I can’t thank you enough for your support of Cristina Coco Photography.  This year brought me three times the clients as last year, a new employee (thank God for Kelly!), and a connection to this craft that I only dreamed of.

Enjoy the video.  I think you’ll like it.  I know I could watch your kids’ beautiful faces all day.

(p.s. – if you would like to see it bigger, go directly to the youtube page – YOUTUBE LINK TO VIDEO – it drives me crazy that it is so small on here.)

Much, much love and a wishes for a fantastic 2012.

Cristina

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDYyUwa-xno

I don’t have many sessions planned for the next month, just newborns and a baby or two so I can spend some quality time with my family after working like crazy for three months.  I miss them!

I do however want to show you what I’ve been doing so you’ll be seeing some beautiful fall images even though it’s going to be cold and dreary outside.  I hope it will warm you up a bit and get you through the next few months of chilliness!

I loved this family.  Mom rocked the outfits from Zara kids, one of my FAVORITE places to send people to shop for their session.

This is one of my favorite sibling shots of 2011…  what you see is what you get – after a little over an hour with them I feel like this shows each of their personalities to a “T”.

For example, this guy could not NOT smile if you paid him a million dollars.  Sweet as could be, this one.

Mr. Handsome.  His mom is in T-R-O-U-B-L-E with all the girls that are going to be stopping by when he’s 16…

Cute as a button and very inquisitive little man…  this one cracked me up.  I think I told him there was someone in my camera lens and asked if he could him in there.

This lady LOOOOVED the camera.  It loves her right back.

and the light.  oooooh, the light.

Thank you so much for playing with me!

Yes, it’s here – the fall portrait season has begun!  I’m sure fall has seeped into your life too – the crazy sports schedules and the school buses driving by and clogging traffic in town.  The nutty rain has started and it’s darker earlier.  It’s cooler at night and my AC hasn’t been kicking on quite as much.  Today my little guy showed me some leaves had changed color.  I told him, “SHHHH!  I don’t want fall to hear us, it might come soon and I love summer!”  He laughed and told me I was silly. “Fall will ALWAYS come, Mommy.”  Smart little man.

So with the Fall comes the Holiday portraits, and my schedule is looking full.  I’m currently booked about six weeks out, so this is not the year to procrastinate folks!  Pick up the phone, send me an email, text, smoke signals…  however you get in touch, please, if you are thinking about doing it – get on my calender as soon as you can.  I’m not saying this to be pushy (I swear!), it’s because every year I turn people away and I feel just awful.  People call me a week before Thanksgiving for holiday card pictures and I feel like a big old jerk for not being able to help them.  I’m just giving you a little nudge is all.  A little nudge to start planning!

Ok, so my update is over.  Back to the fun stuff.  An image.  ‘Cause a blog post is just so boring without one.

My God, I love this girl’s freckles.  Do you remember the book “Freckle Juice”?  When I was little I wanted them SO badly.   I will always think they are beautiful…  the way they dance across the nose and the hairline.  Just magical.  She was pretty special too.  I love that she is looking to the side, playing with her hair in a shy sort of way, and in thought.  I can’t remember exactly what I asked her, but so happy that she was thinking of something that made her smile.

I needed a little pick me up so I decided to post these image I did for myself of my own son.  I don’t put my own stuff on here often.  I get nervous.  Which is silly right?

Sometimes, I need to do a little something for my own inner artist, something to just make me happy, tell a story, get me to think outside the box.  I need to dream and put it out there.

I found these wishing lanterns – you light them and let them go into the water as you release your wishes and dreams into the universe.  I loved them. The symbolism of this got to me.  An idea was born.

I wanted to tell a story of a boy and his dreams and letting them go out into the water.  We all have so many dreams as kids!  If we only dreamed as big now as we did then we’d be pretty unstoppable.  This lovely little model is my own little guy.  It cost me one Optimus Prime Transformer Talking Mask.

I told him to make a wish, let his dreams go…

He was pretty excited.

and then a little nervous…

and then excited again.  (and distracted by this really cool crate.  He’s three and a half, after all…)

He’s dreaming big.  Bigger than the moon he tells me. To the stars and back.

Letting a second batch off….

But he didn’t want to let them go…

Sometimes dreaming is a little scary.

Yet peaceful too.

I just had to share these two beautiful girls though, even in my summer-blog-hookey-mode.  They are actually from California, but their mom and I went to the same high school and connected over facebook.  She was in Cape Cod this summer and had me come to photograph her little ladies.  It was so much fun and so gorgeous by the water!  A photographer’s dream.  Beautiful light and scenery and adorable girls to photograph.  Sigh!

I am loving this shot.  Big time.

Her little sister with the rose before we decided to start tossing petals…

I’m pretty sure if I had to I could go to this house and photograph her every day.

Her too…

Oh, and did I mention there was a dock?

Anne, it was so nice seeing you after all these years!  Thank you for sharing your girls with me on a cloudy afternoon!

A colicky newborn and a husband who had to travel for business made the whole new mommy thing really tough for me.  I was struggling, crying, majorly sleep deprived and I’m pretty sure on the border of losing my mind.

A friend of my husband’s recommended Northeast Doulas to me.  “They are all about the Mom!” he said.  “They are wonderful, will help with the baby, the laundry, the sleepless nights – call them!”  I did in about 3 seconds after hanging up with him.

Debbie answered the phone and my life changed.  I had a night time doula a few nights a week for two months.  She fed my son, held him while he cried and fussed and did I mention?  HE DID NOT SLEEP!  I was able to catch up on sleep three nights a week and I was a normal person again.  My doulas were Kelly and Debbie and without them I really think I might have lost it.  Colicky babies are not fun, but I swear it helped me be better and more patient with the newborns I photograph weekly.  AND I got to meet Debbie.  Everything does happen for a reason, right?

