Shannon Montez Photography Blog » San Jose's Family and Child Photographer, Shannon Montez, captures all aspects of family life: Families, newborns, children, babies, high school seniors, and weddings.

I went to visit my sister last month. She had just had baby #3, an adoooorable baby boy! I had so much fun snuggling him. Then handing him over to his mom, getting a good night of sleep and sleeping in, then snuggling him some more the next day. I know it’s not fair, but such is the life of an auntie. I’ve done the mom of a newborn thing… this auntie of a newborn thing is MUCH easier!

These images mark a piece of Andrea’s history. Not only because they were the fleeting first days of a newborn baby, but because they were the fleeting last days of  living on the lake. Last week, she moved to Carson City, Nevada. I’m so excited to have her back on my side of the country for the first time in a decade! (before Kentucky, they lived in Philadelphia… hard to get much farther away than CA to PA) Since the move, she and I have delighted ourselves by calling each other IN THE SAME TIMEZONE! No more telling myself that while 4pm is great for me to talk, she’s probably eating dinner or getting the kids to bed, or thinking of something I need to tell her at 7 and knowing she’s already in bed. This same-timezone thing is really great.

Anyway… on to the pics!

Can you see why I found him so irresistible?

My brother-in-law is into making furniture by hand. This beautiful bench holds one of his greatest masterpieces.

Their “diving rock” reminds me of the rock on the lion king that they hold the baby out on… we had to do a small re-creation:

(by the way… the rock slopes downward, my sister was laying next to him and holding him… you just can’t see her hands in the shot. I would never plop a baby on a rock over water without proper precautions!)

This pic shows it all for me. The lake, the rock, Leah completely loving on Bryce (the girl was a kissing machine!), the special relationship between Keith and Bennett… I love it all.

A few more faves:

Bennett refusing his dinner.

Leah giving kisses.

My Earth-Mama sister:

Keith enjoying one of the best things about their life in Kentucky:

Just for the record… that lake is incredible. That picture makes me want to jump in again. The water isarmer than my California swimming pool. I don’t know how but it really is. Something in that water cleans away stress and makes you instantly happy, even if swimming in lakes seems a little scary at first. I wish they could’ve brought it with them, or that I could buy it as a vacation home. (which reminds me… if you’re on that side of the country, it’s still available for the time being! Snatch up this little piece of heaven!)

Has it really been six weeks since my last post? I’m not sure why I let that happen, can I blame the summer? I’ve been having too much fun, I’ve tried to stay off my computer as much as I can. But I’ll be better. At least three posts this week. And more next week. Because I really HAVE been working and doing interesting blog-worthy things! And I have some big changes about to happen around here and I’m so excited to share! Anyway… I’m going to start off my renewed commitment to blogging regularly with a little sneak peek for someone coming to the studio later today.

I think this family is incredibly photogenic. I couldn’t get over how beautiful they were the whole time I was proofing this session.

Ok… in that one they’re pretty tiny and their beauty is a little hard to see… but I love me a tilt-shifty-flarey, big epic pic.

The girls… serious california girls! And after a moment of trepidation from one of them, they were all “take one of us doing this, take one of me like this”. “I know… let’s hug!”… um, ok. Thank you.

Even the boys got in on the action… their hug was a little more, well… masculine?

Mom and Dad were feeling the love too…

Last shot. I usually love the last shot because it’s so telling. No one is trying anymore. It’s the perfect slice-of-life shot… mom all calm and happy amid the chaos, one kid sad because she’d hurt her hand, one kid over the session (and had been for a little while) two, just hanging out, and dad showing some love. These shots make me just as happy as the “perfect” shots because, really, they are totally perfect.

Well, it’s 10:30 pm, the kids are asleep, the husband is snoring beside me on the couch, and I’m catching up on my Oprah while putting the finishing touches on a session who will be meeting with me tomorrow to see the images. What better time to post a quick sneak peek for them?

So… in some kind of record time for me between session and blogging it… here goes!

This sweet little missy was so happy and smiley, I really didn’t have to do anything to make her smile. I didn’t even have to work. Easy Peasy.

I really love this shot, how it shows that she’s in the adorable crawling stage, and how mom is cheering her on in the background.

This smile… we saw it a lot. So happy that smile takes up her whole face! Dad made her so happy, I loved their connection.

This shot… she’s actually on her dad’s back, upside down, and I’m shooting up at her. I think it’s funny that you can’t tell.

