Christmas Jammie Minis....Fort Bragg, CA...2020

Setting up Christmas sessions is some of the most fun I have all year! Last year I wasn’t able to fit them into my schedule, and I was just so sad, so I knew I wasn't going to let that happen again. I had big plans for an indoor setup this year, but because of COVID, I decided to forego that plan and reimagine the outdoor bed setup. I nestled the bed right into the redwood trees, and had a few of the kids that came believing that my kids liked to sleep out there all night! LOL…
I know it is now January, and most of us have packed up all the Christmas decorations and are on to a fresh new start, but I just have to share some of the adorable images that came out of the Christmas Jammie Minis.

Never stop learning! Spark19 Workshop...{Joshua Tree, California}

I love learning. I love meeting other photographers. I love nerding out on how to grow my creativity and my business. I love making new friends from all over the country. I love when photographers are willing to share their knowledge with each other.

I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit and headed down, on my own, to Joshua Tree for the very first time just a few weeks ago to attend the Spark 19 workshop put on by the fabulous Jolene Dombrowski. I was excited to learn from her, as I admire her photography style, but what I didn’t know going in was that she’s also a pretty cool chick and someone I’m so glad to have crossed paths with! I also didn’t expect to meet 8 other amazingly talented photographers and all around good people.

We had a few obsticals to overcome in our short weekend, like a misleading airbnb rental, rain which lead to a flash flood blocking our way back to the house, a shutdown of the national park… but in the end, the sun came out for the few hours of our shoot, the park was allowing people in to visit, and we all had a wonderful time, learned, connected, enjoyed, and got some amazing photos too!

Kylie...{Fort Bragg, California}

The stuff dream shoots are made of!!!

A beautiful, and super sweet girl, a fun puffy skirt, an amazing ranch, and absolutely perfect sunshine. Throw in some cows, and a pretty vintage chair and Oh.My.Goodness!

Tessa...{Fort Bragg, California}

My apologies, but this blog post is going to have LOTS of photos!!! This sweet girl just rocked her celebration session and I just can’t not share them with the world!!

If you don’t know Tessa, let me tell you, this little girl is so full of light, love, energy, smiles, and fun. She knows every single thing there is to know about My Little Ponies. She has awesome dance moves. She loves glitter and sparkles… And she spent the last two years kicking Leukemia in the butt! In fact, Tessa finished the very last of her chemo treatments just as she was starting Kindergarten last month!

Well, since September happens to be all about going GOLD for Pediatric Cancer Awareness, this golden, glittery session seemed like such a perfect way to celebrate such an amazing milestone for Tessa. Don’t you think? I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun we had! So much jumping, spinning, dancing, throwing glitter and confetti… at one point she was rolling in the glitter on the floor, trying to cover herself in it all. Now, what do we know about glitter??? Well, yes, it sparkly, pretty and fun, but it also NEVER GOES AWAY! hahaha! I imagine there was a trail of gold sparkles following her around for the rest of the weekend!

For anyone wanting to know more about Tessa’s fight, or donate to some of the organizations that have been so helpful along the way, here are some links for you:
http://www.lightthenight.org/someday-is-today/stories/tessa
https://familyhouseinc.org

Traveling Dress...{Northern California}

I was so excited to take part in my first Traveling Dress Collective project earlier this year. Eleven photographers from Northern California joined up, chose a beautiful velvet dress from Joyfolie and then created a schedule that allowed each of us 2 weeks with the dress to create some magic.

You can find the official blog post here: The Traveling Dress Collective

It didn’t take long for me to settle on the perfect Mother, Daughter duo to model for this session. I have photographed Holly before, and I know the camera loves her… and sweet little Cora, well she is just too cute, and such a ham!

The rest of the plan I wasn’t so sure about at first. I had been picturing a sweet mother/daughter session on the beach, but that dress wasn’t a beachy dress, and honestly, it was February, and it was cold!!! I decided on the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens instead, knowing without a doubt we would have plenty of beautiful locations to choose from there!
The session played out beautifully, and we had such a great morning wandering the gardens, and laughing at all the curious looks we were getting!

