Mariah Baddas Photography

closing out the year

2011-12-28T06:22:00.000-08:00

One of my last shoots of 2011. I just want to take a second to THANK everyone I've been able to work with this year. It's been so amazing to be with all of you, your families. Your weddings. I got to second shoot a few weddings this year and that was so fun! I'm so thankful for my ability to work from home, be my own boss and take pictures of beautiful things. You guys rock. So here's to 2012. Who know what great things are to come. All I know is that I'm ready.

Here's the beautiful Nevares family. Their little guy was cracking me UP! He's too cute.

little boys.

2011-12-27T06:09:00.000-08:00

Somethings scare me to death. Spiders. Tornados. Lady moustaches. the usual.

But raising a little boy SCARES me. You might think that's crazy (and no, I'm not expecting and this is my cute way of telling you)
but, I know GIRLS. I know all about glitter and nail polish, and drama. I know about baby dolls and princesses and tutus. I know that little girls need those things.

boys... nada.

I have no clue what a steam roller does, or why fish have gills. I don't care about slime or mud or bugs in jars. I have no idea how to change a little boys diaper, because it seems dangerous. You see? clueless. I'm doomed (someday if that ever happens to me). oye.

But seeing this cute little family, with a squishy cute little guy makes it seem like that could all be possible. I mean, he's so cute and looks harmless :)

And I probably wouldn't die. Not like if I had a spider crawl up my leg and I'd drop dead on the spot. You know, not like that.

Ps. yes, you're right, this is Alie and Tyler (and baby Jack) I shot their wedding a few years ago. You might remember seeing their images on this very blog! They're their own little family now! So sweet!

the Matters

2011-12-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

Aw, this family is so CUTE. I loved their little session! Their kids are about the same ages as mine, so it made for a fun day of singing silly songs and getting little brother to smile at me, Instead of looking at me and thinking I was crazy.

sometimes I really am crazy.

Thanks to Nikki and Brian for asking me to do your familys shoot this year. I had an amazing time! even if it was a little rainy..:)

salted seasons greetings

2011-12-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to meet and shoot this family's session. We met a year ago, randomly at the park and discussed all things kids, babies and life in general. After a 10 minute conversation, I realized I should tell her that I'm a family sesh photographer. Yep, she took the bait. a year later, we're friends (Hi Analisa) and we had a fun day at the beach with the fam bam.

Little baby Edyn

2011-12-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

Oh the deliciousness. I could just hold her all day.
Maybe I've never mentioned before (siblings please take note) but I'm technically not an Auntie. I know, I cry too.
I want nieces and nephews so bad I could spit. It's true. And so, I selfishly make my friend's kids *think* that I'm really their aunt! Ha. It's quite tricky. i know. But what else is a girl to do?

And by the way, "my own nieces and nephews" thing is SO not going to happen for me anytime soon, not even on mark's side, so friends beware. Any children you have will automatically become my pseudo niece and or nephew. Thank you. goodbye.

Here's squishy Edyn girl. My niece. :) (3 months old)

the name of the game.

2011-12-13T05:55:00.001-08:00

is Christmas. 12 days people! 12 days left until the best day of the year. The hot chocolate is flowin'... my kids are crazy excited asking me every ten minutes if Christmas is here. My hub is secretly* hinting that he has no idea what to purchase for me (no worries, I took care of it) and I am loving every minute.
So much so that my photo blog has not seen me for many moons.
oops.
So here we are, booty crack of dawn,(ok, it's 5am) and I'm bloggin away to take us through the new year and into 2012.
I was so blessed to have the chance to shoot so many great families this Holiday season. I'm not going to take too long to explain each shoot, but you'll get the idea.
Families+thinking about christmas+ treats in my camera bag for happy kids who were smiling so sweet= best shoots ever.

Starting here, with my McGuries. Best friends. They let us crash their home in Utah for a week and only ask for a sesh in return. Seriously. They're amazing. And their babies are beautiful. Look out for Baby Edyn's picture next post.

keri+mark ross = married

2011-11-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

This post is SO long overdue so I owe a HUGE apology to the Ross'.... They had a beautiful wedding in August and I was able to shoot it for them. I LOVED this wedding- right on the cliffs above the cove in La Jolla, CA. The weather was perfect, not too hot- not freezing cold! And the couple was as happy as could be!
How gorgeous is Keri? I love this girl.... She wins the prize for most relaxed bride EVER. And Mark went along with all the times I said "oooh, just let me get this ONE more shot..." haha.

I'll just get to posting pictures because that's why you're here anyway...:) Enjoy (there are a lot)

Love me the Ross'.... Hope you guys have been enjoying Newlywed Living....:) xoxo Mariah

Holiday Sessions: Closed.

2011-11-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hi blog luvs.

Sorry it's been a while since my last check in! Things around the Baddas house have been really busy. Between shooting Holiday sessions, having 2 amazing girlies and helping my hub with another new amazing adventure, I haven't had much time to sit down and blog. And to be totally honest, I haven't really thought about it!

I did want to leave a post up and let everyone know that I'm totally booked through the rest of this month and will not be accepting any new clients until after Christmas. :) You know I love ya'll. I've just got so much that I want to do this year, and I'm making it happen! So come to the blog, check in often, there'll be updates and I'll leave little notes, and then I'll see ya soon!

Hope your Holidays are turning out to be Merry and Bright... that's right- I'm already listening to Christmas music. Hallelujah!

xoxo,
mariah

jessica+drew=wedding

2011-10-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

This was an awesome day. Getting to shoot with my incredibly gorgeous and talented friend: Ashley Henry, and second shooting a beautiful summer evening wedding = bliss.

Every last detail was thought of, even down to the super cute paper straws. I loved it all. And bonus....s'more bar. areyoukidding? it was amazing.

Thank you to Ashley Henry for asking me to second shoot the reception with her. Please go visit her blog to see more incredible pictures of that day.
Thank you to Jessica and Drew+ families for allowing me to be there and take place on your special day. Enjoy....

super secret

2011-10-12T21:37:00.000-07:00

After typing my last post about the 2011 Holiday Sessions I quickly realized that the "super- dee- dupty- duper-secret-surprise" I was advertising may have been misleading... I got a lot of people thinking that I might have a baby baddas in the belly...WHOOPS!

I wasn't even thinking that it was going to come across that way! HAHA. Well, I'm here to tell you, no- no baby announcement this time! Although I may keep that in mind for someday in the future...

If you were one of the followers who was thinking that the super surprise was going to be about an AMAZING fan-stinking-tastic DEAL on a mariah baddas photography 2011 Holiday Session, you were correct.

So HERE it is.....

Thats the stuff folks.

50% off of the regular session fee, and the same amount of photos per session. WHOOOOO HOOOOOO! I love deals. I hope you do too!

So call, email, text, homing pigeon, hot air balloon me.... Let's have some fun and take some pictures...

read below for the fine print for those of your technical peeps:
the (3) 100.00 sessions are only within San Diego county.
the fee is due at time of booking to hold the date.
this amazing deal only lasts until the end of this week, or until all 3 sessions have been booked.

Thanks ALL, I hope you are having an amazing FALL-like day, it's 90 degrees where I am, so I'm busting out the kiddie pool. Not very fall-ish

Lots of love!

Gorgeous Megan

2011-10-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

Ah, Isn't she lovely?

I was thrilled (beyond thrilled really) when Cari- Megan's mom contacted me and booked a beach themed senior session for her beautiful girl Megan!

I first met these lovelies last year when I shot their awesome family sesh in Balboa Park. You can check out that sesh HERE.
I love that Cari has kept in touch and that she thought of me when it came time for Megan's senior portraits!

We went to one of their favorite beaches and spent the mid morning strolling the beach and taking some crazy pretty pictures. Megan has such natural beauty- it wasn't hard to get some awesome shots.

Congrats to Megan on her senior year in High School, I'm positive she is bound for great things...

NOW BOOKING:::HOLIDAY Sessions::: beginning 10-10-11

2011-10-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME PICTURES?

ARE YOU READY FOR FUN?

Are you ready?

Are you ready to carefully pick out your most favorite coordinating outfits and pray that your kids participate while I run around and act a fool trying to get everyone to smile including your husband who cant believe it's already time for HOLIDAY pictures AGAIN and is rolling his eyes because he'd rather be watching sports in his sweatpants?

wheeeeew.

me too.

:)

TOMORROW October 10th 2011, is the first official day of mariah baddas photography's HOLIDAY SESSIONS.

Please PAY ATTENTION:

I will be booking family sessions for the 2011 Holiday Season. This year, my sessions will include the following:

*one family photo sesh
*one HI RES DVD copy of all images
(approx 20-30)
*copyrights to all images on DVD for your printing/card making needs
*$200 fee due at time of booking

This year I am going to finish ALL PHOTO SESSIONS by December 1st. That means, HURRY UP AND BOOK so you don't miss out.
I have a lot planned this year for my little fam bam and won't be doing any photography during the month of DECEMBER (except for my own kidlets)

ANNNNNDDDDD...

This week I will be announcing something super secret on my FACEBOOK page. You will miss it if you haven't LIKED me on facebook. So go on, you know you like me..

CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE AND CLICK LIKE
So do what you need to do, and let's get together! I can't wait to see you and snap some fun shots, even if it means making your husband laugh at me, look at how wonderful I am....

contact: mariahbaddas@gmail.com
website: www.mariahbaddasphotography.com

xoxo
Mariah

senior portraits: Ryan

2011-10-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

All the way from Fairbanks Alaska...here's RYAN!! We had a fun little time at the beach shooting his senior session. Betcha none of those other Alaskan's will have palm trees in their senior pictures...

Oh baby!

2011-09-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

I love baby bellies....:) So excited to share this session with you! I know I posted on my facebook that September and October would be devoted to High School Seniors, but I couldn't hang onto this session any longer!

We spent a gorgeous day on one of the prettiest beaches in San Diego. I loved how this session turned out! Congrats to mama and papa to be, your little girl is so blessed already!

PS... I'm still booking session for the months of September (hurry quick) UP TO mid October! After that it's time for HOLIDAY SESSIONS...where'd this year go?

xoxo
Mariah

KICKOFF: Senior Portrait Season: Justin

2011-09-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

I've been so excited as of late to be shooting several High School Seniors. It's that time of year again! Back to school, summer's fading fast (it's still warm here in sunny San Diego- thank goodness)

I think I had forgotten how much fun it is to do senior portraits. It's WAY fun. like, way.
I've know Justin here since he was really little. I used to call him my "mini boyfriend" and he would run away from me. Not even sure if he remembers that, you're welcome Justin.

So when his beautiful mama called me and asked to do a shoot, I said "heck yes". and we did.

please enjoy Justin's senior session:

ps, you can also watch for his name to be splash across billboards and PPR newscasts in your local areas. Justin's the QB for my alma mater. GO.BIG.RED.

my Bostonians.

