I had an amazing opportunity to photograph a wedding in Canada last month. Packed up the family to do a bit of exploring beforehand. Read all about the adventures on our travel blog. Enjoy!

“Celebrate life” is a blog feature sharing a photo from my daily life.

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

“Celebrate life” is a blog feature sharing a photo from my daily life. (Photo taken in Lake Tahoe, California.)

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

If you receive my email newsletter, you’ve already read my first photo tip for taking better vacation photos. If not, it’s not too late to sign up. Please, subscribe here! I’ll be sharing monthly photo tips, upcoming events, and special offers only available to newsletter subscribers.

7 tips for photographing your kids on vacation photo tips :: may 2013   As summer is approaching, families may be planning a trip to an amusement park, leisurely road trip, or perhaps a long weekend at the beach. To make your trip memorable, I’ve put together a few helpful tips from last year’s Hawaiian vacation to turn your snapshots into beautiful portraits. Remember, you don’t have to be a professional to take great vacation photos. Lighting isn’t always perfect The best time for picture taking is in the early morning or late afternoon because the sun is low, giving the best warm light. While traveling we don’t always have the best optimal lighting, so try to make sure your subjects are in a shaded spot or with the backs to the sun in order to avoid unflattering shadows. Be creative We all want the ubiquitous Eiffel Tower picture, but resist the urge to throw people in front and center. Instead, aspire to create unique poses and compositions that reflects your specific style. Get in the picture! Make sure that the photographer, mostly mothers, gets into some shots too. Use a tripod, timer, your husband’s long arms (generally, in my case) or ask a stranger for help, but please don’t leave without stepping in front of the camera. Memories are so much sweeter when you have a picture to go with them. Have fun! The more photos you take will drastically increase your chances of getting a great photo. So shoot away and edit later on a computer. Memory cards will inevitably fail and it can be quite devastating to lose your vacation photos. With this in mind, use multiple cards in the chance one fails. Pay attention to the details When you’re somewhere you’ve never been before, remember to capture the details that complete the memory. Zooming in on the subject is a good way to make everyday activities memorable. Take photos of  sandy feet, your child picking up a ladybug, dripping ice cream cones, or priceless close-up expressions. Include the background You may encounter amazing landmarks during your vacation so flatter your family by incorporating the background in your shot. Have your family interact with the setting to help convey your story. Most importantly, correct your crooked horizons. Take a step back Take a few steps back from the action and take in the moments from a distance. Most people love candid photos, but they forget to take them. Majority of my favorite photos are when the kids don’t even know they’re being photographed. * bonus tip Learn the “Rule of Thirds.” This may be getting a little too technical for an amateur photographer, but if you’re interested in really capturing excellent vacation photos this is a very helpful tip to master. Break your frame into nine squares of roughly equal size, by two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Align the subject along these lines and intersections. This gives you a more visually interesting image than one where your subject is located dead center.

We spent this past weekend relaxing in hot desert of Palm Springs. Our weekend consisted of a couple date nights, browsing the shops, swimming, and feeding the giraffes at The Living Desert Zoo.

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in newborns, toddlers, children, and families serving greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

Last month, we flew to the Hudson River region for a memorial service and family reunion. We were fortunate enough to extend our trip and spend a few extra days exploring the area. The Hudson River extends some 315 miles, from the headwaters in the Adirondack Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean at New York City. The river was one of the principal waterways in North America for Native Americans well before European settlement. Enjoy!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in newborns, toddlers, children, and families serving greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

This week I have been recuperating from a fantastic trip to Eastern Europe. Majority of our stay was in Hungary, but we also visited Bratislava with a fabulous Danube river cruise to Vienna. Here are a few photos from our adventures. Enjoy!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in newborns, toddlers, children, and families serving greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

I’ll be taking a much needed vacation to relax and recharge my creativity. Please take notice of my availability. Currently booking sessions for June. Thank you!

I’ve seen some gorgeous scenery from all my travels, but I’m still marveled by the Arizona skies. Here are a few shots from our recent trip to Arizona.

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in newborns, toddlers, children, and families serving greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

My husband and I took a much needed break from our busy schedules and flew to Seattle for four gray, yet beautiful, days.

Lake Tahoe is located along the border of California and Nevada and admired for its great depth, clarity, and beautiful alpine surroundings. We escaped the Los Angeles heat for five fabulous days to explore Tahoe. Here are few photos from our recent trip.

The weather in Granby, Colorado is fickle. One week it is warm and the following week it snows! It just happened to snow during our stay. Thankfully, a beautiful blue sky followed.

Protected within the park’s 229 square miles is a dramatic landscape of sculptured canyons and soaring cliffs. Zion is located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces. This unique geography and the variety of life zones within the park make Zion significant as a place of unusual plant and animal diversity.