Ok, so, session was a success! But…we now had to keep the session Top Secret until…JULY!!! Yes, JULY!!! It was going to be SO hard not to share any of the images from what ended up being one of my favorite sessions to date! I edited them quickly so I could see the final images, then saved them to an external hard drive and tried to put them out of my head for 5 months. It was seriously a LONG 5 months!

Well, in that 5 months the unthinkable happened… I dropped the hard drive that held these amazing and magical images. I dropped it! It. Was. DEAD! (cue the tears… lots of them… possibly too many even!)

I tried every avenue to recover the images, but in the end, nothing worked. Thankfully, I had saved a handful to the cloud as part of another project I was doing, so I did have images to submit to the blog, but there were so many that I loved and couldn’t wait to share that were now gone. All I have left to share of some of my favorite images are screenshots from my Lightroom previews… so thats what this collage is, a collection of screenshots, BUT at least I can share something!

Z's Newborn Session...{Fort Bragg, California}

Parenting is no joke, when you have your first baby, you are hit with so many questions, so much that you are unsure about, and you are NOT used to the lack of sleep and constant care that is being demanded!  If its baby 2, 3, or even 5, you may feel a bit more confident in what you are doing, but you now also have other little ones to take care of at the same time, which is exhausting!   

Those first couple of weeks fly by so quickly.  Before you can even catch your breath, your sweet new baby has changed so much!  That is part of why I am always so honored to be asked to do a newborn session!  I know that things are so crazy in the beginning, and photos often feel like an extra at a time when there isn't much room for extras, but the memories we are freezing in time will be cherished forever.  

When this sweet girl came to her session, she was already so alert, and so interested in everything around her!  Isn't she just a doll?!

Little Red Car... Christmas Mini Session...{Fort Bragg, California}

I am so excited to announce my styled mini sessions for this holiday season!  I have the cutest little red vintage car lined up for us.  It will be topped with a flannel blanket and a Christmas tree tied on top, perfectly wrapped packages, and a few other adorable touches!

It is a one day only set up, so message me ASAP to reserve your spot!!  hello@stefaniarichelson.com

Miranda's Maternity Session...{Fort Bragg, California}

What a beautiful woman Miranda is, and what a fun, and loving couple her and Chris are!  Miranda came to me after being encouraged by a friend to take maternity photos.  It wasn't something she was planning on doing, and in fact, she giggled through the whole session about how cheesy she felt, lol!!!  Listen, I totally get it!!  Many of us aren't necessarily comfortable in front of the camera, and feel awkward when all the attention is directed right at you.
I think you'll agree by looking at these photos though, that she didn't LOOK cheesy or awkward, but instead was absolutely stunning in front of the camera, and that Fillyboo dress looked amazing on her!

Make sure you scroll to the bottom of the photos posted to catch a little peek at the slideshow from her session at the Ward Avenue access of Mackerricher State Park...

American Kids...{Fort Bragg, California}

Two years ago, I bought a giant American Flag.  Giant.  Its awesome!  
For two years I have had big plans to use that flag as part of an "American Kids" mini session setup, complete with a big barn and a vintage truck.  
And, for two years, the summer comes and goes without me making this idea a reality.  
This year is the same, but I was determined to use it, even if it was just for a quick session with my own boys.  Can I just tell you, I love how these came out!!  
If you want me to offer these as minis late next spring LET ME KNOW!  Leave me a comment on this post, or shoot me an email hello@stefaniarichelson.com

Blush Photography Workshop {Sutter Creek, Ca}

Hi, I'm Stefania, and I'm addicted to photo workshops...
lol... 
Ok, but seriously, I love them!  I love meeting up with other photographers like me who get excited to talk about things like light, wardrobe, styled photoshoots, branding, packaging... things that the "normal" people around me might mildly tolerate listening to me go on and on about.  I love watching other photographers shoot, I love learning from my peers, I love that I am (hopefully) sharing some sort of useful information with them... I love supporting friends I've made along the way, and I love that they are willing to share so much knowledge with those of us who haven't been in the photography business as long as they have.
And then... when the workshop is being held at a private home that looks like a castle, AND has legit carnival rides set up on the grounds... I mean, how does one resist??  Angie and Amy did such a fabulous job styling the shootout at the end of an amazing day spent discussing the business side of this creative field... Check out some of the super cute images I was able to take!

