Photography by Arika Reed

My Life: April, 2011

arikamarie — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:44:29 +0000

Guess what?! I’m caught up on client photos. I don’t think that’s EVER happened before! As an unexpected change, I actually sat down to look at some of my own photos and thought about creating a post of significant pictures from 2011. Well, I started looking at April (because apparently the first few months of the year we were way too boring), and decided maybe I should go month by month.

Being a photographer, I have more than a few pictures from each month. I mean hey, if I don’t have pictures of it, it didn’t happen, right? Here’s April:

My daughter at her dance recital…

Roaming around Old Town:

My sister and her family came to visit:

And my daughter cut her hair so she would “look like Mommy”:

Bakke Family, take 2

arikamarie — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:37:10 +0000

Happy Valentine’s Day! I thought a session with tons of family love was appropriate for today. You may recognize Robin and Jackson from last month (remember the baby in the stocking?), and boy do those babies grow fast! It was wonderful meeting the other half of the family and I just love these joyful photos!

The Gehmlich Family

arikamarie — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:02:27 +0000

I love this family. In fact, they are extremely close friends and my dearly missed neighbors from the grad school years. It was a pleasure to photograph them “officially,” although I must admit, taking pictures of my friends is extremely intimidating. (Especially when you know they’re picky) It turned out our session couldn’t have gone better, and my favorite part was seeing the true love that Ryan and Andrea share and how much they cherish their kids. I adore the collage below that simply shows them as they are- enjoying each others company and just enjoying life. Thank you Ryan and Andrea!! Enjoy the photos.

In Love with Love

arikamarie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:41:24 +0000

I love every one of these photos and I’m so happy that I get to capture Laura and Alan’s upcoming wedding day! As you may be able to tell, we had a great time, and these two just may be the cutest couple EVER. Enjoy and Happy Friday!

(Did you notice their hands make a heart? Totally unintentional, totally meant to be.)

Life as Art

arikamarie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:12:02 +0000

Sometimes I like to take a meaningful moment out of life…..

and immortalize it in a work of art:

Does anyone have any real life moments they consider “movie moments” or “works of art” snapshots stored in your mind? I have several. And I like that.

Isaac turns 2!

arikamarie — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:53:57 +0000

Have I mentioned that one of the true joys of my job is that I make friends with my clients?! If you’ve followed my work for a while, you’ve probably noticed Violeta, Ryan and Isaac grace the pages of my website once in a while. It all started back in Summer of 2010 when Violeta saw my flyer by the community laundry room (I knew there was a reason I went through all that effort!). Remember this from July, 2010?

Well, Isaac has now reached the milestone of age 2. I was VERY tempted to complete this whole session using only grumpy pictures; you know those squirmy and headstrong ones you get from children of this age? (All of the pictures I have of myself and my daughter when she was this age involve me smiling and trying to give her love, and she, in turn, is looking less than thrilled*.) It’s a beautiful time to remember. Besides, we’re friends now, right? I’m pretty sure they would forgive me.

Violet was pretty sure we didn’t even get 1 good shot, despite me telling her that he was one of the best 2 year olds I have ever photographed. Again, although I’d love to do an entire session emphasizing that “terrible 2″ myth (it’s really terrible 3′s, I’m convinced), I couldn’t resist all these cute happy ones. Besides, I thrive on proving people wrong. Be sure to scroll all the way through these. My favorite set is the bird attack at the very bottom. One sure-fire way to make a kid sad is to take away his cookie….

P.S. Do you want to know a secret on how to make a toddler smile?

Bring a grandma. Grandma’s are magic.

* See, parents? I know how you feel. (There’s a whole series of these and her face never cracks a smile.) I should have brought a grandma.

Sneek Peeks for January Sessions

arikamarie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:10:50 +0000

Hello there! I am in the midst of finishing my business taxes (due tomorrow), but will soon be posting all sorts of fun. To see what’s coming up, here are some sneak peeks. Sit tight, they’ll be up soon!

Pelicans in La Jolla

arikamarie — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:46:46 +0000

Yesterday was “Professional Growth Day” at my daughter’s school. This was for the teachers of course, as no one can achieve professional growth with their kiddos home. (Or CAN they?) I’m sneaky, and after using the morning for a french toast lesson, I brilliantly suggested tide-pooling.

Camera in tow, we left for La Jolla; home of the tide-pools. Well, I didn’t bother to check the tide schedule and got it all wrong, but we had fun nonetheless, looking at the pelicans and the huge waves. We also checked out Cabrillo to get use out of my pass, and my little girl was able to watch a video of all the creatures the pools could potentially hold.

The tide was still to high, but we did get some great pictures. Now if I could only find someone to hire me to take pictures of pelicans all day. Any takers?

Just for me

arikamarie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:12:46 +0000

Comfort and Joy

arikamarie — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:44:31 +0000

What a better way to perk up this gloomy day than to post a session with an insanely cute and cuddly baby?? Robin has waited ever so patiently while I completed my last session of 2011 and I am very excited to finally post her pictures. Little Jackson was so tiny; we even fit him in a stocking and a football helmet! Enjoy!

P.S. I LOVE monster hats (as you all know).