We met this warm and happy family out at the park in Chula Vista for their Christmas photos last weekend.  Here’s a quick sneak peek.

On Saturday we visited San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park for a morning session. The Bronson’s are a fun family that clearly enjoy each others company.  These kids are confident and playful.  We had such a good time running through the halls, checking out the fish in the pond, taking a break for oranges and crackers, and enjoying a beautiful day.

In between the rain this weekend, we were able to get out to Powerhouse Park in Del Mar for a session with a beautiful family.  This is one of those sessions where we take WAY too many photos.  These boys were so much fun to work with. They had tons of energy.  We got to play and run, jump on the grass, roll in the sand, and simply have a great time.  Here’s a quick sneak peek for Gina and Mark.  Many more photos to come….

Last shot of the night while we were sitting around talking….

Here’s a sample from our photo shoot last weekend.  We love these people.

The Leeper family is one of our regular customers.  We’ve had the chance to do their family photo sessions several times and Dallas’ senior photos too. Last year, many people in Chula Vista mourned their departure when they moved to Missouri.  On their vacation back to sunny San Diego this summer, they made time for a quick family photo session. For us, it was a blessing. We love spending time with the Leeper family.

Thanks again to the Leepers for a fun time.

Seaport Village is such a cool little place.  We usually don’t do much shopping there. Sometimes we will eat a meal, but we almost always grab some ice cream.  This last trip was to take photos of a wonderful family. Chris contacted us a few weeks ago with a plan to surprise Susan with a photo shoot gift certificate for Mother’s Day. her birthday.  She’d been hinting (not so gently) that she wanted some photos of the family before Chris’ next deployment. We had a great time walking along the waterfront, relaxing on the grass, and watching little Anabelle smile.

Over Easter we had a chance to hang out with my sister and her family visiting San Diego from Sonoma, Ca. As always it was great to see them. The kids are getting so big and we value the time with them. While they were here, we decided to head over to the park for some updated family shots.

Do you own a DSLR but feel lost in how to use it? Still trying to figure out all the functions? Wondering why your photos never quite turn out the way you see them through the lens? Want to learn to take amazing photos of your kids and family?

Our 4-hour basics workshop will help you feel more natural with your camera.  We’ll teach you how to capture those amazing everyday moments.

This workshop will cover what you need to take advantage of your dslr including:

Camera controls: We’ll talk about lenses, program and scene modes, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings to get those really amazing shots.

Photo Composition: We will spend time on basic composition rules and when to break them.

Lighting:  Photography is about lighting. We’ll discuss how to shoot in different lighting situations and how that impacts the overall image.

Hands-on: We want you to actually use your camera, so we’ll spend lots of time practicing the information above.

Snapshots and beyond: We’ll tie all of the above concepts together and discuss turning everyday snapshots into images that tell the story.

WHEN: Saturday, April 9, 2011 2-6pm MAY 14, 2011 (new date)

WHERE: Montevalle Park, Chula Vista

HOW MUCH: Cost is $99 which includes the 4hr class, detailed handouts to take home, and lots of fun! Class size is limited. Please register right away.

WHAT TO BRING: DSLR camera, notepad and pen, desire to learn, and a smile.

For more information or to enroll, please email Julia or Jason at info@schaferphotography.com

“Julia!!! Julia!!! JU—LIII– AAAA!!! Come here!  You HAVE to see this!”

That was my first response when I saw the email from Mike and Tim from MyHometown Magazine about shooting the cover-story about Jagger and Kristi.  “Wait.” she said.  ” THE Jagger and Kristi?”  Yep!  That’s them.  Morning DJ team on Magic 92.5!

MyHometown magazine was doing and article on couples working together and Jagger and Kristi were their first choice. (I’m sure they wanted the Schafer Photography team of Julia and Jason as the cover, but doing our own photo shoot would have been difficult— just kidding).  The idea of this shoot was even more exciting considering the New Year’s resolution that Julia made last year to “photograph someone famous”.  Needless to say, we were nervous and definitely excited about meeting these two.

The magazine needed a few shots of Jagger and Kristi at the studio so Julia met up with Mike from MyHometown one morning while they were on the air.  Jagger and Kristi are well known San Diego radio personalities. If you’ve listened to their show, you know that they are a relaxed couple who like to have fun. They really do care about each other deeply and it’s evident in the way they look and listen to each other.  They are a down-to-earth couple who are fun to hang out with and easy to talk to.  Despite their obvious success, they are very humble and simply enjoy what they do.

Later that week, we met them for a more casual family session that included their wonderful dog Bodie.  If you haven’t read the article, please go check out MyHometown’s February issue here.

As Julia and I know first hand, working with your spouse can be the most rewarding thing in the world.  We get to create something together.  There’s something wonderful about working together on a shared interest and common goal with the person that you love that is hard to describe.  And while it isn’t always easy and we don’t always agree, the respect we have for each other’s ideas and creativity helps us prevail.  In the MyHometown article, Jagger says that he and Kristi have fun on the radio and have fun when they are not on the radio. “What more can you ask than to have fun with the person you are with.”  Julia and I agree.

Thanks again to MyHometown Magazine for letting us be a part of this special issue.  And another special thank you to Jagger and Kristi for a fun time!

PS – If you haven’t joined us on Facebook yet, click here to see our page.

I love to hang out with kids. They bring an energy and unpredictability to photo sessions that is unmatched.  This often makes parents anxious and nervous, but we’ve learned that it can also add fun and laughter.

This family is in the process of leaving San Diego and while we (and many others) are saddened by the loss of frequent contact with them, we are also excited for them to be on a new adventure in northern California.  These four will always hold  special places in our hearts.  We met them several years ago and have photographed them on numerous occasions.  We’ve played at the park, the pool, and at taekwondo.  Our kids have become close with their boys.  This family feels good to be around.  We love their connection with each other and their openness with others.   They are generous, loving, and strong in their faith.

There comes a point when you feel comfortable enough with someone to ask them personal questions.  As we are walking back to the car, one of the boys looks at me in the eye, and with a completely straight face asks me. ” Mr. Jason, Can you make fart noises?”  I responded with a resounding:  “As a matter of fact, I CAN !!   Julia’s look of warning stopped me from demonstrating my skills in this area.  (Here, pull my finger.)  However, we did discuss the methods and strategies for making the most effective and realistic sounds. There may have been some rolled eyes and head-shaking coming from my wife, but I chose to pretend I didn’t see it.

This  family loves to play and loves to laugh. We all had a good laugh about fart noises.  Photo sessions can really be fun.

I love how the boys are so comfortable with each other (above).

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