Loveland Ft Collins Candid Family Photography

As some of you know, I'm very new to the area...well, new to Colorado in general.  I've been in Loveland for 2 months now and I'm thoroughly enjoying our new home, neighbors, friends, and the view! I am delighted with the friendly vibe here and I finally feel settled in enough to get back into the swing of things with photography.  I would really love, love, love your help to spread the word!  Please keep me in mind if you know someone who is pregnant, expecting a newborn, has a little one who is about to turn one, or wants any other special milestones in their lives to be captured.  I do offer a *referral discount so make sure your friends/families mention you sent them my way when they book a session with me.  Please "Like" my page, www.facebook.com/shoeboxstories, and show your support! Thank you everyone!

*All referrals must be completed in payment to be eligible for the discount and there is no refunds/credit for prior purchases.

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Loveland Ft. Collins Photographer for the Holidays

This beautiful blue-eyed girl and her parents came over from Castle Rock to Loveland for their holiday shoot.  I promised them that I would keep the actual Christmas photo a secret but thought I'd share just a few shots from our day together.  They're just too yummy to keep to myself. :D

Stay safe and warm!

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Loveland Ft Collins Family Photographer

I asked some past clients of mine to review my photography service on Thumbstack.com, an online service for local businesses, to gain more exposure in the Loveland, Ft. Collins, and northern Colorado areas.  I was hoping for a few positive comments but I definitely didn't expect the outpouring of kind words and encouragement from my happy clients.  I was sincerely touched by each and every word they shared about me.  Thank you so much for your support!

"Sandra is amazing! Over the past few years, she has done several of my family shoots as well as my maternity pics. I wish she was still in California to take my newborn's photos! She works very hard to ensure that everyone is comfortable and having a great time. Sandra captures these sweet moments so beautifully. Her work speaks for itself! I guarantee you will love the results if you choose Shoebox Stories Photography! Colorado had gained one very talented photographer!"
                       -Megan M. 

"Our family had a wonderful experience with Sandra. She took family portraits for us (me, husband & 3 kids 6 years and under) and then photos of our newborn with our older kids. She was on time, professional, made our kids feel very comfortable and her pictures were amazing! Sandra has an easiness about her that allowed us to be ourselves for the photo shoot (and my kids usually hide when cameras come out!) which made the resulting photos so precious to us. She captured my kids exactly as they are and the photos were so much better than I ever could have imagined. I would recommend Sandra without hesitation...she is a very talented photographer who is a joy to work with!"
                       -Stacy H. 

"Sandra has been my family's "Go To" photographer for the last few years, and we could not be happier!  She has a great eye and the rare ability to always capture the moment.  If you have an opportunity to work with Sandra, I promise she will far exceed your expectations!"
                       -Brandon M. 

"Sandra is an an amazing photographer who I have had the pleasure of working with several times over the past couple of years. She is very passionate, hard working, flexible, and has a great ability to capture the moment. I am forever grateful for the beautiful pictures she has taken that fill our walls and bring me back to so many special family memories. Sandra is a talented photographer who is my absolute number one pick!"
                       -Michelle G.

There are no words to describe how grateful I am to have such people in my life and this makes me so happy!!!  Thank you again for all your support and don't forget to check my website, www.shoeboxstoriesphotography.com, and "Like" my Facebook page on www.facebook.com/shoeboxstories.

Loveland Ft. Collins Family Photographer

I've been eyeing on this lake my husband and I drive by all the time to get to the major restaurants, stores, and freeway entrance/exit. Then the other day, we were heading out to Denver around sunset and the lighting was gorgeous. I made a mental note of what time it was to come back out with my hubby and my daughter to scope out for a family photo shoot location.  And we did today!

And here are photos that my hubby took:

The picture above is my absolute favorite. Swoon.

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Loveland Ft Collins CO Candid Lifestyle Family Photographer

I am so thankful to have such supportive husband and daughter.

To start off, I wouldn't even be where I am if it weren't for my husband.  He was the one who spent countless hours researching and studying the art and technicalities of photography, who insisted and bought our very first DSLR before our daughter was born.  He also purchased 2 boxes worth of text books on photography/lighting (I know this because I had to pack them) and stayed up late reading each one of them regardless of how dry and boring they were.  He also spent a little over a year persistently encouraging (although at times it sounded like nagging) me to start learning how to use our DSLR and to read about photography.  He travels a lot for work and wanted me to take pictures of C in order to document what he was missing.  

That's how it all started.  I fell in love capturing candid moments. I wanted to make sure these images depict and portray the real thing.  And thank God for my little princess who loves looking at herself through my LCD.  Her silliness and unpredictability challenges me everyday to never miss such moments.