2011-09-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hey blog loves. I'm back in the saddle again. kinda. I'm posting the images I've had tucked away forever, because I'm just now getting to them. hee. I know that these guys will forgive me. Remember my pug's? Here they are. They have recently moved too far to mention and it makes me sad, but I now have pictures of them up on my computer, so that makes me happy. Tira and Brian are amazing parents to 3 cute boys. twins and baby. I love them all. Enjoy a peek at our little session in the park a few weeks ago.

(no baby was hurt in the making of this picture. just reallllllly snuggled)

life as I know it....

2011-09-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

is WILD.

It has been so stinking crazy around my house lately, so excuse my lack of blogging. :) I promise to do better to catch up and be on top of things.

I have wanted to post these for a long while now, and I'm excited that today is the day!
This is the Tano fam. That little one there, he's my future son-in-law. Hope he doesn't mind.

They are soo fun and I'm excited that I got to shoot their family session again this year! Even big brother got to join us all the way from TN...:) Thanks to Ty and Nicole Tano for a fun morning at the beach!

darling Haley

2011-08-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

This post has been a very tender and dear one to my heart. It's also been a LONG time in the making, so I'm thrilled to bring you, Haley. One of the most amazing kids I've ever met, and truly a happy little girl. I really don't have many words, so I'll just show you.
This is for Haley and her Dad Jason.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh138/beingbaddas/haleysession25.jpg

I am Mormon

2011-07-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

I usually don't use my blog to publish things about my personal/family life. It's no big deal, I just choose not to, but I was wondering if it's be ok to talk about the things I believe in here once in a while? Yes? thanks.

If you've read my blog for a while now, you've probably noticed that a lot of my Wedding sessions take place at various LDS Temples. I've been asked a few times why I don't show images from these wedding's ceremonies. The fact is, that when a couple is married in the Temple, it is very sacred and private. Photographers are asked to wait until this ceremony is finished and the couple has exited the Temple to start taking pictures. I love that. To be honest, it makes my life (as a photog) so much easier! And without a doubt, the faces that I see come out of the Temple doors are worth the wait.

If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you cannot enter the Temple, but you are welcome wait outside until your friends/family come outside and it's an amazing site to see.

I promise that I will not barrage this blog with posts about being LDS, but I did want to let you all know the dealio. :) and that's it! I love being a member of the LDS Church. It means more to me than I could ever possibly write here on this little blog.

You can find out more by clicking HERE

BUT I do have somethings else I wanted to share with you. Another awesome part about being a member of this church is seeing it's message being spread all throughout the world. This is done by missionary work. Generally, missionaries are young men and women who voluntarily serve the Lord is countries all over the world for 2 years of their lives. They leave behind all the comforts of home and leave their families to serve the Lord. It's an amazing thing.
My father served a mission in Barcelona,Spain my husband in Manila, Philippines. My younger brother served in Cancun/Merida Mexico and my youngest brother is currently serving his mission in Provo, UT.

It's the most selfless sacrifice anyone can give. And it's the most rewarding.

Anyway, I had the rare opportunity to be invited to see my brother's best friend return home from his 2 year mission in Buenos Aires , Argentina. His name is Elder Ryan Hall, and it was a blast!

Welcome Home Ryan, welcome home!!

Olivia

2011-07-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Ohbaby Olivia. I love you soooooo!

I miss her little face so much that I just sit and stare at her photos and then it makes me happy again! If you missed it, this is Olivia. She belongs to my bff Brit and her hubby Roy and she's amazing. I love that I get to live close to them and see her often (not as often as I'd like :( though)

Here is her father's day/just because I'm cute shoot. Love you baby O

this one's for Roy, go padres!

cute little family sesh

2011-07-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Meet the Potters. Aren't they sweet?

The three kids were busy. :) as busy as happy kids should be, but I made sure to have my camera ready at all times so as not to miss anything funny! This is Judge. I love his hair.

and this cute pie was as sweet as pie.

And baby brother Brandon was so fun to watch. The Potter family is blessed to have such a great little fam. and I was happy to do a photoshoot with them.

Thanks guys! Happy summer!

Come back soon for more catching up and lots of posts!! Weddings, babies, toddlers and more!

xoxo,
Mariah

Sweet Isla

2011-06-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOSH, do you love her name? Isla (pronounced Eye-la) so gorgeous! I am super excited to share her newborn session with you all!

I have neglected to ever give Isla's mamma, Emily Sparks a proper intro on my blog. You may have seen some of her work featured here, but now's my chance to give her a shout out!

Emily is the creative guru behind Emily Sparks Hand made. You can find her Etsy shop HERE. Warning: be prepared to want everything she sells in her shop! It's all so amazing!

You can also read her personal/family blog HERE

If you can't tell, I'm a fan. And a friend. I'm a "Frand"....

Anyway, Emily totally inspired me to do something I've wanted to do for a LONG time, crochet! Thanks Emily! I am no where close to how amazing she is, but I'm learning!

Emily (and hub Brian's) newest little project is baby Isla, check out her cuteness below! And get a peek at cute Penny again!

love her. love all of the shots, can't pick my favorite one. :) don't you want a elf hat?

thanks Emily and Brian and Penny, see you guys soon hopefully!
Mariah

my little love.....Emma

2011-06-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but I love babies. LOVE THEM so much! Especially when they are tiny and squishy and new. Don't get me wrong I love all babies and know that they all turn into kids, haha. But I love my job when I get to spend time with these teeny ones.
This session wasn't any different than most of my newborn sessions, except that Emma's mama and I are both photogs and we both had visions for this shoot. We had been talking about it since Megan was pregnant! haha. no pressure- right? But I wanted to share some of the tips I've learned over the past few years of shooting newborn session that might make it easier to get the shots one would want. Hope Meg doesn't mind me sharing Emma's newborn post with some helpful photo tips!

1. shoot the session AS EARLY as possible. Newborn babies are sleepiest when they're 4-10 days old.
(I think it was great that we had discussed it so much in advance, because we were ready for it right after baby Emma was born)

2. DON't stress. Baby can feel the tension and it makes them uneasy. Some photographers are uncomfortable around tiny babys, so make sure there's no stress or pressure on the shoot. Be easy going.
(I showed up to Meg's house in my yoga pants and sweatshirt) hah.

3. Crank up that heat!! Make the room you're going to shoot it AS HOT as possible.
(scott, stop reading here :) Megan cranked up the heat to 80 degrees so that when we undressed Emma, she wouldn't be cold!

4. Make sure baby is well fed!
(I think you know what this means)

5. Move slowly- take you time when handling baby as to not disturb them and wake them up.

6. Use a white noise machine, this will help drown out any sound that my wake up baby, just put it close to baby's ear and watch them drift off to happy land.

And then, shoot away! get as many smiles and giggles as you can, place their sweet little hand around their faces and enjoy the smallness of that new little baby!

I made this little cocoon nest thing and Emma fit in it perfectly. Oh i love these next two shots!

Little Ian

2011-06-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

See? I CAN post more than once a month!! It happens!!

How cute is little Ian? His mama is the beautiful Sissy Wilkinson seen HERE at her Cirque de Bebe shower

He made it into the world just in time for a whirlwind photoshoot and a move to Utah! Whew! That's a lot for a newborn! I was super excited to shoot Ian's session and was happy to see Sissy before they moved! Please enjoy little baby boy's session!

Just a few cutie ones. Thanks again to Sissy and Hub Jason and especially baby Ian for a fun shoot!

xoxo,
mariah

Baby Ryan Anderson

2011-06-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Oh I am SOOOOO behind. I have SO many posts to get to, but ya know....it's summer. :)

No more excuses, I'm pulling myself away from the beach and the sun for a bit to share a cutesy pie little session I had a few weeks (ok a month) ago with one of my favorite families!

Do you remember THIS POST
Well, pretty Claudia had her adorable little baby boy Ryan Anderson! Hooray! That means I get to do another shoot!! I was so excited when Ryan and Claudia called and asked to do a casual little session in their gorgeous home!

Baby Ryan was so sleepy and peaceful and amazing! Big Sister Bella was so adorable, giving me hugs and kisses and being so cute!

Thanks to the Bauerle's for a fun and quick session, I loved meeting baby Ryan and taking his pictures! Please Enjoy!

xoxo,
Mariah

This is Penny.

2011-06-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

Isn't she the most adorable little you've ever seen? I love her so. Penelope (or Penny) just turned three and I was so excited when her mama aka Emily Sparks asked me to do a beachy themed session for her. I loved spending the morning with this little girl. she's full of sweetness and sass and spunk. Any other "s" adjectives I can use? :)

Penny, thank you for an adorable session. I was so happy to play with you and catch your sweetness. Emily, thank you and Bryan for sharing her with me!

Classic school-themed Baby Shower for my bestie

2011-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

MY best good friend Megan is having a girl! :) ok she already had her baby girl, and I am SUPER excited to help Megan and her amazing little family welcome baby Emma into the world. She is AMAZING, and you'll get to meet her soon, but for now, you can enjoy the images from Megan and Emma's shower.
We decided to go with a school themed shower since Meg is a teacher. Her house created the most amazing setting for the shower- as it's so perfect for any kind of girly gathering. So we sent out the invites and off we went! I was so pleased with how everything turned out, it was perfect.
Thank you to Megan and Scott for letting us throw such a fun shower for baby Emma. She is already loved so much. :) xoxo.

The invites were printed on linen pressed paper in a muslin color.

The drinks were chilled and ready for sipping'

I almost died of excitement when I saw the chocolate milk in the glass bottle with the baby on it! So cute and apropos!

The food was brunchy. Yummy and sweet and delicious.

in lieu of baby shower games we decided to have a fancy little table with all the right stuff one would need to make headbands and bows! Everyone got to create their own little piece to adorn baby Emma's hair! so awesome. We have so many cute/crafty friends!

Lookie for Emma's first (of many) sessions with Aunty Mariah. I just decided that's what she'll call me. :) Hope Megan and Scott don't mind. haha. Love to you all!

Meet Wells (again)

2011-05-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted Wells' first pictures from the hospital, here is the official session we took about a week after he was born. Isn't he beautiful? He was such a good little model. Have I mentioned before how MUCH i love shooting newborn sessions? Let me explain the love.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE newborns. Love. one more..love. them.

I love how they sleep and let you mold them into little positions, I love how it only takes a bit to get them back to sleep after moving them around. I love that they need/love their mamas and that when we plan it right, the mamas are relaxes and calm.
The BEST newborn sessions I've had are ones where there aren't many expectations. If everyone is stressing out, baby can feel that. and that's never helpful.
I love that my clients will turn their heaters up to 80 for me (even during the warm springtime mornings) so that nakie baby stays warm and happy. I love that I bring a white noise machine with me to my sessions and most babies fall asleep listening to a waterfall! haha, Oh I love these sessions.

