san diego photographer david H works on-location using natural light to capture artful and emotive portraits of children and their family's. with a lighthearted approach and embrace of spontaneity, our sessions are always a balance between lots of fun and lots of creativity! portrait sessions are available in san diego, orange county, and los angeles. arrangements can also be made for travel to further locations, including most domestic and select international destinations. sessions are done at the location of your choice. or, if you'd like suggestions on some of the best outdoor spots, we have plenty of favorites to choose from! neighborhood parks, flowery meadows, the beach - san diego definitely has a lot of scenery to offer, but sometimes the best spots are right at home! it all comes down to this: family portraits have a natural and relaxed vibe to them just about anytime they're done somewhere familiar...indoors or out!

if you're interested in learning more about HAPPY HEARTS and our approach to modern family photography, please check out the 'info' section of our site.

check out these pages for more information about the types of portraits we offer:
maternity photography, newborn photography, baby photography, children's photography, family photography, and engagement photography for couples in love...

you can also visit our photography blog

{MATERNITY}
david's very first paid job as a family photographer was for maternity portraits, so it's always held a special place in his heart. from belly to baby, it's one of the sweetest times to document...

scheduling maternity portraits maternity portraits are offered year round and special arrangements are made to our schedule whenever possible to accommodate last minute bookings. we recommend waiting until at least your 28th week of pregnancy and encourage waiting even longer (so long as you're comfortable) so that we can photograph and document your full baby bump!

{NEWBORN}
following david's very first paid job as a maternity photographer, was his very first paid job as a newborn photographer! and yes, it was the same client! how amazing it is to grow along with the families we work with!

scheduling newborn portraits like maternity sessions, because of the timing involved, special arrangements are made to our calendar when possible to accommodate last minute bookings. normally though, we recommend booking your session early on in your pregnancy once you've made the decision to have newborn portraits made so that we can guarantee you a spot in our schedule. the sessions are best done at 4-8 days as positioning while they're asleep is much easier within this window. if this isn't possible, 8-10 days is our next choice. at 2 weeks and beyond as they outgrow their newborn phase, our options become more limited and, while we're still able to create other types of great newborn photos, capturing them while asleep is much less likely. newborn babies that come early, e.g. twins, are sometimes an exception to this timing.

{BABY}
a baby photographer doesn't always have the easiest job.....but it's one of the best you could ever ask for!!! always a challenge and always rewarding, these are some of the most awesome sessions....

scheduling baby portraits baby portraits can be done at almost any age. for a baby's first year we definitely recommend intervals somewhere in the neighborhood of: 3mos., 6mos., 9mos., and 12mos. beyond that, just about anything goes!

{CHILDREN}
a modern children's photographer does at least one thing very differently from their traditional counterparts......... they let their images and (more importantly) their subjects breathe!!! they let them be themselves and most of all they honor the purity that is childhood. well......at least that's what we aim for!

scheduling children's portraits kids of all ages may apply! :) that first year is a busy one, but afterwards we encourage a much slower pace. some families wish to do annual portraits for their Holiday Cards and others are content with an 18-24 month cycle.

{FAMILY}
our family portraits are anything but traditional. yes, we will do some family groupings with eyes and smiles to the camera, but capturing natural moments and interaction is what we're really all about!

scheduling family portraits these sessions tend to be the most popular between spring and fall when everyone starts thinking about Holiday Cards and gifts. outdoor family portraits are typically done in the mid-late afternoon, working towards sunset for the best light. some locations are okay earlier if there's good open shade and indoor locations are of course fine anytime there's sufficient and good quality light coming in.

please take a look around our site. if you like what you see, get in touch! we'd love to connect!

david H

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