Farewell, 2021. Thanks for everything. // Ventura County Family Photographer

Well, well, well. 2021 is over and it felt like the quickest year, EVER. Really though, what was that???

When December arrived, I found myself resentful that COVID had taken over yet another year of our lives and I was completely anxious to get to 2022 to start “anew.” But did COVID really take everything away, we did things, right? So I went through my 2021 film scans and looked through my little record of our year and what I finally remember, beyond the worries that dominated my head, was a year where we were healthy and happy. A year when our children returned to school with loving teachers after virtual learning for so long, where we had lots of adventures - good and bad..and lots of daily life moments that drove us crazy, brought joy, and hopefully taught us more about ourselves and how to love each other better. And a highlight of 2021, a moment I had been waiting for…our family were lucky enough to end the year with all of us fully vaccinated..a luxury that not every family has access to. Thank you, science!!! And because of that we got to see a little more of our friends and family than we did in 2020 and I’m so so grateful for that time together.

This global pandemic also made me extra extra thankful for the little moments from ordinary life that made me feel that spark of being alive - the light that shines through beautiful leaves on a sunny day, the smell of the ocean, little flowers that M likes to gather for me from his walks with his dad and sister, the cotton candy winter sunsets, all the conversations with my awesome friends that calms and inspires me, and all the new experiences that give me a tiny glimmer of hope (possibly false) that our world is becoming a better place.

So thanks again, 2021. And let’s do this, 2022.

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Let’s document your life - its chaos, mess, laughter, and the details that make our lives ours. I offer lifestyle and documentary style family portraits, newborn portraits in Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and Los Angeles County.

I’d love to chat with you if you are interested in a session, contact me HERE!

Why Family Albums? A family session at El Capitan Canyon - Santa Barbara, CA // Ventura Family Photographer

Hi friends, how are you doing?? I can’t believe it is October! 2021 seems to be powering through on full speed.

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while now. One of the things friends and clients have all expressed to me is that they don’t have anything printed and their photographs are on their hard drives or on their iPhones. Some have an idea of how to tackle their 128GB of photographs but when I conducted a little survey, most people expressed that they really don’t know how to print their photographs, where to print them, how to back up their photographs (Ahh!) or know where to start in organizing their photographs and in the end, have no time. The crazy thing is that while we spend so much time busting out our cell phones to take these photographs, very few people are actually enjoying these memories on a day-to-day basis.

And to be honest, even as someone who advocates for printed photographs, I still have a big backlog of photos that I am working through to print because I’ve also spent most of my adulthood in the digital age. But let’s get back to the basics, why should we print? In an era where everything is digital, why should we make the time and money investment to print these photographs? Here’s my answer: Because we should enjoy these photographs…we really should. They shouldn’t just stay as jpegs hidden in a computer or on our phones, so that once a year, a few selected photographs may pop up as our “memory.” Our kids, who are the star of these photographs, should also enjoy them. Weirdly a few year ago, there were articles written up about a study that showed the benefits on kiddos when they see themselves in a family portrait…it’s about security and belonging to a unit. And another reason - hard drives can fail, iPhone accidental resets have happened to people I know rendering their trove of phone photographs gone.

So let’s say I convinced you to print. What to print? If I can only print one item for people, it’d be an album. A sturdy, beautifully printed album is the easiest way to keep all of your family portraits from a session in one place..it’s also the best way to tell a story about your session…a snippet of your life. In Ventura, where our homes are often not too big, with limited wall real estate, albums are the most space efficient too. My favorite part though is that kiddos can flip through these albums, laugh, ask their questions, see their younger selves…and feel how much their parents adore them through photographs.

I’m going to be writing a series of post on how to print your photographs soon, so stay tuned!!! I promise it’ll be useful. If you’re interested in a family portrait session in Ventura and its neighboring cities and having your memories printed, contact me here!

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Po Chi Fung is a Ventura Family Photographer who specializes in family portraits that capture your family the way it is. My little home studio is based in Ventura, California but I travel all over Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and Los Angeles County to document families in their favorite spaces.

If you are interested, contact us here!

A children portrait session in Carpinteria, California // Santa Barbara County Family Photographer

When we moved to Ventura, CA a few years ago, we stumbled upon the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve and it is one of my most favorite place to take a walk and to run some energy out of the kids. The Nature Preserve has also been this place where I love going whenever I needed to feel like I’m outside of Ventura County during this pandemic!

While my favorite place to photograph a family will always be inside their home, with COVID precautions, choosing an outdoor space where a family can do some of their favorite activities, is really the next best thing. These boys’ super loving mama gets their portraits done every year because she knows how fast the years goes by and I could see so clearly the way these parents embraced their energy and their distinctive personalities.

I was so glad to be able to capture their little slice of life and create an heirloom and archival album with their most favorite photographs. I care A LOT that these albums will continue to look amazing through generations and I imagine these two little boys over at their childhood home for holiday gatherings as adults and flipping over their family album from 2020..reliving their childhood for a short moment in time.

Archival

Album

Families’ favorite way to enjoy their favorite photographs from their family session.

Po Chi Fung is a Ventura County Lifestyle and Documentary Family and Newborn Photographer. Let’s document your life - its chaos, mess, laughter, and the details that make our lives ours. I’d love to chat with you if you are interested in a session, contact me HERE!

The Merschat Family // Ventura Family Photographer + Gallery Designer

Okay, I’ve been negligent in my blogging but you can surely understand that I needed to get out in the sunshine and taking in ocean air instead of sitting at my computer, right? :)

I’m super excited to share this fun session with you! This mama recently confessed to me that she had scouted me out as a potential friend when she came across my website based on keywords such as Hong Kong, foodie, and funny. What an honor! It is hard to believe that was three and a half years ago and I’ve been enjoying her and her family’s friendship since then..even when we are on opposite coasts.

Before we get to the photographs, I did want to talk about printing and framing. One of my biggest focus as a photographer aside from creating images that reflect your family’s personality is to help you create archival prints, design the right custom wall art for your wall, and put together albums that you and your family can enjoy for a long time. Your photographs are meant to be enjoyed and they should make you happy whenever you see it, right? One thing I’ve noticed is that most clients often struggle with sizing and how to print their photographs. My job is to help you take the guess work out of that and make sure it looks perfect over the mantle or in your kids’ playroom.

Enjoy your day!

-Po