Please book me. Pick ME! :) If you or someone you know is pregnant and looking for a newborn photographer, I'd love the chance. For the time being, please enjoy my session with Wells.

mark + keri

2011-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Oh the love. These two birds are getting hitched. I'm SUPER dee DUPER excited to shoot their amazing day later this summer. Mark and Keri are related to out good friend the Pugmires, so thanks for that referral guys! I couldn't be more excited to be working with this pair. They are so relaxed and fun. We had a awesome little balboa park sesh a few weeks ago, and I'm now getting to posting them. Congrats to the future Mr and Mrs. I can't wait for your big day!

model call baby: Henry

2011-05-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Be warned: this little guy will melt your heart and possibly your computer screen with cuteness. You have been warned

Henry is adorable! Just plain and simple.
He was my last model of the day and made me work for my shots, but he was worth it!

Henry celebrated his 1st Birthday a few days after our shoot so Kellyn (mama) and I decided it would be fun to do a mini sesh + a 1st year cake smash...

the idea rocked.

I loved everything about the smash! He may be even cuter covered in frosting!

Thank you to Kellyn and Henry for making the drive down to the shoot and for being so fun to work with!

new.

2011-05-09T04:24:00.000-07:00

There are some things in this life that are hard to describe. One that comes to mind is the bond between a mother and her newborn baby. Being a mom myself I can tell you that there is nothing more amazing than holding your new baby in your arms for the first time. I have been dying to shoot a "birth story" or a session where we capture a baby's birth (in tasteful, beautiful ways) and I've yet to get my chance. We were going to attempt to shoot one with this baby, but he had other plans and needed to be delivered via c-section. I thought it might be rude to kick dad out of the O.R. so I could shoot pictures. haha
But I got about as close as I could a few weeks ago when one my most favorite girlfriends' had her 3rd son.
Welcome to the world Wells. You are so loved and I couldn't have been happier to capture some of his first images.
These are from his 2nd day of life. He is so amazing! Thank you to Brian and Tira Pugmire for asking me to capture some of his first moments. He is a beautiful boy! Look for Wells' newborn session we did in a few posts! love.

fuel for daddy.

perfect pre baby pedi

shout out.

model call baby: Easton

2011-05-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

oh little EASTON. Do you REMEMBER HIM?he's getting so big! I can't believe how fast babies grow. Yes, even after having two of my own, it always amazes me at how much they grow is such a short amount of time!

Easton is one of the most delicious babies ever.
the end.
He's so happy and personable and happy. Did I mention HAPPY?

Maren (easton's mama) and I have know each other for a few years and I'm super happy that she wanted Easton to be a part of the Model Call. We had a great time and he was a trooper. :) Well, most of the time. I think he got a little bored at staring down my lens.
haha

Maren crocheted Easton's awesome aviator hat and I couldn't stand how cute he looked in it!

Thank you to Maren and Easton for a fun mini sesh! I'm so glad that I get to document your growth every few months! Guess I better keep having model calls and ask Easton to be a resident model. He's THAT cute.

Owl hat provided by Emily Sparks

xoxox

model call baby: Liam

2011-04-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Are you so excited to see more Model Call photos? I am! Here's Liam. Cutie pie. He was so happy and not bothered at all that we (mom and I) plucked him out of his warm and toasty carseat and undressed him in a meadow and proceeded to take loads of pictures of him! haha. such a good sport! And cute to boot!

Once again the LOVELY work of one miss Emily Sparks that girl can rock a crochet hook. :) Isn't that owl hat the most adorable thing EVER?

Thanks to Shellie and Liam for a fun sesh and for giving me some great shots!

model call baby: vinnie

2011-04-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Oh dear me, can you believe how cute this girl is? Her cheeks alone could make one swoon! I was lucky (SO lucky) to get to work with little miss Vinnie as one of my models from my recent model call she was my ONLY baby girl model! out of 5 that was some pretty fun boy time, and Vinnie was the sweet little cupcake in the mix of it all!
Allison (mama) and Vinnie showed up early so she could get used to the idea of taking pictures and having a stranger (moi) putting a large camera in her face! haha.

photog tip for shooting babies* let them adjust to the idea of sitting and having a stranger smile and google at them before expecting them to sit and smile. It took a few minutes to work a little grin outta miss Vinnie!

She did wonderfully!

Hat provided by my new friend Emily Sparks. SHE is amazing and has agreed to work with me on photo props for future clients! YAY for me! check out Emily's blog HERE and her AMAZING Etsy shop HERE

Thank you to Vinnie and Allison for a fun session! Loved every moment! Enjoy your little rainbow sprinkle girl and all her brightness! :)

xoxo

cirque de bebe

2011-04-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. Time has been flying. and by flying I mean....leaving me in the dust wondering where the heck time has gone! haha. I'm trying as hard as I can to keep up with clients, old and new :) and editing as much as possible. Being a full time mama and full time photog is exhausting. And that's just the beginning...
So here is a long overdue post for you! My friend Brittany Gharring throws the most amazing events. And lucky ducky me gets to shoot them sometimes! yessss.
This event was no different. UH-MA-ZING to say the least. Sissy is Brit's bff from forever and she's having a baby (ETA.... Baby has come into the world since this session...) I'm that slow. :)
I present Brittany and Mary and Sissy's Cirque de Bebe...
Set in La Jolla, CA at the beach on a early saturday morning for brunch with a bunch of beautiful people. No seriously, every person at this shower was beautiful. They had a LOT of walk by admirers!

see what I mean? AMAZING. Congrats to mama Sissy and hub Jason! I'm super exctied to meet baby boy and shoot his newborn session late this week. And congrats to Brit and Mary for a job well done! Merci!

Look for a slew of posts to come this week and next, I've been a busy busy girl! and the circles under my eyes show it. :) i love my job. Have I told you that?

xoxox

SURPRISE publication!

2011-04-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey blog luvs!

I'm super duper excited to share with you a little something I've been keeping up my sleeve for a few weeks! My sweet friends Heidi and Heather of True Birds called me a few (ok several :) weeks ago to tell me that some of my images that I shot for them were published in the spring 2011 edition of Cut and Style!! WHAT? This is double exciting because... well because my pictures are being published WITH MY NAME under them in print! AND because I'm a hairstylist that read these kinds of magus for fun...:) pretty stinkin awesome dude.

did you see my name there? Little ole me? hee hee!
Yep, I am pretty excited! I'm super humbled too, I just never imagined these kinds of these happening for me. But I know some pretty amazing people, and I'm blessed to work with them...so it's all coming together, YAY!

Well, this little baby will go next to her sisters on my shelf of published magazines. I couldn't be happier! Check out the other places I've been published HERE HERE and HERE

Thanks again to H&H and True Birds for fun surprises like this. I love you girls.

L to the O-V-E

2011-03-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

Oh my word you guys. I love you all so much.
I just wanted to jump over here to my blog quickly and let you know how much I appreciate you and am grateful that people read my blog. I got an email today from someone I've never met, that was just so kind and thoughtful. She was telling me about how she's a new mom and would love to take pretty pictures of her little baby girl and that she thought my blog was pretty to look at. I was just so touched. (thank you- you know who you are). that makes my heart so happy. I know I'm not as big time as some of the photographers out there that I've met, and I don't take as much time as I should to update my blog everyday, whew- that's a lot of work, but I'm still grateful for sweet people that would take the time to say something kind to someone they don't even know!

This past weekend, I held my first EVER model call and it was amazing. Every one i met was so awesome and the babies all did so well! It was such a relief, you can ask my hub, but I was sweeten' the night before just making sure I got everything together that I'd planned on bringing. And it went off without a hitch. Thank you THANK YOU so much for coming and allowing me to snuggle your sweet babies and letting them play and laugh and be silly with me.

It definitely sealed the deal for FUTURE model calls... near future model calls infect. I had so much fun with it, I think I've just opened up a new can of worms.

Ok, enough from me, just wanted to say hey and thanks and thanks again! Be back soon to show you some goodies.

please meet franki.

2011-03-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

OH! how adorable is my next teeny subject? I am seriously in LOVE with this little girl. she is the beautiful baby of two former clients Ang and Nate Bruno (who's gorgeous wedding I shot HERE)
So when Ang (who's a photog herself!!) called me and asked me to do a shoot for Franki's first birthday- I was so excited! She is the most darling baby and has such a perfect little smile.

We spent the afternoon at the park

sitting under the trees

making a few phone calls

and some funny faces

and just enjoyed one another.

Franki, my girl- you are too cute for words. Thank you so much Ang and Nate Bruno for asking me to be a part of Franki's first Birthday celebration! You are all so much fun!

LIttle Boy Will

2011-03-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Oh this little face is my favorite! :) I was beyond excited when my good friend Audrey asked me to take some of Will's first pictures! Isn't he the sweetest? Look at that HAIR!?!

We had a perfectly perfect afternoon session in their home where Will was warm and happy! I even asked Audrey to crank up her heater so that baby would be comfy as we undressed and took some cute little pictures. A great tip for shooting newborn babies is to keep them full and warm! It's the most perfect combo. heck, that's my perfect combo too! Feed me and keep me warm and I'll be happy! haha.

Thank you again to Audrey and Rob for asking me to take your beautiful son's pictures! He is a sweet little boy.

Audrey is a gorgeous new mom.

Toni+Aaron

2011-03-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

This wedding has been a long time coming! I've been meaning to post these images for quite a while now, and because of all the craziness going on (good crazy) I'm just now getting to it! I'm so excited to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Thomas!
These two were married in January and have been so patient at letting me take my time editing their images! I was thrilled when Toni contacted me and asked me to be a part of their day. She is the sister of Keri Miller, who's wedding I shot with my brother last summer...and so I knew what kind of amazing wedding would be in store. The Thomas' were married in the San Diego LDS Temple and had their reception at a super cool barn in north San Diego county. We also scheduled a super fun Bridal sesh after the wedding up in Orange County CA. I've loved spending time with Toni and Aaron, they were super happy every time I saw them and Aaron knew how to turn on the charm. When I'd ask them to snuggle each other or look away from my camera for a bit he'd whiper "nothings" into Toni's ear. hahaha. It made for some great shots!

Toni's wedding dress was custom designed and handmade in Los Angeles. If you'd like more information on her dressmaker, please email me for info! How exciting! Maybe I'll just have a pretty dress made for kicks?

The day was filled with little touches that made it so awesome and special, everything from the "anthropoligie - inspired" centerpieces to the AMAZING sweets table and the photo booth. Each detail was well thought out and planned. I was so happy to be a part of it all!

So without further adieu , I present to you: Toni and Aaron Thomas...

one of the highlights of the evening was toni's bouquet toss- or should I say tosses? There were several... and i shot this just after the first....:)

Aaron gave Toni THE MOST AMAZING wedding gift ever... Vera Wang. I die. I want to blow these next two shots up and hang them in my house.

Congrats to the Newly Wed Toni and Aaron Thomas. Your day was awesome and I'm so glad I was a part of it! Best wishes always!

Mariah

thank you!

2011-03-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who expressed interest in my ROUND ONE infant model call! I was surprised at the response I received and I'm super excited to get this project underway! Please allow me until the end of the weekend to contact you if you're baby will be participating in the Model Call.

my love to you all!
Mariah

spring 2011 Model Call :by mariah baddas photography:::CLOSED:::::

2011-03-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

For a limited time, I will be looking for 3 to 5 infant models to help with some new sessions. I have had some "boutique style shots" that have been swimming around in my head for some time now! Some of these ideas may require more time than during a regular session. I also would like to try a bunch of new looks for my pictures involving more styling and product placing.

