Michelle Bellofatto Photography

Holiday Offerings 2011

 
Call or email me to schedule your Holiday Photo Shoot.  Can't wait to hear from you!

858.663.9796/michelle@bellofatto-photography.com

Chris + Sarah :: Married!

It was obvious from the beginning they were right for each other.  Not everyone is so lucky to have this kind of "instant" insight when it comes to their future spouse.

Sarah was my neighbor and I remember two things about her, one, she was often seen running, riding or doing some kind of exercise.  Two, I remember how much she adored her new boyfriend.

Chris and Sarah spent the majority of their courtship in a long distance relationship commuting from Seattle to San Diego and San Diego to Seattle.  They are both sports buffs so most of their time together was and is spent riding bikes, running, hiking or swimming.  They are a very "fit" couple.  There's no question about it.

When Chris decided to pop the question, he waited for the perfect rainy, windy day and took Sarah for a trail run in the bluffs along the coast in her hometown of Bodega Bay.  As they reached the top of the trail, they were soaked.  Sarah huddled behind a rock to take shelter while Chris got down on one knee.  I love this story!  Straight out of a movie.

I didn't have the opportunity to see Chris and Sarah together often while we were neighbors, but I will say it was beautiful to witness the love and appreciation they had for each other on their wedding day. 

Thank you for waiting F-O-R-E-V-E-R to see your Wedding Day sneak peek.  It was a blessing to be there to capture your special day.  Thanks for having Jamie and me.  xo

And without further Ado... Mr. & Mrs. London.

 

ISO 3200 2.0 1/25

Congratulations Chris & Sarah

Senior Sesh | Lizzy :: Class of 2012

Meet Lizzy.  Love this girl. 

I met the gorgeous Lizzy about a year ago when I started coaching her High School gymnastics class.  And oh what fun we have.  Coaching gymnastics brings out my inner-teen.  Tee hee. 

I don't get a chance to do many senior sessions, but each time I do, I feel like doing a happy dance. 

On a side note.  About eight months ago Lizzy and her parents were en route to visit her brother in Utah for the holidays.  It was December and the roads were icy.  Along the way the car hit a patch of ice and Lizzy's mom was ejected landing 80 feet from the vehicle.  She was life flighted to the hospital arriving with 25 fractures, a broken hip, laserated liver, punctured lung and a pretty bad head injury.  Doctors were pretty certain she would not survive.  Her story gives me the chills because to see her today you realize what a miracle it is she is alive.  Cheers to you Michelle!  You beat the odds and fought your way back to renewed health.  It takes a strong woman to do that!

I'm so happy Lizzy has her mother here to see her graduate from high school and to experience all the blessings she will bring to you as your daughter. 

Lizzy.  You are beautiful!  I know your life will be a success.  You have a confidence that is almost unheard of at your age.  Stay grounded in who you are and remember you are one of a kind. 

Love, Michelle.  xo

*If you're looking to do a fun senior session please contact me here- michelle @bellofatto-photography.com | 858.663.9796.

Lizzy with her mom.

Taylor Family | At Home in Connecticut

Let me start by saying I'm emotionally invested in this family.  It's been four years since our first meeting at a mall in Connecticut.  Us mom's on the go need our Starbucks from time to time and that is where we found each other.  :)  A blessing indeed.

When I arrived at the Taylor house I was not only excited to see the little people, but also elated to see the sun shining with no threat of rain.  I stepped into their beautiful home and was immediately greeted by their new black lab.  Not many people know this about me, but I get a bit nervous around dogs.  So we get in the door and I'm chatting (trying) with the kids, Sandra leaves the room and the dog begins to growl at me.  My first thought was, will the kids be able to protect me from this dog.  Hehe.  It makes me laugh now imagining these three little children saving me from their happy, playful, sometimes growling puppy. 

I really could ramble on and on about how much I adore the Taylor family, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

Notice the teeth on that dog.  Very scary.  LOL.

This one cracks me up!

The family photo started like this.... (love everyone's reaction to the unhappy family member)

Then they turned it into this!

And this!  :)

Playing in Dad's Jeep.

Things I L.O.V.E about this family:

• Addy's Brooke Shield's like eyebrows.
• That Roni always has a bruise on his head everytime I see him.  A sign of a "real" boy.
• Oldest son "E" reminds me so much of my Mason in personality.  Sweet, sweet, sweet.
• Love the shots of Sandra playing with her children.
• The dog shots with the children and how you just see a tail leaving the frame.

