These Prather kids... they seem to grow up right before my eyes! Especially the twins. It's so much fun to photograph this family as they grow and change and discover more about the world and one another. Each of these awesome kids is a tornado of energy and personality, and the last two are TWINS (which is, like, energy squared). When we planned the family's annual photos, we decided to try something new and head for the Santa Monica Pier on a Sunday evening in November.

​Rather than work against the crowds, we decided to work with them, creating little oases of family connection in the midst of the bustle of the pier. Games, ice cream cones, climbing onto and over and through everything. I'll be honest: family photos at the Santa Monica Pier aren't for everyone. It's a little chaotic and at least two people will wind up in tears, usually at exactly the moment that everyone else is smiling. Someone will fall down, someone will wind up with chocolate all over his or her face. But if those are the photos you want (and if you scroll down you might decide those are exactly the photos you want), a set of family photos at the Santa Monica Pier just might be the wild circus ride you're looking for. 

The Steinbacher family has a new baby in the house! Meet little Rhett, who arrived a few days early because he just couldn't wait to meet his big sister. We snapped these photos at home, with Rhett at 11 days old. Perfect timing for (mostly) sleepy snuggles with some open-eyed moments. 

Photos at home are a great way to have newborn pictures made, because everyone is most comfortable and you have all the gear you need in case of a baby pee puddle. I recommend snapping newborn photos when Baby is 6-10 days old because newborn skin is still perfectly smooth with no breakouts (common with newborns). 

Pepperdine University is a world-class institution nestled on the coast of Southern California. Students in Pepperdine's undergraduate and graduate programs may have sweeping ocean views, but it doesn't stop them from studying for the many rigors of their academic courses.

This photo shoot took place on campus at Pepperdine's Malibu campus and at various Malibu landmarks. 

The Horn family planned a beach vacation and thought ahead... to beach family photos! The Horns are expecting baby #2, a little sister for their son, and they are SO excited to welcome a new little one into the world. 

We met at El Matador State Beach for some family and maternity photos, snapping a mix of candids and posed, laughing and connecting and appreciating the sunset as the sky turned gold and then pink and then blue. 

Mel and Mitch are best friends for life and they're making it official on 10-10-2020 (the greatest date of the decade), so they decided to commemorate T-minus-one year with an engagement session at the beach! These lucky Canadian out of towners nailed it with their easy-breezy beachy vibe and their in credible on camera chemistry. 

"Santa Monica Proper introduces a looser kind of luxury to Santa Monica. Here, along sun-drenched Wilshire Boulevard, within walking distance to the beach, each of the 271 rooms, suites and spaces successfully optimize the city’s abundant ocean breezes and natural light, while the interior design finds inspiration in the organic tones and textures of the local coastline. Santa Monica Proper beckons guests with the only rooftop pool deck on the Westside, a one-of-a-kind setting that includes a Balearic restaurant, bar, and cabanas, where guests are front-row for sunsets over the Pacific; meanwhile, the landmark restaurant, Onda, marks an iconic collaboration between James Beard award-winning chefs Jessica Koslow and Gabriela Cámara." Read more about the incredible details of Santa Monica Proper on their website (and check out more photos below! 

Ben and Nicole's backyard wedding in Malibu, California, was just the right combination of everything. Just the right amount of indoor furniture moved outside, so guests would feel at home in the flow of the indoor-outdoor space. Just the right amount of seasonal flowers and grasses, adorning tables, chairs, and peeking out from behind lanterns as though they grew there. Just the right number of well-wishers, all hand-picked by the bride and groom and their families to symbolize their past and future together. Bride (Nicole) got ready at the home, which belongs to the groom's (Ben's) father, surrounded by her sisters, future in-laws, mama, and beloved dog, Snoopy. Once guests arrived, they found their seats amid the welcoming embrace of a hand-built teepee, bedecked with grasses and flowers. Ben and Nicole's ceremony was filled with happy tears, remembering loved ones and looking forward to many years of shared joy. Afterward, we snapped a few more photos in the nooks and crannies of the backyard as guests sipped cocktails and shared delicious bites. 

This is how much Katie and Doug's people love them; literally none of their guests live in San Francisco, and yet, when they planned a wedding in the city of the Golden Gate, over a hundred people flew in from across the country and across the ocean (Brad's Aussie!) for the celebration. With so many fun-loving (and sort of jet-lagged) people in town, Katie and Brad's wedding was a weekend-long series of festivities, complete with a rugby match at a pub the night before, loads of opportunities for sightseeing and hiking in the morning, and a picnic in the park the day after the wedding.

Unexpectedly, San Francisco's signature fog layer lifted right at sunset, allowing us a window of time for gorgeous (and windy!) couple photos in between the ceremony and the reception at SF Film Centre.

VENDORS
Photographer: Cecily Breeding (that's me!) 
Wedding coordinator: Kayla Teague // kayla@simplygorgeousevents.com // 571-246-1074
Getting ready: Inn at the Presidio
Ceremony venue: Chapel of Our Lady
Reception venue: SF Film Centre
Food/Catering: James Standfield Catering
DJ/Music: Heart of Gold DJs
Flowers: Bell & Trunk
Cake (Pastries): Gerhard Michler
Dress: Shareen Bridal
Hair and Makeup: Edward Joseph Plata and Amy Galibut

Pepperdine University's campus in West Los Angeles gives students mental and physical proximity to the futuristic energy of silicon beach, LA's tech hub. Though it's a stone's throw from the bustling 405 freeway, the West LA campus is an oasis where students can clear their minds and devote time to their studies and development.

These images are a new set of print and digital stock for the business school's marketing library. 

Pepperdine University is a world-class institution located on the sunny shores of Malibu, California. In order to tell their story well in print, social, and other digital outlets, Pepperdine's business school marketing team put together this fun sunny photo shoot in Malibu, complete with some hilarious, stylish, and oh-so-authentic talent.