I would love for you to please forward this information to any parents you may know who would be interested in having their baby participate in a boutique style photoshoot!!

In exchange for participating in the model call, you will receive:

A complimentary children's session ($175) value.
Private Online Gallery slideshow with 20-30 images. All images will then be available for purchase at a discounted rate.
Other products may be purchased from the Boutique at regular rates and include custom prints, canvas gallery wraps and collection DVD's

The Model Call is For:

Infants 3-12 months old at the time of the session.
Twins or Triplets within this age range would be welcomed with open arms!

The Model Call Sessions Will:

-Have the goal of capturing some specific poses/images. If time and patience permits, additional poses & images may be attempted.
-Require a model release permitting the images to be used on the blog, website, Facebook, as well as any other marketing materials of Mariah Baddas Photography.

-Be held at my home studio in North County San Diego, California or outdoor location of Mariah Baddas' preference on Saturday's between now and April 17th 2011 *Additional dates may be added.

Please connect with me if you are interested. Looking forward to working with you!
Mariahbaddas@gmail.com

little lady O

2011-02-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Oh me oh my. I am in BABY HEAVEN over here! I finally sat down yesterday and counted all of the fabulous mamas I have in my life right now and came up with the spectacular number ELEVEN. ELEVEN pregnant moms, some first time, some second.and some have stopped counting ! But ALL of them I consider my friends! And so that makes me one happy girl. That means 11 new babies to love and squish and hug and snuggle...and then hand right back to their mamas when I've gotten my baby fix! :) It's crazy how fast time goes, I feel like my own little baby Apple was just a newborn, and now she's a big 18mo old! So, heres to all of you lovely ladies baking babies in your bellies! I'm so excited for you and hope SO much that you'll let me take your babes frist photos! pretty please? I'll bring you a gift?
:)

Here's my newest little niece (i use the term loosely, since technically, she isn't my niece at all) but shhhhhh don't tell miss Olivia Grace. To her I will always be auntie Mariah. Brittany (mama) and I have been friends forever, we went to high school together and she was in our wedding :) And now...baby town! Little O has been long awaited let me tell you. SInce I don't have any nieces or nephew's to call me own yet, She's number one.

This is how we knew the shoot was done.

Isn't she the sweetest little peanut you've ever seen? I want to smooooosh her all day long! Love to Brit and Roy for allowing me to hold and love and snuggle Olivia.

I'm super excited to make some BIG announcements on this blog this week! Please come back and visit us on March 1st for the
Mariah Baddas Photography first ever model call (experience not necessary) :) and more babies and even a wedding to be posted soon! Love and more love,

Mariah

bella and bellies and baby

2011-02-22T10:43:00.000-08:00

Oh i l (heart) this cute little fam. I was so excited when Claudia and Ryan asked me to shoot their maternity/mini fam sesh in Carlsbad a few weeks ago. We've know these guys for several years now. Ryan and Claudia were guests at our wedding! and we were theirs! We all have pictures of eachother dancing at our weddings... haha. And now almost 7 years later we have BABIES between us!

Isn't their Bella Capri so pretty? She was not sure about me at first, but she warmed up- they always warm up...:)

And Beautiful Claudia... muy caliente if you ask me. Her bump is bump-a-licious. Too sweet!

Congrats to momma, dad and Big Sister Bella! Baby Ryan, can't wait to meet you!! Lots of love, and bellies....

xoxo

my sweetie

2011-02-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

During my little break from blogging, I did a lot of thinking about what I like about photography, what I'd like to be better at- and such... I love that it's ALL MINE. You know? People hire me because they enjoy the way that I capture moments, or because they like me ( I hope!) and I LOVE that my photo skills change just as much as I change as a person. It's crazy town to look back at the first photos I took and see how far I've come. And I hope I continue to grow and learn that way.

People have asked me when I knew I'd be good at photography... All i know is that I've always loved taking pictures. Even from the time I was little. I always had a camera in my hand in junior high and high school. And that's when I knew I would love it forever. I didn't know then what I know now about editing and lighting etc, but I'm loving that I get to learn those things now. I had a terrible photo teacher in high school. He was the most un creative and rude person. haha. I was so afraid to present any shots to him because he'd make you feel so small and un important. I laugh now because people PAY me to shoot their events and he never liked any of my work. boo ya. haha. No, really. I had to go thru that rough patch in my learning process to know how sweet the reward would be.
So I guess this is my evolution. I want to be as much ME as possible. And not worry too much about what every other photog is out there doing. I get inspired by so many people, and I learn so much from what they are willing to share- I need to be more like that. I think that when you are generous with knowledge, others will follow and want to share as well. I really only read the blogs of photogs who are genuine and real, the ones that I feel like I can relate to. And people I can learn from. Maybe someday I'll post about my faves. I actually got to meet two of my favorite photogs last month when we were all shooting weddings at the LDS San Diego Temple. It was AWESOME.

So with a new year starting and some fresh confidence and excitement i decided that I'm going to post a lot more than JUST my photo sessions on this blog. I hope that my readers will enjoy that. I love you guys and even though I don't have a platform here on the blog for comments, you are ALWAYS welcome to "like" me on facebook . ah FACEBOOK. It's where I announce all my sales and events and new things. PLUS i just like having fans. you know.

I have also decided that it's ok to post a few pictures here and there of my own sweeties. I used to be totally against the idea and super paranoid, but I'm coming around to it and maybe you'll all start seeing more of the Baddas girls. Starting now.

you too can have a sweetie valentine-sie shot of your kiddos. why haven't you booked yet?

where the heck have I been?

2011-02-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Oh my. It's been a LOOOOng time since I blogged. Well, at least on this blog. :) I hope I still have people who will read. Well, I don't have much of an excuse for not blogging- 'cept that I've been LOVING spending the extra time with my Hub and girls. It's been so nice to have a little bit of a break from work and just be mom.....Oh but I haven't breaked from picture taking. I have more pictures of the girls from the last month that I don't know what to do with myself! Talk about sweetness overload. So, I'm here to say I'm BAAAACK..
And to make up for the lack of posting/laziness of the last month AND because I jumped back into the swing of things SO close to Valentines Day, I thought I'd offer a lil deal.

For the month of February, I've got a Mini sale. I'm calling it the Sweeties Sale. (ps I heart valentines day- so I'm extending it through the whole month) Let's get shootin' I can't wait to see some cutie bug little faces!

I'm also hosting my very FIRST model call beginning March 1st! More details to come- get your little ones ready for it! I'm super excited to be back to work and you can bet I've gotten the rest I've needed. Let's do this.

Love to you all!
Mariah

The Winn's

2010-12-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

Happy almost New Year blog lovers. This is my last family session I was able to do for the Holidays in 2010. I loved this little cute family and couldn't be happier with the way it came out! Thank you to Jenn and Aaron and sweet peas Sydney and Hailey for being awesome and making my life so easy!

Still Christmasy

2010-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Merry {belated} Christmas everyone! I hope your Christmas was as blessed and wonderful, filled with LOVE and yummyness as mine. I've enjoyed spending time with my sweet girls and hub- and have taken a little break from blog life. BUT i'm back because-
I have a couple more posts for this year, I can't even believe how quickly the time has gone by! I feel so stinkin grateful for the chances I've been given and the people I've worked with this year. Thank you so much for supporting me. And letting me do what I love. It means more than anything else I could ask for. And the fact that I'm still loving it, means even more. This is what I was meant to do! Thank you!

Here's the beautiful Kemp family! These guys were so sweet and I got another chance to work with a puppy! Renee and Mike and cutie pic little Riley were so fun to be with. We spent a nice morning together doing this session and I was so happy with the way it all came out!

I was supposed to meet up with the Kemps last year when Riley was a newborn to do a session for them, but coincidently, I also had a newborn baby apple at the time, so it took us a while to get together. So we rolled this session into a family one and a mini sesh for Riley girl. I'm so glad we did. Thank you to Mike, Renee, Riley and Maggie for a fun day! Enjoy your pictures....

are you kidding me with this ruffle bum outfit? and the leggings? haha! so sute! but check out her expression, she was so over me being in her face by this shot! ;)

Another beautiful family...

2010-12-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

I've received emails in the past asking if I do a lot of retouching in PS on faces and such. One sweet person wrote that everyone I feature on my blog is so pretty, I must have some really great editing equipment (or a magical camera) and while I do consider my camera pretty magical, I need to bust the myth about my clients. They are beautiful. Seriously. How do I always get so lucky? I do love me some PS skills, but no, to tell you the truth, I use PS to enhance what beauty there already is. And that's the honest truth. I just have a lot of really pretty friends. haha!

I'm a people person. I always have been. If you book a session with me, chances are we'll be friends by the end of it. That's just who I am. I hug people I don't know- not randomly, with good reason! :) And I laugh with strangers when funny things happen. I try to be real with my clients, so that they will be real with me. Nothing says fakey fake more than airy laughs and cheap small talk. I only have a few moments with these people. Moments where they need to me capture the true them, so I'm true.

This is a beautiful family. I was so happy when Ashley contacted me and asked me to meet up with them for an afternoon. Her kids are amazingly cute and well behaved and we had a great time. A perfect recipe for a photo shoot. Happy people+ beautiful place=
awesome session. I love it. I'm going to go bananas with this post, I couldn't narrow it down to a few favs so hang in there. It's a doozy.

And PS. I'm pretty good at reading people, so don't be worried now that I'm totally gonna attack-hug you if you hire me. I won't. maybe just a little double hand shake action. who knows?

People that get me.

2010-12-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

I love this family. LOVE them. We've been friends a long time and we have so many good memories together. Becky and Justin went to High school with hub and I. We didn't hang then, they were too cool....:) haha but we went through our first pregnancies together, even taking lamaze classes (classic) and choosing baby names, and now here we are, almost 5 years and 4 (between the two fams) kids later! We love you guys and are so happy to call you our friends. Please feast your eyes on the beautiful Romney's.

It's december, i promise

2010-12-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

It just doesn't look it in SUNNY SAN DIEGO CA. haha.

These were taken on Black Friday. of all days. Look how hard of a worker I am, sacrificing valuable shopping time to shoot a family session. Geez, I'm so great. haha.

These are some crazy kids i know. I happen to be directly related to two of them. I will claim them. They're pretty cool, I guess. The others are their cousins. We like to keep it all in the fam bam, you know. :) Merry Christmas to Taylor, Lauren, Angela and Matthew. Thanks for rockin my socks off on black friday!

Sistas in law

Thank you to Arlene, Angela and Matthew, Diane, Taylor and Lauren...merry christmas guys!

old and new friends: the Gorgeous Carmichael family

2010-12-07T00:22:00.000-08:00

So the day before Thanksgiving... i got to meet up with my beautiful friend Mirelle who I hadn't seen in over fifteen years! We were friends back in elementary school and when my family moved across town, we lost track of one another. We were like 11. But through the magic and wonders of facebook, we found one another again and got all caught up! Mirelle is a photog too! A stinkin awesome one. Check her out. Seriously go, I'll wait....

right?

So I was so excited when she said that she and her hub and their cute little Riley girl were coming back home for Thanksgiving and we should get together and swappy swap sessions. Yes please. Mirelle and her sister Cheryl shoot together (it's a family thing) haha. remember little Brother Dylan? Aww. I miss him.

Anywho. The Carmichael's are fabulous. Totally effortless and made my job cake. Thank you to you all for being so fun! We can't wait to hang again and wished we could have played longer!

Dear Riley, you are adorable! And so teeny tiny...:) just wanna slurp you up.

Be on the lookout for more pics and projects from Mirelle and me. boom.

the Handsome TANO family

2010-12-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I got to meet up with this sweet little fam at a local park to do a family session for the Holidays! The Tano's are the sweetest people and their boys are so well behaved! I was impressed! :) Noah and Parker did a fabulous job (nicole and ty weren't bad either!haha)

Please enjoy the Tano family's holiday session. I sure did! Merry Christmas you guys!

Christmas is upon us!

2010-11-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

Hooray! This is such a fun/busy time of year! I just wanted to pop by and say HELLO!

How are you all? Are you getting Christmasy? in a failed attempt to be super well-organized this year, I've once again not prepared myself for the next few weeks! ack! Why oh why am I such a procrastinator? There are so many things I want to do for my girls and hub before Christmas and, well, we'll see how that goes.

I'm super excited to be editing my sessions for the Holiday MIni Sale I have going on! Thank you to all the fams that met up with me this Thanksgiving weekend to have some fun and take awesome pictures! I loved each of those sessions and I'm working on them- trust me, day and night! haha! (i laugh because it's mostly midnight to 3am) so....oh whatever!

Just wanted to say thanks for your patience! For anyone who still needs to book a family session GET on It. haha! C'mon- whatcha waitin for? I'm really hoping to be done shooting sessions by DEC. 10th. so hurry hurry now. :)

And because I simply can't post on a photoblog without a photo... I give you miss S at her ballet class. uh dorable.

Thanks for reading blog luvs. See you soon!

xoxo,
Mariah

meet easton

2010-11-22T15:40:00.001-08:00

I recently posted on my Facebook page for Mariah Baddas Photography (WHAT? you're not a fan yet? Please go- all the cool kids are doing it!) That if I were given a choice of shooting ONE type of photo for the rest of my life, do you know what I'd choose?

babies.

tiny ones. warm and sleepy, luscious little babies.

I heart everything about newborn photos. I love the closeness between a child and his or her mother. I love that new dad's are so careful and shy- ahhhh! Love love love it.

So, imagine my delight when good friends, Maren and Bryan asked me to take newborn pictures of their little guy Easton. GLEE. I tell you... pure glee.

Easton was 9 days old for his first photoshoot! Oh he was so good! No crying, lots of snuggling and what do you know? He loved the white noise machine!!

Thank you to Maren, Bryan and baby Easton, you were all terrific! I hope I can capture his milestones as he grows and give you pictures to remind you just how sweet it all is...

Toni + Aaron

2010-11-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

engaged. Totally engaged. These two are awesome. SO easy going. SO happy together and just fun. We romped around on this awesome abandoned bridge and played with their (hers- but almost his) little puppy, Shortie. Oh I heart this session!

Toni is sisters with Keri whose wedding I was pleased to shoot this past summer. Remember this?
So I was thrilled when she contacted me about shooting her own wedding this winter! YES PLEASE! I love everything about these two and the wedding they are planning! I can hardly wait for the Bridal session just to get a peek at Toni's custom couture she's having made. I may die. And their vintage themed wedding and reception is sure to be killer.
For sure every detail has been laid out and Toni and Aaron know exactly what they need to make their wedding day amazing. SO glad that I (lil ole me) gets to be a big part of that!

So thanks to Toni, Aaron and Shortie for a fun autumn afternoon and I look forward to our next sessions!! For now, please enjoy some totally rad pictures of totally rad Toni and Aaron.

2010 Holiday Mini Sessions NOW BOOKING!!

2010-11-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's that time again! Are you getting all ready for Christmas?? I'm pretty excited!! And I've finally decided my plan of attack on this year's Holiday season (well, as far as work goes- gift giving...eh, not so much yet!)

I'm streamlining everything this year, so it's going to be really simple and clean and beautiful! One price. Limited sessions available and everything's gotta be done by December 10th. Yes. SO let's get to it blog lovers. I can't wait to see your gorgeous faces....

This year the Holiday minis are just that *mini* isn't everything cuter in miniature size? I think so! At least most things anyway...

The $150 includes your session fee (unlimited people and pets:) and a HI RES disc with 10 fully edited and ready for christmas card images. Fee is due at the time of booking to hold your place. That's it! EASY PEASY huh? I'm so excited to get the word out and get shootin'

If you REFER a family, and they book a session, you'll get $20 smackaroo's off! WHAT? that's awesome. what a deal! This can't be beat! That Mariah is so fantastic. (oh, wait... i'm the one typing this......um, awkward.)

So what are you waiting for? Find some cute outfits for the kiddies, throw on some sassy boots and grab your hubby and let's get goin'....

Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings are wide open until further notice. Email me for availabilities.

mariahbaddas@gmail.com

I love you all, I hope you'll send me some love back :)

autumn-ish

2010-10-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

It is starting to feel like Fall in this beautiful city I call home. San Diego in general does not get to experience season changes, so we have to fake it by telling ourselves that it's now FALL...BOOM!

So to celebrate the beginning of fall, my most favorite of all seasons, I made some whoopie.

pies. that is.

Ever had them? They're like Little Debbies on steroids. OH MY GOODNESS.

These are so yummy, I had to share them with you here! And not that I'm turning this into a flog (food blog) but, c'mon- look how pretty they turned out! Love it! Add some natural light and a little mini studio was born! I love when food is pretty.

Enjoy the picture of my sweet potato whoopie pies with maple marshmallow creme. at least you can't get fat looking at them!

get the recipe:
Adapted recipe from Two Fat Cats Bakery and Bon Appetit

Yield: 20 pies
Cakes:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
½ cup milk

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Sift first 5 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in mashed sweet potato. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Pipe batter onto baking sheets (about 3 tbsp. per cake) spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate pans and bake for another 10 minutes. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using spatula, remove cakes from parchment.

Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.

Spoon or pipe about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake.

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 7-ounce jar marshmallow crème

2 teaspoons maple extract

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add marshmallow crème and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth.

***Note: I used fresh sweet potatoes, not canned. Instead of boiling, I baked two medium sweet potatoes at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Very easy to peel and mash.

a few of my favorite people + holiday session news

2010-10-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

Oh i cannot tell you how much I love this sweet family. Seriously people, they are some of the greatest people you'll ever meet. And I'm friends with them. YES. ME! How lucky am I?

Megan asked me to take family photos for them last month and I was so super happy to get the chance. Shes an amazing photog as well, so it totally means something that she wanted me. haha.

We went to this awesome park near their home in Poway, CA and i loved it! Got there before any one else and enjoyed a fogged in Saturday morning with their handsome little guy (whom I'm secretly hoping grows up and marry's one of our daughters so we can officially be family). LOVE LOVE LOVE to the Tanners and their amazing fam. So blessed to know you!

Holiday Session Info coming SOON! Thanks everyone for you patience...I"m getting back to emails and contacts as fast as I can and I'll let you know as soon as I officially post my 2010 Holiday prices packages!

xoxo,
mariah

KT + Joel= Married

2010-09-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Time to post my last summer wedding before it's too late and the summer has completely passed. Has it already? Hm. Can't tell, this darn southern cali weather and all. :)

KT and Joel had an amazing August wedding in San Diego. These two were to wonderful to work for and I was so happy with the way everything came out. This was the last wedding that my brother Dylan shot with me, so it was extra fun! KT's dress was custom made and it fit her like you'd never believe and Joel just doted on her all day. They were sealed in the San Diego LDS Temple and had an amazing reception at Balboa Park in Downtown San Diego at the Japanese Friendship Garden. It pretty much rocked. And I was so happy to be there. The colors they chose were amazing shades of pink. Every last little detail was attended to and ugh...it was just awesome!

To the newly weds, KT and Joel, may you enjoy every moment together and live full and happy lives! Thank you again to the Pugmire and Everett families for asking me to be part of this amazing day!

Ready for some weddin' eye candy? well, here ya go!

FALL is for the Birds

2010-09-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

the True Birds, that is.

This is a sneak peek at some of the FAL 2010 collection over at true birds.com Isn't their model, Tate so pretty? The camera loves her. Serious.

This was my last shoot with the Birds before I moved out of La Jolla. I was so lucky to have worked with them on so many occasions. I really do think that they've got it goin on. Check out True Birds to see for yourself. And thank you to H &H for every opportunity you've sent my way...

oh. happy. day

2010-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Keri and Christian's wedding was FAB.U.LOUS. seriously. It was the ultimate summer evening wedding event. After a beautiful sealing ceremony at the San Diego LDS Temple, a quick romp down to the cove in La Jolla, CA and a grande finale reception at Keri's family home. You couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.
Every detail was amazing. I hope I'm getting right when I describe it as Anthropologie-inspired and simply gorgeous. Her colors were all shades of yellow with accents of navy and white. and the twinkle lights. oh. the twinkle lights.... love.
Keri and CJ has a few small surprises for their guests that consisted of a photo booth for guests to take funny pictures in and take some home for themselves. They had the LARGEST chocolate fountain i think i've ever seen. With everything dippable treat you could imagine and the greatest surprise of all... the honeymoon. CJ planned the entire thing and was the ONLY person who knew where they were headed after the reception. How romantic is that? Loved it.

I kept catching them making these little faces at each other. so sweet.

and boy did I love them jumping. jump. jumpy. jumpy i say.

How could you not have a happily ever after when you run off into your new life aided by sparklers? I ask you...

Thank you to Keri and Christian for asking me to come shoot your perfect day. I enjoyed every minute. And thank you for possibly being the most chill couple..ever.

xoxo,
mariah

fifteen

2010-09-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

raise your hand if you remember what it's like to be 15. ohmigosh. That was over a dozen years ago for me. I was in high school. I wore overalls to school. I loved my overalls. that's yuck. why didn't anyone tell me? Oh yeah, they were wearing them too. You know you did. Don't lie. You know you still have them too. just incase they become cool again.

At 15 I was super excited to get my learners permit. I took behind the wheel with one of my best friends, and that proved to not be such a great idea. When the instructor had me merge onto the freeway ( a southern California freeway, mind you) I snuggled up right next to the largest semi i've ever seen. I freaked. I took both hands off the wheel. Luckily, the instructor must have know I was going to do that, because he had is hand on the wheel before I let go. whew.

he didn't care for me much after that.

but guess what? I got my permit. yikes. and I drove and drove and drove until no one else would drive with me. I drove so much and loved it so much that there was one night when my other BFF was over and we needed to get her home. I HONESTLY asked my dad to lay down in the back seat of our car and cover himself with a blanket so we could experience what our life would be like if we could drive with no parents.

he didn't do it.

