to capture these adorable moments, friends!

If you'd like to schedule your very own portrait session, send me a message here or email stephanie@marilee.co. I work within a variety of budgets and most of all, I love what I do. :)