I love outdoor shoots because I get to have the freedom of utilizing different spaces and great natural light at certain times of the day.  This led me to scope out a location nearby Loveland the other day with my hubby and my 2 year old daughter.  I'm already in love with Colorado for its beauty.  I mean, I heard about it numerous times but I really can't believe how beautiful it is and how close I am to nature.    So thank you hubby for always believing in me even when I didn't myself and thank you C for being my inspiration.

And here is a photo of C and I that my hubby took.   

Thank you again for all your support and don't forget to check my website, www.shoeboxstoriesphotography.com, and "Like" my Facebook page on www.facebook.com/shoeboxstories.

Loveland CO Candid Lifestyle Family Photography

WE MADE IT! We are now here in Loveland, CO and my family and I have been thoroughly enjoying this beautiful state.  We are slowly settling in minus our living room and dining room furniture.  Just to recap what's been happening in my life... We walked and got acquainted with our neighborhood and were mesmerized by the autumn colors. 

 

We also made friends who are so welcoming, kind, and generous with their time.

 

We were also very surprised by the amount of snow we got already.  Although I wasn't prepared with proper winter clothes, C and I had so much fun with the white fluffy stuff all over our backyard. 

 

Thank you everyone for all your support and encouragement.  Please continue to support me by spreading the word to family/friends in Loveland, Ft. Collins, or other northern CO areas.

Also don't forget to check out my website at www.shoeboxstoriesphotography.com.  Thank you!

Colorado Bound

It's not a secret that my 2 year old daughter, C, has turned my world upside down since she was born.  Just to give you a little background of myself, I have been a working mom since C turned 4 months old.  I have always been career driven in my psychotherapy practice and was given one of the best opportunities in my career at a major medical center as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  As C got older, I started to really struggle with my inner fight/guilt of leaving her with her nanny.  Everyday, I would wish that I could change places with my nanny and stay home with C.  Working in the hospital, I was exposed to many tragedies which just made me want to be with C even more, every second of every day.  Then right before Christmas 2011 I prayed boldly, "Give me something, ANYTHING, so that I can work from home."  In January 2012, I fell in love with photography completely by accident and by March, I started Shoebox Stories Photography.

To rewind 4 1/2 years, my husband and I both entertained the idea of moving to Colorado because of its beauty, the 4 season weather, and its cost of living.  I was not ready then but James was persistent.  When James came home from his business trip from Colorado this April, his "Colorado fever" recurred at my weakest point.  Haha. But seriously, everything made sense.  I can work from home doing what I love to do with all the beauty Colorado has to offer as my backdrop while raising C myself! I was totally sold... as long as we can successfully sell our house here in California. 

Then it happened.  We are in escrow here and in Colorado.  There were some hiccups along the way, but with God's grace and His blessing, we persevered. 

So what does this mean for us? As soon as we finalize the escrow, our family will be en route to Colorado...most likely by first week of October.  I will resume my photography once we are settled in Ft. Collins/Loveland and be a stay-at-home mom! It's been so amazing to watch each thing unfold and fall in its place perfectly in God's perfect timing.  I'm learning the biggest lesson through all this and that is to surrender.  

I'll keep you all posted and please stay tuned for what's to come in Colorado. 

Santa Clarita Newborn Photographer

As soon as I walked in, I felt the love in the air.  This young beautiful couple finally got to bring their little guy from NICU.  I knew before going over that the labor process did not go as smoothly as they had planned, little B had to be born through C-section, and he had to be put on a week's worth of antibiotics in NICU.  I was reminded once again what true sacrifice and unconditional love means. Despite of the difficulties, I saw that gaze mommy and daddy gave little B.  And everything was still.

Giving Back

I want to give back. 


This has been in my heart since I began my photography journey and one of the main reasons I'm doing what I'm doing. If you or you know a young family with little ones that are stricken with a devastating illness, want to treasure the moment you have and keep the memory as long as you can, and are willing to come to Santa Clarita, please send me your story at slee@shoeboxstoriesphotography.com by 6/22/12. I'll choose a winner after reviewing all the stories. Please share with others! Thank you in advance!

Shoebox Stories - Santa Clarita Family and Children Photographer

Santa Clarita is known for its scorching hot summer and a bit of wind.  So when I book an outdoor family shoot, I usually suggest a later time in the day.  Given I do family portraits with young children, I have to work around the children's nap and feeding time.  For this family I shot last weekend, we had a bump on the road when we had to cancel our initial shoot 2 weeks ago when we had gusty wind up to 25-30 mph.

We rescheduled and met last weekend.  It wasn't a perfect weather but definitely something we were able to work around.  It was little windy with temperature of upper 70s.  We met at 4:30 PM and I took them to a location with plenty of shade and worked up to more open space as it was getting closer to sunset.  I knew that my client, the mom, was worried about the wind but it actually gave her more of "the fashion magazine glam fan" look to her hair.

Regardless, they were able to savor the tender sweet moments and I felt so privileged to be a part of it.  How can you not with these two beautiful girls, right?