Ahhh, 15. So much fun. Not so many cares in the world. Except maybe what you're going to wear for the day. Overalls? definitely.

Here's Elexus. She's 15 too. And she had a way cool party to prove it. Happy Quince Elexus.

I am Mariah Baddas, and I didn't miss ANY questions on my DMV exam. so there.

where in the world is mariah baddas photography?

2010-09-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have not perished. Rather, I've been busy living life. Or something like it... ahh. So remember last post I said that things were slowing down and getting more chill around here? Yeah. don't ever post something like that on a public blog because guess what? You'll get busy. haha. I'm totally happy though to be busy. I feel SO SO SO blessed that people like my work and want my art hanging HUGE on their walls at home.

So yes, here are some thing to look forward to in the future: I have 3 weddings left to blog about.
1-2-3.
uno. dos. tres.
un. deaux. trois.
ichi. ni. san.

ok you get it.
And yes I'm quadrilingual. yes, that's a word alright. I know how to count to three in every language. or I know how to google it so you think I do. clever huh?

ANYWHO

3 weddings. I'm super excited to share. They were all so beautiful. I loved each one of them. My bro Dylan and I shot them together over the last 2 months and we had a blast.
Speaking of little bro. I've got some news for the lovers of the blog... it's rather bittersweet news- I must say. My brother has gone and left me for another adventure. Yes. He is now serving as a full time missionary for our Church and he will be serving for 21 months.

SO what does all of that mean? Well, he's taking a small hiatus as my second shooter/video guy and doing something that will change his life and the lives of others. I already miss him like crazy. We had so much fun working together this summer. I've never worked with a "funner" second shooter, and not only because he's my brother, but he's my friend too. Who else will sing Michael Buble with me at the top of our lungs on our way to a wedding? Or who will find the craziest dancer at the reception and video his/her moves just so I can see it later while I'm editing and laugh my face off? No one. Just Dylan. he's a rockstar. I'm more proud than ever to be his sister and so thankful that he wanted to spend so much time with me this summer.
SO, look out Provo Utah. He's there and he's ready to meet ya. And please tell him I miss him. And that I'm taking good care of his little baby camera. hah.

isn't he cute?

back off crazy girls. you are going to have to go through me first before any of you snatch him up in a few years. yeah, you heard me. I'm talking to you.

Look forward to some more posts this week. a few sneak peeks and some lovely announcements about this years ever fast approaching HOLIDAY sesions. Let me share a tiny little secret. EVERYONE can have family pictures this year with the way I'm doin it up. Yup. intrigued? Come back soon for the details!

I love you all...
mariah

loved ones

2010-08-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I can feel it- the breath of fresh air, the warm smell of summer fading into (well, in San Diego) a cooler time of summer.. haha. And that means that the busy business is slowing down and we can all...just...take... a..... breath. Ahhhhhh.

I have to tell you though, that as busy as I've been these past few months, I'm so happy to have met everyone and worked with all of you! Whether it's been your wedding day, or a family sesh, a newborn portrait or a summer night party, you've all been wonderful. You are why I do what I do. and love it.

thank you.

I'm working really hard to get everyone their images in a timely manner. I know you're all awesome, so thanks for not beating down my door :) here is a little peek for a sweet fam I met a few weeks ago. Thank you to the Hatfield and fam for asking me to shoot their LONG overdue family session. You were all so wonderful and I'm happy to have met you!

Fav shot of the day.

it's been a family tradition for years to buy ice cream from this cute little shop in Balboa Park, San Diego- so of course they needed a shot of that.

the highlights.

2010-08-14T23:00:00.001-07:00

another great one. bravo Dylan Bitton. bravo.
Oh and The Bakers did a great job too- of course! Enjoy!

Baker Wedding Highlights from Dylan Bitton on Vimeo.

Lauren + Trenton

2010-08-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hey blog loves. Thank you so much for the sweet sweet emails and comment about my new look! I'm loving it so much and I'm glad to hear that you do too!
SO- where do we go from here? Oh... I know! How about a peek at a super cute couple that got hitched a few weeks ago and I'm the lucky ducky who got to shoot their wedding? Good. GO.

Lauren is sisters with one of my best girlfriends Breanne, and so I was thrilled when she contacted me to shoot her big day. And meeting her hub Trenton and watching them together was so sweet.

'The Bakers' as they shall be referred to from now on :) were married in the San Diego LDS Temple in La Jolla. It was the most beautiful day. If you're not from around here, you may have heard that So Cal has been having serious summer weather issues lately, but the clouds broke and the sun was shining for the Baker's wedding! Hooray!

We had a Bridal shoot a few days before the BIG DAY in Encinitas and I loved running around on the beach getting shots of these two. They are quite sweet to one another... so fun.;)

Of course my bro came with on the wedding day to shoot and help me get some footage of the garden reception that afternoon. It was gorgeous. Every last detail was planned out and turned out so beautifully.

Congrats to Mr and Mrs Baker... you guys are awesome! Thank you for letting us come and capture your day.
Look forward to another Dylan Bitton highlights clip in the future..

I've been BRANDED

2010-08-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce here that the face of Mariah Baddas Photography has been re designed! I can't tell you how excited I really am about this- it's been a long time coming!!

My new friend Amber designed this logo for me, and I love her for it! Amber and I have never met, but thanks to the wonders of the internet and a magical place called Etsy, we're now friends!

She's amazing. She did everything I asked and was so awesome to work with! If only she and I lived on the same coast, we could meet up for hot cocoa... because I'm pretty sure she's super fun to hang with!

Thank you to Amber for everything you've helped me with. I feel like a real business now, I have a brand and and trademark. I have color and happiness!!! And I'm super excited to see my name on every thing I can stick a label on. Ok, that may be a bit over the top....

maybe.

pssst. If you want Amber's info please email me, mariahbaddas{at}gmail{dot}com

looking forward to more of this...

2010-08-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

So, i know it doesn't look like I've been buried lately, you know- the lack of posting around here and all, but I have been SLAMMED with work lately. and I'm saying this with all of the love in my heart, but whoa.. I'm ready for a little breaky break.

It's wedding season and I'm about halfway done with shooting for the summer, I'm looking forward to posting all of the amazing weddings I've been to, but I need to finish a few things first.

I've received a few emails from you that have asked more about me! Me? really? :) you DO care! haha. So I thought I'd take a minute to enlighten you all. "oh boy" you say...

I've been asked a lot if I have children and why I don't post here much about them and the answer is YES! I have two gorgeous little boo's (in my mama language Two girlies, they are 3yr and almost 1yr and they are my entire life. I am married too! Luckily I have the most amazing hub in the world! He takes care of the babes when I go out to shoot sessions.
I have chosen not to post too many pictures of my kids on here for personal (paranoia) reasons. I know that seems a little silly, but I feel really strongly about privacy issues with my munchkins. You can never be too safe and since my site and blog are public, I can't monitor who's looking. So if you do see their pretty faces on here, you should feel very lucky! :) I also take care of my clients' children and ask for their permission before I post their pictures anywhere on the internet. I just think it's nice to ask! So, there you go!

This is my baby apple. The last time you saw her on my blog was when she was born and now she's all grown up and almost 1...can you believe it? I love her so much. She's a feisty little thing and I've been told that because of those two little "whirls" in her hair (see um?) she's gonna be a handful all her life!
I'm so looking forward to taking some time off to spend with the boo's and hub when I'm done with weddings for the season. Just in time for HOLIDAY sessions....WHOOP WHOOP!!!! Can't wait- I've got a lot up my sleeves this year and hope you'll all call me for a sesh. See you all soon!

xoxo,
Mariah

erika and josh are married

2010-07-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Heeeeeeeellllllllllllllllooooooooooo blog loves! And HELLO to Mr and Mrs Josh Riddell! I love these guys!Do you remeber their engagements HERE? Aren't they so cute? And handsome? And lovely? and all those other amazing adjectives? Ok, I know- I'm not that funny. You know what IS funny?.... hmm. yeah, I've got nothing. Nothing but awesome WEDDING PHOTOS for your viewing pleasure!

ta-da!!

Erika and Josh got married a few weeks (or months) ago in the beautiful San Diego Temple. Aw. I love that sacred place. They looked SO happy exiting the building for the first time as hub and wifey. so cute! And the rest was history. Enjoy a little eye candy and pick out your fav shot of the day. I've got mine!
*bonus* the Riddell's also had a garden ring ceremony before their reception at the Torry Pines Hilton Resort. it was uh.ma.zing.

luv!

I should mention that the Temple is undergoing some MAJOR constuction work this summer, so it's not quite as sparkly as usual, but Erika asked me to get some cool urbany shots of it all decked out so they'd remember what it really looked like on their wedding day. she's really cool like that.
cue the urbany-ness.

FAV shot of the day, for reals.

Oh my. sooo fun. Thank you to Erika and Josh, And both sets of parents for asking me to be a part of your fabulous wedding day. It was so awesome to work with you all! Enjoy your new life together...
love,
mariah

Sean and Emily

2010-07-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how long it's taken me to get this wedding shoot up on the bloggy. I feel awful!! I've had these edited and ready to go and I've been such a space case that I've totally neglected them. A million bajillion apologies to Sean and Emily.
In my own defense, I posted them on my facebook page a while back and I think that's why I forgot to stick them up here. BAH.
If you love brain cells, do not have kids, they steal them from you and after having two (beautiful) baby girls I admit that my mind isn't what it used to be. OH MY... enough with me!

Who remembers these beautiful people? On with the sean and emily = shemily show.

These two lover birds got married in Draper, UT but asked me to come play at their open house reception in Vista, CA. It was a beautiful evening, the candles in the vintage glass vases lit, the music so pretty and the setting so right for a lovely party.

Please visit my facebook page (MARIAH BADDAS PHOTOGRAPHY) "like" me, and let's have a party.

oh Shemily, you guys are the best! Love and one more apology to you both...
xoxo,
Mariah

do. it. yourself.

2010-07-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

people who know me personally would probably tell you that I'm a huge fan of DIY'ing... yes, the awesome art of creating something yourself. I love it. And when DIY meets photography, you can bet I'm all over it.

I understand that not everyone like to do.it.themselves. Some would rather go out and find it already done, that's cool... but just incase you ARE a fan of DIY here's a little somethin' somthin' for you....

DIY+ Photography+ japanese (anything)= one happy girl.

Bokeh.

The pleasing quality of the out of focus areas of an image produced by a lens. Derived from the Japanese word boke, "blurred," this term is sometimes used to describe the deliberate blurring of areas of a painting to create a sense of depth.

And here's how to do it....

