Amy Sandoval Photography

Sandbridge Vacationers

I've lived here all my life, so it's great to interact with families visiting the area. This session was shot in Sandbridge for a family visiting for the week. What a gorgeous and photogenic bunch!

Hope you enjoyed your trip to Sandbridge! Your online album includes lots more choices and will be ready soon!

Love their family shot in black and white - so classic.

Mom and daughter are beautiful together. Love how the white building in the back gives it a slightly old-fashioned feeling.

They were so good about having their photos taken - each one of them. Love those baby blues on each one!

    

The Simplicity of Three Months

This little guy is three months old. I discovered that I really enjoy photographying this age - it's less about props and more about just getting the details of their ever-changing faces and body. And those great, gummy grins have to be captured, too!

I got to know him while doing his mom's maternity session - well, I didn't get to know him, exactly! And then I did his newborn photos. Here I am, back again, with adorable previews from his three-month session. He has amazing blue eyes and a smile that just can't be beat!

Looking forward to seeing him again for the six months session. He changes so much each time! For his mom and dad: Here are sneak peeks - your online album is almost done, too!

Hitching a ride on mom's shoulder and looking at the strange lady with the big attachment (aka camera!) on her face!

Mom began knitting this blanket while he was still in her tummy. It came in handy during the session and the blue was just right with his beautiful blue eyes! This one is one of my favorites, too. I just love the look he's giving me!

Mom knows just what to do to get a gummy grin!

Big sister - who he really favors when I look at the photos closely - was just waking up from an afternoon nap and joined the fun. She's beautiful, too!

Caught a quiet moment on dad's lap just as I was wrapping up the session. Love how content they each look. 

   

The "Beat the Heat" College Graduate Session

A couple of weekends ago - specifically when it was hitting near 100 degrees for several days - I had the pleasure of photographing a college senior. We hit the downtown Norfolk area to capture a cool and somewhat masculine backdrop. He stayed cool and calm throughout the shoot - making my job easy.

And since I don't often have the opportunity to linger (photographing children requires speed as a technical skill!), he was kind enough to let me do a few "fun" shots, using my wide angle lens and experimenting with the light. Here's one such fun shot:

Congratulations and best wishes on all you pursue!

Here's your sneak preview - lots more to come in your online gallery!

 

The session that was re-scheduled and re-scheduled....

Last fall, I tried to get in a beach session with this family. I was only about 1 minute away from Little Island Park in Sandbridge where I shoot beach sessions, when it began to spit rain. Time to reschedule the session. We repeated this several more times in 2007 and 2008. Finally - a couple of weekends ago - we got the session in!

The session was squeezed in among several others, so I am more than a little behind posting their sneak peek - but the good news is that their online gallery will be ready soon! So, to my patient friends, here is your sneak peek!

Couldn't decide if I like this one better in color, or black and white, so both choices will be available in the online gallery!

 

We included the lifeguard stands in this session - and one of the best parts about the stands? Jumping off them, of course!

Something a little different...different types of photo processing are "in" right now - this happens to be one that's pretty popular. Faded colors and darker tones are added along with contrast to give the photo a retro or aged look. I really like how it looks on this photo.    

Fall 2008 Session Update

I can't believe school is out and summer is here.

It's barely summer but it's time to talk about booking your FALL session! Fall sessions book up far in advance. If you would like a session in October or November 2008, contact me right away to schedule it. I am now full for September and I won't be booking any sessions in December. I hate to turn away clients because I'm booked, so if you're thinking about a session, drop me an email or give me a call.

I have holiday card options available year-round and have already started designing Christmas cards for some clients.

Time flies!

Session with a Three-Weeker!

I recently enjoyed shooting a session with a precious nearly-three-week old baby girl. It's always an adventure photography babies - an adventure I really enjoy. The theory in photography-land is that babies sleep through sessions the best when they're very young, a week or two old. But I've photographed two babies who were three weeks old and several who were much younger, and the three-week-old little guys seem to be the best sleepers for me! This little one slept through most of the first half of her session. Then she decided to stay awake for a while.

The trick is to put away the camera. Then they fall fast asleep! I brought the camera right back in and we got the photos that mom had really been hoping to capture - the baby fast asleep and hanging like a little monkey on a tree in dad's arms! They won't have anything to do with it while awake, but when they're asleep - they are happy as little clams to do all the fun poses!

To the new mom and dad, congratulations! Here are your sneak preview photos - your online gallery is almost ready too!

Little sleepy smile!

Some of my favorite newborn shots involve the "baby in bowl" part of the session. We got lots of cute ones of her sweet face but I had to show this one. I love this shot for that little foot casually propped up on the edge of the bowl. I had to get this one lined up just right! Mom and dad will see the view from the other side, but this is the "public" facing side of this particular photo. :)


This photography stuff is so boring!


I wanted to get a few shots on the front porch because we were shooting at the home the new mom grew up in. We got just a couple in before it was feeding time! I used texture on this one - texture is very "in" these days and I do use it when I feel a photo calls for it. Clients always have to choice to go with or without it whenever I use it.