Dad is an avid gardener. I like that his human crop and his veggie crop are both represented in this shot.

In this shot, dad is holding her upside down and you can’t even tell. Oh, you can? Oh… yeah…

Happy happy family. Love it.

And the fun continues…

I still have a few spots available for next Saturday’s mini’s. Downtown Campbell is so much fun because of the variety of looks in such a small area.

I really love the variety of footwear in this family.

I am so in heaven right now… this weather is amazing. The sunshine, the greenery, the perfect temperatures… I can’t get enough. I can’t stay inside. Today I decided to ride bikes to the park with Franklin for lunch. And then, when it was time for dinner, we decided to ride bikes to the taqueria to grab dinner and then to the park again! The kids flew their mini kites they’d gotten in their  easter baskets, the sun was setting with that gorgeous light that makes my heart sing… I didn’t have my camera, but that’s ok… I enjoyed the moment thoroughly.

It’s the perfect time for pictures though! Right now, everything is so lush and green and amazing. To prove it, here are a few shots from a family session from a couple weeks ago. So much fun!

These guys were some of our first friends when we moved to San Jose over 9 years ago. They were our neighbors. We would cook dinners for each other often, hang out almost every day. They lived so close that we could put on a baby monitor and play games at one of our houses, just steps away, after the kids had gone to bed. Good times. As seems to always be the case once kids get older (and adding a few more), moving farther apart, and all those things that happen as life gets busier and busier, we don’t see each other as often any more. Writing that all down… suddenly it feels like a tragedy. Sad how we get caught up in the day to day and don’t look up often enough to see what’s around us and make time for things besides the overflowing to-do list.

Anyway… here are the images!

This guy wasn’t even walking or talking when we first met!

The ladies love those blue eyes and blond hair and dimples…

This one is one smart kid and a very loyal friend…

Brothers.

Matt had just finished the police academy (actually, it was for correctional officers and was more difficult than the police academy… he got injured but made it through on sheer determination). This pose was to illustrate the toughness and to celebrate the victory.

Hey guys… let’s get together soon!

I’ve showed you this great family before. I love them. They just can’t take a bad picture.

This cutie just makes me smile.

This shot… I just adore it. In the image right before this one, she was a little sad. But then she got the pacifier… look at the bliss!

Their kitchen is so warm and cozy and cute… I had to get a shot of them being together at the table.

I first met this little guy when he was less than two weeks old. Then again when he was crawling, and now he’s walking!

It’s so much fun for me to capture all these little accomplishments. They change and grow and learn so much in one year, it’s amazing.

I love the sky and water in this…

I love this multi-generational shot with the maternal grandparents. You can just see how adored this boy is!

Dad’s face melts me here. Total contentment.

This shot… anyone who has a toddler, tell me you don’t do this about 20 times a day!

Tomorrow (Thursday) I’m participating in a panel discussion for the PPGBA (Professional Photographers of the Greater Bay Area)… They’re calling it a Diva Panel, and it’s a bunch of women who are photographers talking about the photography/woman thing. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve ever been anywhere near being associated with the word “diva”. And I don’t think I’m comfortable with the word “diva” at any time for any reason, ha ha.

But anyway…

I think it will be fun and I was flattered and excited when they asked me to participate. I’m the “crazy family life/successful business/trying to balance it all” angle.  I don’t know that I’ve mastered my life in any way, I’m probably more an example of “what not to do” at times, but I HAVE learned a lot about life and business in this journey! I always love it when people get together to share what they know and help each other along the way. While I walk into it feeling nervous, I walk out of it feeling really happy and excited and inspired. So, tomorrow should be lots fun.

Of course, while I’m here, I’ve got to post pictures! I’ve got a really special place in my heart for families. Even my weddings/engagements I consider to be “family” photography because it’s really just the first family photos they ever take. It’s all people who love each other and devote their lives to each other and stand by each other and sacrifice for each other. Seriously, what could be more beautiful?

Here’s an awesome family welcoming a new member. Such a magical time, I always feel so honored to be there to witness it.

Time to post a recent session! I’m so proud of all the entries I’ve made in the past month (and still have a ton to share), but I want to change the need to even “catch up” by posting images as they happen.

So here goes…

A sweet baby. Love them!

Yummy little rolls.

I’m not really sure what this bowl is meant to be used for, but to me, it seems perfect for little babies!

I love the interaction in these two shots.

Sweet little family.