My mom is going to reach a milestone birthday this year. My family decided to have her birthday party early during the holidays when my entire family would be on the West Coast. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was arranging a party for my mom, and also hiring a photographer to shoot our portrait shots around town. I am happy to report that everything went smoothly and my mom had a great time!

Natalie Williams was our photographer for the day. She was really great. I was introduced to her by my good pal, and also a terrific photographer, Henry Chen. Henry was out and about in Europe during the holidays shooting an engagement session, but he graciously introduced me to his network of photographers. I chose Natalie.

We had an awesome few hours with Natalie. She came over to our private residence to shoot our group around different settings, like in the garden courtyard, by the Christmas tree, and in the living room. Natalie was super nice and was completely patient as my 11 family members got changed multiple times for different shots.

We moved from the house to Santa Monica beach by Shutters and Casa del Mar. We did one of those white shirt / jeans shots in the FREEZING cold. I think those pictures are going to come out so well.

Our last stop was the Peninsula Beverly Hills. I arranged for a special dinner for my mom and so I thought it would be so nice to take some shots at the hotel in our fancy dinner attire. We snuck up to the pool area and snapped away for a bit and then off we went to dinner.

I am really looking forward to the photos from Natalie. I think this was a really fun way to celebrate a milestone birthday for my mom. She was really happy that everyone was together, and also that we were able to document it by a professional. Our family had never done this before.

Here are a few food shots for your drooling pleasure.

Personalized and Custom Selected Menu

Scallops