The Ruelas Family Photo Shoot

On a fairly warm summer afternoon, I recently photographed this amazingly sweet family of four: the Ruelas family. This is not the first time I had photographed the parents as Norma and Fernando are returning clients. I photographed their engagement and wedding pictures ten years ago!

When Norma contacted me to have their family photos taken in commemoration of their tenth wedding anniversary, I asked her if she had any preference in what style of clothes her family would wear so I could have a starting point in planning the photo shoot. She said: "Perhaps, country chic." Later on, she also mentioned wanting to have the photos taken at or near a winery, if possible. Keeping all these factors in consideration, I emailed her clothing style ideas and color palettes within the country chic AND Italian rustic styles. I had also started scouting for photo shoot locations somewhere in between where they and we live. Keeping in mind Norma's request to have the photos taken at or near a winery, I found this park in Livermore, CA which is surrounded by wineries and grape and olive vineyards. I usually have the client find and arrange to photograph at the location, but the Ruelas family is special to me as I truly appreciate their unfailing belief in my photography vision and skills.

This was also the first time I had met their kids: Fernando Jr. (Elias) and Mariah. They're such wonderful kids and were a delight to photograph. Both kids are a bundle of joy and take directions very well. Mariah is a natural in front of the camera. Before I could even direct her on how to position herself, the next thing you know, she already had the perfect pose.

I chose to time the photo shoot later in the afternoon in hopes that the weather would cool off a bit from the usual 90 degrees this time of year. I also planned to take a lot of backlit photos and capture the golden hour. With the sunset and the outdoor dusts, the photos turned out to be truly magical!

Below are a few more photos from the Ruelas family photo session ( and some behind-the scenes photos). If you would like to inquire or are planning to book a photo shoot with us, please go to the photography page of this website. We hope to hear from you soon!

Behind-the-Scenes:

If you would like to inquire or are planning to book a photo shoot with us, please go to the photography page of this website. We hope to hear from you soon!