Bock Kiddos | At Home in Connecticut

After checking three different weather reports, I called Kerry to let her know we had about a two-hour window to get shots of the kids in the yard before more rain would arrive.  The yard was wet and mushy, and at times I felt like I was working on a slip and slide, but eh, it was summer and there was fun to be had.

Shortly after I arrived I could see the girls were a bit reserved about me being there so I asked to see their rooms and we had a little bonding time doing "girly" things and playing in their jewelry box. 

Last year I photographed these beautiful kiddos and I remember the youngest was very attached to mom and barely gave me a smile.  I have to say, what a difference a year makes because she was the biggest ham of them all this time around.

Here's proof of the smiles I got this time around.

The oldest Bock son painted this self-portrait and I thought it was awesome.

It all happened on a rainy Friday with the Faherty Fam

It's funny, every time I visit the east coast to work, I undoubtedly become obsessed with the weather.  On this particularly dreary summers day, I had planned to meet the Faherty fam at a beautiful park in Connecticut. 

In came plan B.  The weather was dark and drizzly so we moved our location to their home.  This way we could shoot indoors if needed.  Turns out we were indoors for a majority of the time shooting under the difficult conditions inside and out.  I'm not a big fan of the flash so I chose to shoot at a higher ISO and tried, whenever possible to get the kids near a window. 

We managed to make it outdoors a few times and thankfully we were blessed with a few minutes of sunshine right at the end of our shoot.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting this fun family for what became our third family photoshoot.  The kids were sweet, curious, energetic and I could have literally eaten them up!  Precious little beings.

Also loved how fuss-free mom was when it came to having her family photographed outdoors in the midst of "scattered" thunderstorms.  A little rain never hurt anyone, right?

Ryan and Carol, thank you, thank you, thank you for having me over to your home once again.

Enjoy your sneak peek.  Your proofs will be ready very soon!

xo for the kiddos.

L.O.V.E. these two shots!

For this one we locked the kids inside and I stood under the porch awning to captue them through the glass door.

Back indoors....

The Faherty fam is so popular in their neighborhood.  While we were outdoors the neighbors were arriving home and the kids were being offered popsicles and treats right in the middle of our shoot!  Who wouldn't love these adorable kiddos?

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th!  I took this image with my iPhone during a recent visit to New York City. 

Admittedly, I've become a bit obsessed with my new phone and all it's capabilities.

It was my 4th (no pun intended) year in a row photographing families on the east coast.  I've grown a bit attached to the little ones and their parents and really look forward to seeing them each time I visit.  There are plenty of pix to share.  Guess I had better get to work!

Have a safe and fun 4th of July!

 

Duong Family | A Spring Mini Shoot

I was introduced to the Duong family on the day of our shoot.  We did back-to-back mini shoots with the Tran family in which they are related. 

These guys were too much fun.  You can see by the images that they are fun people!  The boys were so relaxed and ready to try anything.

I'm adding this first image to my "favs" list. 

How gorgeous is Mom?!  Love the way dad is slyly admiring her from the corner of his eye.

The MEN.

Great meeting you Duong Fam!!  Thanks for putting up with me forgetting your boy's names.  Hehe.  Your proofs will be ready very soon.

Tran Family | A Spring Mini Shoot

It's always an honor whenever I get asked to photograph a family.  All the better when that family has a child in my son's class.  Mason and "S" have been in the same class since Kindergarten.  They are starting to look like "big" kids now.  Which kind of makes us mom's a little sad, but we know at some point we have to let them grow up. 

This sneak peek features a few of my favs from our Mini Shoot.  If you've looked around my blog you've probably noticed I post a lot of "candid" images.  I do always take a posed family image when I photograph families, but I just like images best when they capture the natural interactions of people they way they are at that moment.

Enjoy  your sneak Sean & Phuong.  I'll have the rest of your images ready very soon!

Family Time at the Park | A Spring Mini Shoot

I first met this fab family when the little guy was just 10 days old.  He was a captivating baby.  So alert and the eyes on that child were just amazing.  Still are.  Sparkly blue like his mom's. 

Thought it would be fun to post this mini sneak peek on Mother's Day.  This is for you Karen!  Happy Mother's Day.  xo

Karen's mom used to read this book to her when she was a little girl.  I love that she brought it with her.