Amy's Ice Cream Stand...A Magical Moments Session {Fort Bragg, California...Children's Photographer}

Think back... Way back... Keep going...
Ok, stop there.
Right there, when you were in elementary school.  When you could pick up a stick and it would be instantly transformed into anything else.  Maybe it was a sword, and you were a brave knight.  Or it was a fairy princess wand and you were the magical fairy princess.  Or maybe it was a wizard's wand, a guitar, a witch's broom... How amazing was that stick to YOU?!

I bet you see your kids doing those very same things.  At least, they are for now.
Tell me, when did your imagination start to take a back seat?  Did you even realize it happened?

The imagination of a child is a magical place.  It's one that disappears without us realizing it, too.

Let's savor this moment.  Let's capture their magic, their sparkle, their creativity.  Lets reach into their little world and bring it to life!  Let's capture their wonder, their whimsy, their JOY with a Magical Moments Session!

These special, and personalized sessions take time to plan.  Somewhere around 4-6 weeks to brainstorm, create, and gather everything we'll need to bring their dreams to life.  Let's get to work!

Color Chase Challenge {Personal Project}

In February of 2017, I joined a group of photographers in a fun challenge to look for a different color to photograph each month.  Well, as things go, February came and went without one RED photograph taken.  When March arrived I was ready to jump in.  I have to say, while it has been a very fun project to be a part of, it wasn't always as easy as I had expected it to be!  Over the year (plus a bit) I participated, I watched it grow from a group of 5 or 6 of us, to a facebook group of close to 800 members, and an Instagram Hub with over 1500 followers!  What a cool thing to be involved in!

Now, I followed along diligently through 2017, starting with Green in May, then Pink in April, Rainbow in May, Yellow in June, Blue in July, Aqua in August, Purple in September, Orange in October, Brown in November, Gold in December and White in January... and then February rolled around again (this time with PINK as a prompt again) and I missed it.  February was surprisingly busy, and my focus wandered on my very last month of the year long challenge.  BUT... because we had so many people join the journey along the way, we are still going strong.  I jumped back in with Green again in March, Yellow in April this time, and Gray for May.

One of the really fun things that came out of this larger project, was my year of French Macaron photographs I compiled.  In those first few months I just so happened to pop into Sweet Affair and choose the appropriate color macarons for the month.  I discovered that it was oddly enjoyable to photograph those yummy treats, and so my own smaller challenge of including macarons in every month began too!  The last image in this post is the final collage of the 12 different colored French Macarons the Brittany so expertly creates in her amazing shop!  

Well over a year later, I'm still following along with the project, and truly love being a moderator on the IG hub along with so many inspiring and talented photographer friends, however, I'm not focused on filling a grid these days.  I'm just enjoying the process of looking for and seeing in color much more than I used to!

Christmas Mini Sessions {Fort Bragg, California}

Yes, I know it is the end of February.  Yes, I know Christmas was 2 months ago!  But, I had to blog some of the adorable shots that came out of my outdoor Christmas mini sessions last year.  The kids were so cute, they deserve a place on my blog, even if we are creeping up on Easter by now, lol!