Grab your DSLR

Use a lens you have (or steal your brother's like i did) that has a very very low aperture. Here i have a Canon 50mm 1.2

Set up a little Bokeh studio, here I used my un-lit walk in closet with a string of colored Christmas lights, but you could really go anywhere with this. ie: street lamps, candles, car tail lights or headlamps... any source of small lights at night time

Stand back a ways (maybe 5 feet or so)

Set your lens to MF or manual focus

Get those sparkly little lights to become blurred and bright in your view finder...

Snap. away and fall in love with your Bokeh effects...Kinda magical- right?

Email me with any questions. mariahbaddas(at)gmail(dot)com

love.

back paddle.

2010-06-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

rewind. Ok. GO.

I'm getting ahead of myself here. I need to post some stuff that I've been doing, so that I can post more stuff that I've been doing! Hurrah!

Did you know it's summer? Well, I don't know if it's officially summer, but it feels like it, because we are buzzing around here like crazy. Weddings for the next two weekends...Senior sessions and grad announcements....whew, and schools out.. time to play!

I have a lot on my mind right now, I know I always say that, but I'm excited for the next few weeks because I have some really FUN projects coming. The face of this blog will be changing (yes, again) for the good and I'm really happy about that. Change is good. So, here's my schmorgazborg (what?) post of my mini sessions over the past few weeks (or eek, months)....

This is E. She's so awesome. and she's getting ready for her big debut at her Quince (don't speak Spanish?- I'll translate, her fifteenth birthday extravaganza...you're welcome)

E also happenes to be one of my best girlfriends nieces, so I feel extra special about covering her big party day! Can't wait E! You're so sweet. Look out for her big par-tay session coming soon!

This is Mitch. He's rad and totally graduating from High school in like, 6 days. I had a great time trying to make him laugh and shoot that smile. Mitch is an accomplished musician and athlete. And now, he's my friend. Congrats to Mitch for graduation and go BIG RED.

Yay for Mini sessions. So fun! Let's do more....:)

sneaky peeky

2010-06-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

erika + josh= one of the most gorgeous weddings. ever. Here's the sneak peek. The rest are on the way.....soon.

the happiest place on earth.

2010-05-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

we are celebrating, and doing the happy dance today in our home. know why? tomorrow- we are going to DISNEYLAND.....

oh we {heart} Disneyland in this house. and we're so lucky to only live a little while away from the Magic Kingdom. So to pump us up even more, we made delicious Mickey and Minnie cake pops. (and by we I mean ME and I let "Miss S" help a little) :) Thanks to daddy Baddas for taking the day off and playing with us and our pals the McGuires! We can hardly wait! Disneyland, here we come!

what's shakin+ proof that girls like to play dress up at any age

2010-05-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

hey blog luvers... here we are again, sunday night. It's been a crazy weekend here in the Baddas home. Lotsa stuff going on, and lotsa work to be done. So what in the world am i doing tonight? hmmm. nothing. typical me :)

I have been under my pile of edits for too long. There are so many projects I'm working on it's kinda hard to stay focused. One minute I'm totally in it, and then the next thing I know, I'm painting ten tiny toesnails. Or I'm either hyper focused and making progress and the next thing I know, it's 2am and I'm still working away.. crazy, I know.
But fun?
You bet.

Please stay tuned for a gorgeous La Jolla wedding I just shot, along with another rad-tastic HD vid by little bro. They'll be up soon. But just because I love you and i didn't want to leave you with nothing, here you go.

these shots have been sitting in a folder DYING to be edited for MONTHS now. They were taken back in December when one of my super cute friends Tira had her twenty-(cough) something birthday. And yes. we dressed up. Harajuku style.

Don't be jealous that you can't pull off a tutu and striped leggings. We're not entirely sure we pulled them off either. And yes, you called it- we definitely had a photo sesh at the mall, after hours. We may or may not have had plans to go ice skating in our outfits...that didn't pan out- so next best thing? Get crazy with the camera and have the best time doing it.

disclaimer- I only included one picture with me in it. that's because this is my blog, and I can do that sort of thing. hmpf. :)

yes, we are grown women and we like taking pictures of ourselves acting like fools. you know you wish you were there.
Sorry Tira these took forever.... what's on the agenda for your next birthday?

KT + Joel

2010-05-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago, we got to spend an afternoon in Balboa Park with KT and Joel. they smile pretty :) And we enjoyed the time spent shooting their little smiles and snuggles. aw.

KT and Joel are going to college in Utah, but are getting married this summer in beautiful San Diego!! Hooray for me- cause I get to shoot their wedding too! KT is sisters with some of our best pal, Brian and Tira, so it's fun for me to get to know her as well. Thanks for the great sesh KT and Joel, you guys are so sweet.

can't wait any longer.... KT and Joel

2010-05-11T13:42:00.001-07:00

Please enjoy KT and Joel's Engagement Trailer:

kt + joel engagement trailer from Dylan Bitton on Vimeo.

Sorry it's taken me so long you guys! Engagement pictures to come next and your DVD is in the mail this week! Can't wait for your August Wedding!

*thanks again to Dylan Bitton video productions for this rad trailer.

mini Q and A....digging myself out....sneeky peeks

2010-05-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

Hey-lo blog luvers. It's been a long, LONG time. I feel like I start every post saying that! I have been slammed with one thing after another lately, and it's true, my blog has suffered.. poor little thing. So here I am to save the day- update my junk and (ahem) get back on track....

It's spring... Did you notice? Did you know how much I love Springtime and the flowers and the colors and the warm sun and the beach and the weddings...ahhhh... it's Spring. I'm gonna cheat and roll a bunch of stuff all into one place because- let's be honest, I have a wedding almost every weekend this month and next, and I don't know when I'll get myself back here...:) that's me joking, kinda.

I received an email request (or two) asking about my lenses and which one is my fav. get ready people, I'mma 'bout to change your lives. (or just make you really, really, really want this lens.) it's the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L oh.my.goodness. I never lived before this lens (thank you Kelly Clarkson) I seriously don't ever NOT use it during a session. It's my favorite, it's my 3rd child, I would cry if anything ever happened to it. Ahhh. So yes, to answer your questions.... This lens does it all. the crispness, the beautiful depth of field blur we all know and love, and enough wide angle to fit everyone in. It's the bomb.com
I also have 2 smaller "fixed" or "prime" lenses that I use often for macro photography. I steal my little brother's 50mm once in a while too. I'm kind of a lens addict. I love them. One day (maybe someday soon) I'll show you what my camera bag looks like. :) Hope this helps!! Thanks for the emails! Keep them coming... I wanna share what YOU wanna know!

And - so that I don't keep seeing my same post and blab all week long, here are a few shots from a few sessions I've been busy editing! how sweet, an engagement, maternity and newborn....what a lucky little chance that was! Happy Wednesday everyone! see ya soon!

xoxo,
mariah

they're engaged

2010-04-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

So excited to post these.... i love this cute couple. I've known Andrew since he was pretty little, he's buds with my little brothers. Which makes me feel old now that I've just taken his engagements. :) And Susan is as sweet as can be. I couldn't be happier for the pair of you. Please enjoy Andrew and Susan...

hope they don't mind I added this one. too awesome to pass up.

congrats again you two.

andrew + susan

2010-04-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Susan Engagement Session

proud to present our first engagement TRAILOR... Andrew+Susan. vid by Dylan Bitton Video Productions 2010

coming soon...

2010-04-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

this week an engagement session, a newborn session, and HD Videos presented by vimeo. What more could you want, really?

xoxo,
mariah

2010-04-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

breathing

2010-04-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

WOW. it's been a long time since I last posted. A lot has been happening, but it's all good stuff, and it's all crazy stuff. just stuff stuff.... ya know? I'm here, I haven't abandoned this blog! :) Gearing up for wedding season! It's spring and that means weddings are just around the corner! My love to you all, check back soon for more catching up stuff...

xoxo,
mariah

erika + josh

2010-03-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

fabulous. just fabulous. these two are so sweet... we enjoyed a nice afternoon at the beach, and snapped up some great engagements for them... to erika and josh, I'm super excited to shoot your wedding in a few months- i know it's going to be spectacular....
please enjoy erika and josh

first Q and A

2010-03-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

So, it's been kinda CRAZY around here lately. Life is just coming at me so fast, and there is a lot going on... BUT I haven't forgotten my blog or my work. I have a lot to share still and it's on it's way... But I thought I'd FINALLY sit down and do my first

Q and A post

ta-da!!

I've received a lot of emails over the past few months, and several of them have the same questions, so I thought I'd answer you all at once, (how nice for me) I hope to be able to do at least ONE Q and A post a month this year, so if you have any questions, send them my way! I'll do my best to answer the questions that I'd want to hear... Sound good? yay!

Here we go:

Q: What brand of camera equipment do you use?

A: I shoot with Canon. And nothing else. I'm a devoted Canon-ite for life. I'd say that a great DSLR to start out with would be an Xsi or the newer T1i. Both have MAJOR potential to give you the kinds of pictures you're looking for. If you're new to photography, USE YOUR CAMERA... it is the ONLY way you're going to take awesome pictures. seriously! :)

I once attended a lecture by this crazy photog: Jay Maisel. He is nuts. In a totally good way.He's shot all over the world. probably twice over. And the thing I took away from his lecture was that your camera needs to be like an extension of your body. You should always have it with you. And I've tried to incorporate that in my work as well as every day life. With two babies, I try to have a camera with me always, I'm lucky enough to have more than one, so I've always got something to shoot with. And it's not always convenient, but it's proved to be worth while. I've got so many shots that I wouldn't have had if I hadn't dragged along little "canon"....

click "email me" under the Mariah Baddas Photography header and send me your pressing questions!

xoxo,
mariah

spring time with True Birds

2010-03-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

Little peek at one of our last True Birds shoots. The lovely spring line.

fresh face....

2010-02-15T22:25:00.000-08:00

hi ho. hi ho. it's off to work on my blog I go...

Life's been a little busy. :) But life's good. I just need to say that out loud! My blog and my website are ready for SPRING! yay hooray! I'm super excited about my new fresh face look. It feels so squeaky and clean! :) And who doesn't love a little spring cleaning?
I'm a little slow when it comes to the whole html thing, but I think I've worked my blog enough to make it a little more inviting! I'm a bit bummed that I've had to disable the comments section on the blog right now while I work out some junk with blogger- I keep getting really annoying spam ads as comments {what?} it's buggin'. But we'll get it fixed. So- c'mon and stay a while.... there will be so many new things coming SUPER soon. I've got to get fully caught up on my sessions that I've done, whew.. and then (ahem... dum-da-dum...) some new things to look for on this blog! Including Q&A with ME! along with some other exciting things up my little sleeves :)

I'll leave you with just about the sweetest thing ever... a baby girl's first birthday soiree... yes... soiree. Paige, you sure knew how to make this a memorable event. FAB.U.LOUS. No detail was left un done people. I am so dang excited about expanding into more EVENT photography... {doing the happy dance} I'm so glad to have met you and your fabulous little cupcake. Look forward to working with you again really soon!

announcement

2010-02-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to drop a little line and say hey.... Wanted to let everyone know that there are going to be some new and exciting changes coming both to this blog and my website in the near future... so if you check here and things are all little crazy-like...that's why.

