Can Church Directories be creative?

We've been given the chance to do the photography and produce the new photo directory for our church, St. Juliana's in Fullerton. I'm so excited to take on this job! Every time I've gone through the experience of being photographed for our past church directories it was an excruciating process. I spent a lot of time shopping for the clothes, getting the girls' hair done, getting everyone there on time, only to be kept waiting with restless children and a restless husband. And then we had to go through a high pressure sales presentation with the restless girls and restless husband. The process was impersonal, rushed, with boring backgrounds & stiff posing. As a photographer specializing in families, I could understand how difficult the process would be for any photographer to try to photograph 500 families in 2 weeks. But there had to be a better way.

This time around, we bid on the job with the idea in mind that as a local photographer we can take the time to create beautiful family portraits by spreading out the photo sessions over a period of months, not weeks. A traveling photographer can't do that. Their schedule only allows for so many days for any given group. We're offering 4 different sessions to choose from, so that the directory will be visually interesting. We'll still offer the free session at the church, with a studio style backdrop, on assigned days with appointment sign ups at church. But we're also offering 3 upgrades for those who want a more personal experience for a family portrait.

A custom studio session will allow a calmer, more personal session in our Anaheim studio. A variety of backgrounds are available, the better to complement your clothing choice. A longer session without a line of people waiting and watching is a definite advantage.

A Park session is always a popular choice for families who like a more natural, less formal look for their portrait. We'll schedule certain days when we'll be at Acacia Park across from church.

A Home session is the ultimate custom portrait. We'll consult with you on the best location, time of day for best lighting, what to wear, and other details in planning your portrait. This is a favorite for families looking for a display portrait to hang in their home.

For information on prices for the upgrade sessions and portrait packages, call or email the studio. Whether you go with the basic or a custom session, you'll have a Reinbold Gallery portrait at church directory savings.

West Coast School

Terry and I spent the past week on the beautiful campus of the Universty of San Diego, where we were instructors for a course on basic photography for the professional. We had 16 students learning everything from F-stops to posing a group of people to business planning. It was early mornings and late nights, working lunches, and lots of shop talk. It was FUN!

To demonstrate working with children, the school arranges for "models" (usually the parents are friends of someone at the school). Our first few models went into hyper-mode when they saw a room full of adults watching them, and everyone with a camera. Just as I was beginning to wonder if we'd be able to pull off a really good shoot, one of our students asked if we'd like to photograph her husband and daughter. They weren't part of the school, they were locals in San Diego, and if we wanted to, they could come tomorrow for class. Oh, and by the way, she says, her husband is a Marine recently back from Iraq. With a baby daughter. A Marine in dress blues with a little girl. Oh my gosh! Are you kidding me? Get them over here, stat!!! So the next day, walking onto campus comes this handsome Marine, with an 18 month old with blonde curly hair. Thank you, God! Here are a few of the photos I got. Could you just scoop them both up with a spoon?

Katie's Graduation

The biggest happening in the Reinbold family recently has been the high school graduation of our younger daughter, Katie. We lucked out with a beautiful, cool day for the outdoor ceremony. I know I've said it before, but it's hard to believe how quickly the time has flown - and soon, she'll be moving away for her college experience in LA. At least it's just an hour away!

A touch of Hollywood

I love it when someone asks for something that makes me try something new - or in this case, something old. The classic lighting of Hollywood glamour in the 40's was very directional and crisp- something we try to avoid in modern portrait lighting. It can be beautiful, but unforgiving. Wrinkles and blemishes are nothing more than shadows, and with bold lighting comes bold shadows. But it was also beautiful lighting because it sculpted the face, bringing out cheekbones and strong jaw definition. When Maliha asked for Hollywood glamour with a sophisticated, alluring twist, I could see she'd be perfect for this kind of portrait treatment. Look at that skin and eyes! She's a beauty, and I'm happy to have had the chance to go back to the simplicity of classic light.

The Goldas

I had so much fun photographing two of the Golda siblings recently, in separate sessions.

Zack is a senior at Servite, and was chosen by his school as one of this year's Leaders of Tomorrow. He's been recruited by UCLA to play water polo, but he's not just getting there on an athletic ride. He carries a 4.4 GPA, and is a National Merit finalist. Oh, and my daughter Katie's boyfriend :) I photographed him at the school pool, where he swims on the swim and water polo teams. He also came to the studio to take some fun senior portraits- including this one that we applied some of our digital magic to. Play the videos below to see more from their sessions.

Then I got to photograph Zack's sister Natalie, who aside from being a newlywed, a water polo coach, and acting athletic director at Rosary High School, is an Olympic athlete. We were so proud to watch her and the women's water polo team take the silver in Beijing, after having won the Bronze in Athens 2004. She brought both medals in for her photo shoot - the only time I've gotten to see Olympic medals up close. They're heavier than they look! She was concerned that now that she's not training for team USA, she might look a little out of shape in her suit. I should be so out of shape! She looked great- and was a good sport even when I asked her to wet down her hair for some sexy looks. As it turns out, she's pretty used to wet hair.

C Puma Go!

Our dear friends, the Puma's, moved to Temecula several years ago. We still miss our Sunday brunch dates after church when our kids were small and the Jungle Grill was the place to meet! Now, Craig & Christy own The Bank of Mexican Food restaurant in old Temecula where the margaritas are great and Christy's flan is even better! We visited with them before the holidays, and had lunch at their restaurant before heading to the wineries for a little tasting and an update of their family portrait. Last time we photographed them, the kids were a lot smaller- but Craig & Christy have hardly changed at all!

We recreated the "walking" shot (without Christopher on Craig's shoulders), and then added in their Puma sportscar for fun. It figures they'd get a Puma- Kaylee's high school mascot is the Puma too! I guess they were destined for Temecula...


I love photographing on location- it adds a touch of realism and personality to a portrait.




Next time you're in Temecula- be sure to have lunch or dinner at the Bank of Mexican Food. Tell them the Reinbolds sent you- and don't miss the flan! I'm just sayin......

My baby's graduating!

As a photographer, I hear it all the time from parents as I'm photographing their children: "I can't believe how fast this has all gone!" I know this from having photographed growing kids over the years, and from firsthand mommy knowledge. My youngest, Katie is a high school senior this year! And I'm the one saying "I can't believe how fast this has all gone!" I'm not the only parent who gets misty eyed during a senior session- especially when the cap & gown goes on! Katie's graduation announcement and college choices are still in the future, but for now her senior portrait session was so much fun!

Click on her video to see what we're offering seniors with their portrait packages- their own music video from their session! And remember, if you or your child were photographed for the yearbook by us - or any other studio - you can still come to us for more creative senior portraits. Only the yearbook photo has to be taken by the school photographer. Come to us for portraits that will have you saying "That's so HER! (or HIM!) I'll keep the tissues handy!

Welcome Giovanni!

I've been so fortunate to photograph the beautiful Degenhart girls over the years, and even though neither one is a "Degenhart" any more, I'm thrilled to continue the legacy of photographs for their children. Giovanni arrived just before Christmas to Sarah, Chris and their daughter Sydney. He looks remarkably like his sister did as a newborn, and I had a little deju vu as they asked me to recreate one of the poses from Sydney's newborn session.



















Giovanni was such a willing subject (not a peep during the shoot!), and of course I took lots of photos. Here are some of my favorites in his music video below...