I get the best session dads! I love this one for that very masculine, tough tattoo and the sweet, softness of his beautiful daughter curled so carefully in his arms. This wasn't posed, and that's one of my favorite things to do as well - catch some of the moments as they are happening. Mom was preparing to feed her and dad was on duty - made for a memorable photo.

This is one of the more challenging shots to get - as mentioned above, they need to be deeply asleep to cooperate. But when it works, it's wonderful - and mom and dad will look back on this one in just a few months and remember how tiny she really was!

Three Generations Beach Session

I am so excited to share this particular sneak preview. The sweet little girl was one of my first clients and her mom (on the right) is a wonderful friend. We had a great time at the beach - for this session my friend's mom and sister joined her for a three-generation shoot. They are all so beautiful inside and out. Here's your sneak preview - your gallery will be ready very soon - there are lots more where these came from!

The black and white version of this one really pops, too!


Gorgeous mom and daughter.


Can't believe she's almost 6 - practically grown up!


Another photo of my friend's gorgeous daughter - here she is holding her friend "Insy." She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was two. Her life includes multiple shots and insulin checks a day - they have managed it with amazing grace. Last year, she became one of the youngest children in the Hampton Roads area to go on an insulin pod (different from an insulin pump) - now, at nearly six, she is going strong and the pod is a major step forward. She has to have insulin pod changes every few days - she is holding an insulin pod here in her hand - her grandfather began making little animals out of the old pods when she first began her journey with the new pod.


A close-up of "Insy" in her hands.
      

A different kind of beach session!

Just wanted to share a few personal photos of a different kind of beach session! I was off on Friday and took Olivia to Little Island Park in Sandbridge. It was too cool to really get in the water, but perfect weather for sitting (or in Olivia's case, running, jumping, leaping, sprinting, etc.) on the beach. Here are a few photos of our relaxing getaway:

Olivia loves to pretend to be a dog. Specifically, she calls herself a "Tooshi dog" - yes, sounds like the word some people use for the posterior or "peaches" as we call them. I don't know where she got the name "Tooshi dog" but it's become a household name around here. And just wait until you hear the low moan of a howl the Tooshi dog makes when she is abandoned by family and is left alone (one of the scenarios Olivia has made up for the Tooshi dog - whereby she gets in the den cabinets, shuts the doors and howls - her howl is the funniest thing I have heard lately). So, here she is as the Tooshi dog:


I watched her watching the waves. She'd hike her little cover-up up her legs in anticipation of the water coming closer.


In action! Love the reflection of her body on the sand and the way she's still running on her toes.


Running. Non-stop. That's half of what she did on the beach - the other half of the time she was piling up old seaweed. Note the hair in her face - the normal state of things.   

Family Beach Session

This family of four came all the way from Poquoson for their beach session at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. We gathered in the quieter and beautifully lit mostly-locals section of the beach. This is a great time of year to shoot beach portraits - not too hot and not too humid. I had a great time keeping up with the two adorable girls who were ready to hit the water the moment they hit the sand!

Here's your sneak peek, mom and dad - enjoy! Your online gallery will be ready soon.

I love the traditional dune photos but mix it up a bit by getting the water in the background.


I love how the older daughter is leaning on mom here - with her hand on dad's shoulder. All sessions include both color and black and white options - and clients can also request certain color shots be converted to black and white. Some photos, like this one, just naturally convert beautifully to black and white.


The light on the dune near sunset is one of my favorite things about this particular spot. Her red, white and blue really pops against the neutral natural tones behind her.


The wind in her hair and a smile on her face - she's adorable!

There's a classic old-fashioned quality to this photo that I love.

Age three is one of the more challenging ages to photograph - my own daughter refused to have her photo taken from about age three to four! This adorable 3-year-old gave me just a few opportunities to capture her sweet smile - here she is just a moment before making a move!

Working with children is a great reminder of the little details in life that we adults take for granted. The girls were mesmorized by ladybugs on the dunes - and I'd never even noticed them there before. Mom captured one on the bend of her wrist for her daughter to investigate.
      

Hurrah! Featured in Joshi Camera Magazine

I was asked back in January about permission to publish some photos in this beautiful Japanese photography magazine - Joshi Camera. How thrilled I was to receive a copy in the mail a few weeks ago and to see my photos in print! My daughter Olivia - up there with one of our cats - was very excited, too! Can't read a word of the interview, but basically they asked me a few questions about my favorite things (I see a link to prolenswear.com there, which is where I got one of my bags) - and they also spotlight the tecnical specs on a couple of the photos. It really was an honor to be included - particularly since one of my idols - Brenda - was on the pages literally just before mine!

Congrats also go to Sabra - who is constantly posting mouth-watering gorgeous food shots on her site and Paula Swift, who I discovered thanks to the magazine.

The magazine's target audience is targeted to women in Japan interested in photography - the photos throughout the magazine are absolutely beautiful. The article I'm featured in is about 25 female photographers - "25 Girls with Camera in the World." I am very proud to be one of the four Americans selected for this edition. Here's my featured work: