Nopa Little Ones and Music Together
Sunday was the monthly playgroup for the Nopa Little Ones. How these parents find time to organize such amazing events, I’ll never know. This time we were at the Brahma Kumaris Center for Music Together classes. There must have 50 children plus their families all singing, dancing, pounding on drums and shaking bells. Lucius and I stayed there for both sessions and it was really nice to see him go from nervous observer (he literally sat in the hall way most of the 1st session) to participant in the second. If you live in San Francisco, I would definitely recommend checking out the Music Together folks – especially if you are a rhythmically challenged parent like myself.
These photographs were all taken from one place and mostly from the hip. Apologies in advance for all the children I missed.
A few samples below and the rest are here (password required – you can get it from the nopa list serve).
click here if there is no slide show above.
blog link: http://jchandlerphotography.com/1181
Photos from the House with Glass Floors
I received an email from a new client late on Friday asking if I could photograph a friend of her’s Birthday party on Saturday. No problem I say – Lucius would already be down so I wouldn’t be leaving Sue high and dry with a potentially cranky child. Debbie (the client) mentions that the hosts Jim and Anne can throw quite the humdinger so I should be prepared. Well Debbie was correct – not only was their recently remodeled Bernal Heights home super cool (how many places do you know with glass stairs and floors) but they have an amazing collection of friends and cohorts. Everyone was dressed to the hilt and looking very good. I was only there for an hour but I’m pretty sure that party lasted until the wee hours of the morning. Definitely not like the baby birthday parties I have been attending recently.
Thanks for the invite Debbie and hope you like the photos. A few below and the complete gallery is here (password required).
Grateful for Jeny’s Gratitude Party
My neighbor Jeny Smith not only is a rock star real estate agent with Hill and Company but also throws one heck of a party. For her annual Gratitude party she booked Fritz’s in the mission for several hundred of her clients, business partners and friends. In her words she “wants to create a community of people that support each other being successful in business and in life”. So she invited all the people that have contributed to her success in the past 7 years and asked each of us what we were grateful for. To make sure that we would leave the children at home, she provided killer eats and drinks. And if that wasn’t enough, she arranged for an acupuncturist to help relieve stress. Of course, I”m not entirely sure needles and drinks are a good combination. But everyone was all smiles so it must have worked.
Clearly Jeny is a contribution to our community and a very savvy business woman.
Thanks for the great time Jeny. Here are a few photos. Full gallery here (password required).
click here if no slide show above.
Blog link: http://jchandlerphotography.com/931
Heidi’s 40th
One never knows what to expect when you are asked to photograph six ladies celebrating a 40th Birthday party in San Francisco. I met Heidi and her crew at the W Hotel in SOMA. Unfortunately rain and traffic limited the shoot but we had a great time none the less. I was only there for the first hour of the festivities but I’m fairly confident that they would have a night to remember.
A few photos below and the complete gallery here (password required).
Bella the Dog’s 2nd Birthday
I’m not too proud to say that I was a bit nervous when Alice called me asking me to photograph Bella’s 2nd Birthday. Bella you see is an incredibly cute, love-able, energetic dog (sorry I don’t know dog breads). Bella was having a birthday party with all of her friends. 4 dogs and 8 people can make for a very interesting photo shoot. But like many people in San Francisco, Bella is Alice’s baby. And since I’m a child and family photographer, I couldn’t walk away just because someone’s child is of the 4-legged version. Wouldn’t be neighborly of me.
And I can tell you, that Alice through quite the birthday party. She and Adam put out a fabulous spread complete with cupcakes and killer tacos. Their friends were great and Bella had a slew of little buddies to play with. I definitely had a hard time keeping up with the dogs.
Thanks Alice, Adam and Bella – I had a great time and hope you enjoy the photos.
Few samples below and complete gallery here (password required).
Shayna’s Birthday Party
On Saturday, I had the good fortune of meeting Shayna and her parents at the Bernal Heights Community Center. Sue, Lucius and I were there for Enzo’s show and they were there to celebrate Shayna’s third birthday. I had some spare time and my camera so I offered to shoot the party. The kids were great of course and Shayna was a perfect little princess. The face painter (I don’t have her name yet) was just amazing. One of the best kid party activities I’ve seen. Thanks to the Blum family and everyone that attended the party for being so nice and generous to me. Hope you like the photos.
NOPA Gingerbread House Party
Today I played staff photographer for the NOPA Little Ones’s Second Annual Gingerbread House Party. The event was funded by donations from local businesses and a First5 grant. I can tell you from all of the smiles and pretty fabulous gingerbread houses that this was money well spent. As you’ll see in the pictures the kids had a great time but I’m pretty sure they were more interested in the candy and frosting than the structural stability of the houses. However there there some parents that were putting their design, engineering and architecture skills to the test. I haven’t seen that level of determination in quite a while.
Thanks to everyone that organized and attended the event.
A few sample shots below and the full gallery is here (you’ll need to visit the NOPA Parent’s yahoo page for the password).
Jonah’s Birthday Party
In a stroke of brilliance, Jonah’s parents Rebecca and Ari held the birthday party at My Gym in Potrero Hill. How they predicted the one day of rain among many sunny days is beyond me. But the indoor space what perfect for the rainy day. Loads of fun with kids playing, singing and generally having a great time.
Photos and downloads here.
Caroline’s Birthday Party
Another fabulous party hosted by Caroline and her parents Amy and Andrew. Chrissy field in the Presidio is beautiful of course and one of the best places for photography in San Francisco. The children were just amazing. Great to have so many great relationships form between the kids and the parents.
Order prints and downloads here (password required).
Going away picnic for Rebecca, Ari and Jonah
Made it back from the AIDS Life Cycle just in time to attend Rebecca, Ari and Jonah’s going away party. Didn’t really intend to take pictures (the mind and body were mucho tired-o) but the kids were cute so I snapped a few. The playground in Golden Gate Park (19th and MLK) was nice. Will have to plan a few portrait sessions there in the future.
More photos here.