I love that I have the power to change things when I feel like it's time for change.. funny because I'm not really that big into "change" as in life, decisions- all that. But this will be good. so stay tuned, don't think I've lost my marbles..not yet...

xoxo,
Mariah

thow your hands in the air...

2010-01-29T23:30:00.000-08:00

and wave them like ya just don't care.

hmm, what was that all about? Oh yeah... I GOT PUBLISHED again!!!! WHOO HOOO!! I love my job.. can I say that? Is that allowed? LOVE IT.. True Birds, my girls Heidi and Heather. I can't be grateful enough. I am so thrilled to have another picture published. And I'm so proud of you girls for all of your hard work. amazing.Go pick up Sophisticate Hairstyles March edition. High five me... let's celebrate!! To H&H you know i love ya....my little published list over here is getting very excited!!!

:::super:::

2010-01-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

SUPERHEROS... I shot this event a few weeks before christmas...and I am just now getting around to posting it...how incredibly slow of me! AH! Once again, amazing Brittany Gharring throws an amazing bash.. this time for her hub Todd for his 30th. It was at the SUPER swank Se hotel in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp District. UH.MA.ZING. I loved shooting this party...Everyone came early, dressed up and waited to surprise Todd with their superhero-ness. I also really loved processing these images into comic looking shots... thanks to Brit for asking me to come, and thanks to everyone who let me shoot pictures of them acting crazy town.

A before and after of the comic process...

the best birthday cake EVER created, by Extraordinary Desserts

sean+emily=engaged

2010-01-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

Don't you just LOVE being in love? They sure do! So i had a great time with this little session at the beginning of this month!! These two are definitely in love, or at least they like each other enough to get married! haha! Can you believe that we shot these on January 2nd? At the beach? Yeah, me neither. One of my close friends recently pointed out that although San Diego never really experiences seasons, this "winter" has been particularly season-less. Well, it worked out for Sean and Emily, because we got in a super cool shoot at 9 in the morning on the second day of January. whoo hoo!

Congrats to Sean and Emily who are planning a spring wedding in Utah! I am so excited and happy for the pair of you! Thank you again for asking me to be a part of your engagement....

quality time

2010-01-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll! How's it been? I feel like I haven't bloggity blogged for a while! I hope that the New Year is treating everyone well so far. It's such a nice feeling to start off the year on a good foot (or two feet- whatever!) I'm back to posting some sessions that I took before the craziness of Christmas and the hullabaloo (ooh- fun word) of the New Year. I'm promising myself and my hub and my girls that I will be using my work time wisely, so that I don't neglect any of them... it must be done! So, off we go!

Hello 2010..... This is an amazing family I just so happened to get to hang with right before Christmas. They are pretty awesome... And super fun to shoot. The session was a Christmas gift for Mom. Nice kids huh?
Thank you to Maren for setting everything up with me! You all did so well.....

Holiday ThanksGiveaway -- the Results!!!

2010-01-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

Are you ready people? It's TIME............

I am in awe. I am humbled beyond words. I THANK each and everyone of you who has participated in this Giveaway. The stories- YOUR stories- have touched my life in ways that I could never explain. Each and every one of them. For the past month I've opened email after email and have been reminded each time, why I am doing this. I'd have to say that when I thought of opening up this ThanksGiveaway, I had no clue if anyone would jump in. I honestly thought that there were a handful of blog readers, and that I might get one or two nominations. You all have blown me away. I thank you all for reading- I'm so glad to know you now!! Thank you to my readers in Northern Canada, and my readers in Hawaii. Thank you to the families on the east coast, whom I didn't know before now. Thank you to my Utah readers, Idaho readers and my Iowa readers. And of course thank you to my local So Cal readers, you're my bread and butta..Thank you thank you thank you.... I love what I do, and I love that I can share it with you!

So now I'm ready to announce the winner of the first ever Mariah Baddas Photography ThanksGiveaway!! Are you ready?

Congratulations to the Neufville Family of Boston, Massachusetts

You are the winners!! I'm so excited to meet with you in MA and do a session with your family!

I also will get the awesome chance to meet up with my friend, Linn Allen and her sweet family who has won the nominators giveaway!! Thank you Linn, you're amazing!

So there she is guys! Happy Holiday ThanksGiveaway to all! This is definitely not the last time I'll be directing a giveaway. I received so much joy from this, and hope you'll all participate again! To those of you who were not chosen this time, I ask that you forgive me for not being able to get to you all.... I thank you for reading my blog and supporting my talents as a photographer. I have to give a HUGE shout out to some miracle workers, who will remain awesomely annonymous, that have given me the chance to fly to Boston to shoot these families. I love you not only for helping me do this, but because you know how much this meant to me. THANK YOU.

Happy HAPPY New Year to you all! May 2010 be a fabulous year.... until next time....

Mariah

..on the twelveth day of christmas...

2009-12-20T23:47:00.000-08:00

my true love gave to me.... the Gharrings in a laundry mat? What? well, there are just suprises around each corner here- huh?

This is the Gharring family. I have know Brittany for a while, and we've even worked together with H&H's True Birds! She's awesome. And she had an awesome idea for a funky fam session. and she had a cooperative hubby and cute little faux-hawked guy in tow. We ventured to a teeny tiny laundry mat a few weekends ago and had ourselves a merry little photo shoot. yes. I came up with that one on my own. brilliant- I know. How much do you LOVE the orange dryers? love. i love them. I love anything orange really...Well, i had a great time. I thank you- Gharrings... i hope you come up with a smart and witty christmas card...

ps look for a few events I've recently worked (with Brit) they'll be up after christmas! *hints* they involve superheros and japanese dress up... i know. hold your breath!!!

holly.jolly.christmas

2009-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite people! The Larsons. They are the most awesome friends ever. So when Breanne and Steve asked me to do a christmas time family photo shoot, I jumped, leaped and holla'd at the chance. Thank you Larsons for a fun morning!
Check out little red's expressions, he was so happy to have my lens in his face. And how adorable is baby with that amazing mama made pettiskirt? Yes mama made. I know.

...may your days be merry and bright!

2009-12-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm getting so excited about Christmas. Like, SO excited.... I have so much to be grateful for. And so much to celebrate!
I wanted to give a quick update on my ThanksGiveaway- I am completely (and pleasantly) surprised by the emails I have received over the last week. I am truly blessed to know you, and impressed by those of you whom I've never met!! Your stories, and the stories that you've shared of others have touched my heart in a way that I can't explain. I literally open each email, holding my breath so that I can get through them. I write this, not because I want to be the center of attention- and boast that I get to know all of these personal stories. This is not my purpose. You all have inspired me. Your stories have changed the way I feel about a lot of things. Mostly about how I'm living my life. And I'm grateful. It's taught me a great deal. Thank you.

Please DON'T stop now! there are 21 days until Christmas. If you haven't nominated your favorite family, do it. To those of you waiting to hear if you've won, it won't be long... I want to travel to all of the states that you're from, and meet you all- and spend a day with you and your families. For now, it'll have to be just one. But someday, I wish to make it to you all.

on to one of my latest Holiday sessions with one of my favorite families. Don't you just want to squeeze these little kids? I do.

close to the end of the session, their little cute cousin came to play! Hooray!

love you Del Pego's. Thanks for asking me to shoot your Christmas photos!! Merry Christmas everyone!

it's all relative

2009-11-29T00:46:00.000-08:00

well, at least to me! ha! I'm so clever at this blog title stuff!

Ok, ready for some rad Utah love? Here you are ma'ams and sirs. Can I just say that as a kid- I grew up making fun of Utahn's? (sp?) I did. And I'm sorry. Because I now love Utah. Well, kind of. I love that on a chilly November morning, I could get in the truck with my little brother and cute sister in law, and within minutes find a cool spot to shoot and not be interrupted by anyone. I love that we could kick out a photo shoot in 30 minutes because that's all we had. And I love that they are pretty people. So yes. Utah- you are now on a love list of mine. Please and thank you.

ps I intend on traveling to Utah again hopefully by spring specifically for photo shoots. Yes- work, not play... so get ready, I'll be back and excited to find new secret spots. more details to come.

for now, enjoy my family...

Thank you to Chase and Kari for risking it all and doing this shoot with me. You guys did amazing and I'm so excited to get these to you....

Don't forget to scroll down to the next post and read about the ThanksGiveaway!!!

2009-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

the HOLIDAYS are here- and Mariah Baddas Photography is celebrating! I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to do what I LOVE for a living. I have an amazing husband and family who support me and truly let me be me. And I want to share it.
“Because I have been given much, I too must give”……

This year marks the first of (hopefully) many years that Mariah Baddas Photography will be donating an all-inclusive session as a giveaway for Christmas. What better way can I share my talents as a photographer?
Are you ready for the details? Ok, here we go:

Blog readers get to call the shots on this one. I’m depending on you to help me make this happen! I want to give it to people that are really deserving, to people that would otherwise might not be able to have their pictures taken.

I have created an email address specifically for this giveaway:

This email account, instead of comments on the blog is intended to keep families and their stories private. I will be accepting nominations in the form of an email from Thanksgiving Day until Christmas Day 2009. Type away people… let me know you’re there! You may nominate ANYONE whom you feel should have an amazing gift for Christmas. The more nominations received the greater the chance that this will go to a family truly deserving of it. The winner of the 1st ThanksGiveaway will be chosen by {random.org} and announced on New Years Day 2010.

It gets better. Ready? I will travel ANYWHERE in the Continental US to meet this family…. (I know- cool, huh? ) The session will be booked for sometime in the Spring or early Summer of next year, so there’s plenty of time to plan.
But it gets even BETTER… I will also giveaway a session to the person/family who nominates the winner! Please try not to cry... Be happy….You win too!

So what are you doing just sitting here reading? Get into your email account and write me, do it now! And let me here some chatter out there… blog about it, Tweet about it, link to it on your Facebook, make a sign and hang it on your front door, shout it off your rooftops- ok that was a little much- even for me... I cannot do this alone. I need your help. And you can help by

1. Nominating- until you can’t anymore :) and
2. Spreading the word to anyone who’ll listen

I wish you the warmest and merriest greetings this Christmas season. May Heavenly Father bless and keep your families happy and healthy. I thank you from the most tender place in my heart for believing in me and encouraging me everyday. I wouldn't be where I am today without those of you who gave me the chance to do what I love.

All of my love,
Mariah Baddas

simply adorable.

2009-11-24T20:46:00.001-08:00

she's delicious. I ate up every last minute with her.... I'm so glad to have met baby "S". could a little girl be anymore well behaved? she literally posed for me every frame!! she could teach my crazy girls a thing or two. thank you to Aimee, Baby S and my good friend Summer for the referral :) luv luv luv.

on another note; I'm nearly BUSTING at the seams with some news that I have for MB Photography readers, I'm literally dying over it.... I have a HUGE-A-MONGUS announcement to make by the end of this week! C'mon back to see what's up!

love,
mariah