Debbie and I kept in touch and I am happy to say we now share some of the same clients.  I am proud to be associated with them as a photographer they suggest to their wonderful moms!

Last week I photographed head shots for their new and improved website that is coming soon.  Not my usual gig, I’m not often photographing people over 4’11, but I was so happy to work with these amazing ladies!  Trust me, if you are looking for help after your baby is born, or would like assistance during the birth of your child – they are without a doubt the people to call!  Check out their website here – soon to be updated!  NORTHEAST DOULAS

I present the beautiful ladies of Northeast Doulas!

These are the amazing business partners of Northeast Doulas, Debbie and Randy.

And of course, one of them had a baby with them.  I couldn’t help myself…

Thanks ladies!  I was an honor to chat with all of you!

Last year you might remember I photographed my friend Becky’s family before her husband Greg was deployed for Afghanistan.  (See HERE) Greg has been there since last September, and he is finally coming home in October 2011.  This year was just a kids session as we are saving the family images until Greg is home safe and sound.

So these are for you Greg!  We all missed you this summer and can’t wait until you come home!!  Please be safe!

A little fun with Miss J – even though they are bird wings she decided she would much rather be a butterfly, and who I am to argue?  Had someone on etsy make these for me, aren’t they adorable?  Instant fun.

Her brother has gotten a little bigger from last year!

Hope these tide you over Greg!  At least for a little while!  xo

I’ve never had a problem meeting people and am not shy, but I am not the sort who makes new close friends – most of my friends I’ve known for about 15-20 years and they are kind of stuck with me.  If I’m a friend, I’m usually one for life.  Very Italian of me. 

So imagine my surprise when I find a new friend with all sorts of things in common – and our husbands get along?  Score!

Daniela and I met briefly in high school, we traveled in the same circles but didn’t really know each other that well.  Ok, truth – we were ‘debutantes’ together (oh, Lord, I’m cringing as I even write that and I’m sure she is too).  We met during all the rehearsals and such, but after that we didn’t keep in touch much but I always thought she was such a nice girl.

So fast forward almost 20 years – I get a call from her looking to book a session for her two boys in September.  She had just moved back to Westchester and wanted some 3 month old newborn images taken.  After catching up we realize we had enrolled our sons in not only the same nursery school, but the same class!  At that time her boys were at a tough age to photograph, but a playdate was immediately scheduled instead and we’ve become great friends ever since.

It’s been so nice to connect with someone at this point in my life.  Even for an old girl like me who is stuck in her ways.  I might have to re-think Grandma’s motto…

Some indoors…

Some outdoors…  I just ADORE his silly face here.  It makes my heart happy.

Had a great time as usual D.  Love you!  xoxo

Just wanted to share some images from my trip.  Now it’s back to work.  It was a nice break, but man my inbox is full!  Off to tackle those emails right now!  Phone calls will all be answered tomorrow afternoon if you are waiting for me!

A little bit of London (London Eye) and a little bit of Paris (Eiffel Tower)…

On a riverboat tour on the Siene I took these.  I love taking pictures of people when they don’t realize it.  When I’m old and grey my hobby will for sure be street photography – so much to learn before them – it’s such an incredible art and I just don’t have the eye for it yet.

On the riverbanks of the Siene there are lovers everywhere.  No question that Paris is the winner of the PDA award…  This was a tame shot, so I could share and I just love how they sat right in the middle of this archway.  I wish I hadn’t been on the riverboat, I only had one second at this shot because we were going so fast!  I wonder what he said to make her giggle as she’s covering her mouth…  I will go back with a different lens and make like a trip a day to capture all the lovers on the walkway.  I would like to do a whole series of it!

A door at Westminster Abbey.

This image is important to me because I spent so many days walking through the Tuleries Gardens when I worked in Paris during the collections.  It represents a part of my life that is long gone but remembered fondly.  Especially now when my life is just so different and so much better in so many ways!  The tents were set up just to the left of these trees (there are actually some there in this image but they are hard to see) and every time I walked home through them I wished I had more than a point and shoot camera with me.  Was happy to finally go back and get this image!

Now, back to work!  xx, cc

Here are overhead shots of the front and back.  An image from your session is on the front – usually chosen by me to what fits the box and an image I feel really captured our time together.  This family ordered this black and white as a large canvas, so I thought since they didn’t order a print of it it would be nice to have out on a coffee table or out on a shelf to act as a memory box.  That’s what I love about this – you can use it to hold your prints, but if you would prefer to keep your prints in an album, frame or give as gifts, it’s pretty to leave out and hold memories like ticket stubs, special cards or keepsakes.

The sides are almost book-like.  Great little tab with elastic and ribbon closure to keep your things safe and sound from sticky fingers.  The side usually has the family name and year (or baby name and birth date), but we can put anything on there that you would like!  You can see how it is fabric wrapped and the image goes all the way around – the quality is beautiful. (Oh, and please excuse the blurred out name – it looks like a crime scene photo!  LOL!  I just wanted to keep the family’s last name private)

The best part is what comes inside…  All the images from your session in a 5×7 bordered print.  So pretty and great when you can’t pick which one you want!

So I loved it so much I thought I would have a little spring promotion for you…  Normally this box retails for $600 with a $500 print order.  If you book a session by April 1st, mention the IMAGE BOX BLOG SPECIAL I will give you a 40% discount on the image box as an ADD ON to any package you order from me!

Fine print: *session must be photographed before September 1st!*