Two weeks ago my family had the extreme privilege of having our Christmas photos taken by the lovely Chelsea, from Chelsea Giraldo Photography. Chelsea was advertising a mini session giveaway on her Facebook page a few months ago, and I ended up being a lucky winner! Due to Justin's Army schedule and Chelsea adding a new addition to her family, we could never figure out the right time to schedule a session. Luckily, this holiday season allowed for our schedules to correlate and we met Chelsea at one of the local tree farms in our area.

Right from the initial meeting, I knew that she was going to be a sweet photographer. She was extremely personable, super helpful with directions, and she was flexible about the impending rain we had all week. I was also impressed with how well she did with Ava bug. Our girl was in no mood to have her pictures taken that morning, but we still managed to receive photos with smiles and a happy Ava. She even captured some of the lifestyle photos of our sweet girl that just made my heart melt.

During our session, Chelsea continued to be efficient and helpful. She didn't make us feel overly posey, but she did capture the traditional Christmas pictures that my family always aims for. She brought cute little props with her that added the holiday spirits to our session, and I was very grateful for that (I spaced on bringing props to our session guys)!

After our mini session was over, Chelsea gave us a window of when to expect our photos. We definitely had a great family session with her, and I enjoyed learning about her passions for photography and motherhood. Since the Howland's are on the hunt for a new photographer in our area, I think it's safe to say that we have found her! Anyone that gets my husband to genuinely smile is a win in my book. If you are in the Auburn, Washington area, I highly recommend that you contact Chelsea to book a session. She delivered our photos in the window she anticipated, stayed professional through the entire process, and she gave us beautiful holiday photos that we will cherish for years to come.

I'm excited to book future sessions with her. Here's a sneak peak of some of the amazing photos Chelsea captured for us:

Happy Saturday all!

♥- Leilani

Jessica Oda Photography

As promised, here is a review of our experience with Jessica Oda Photography. We met up with Jessica at Golden Gardens in Seattle, and right off the bat, I knew that she'd suggested a beautiful location. Jessica was prompt and arrived before our session time even started. She was vibrant and full of smiles from the start; I just knew it was going to be a great session.

She immediately got down to business and started taking pictures of our sweet girl. Little does she know one of the first pictures she took, has turned into one of our all-time favorite pictures of Ava bug! She allowed us to do what made us feel comfortable, while giving us great direction for the pictures that had more of a pose. Justin liked the fact that Jessica was open to our ideas, and incorporated some of her own as well.

What I loved most was how she communicated with Ava. She interacted with her, talked to her, and she really did get some good smiles out of her. There were a few times were Ava was being a little stingy with the smiles, but Jessica worked through it and was still able to deliver awesome photos. Overall our session couldn't have gone better! She even did well with Justin going on about how  hungry he was, haha!

After our session was over, I was able to see a preview of the session that night. I'm a bit finicky when it comes to pictures of myself, but Jessica was more than understanding, and she wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the images she took. When I was able to view the full gallery of our time with Jessica, I was in complete awe! I couldn't believe how many photos were popping out for me. Tons of great material, and I really just couldn't have been more grateful. Take a look at some of the stunning images that were captured:

All in all I would recommend Jessica to anyone looking for a lifestyle photo session in our area. She's attentive, has a quick turn around time, and she's really easy to work with. I hope we are able to book future sessions with her.

Happy Sunday all!

♥- Leilani