When Alex called me to schedule a secret photo shoot of the kids for his wife’s birthday, I was like, “Yessssss!” A few times a year, I’ll be made part of a special birthday surprise, and they are just my favorite! We decided to do a brother and sister shoot at my loft studio in Midtown Sacramento. Dad was a superstar and brought a whole bunch of outfits to try and we just whizzed around the modern studio and had a ton of fun.

We have a bed in the loft which can be the perfect prop/background for fun playing sibling shots or soft and cozy newborn pictures.

Because the studio is flooded with natural light, we aren’t weighed down with big artifical strobe lights and can just travel around, taking pictures all over the place.  I love this modern Eames-style chair with her hot-pink polka dot dress.

And I can’t leave out the adorable belly-laugh tickles that happened that day. These two get along so well!

Things baskets are good for: keeping babies from running away, being giant teething rings, etc.

There’s that toothy grin! She is just the cutest!

Having done newborn sessions for both of these beautiful children, it’s so fun watching them grow and turn into their own little people. In the picture below and on the left, she is just so close to standing up and walking away, giving us the sweetest little scrunch-pose.

I just adore these children — thank you for letting me be a part of this birthday surprise!