I truly love photographing children, and setting up styled sessions is so much fun for me.  I'm always dreaming, thinking, planning different ideas for sets that I could bring to life for the little ones. Did you know, I don't only do them for mini sessions?!  I would LOVE to set up a session like this that is customized for your child.  A session that captures what is special to them in this moment of their quickly changing lives.  Maybe its trains or unicorns, superheroes, mermaids or pirates.  Maybe its outer space or race cars or ballerinas or flowers.  Maybe its skateboarding or puddle jumping, or reading or science or baking.  Maybe its a favorite character or animal...

Anyhow... If you have an idea for your child, email me!  Lets work it out together!  My email address is hello@stefaniarichelson.com, you know, incase you didn't want to go looking for it ;)

Kylee {Fort Bragg High School}

I need to jump back a few months and blog this beautiful girl's session!  Kylee and I had such a great time capturing her senior portraits out at Spring Ranch in Little River.  I love the slightly rustic feel out there with the old barn, the open field and the old fence... oh how that makes my heart happy!  Funny thing is, when we were talking before her session I could tell she was a little nervous, but, seriously... you'd never know that by looking at her images.  She totally rocked her session!  Don't you agree?!

Jazmin {Fort Bragg High School}

I couldn't have loved Jazmin's session any more!  Such a beautiful lady, and so sweet too!  She and I met out at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, along with her mom and her adorable little sister.  We spent the afternoon searching out one beautiful location after the next for her senior portraits, and even grabbed a few shots of her with her sister.  I hadn't shot at the gardens before that day, but I've definitely been back since!  There are so many unique places for photographs there, and it may just be one of my favorite places to shoot now.  Well, aside from the beach, of course!

Click Away 2018 {Amelia Island, Florida}

Earlier this month I snuck away from Fort Bragg for a weekend and traveled all the way over to Amelia Island, Florida to the ClickAway conference.  I met up with some photographer friends I've made along the way, and made plenty of new ones too.  While I was there I was fortunate to take classes from some of my very favorites, and shoot along side them as well.  I put together a small sampling of the beautiful images created that weekend.  I cannot wait to get back out to our own beautiful Mendocino County beaches and create beautiful images around here!

Hautala Family {Little River, California...Family Photographer}

This family.  I mean, what a fun group of people they are!  We had such a great afternoon running around the field and barns at Spring Ranch in Little River a few weeks ago.  I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you all here!

Christmas Minis... Now Booking! {Fort Bragg, California...children's photographer}

I let you guys know these were coming, but were you ready for this???  I am so excited to be offering these adorable mini sessions for the first time this year.  Milk and cookies, in a fluffy, comfy bed, outside against a backdrop of redwood trees... You just need to bring along your kids dressed in their festive pajamas and I'll make sure we have fun capturing a few images to kick of your holiday season!

When: Saturday October 21
Details: 20 minute session for up to 4 kids
Price: 4 digital images to download $80
          8 digital images to download $150
          12 digital images to download $200

Email me at hello@stefaniarichelson.com.  $80 due at time of booking to reserve your spot.

Sand & Surf Beach Minis {Fort Bragg, California...Children's Photographer}

The Sand & Surf Mini's were such a success!  Styled sessions are one of my favorite things to do.  I love creating a whole magical experience for these kids, and am always so excited to see their eyes get a bit wider, and their smiles a bit bigger when they see the set for the first time.  

I'm working away on the set for the Christmas minis this year, and I cannot wait to reveal it to you guys!  For now, I want to share just a few of the images I was able to capture on the beach this summer.

Lily & Pealer {Fort Bragg, California...portrait photographer}

For a beautiful girl who happens to be an amazing barrel racer, some fancy photos with her horse are a must, don't you think?!  I sure do!

I have to say, this session was just amazing!  Together we planned the cutest outfit, I mean, girly lace, a flowy skirt, a flower crown and some for real, broken in boots... perfection if you ask me!  Feminine but still a little bit tough.  We did share a few laughs as we tried to keep her spurs from catching the hem of her dress while we walked around MacKerricher State Park though!  

Even though Lily isn't actually a high school senior yet, wouldn't these make awesome senior portraits for the horse riding girls graduating in 2018?