Word of the Year 2023 / Ventura County Family Photographer

Hi friends, how are you all doing?!?!! It’s a brand new year! It’s been so crazy busy that I haven’t had time to think about 2023 and all there is to come very much, have you???

Word of the Year: A few years ago, a friend of mine told me she picks a word at the beginning of every year - a word that she keeps in mind. I really liked that the word can serve as something that you want to be mindful of or a word that reminds you to work on something you want to work on. After a lot of deliberations, my word for this year is GROW.

There is a lot I want to do this year and in particular, there is a big goal I want to accomplish. Being in a foreign country really made me take stock of my comfort zones, habits, and behavior..it made me more aware of who I am as a person, my strengths and my flaws too. I feel like myself completely these days and there is so much comfort to know and accept who I am and have this clarity that I am exactly where I should be at this moment. This doesn’t mean I know exactly what I am doing and what’s to come but I do know that I can figure it out somehow. I have a lot of goals for my personal relationships this year, so I can care for and love the people in my life better. Professionally, a big goal that I have is to release a photo book or a zine from images that I created and will create from this year abroad. I’ve always been in awe of people who are good at sharing their work and I am working really hard on this because I do want to share but like a lot of creatives, tend to second guess myself, get overwhelmed, and give up sharing. I also realized that while sharing electronically is great, I really really want people to experience my work in a tangible fashion, on paper…whether in a book or at an exhibit. And so, I picked the word grow to remind myself of all the things I want to become better at and do and to not give up!!!

Anyhow, thanks for listening to this gibberish!!!

Have a wonderful day and here are some of my favorite panoramic shots from my trusty Pentax Espio 120sw, the little point and shoot film camera that is always tucked inside my backpack.

Po Chi Fung is a Ventura County based Lifestyle Family and Newborn Photographer. She captures real-life moments with a documentary approach on film to tell your family's story and specializes in producing long-lasting storytelling albums and heirloom wall art for her clients. Po Chi Fung Photography L.L.C. is located in Ventura, California and serves Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and Los Angeles County - Ventura, Ojai, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Pasadena, San Marino, and other surrounding areas.

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!

Happy Fall - Family Portraits & A Modern School Portrait event in Ventura, CA! | Ventura Family Portrait Photographer

I can't believe it is September already, can you? 

Hi! I hope you and your family have been well and healthy through this pandemic! I blinked and suddenly we are only three months from closing our books on 2021. If you've been looking to update portraits of your family or child(ren), then here's some information in this newsletter for you! I am also hosting a one day school portrait event on September 18 in my home studio, scroll down for more information.

Family Portraits - When was the last time you got into the frame with your family?

It is super easy to see how family portraits don't end up at the top of our to-dos...after all, there's always a little too much to do. I know I let a little too much time lapse between my own family's last family portrait session before finally getting in front of a lens myself. And yet, our kids keep growing like weeds...and so are my wrinkles. So let's not forget to document our lives - chaos and all. If you are interested in a family portrait session, contact me and let’s schedule a call. I would love to hear what you have in mind.

Friends, Prints Matter…they really really do - a quick story about losing precious photographs..

Since I have you here, here's a quick PSA. Please print your most precious photographs and backup your phone and computer! Despite how diligent I've been about backing up my photographs over the years and have spent days figuring out what I thought was a fool-proof system, I recently discovered that I am missing a chunk of my 2010 and to be honest, I have no clue how that happened. The only thing that gave me comfort is that I have a print of my favorite and what I consider to be the most important photograph from that year...which I quickly scanned, backed-up and most importantly, reprinted and framed so I will have it forever to enjoy.
Please enjoy your photographs and don't let your jpegs stay jpegs!

Modern School Portraits at my home studio (Ventura, CA). Saturday, September 18th. Sign up for a session HERE!

Let's celebrate the start of the school year with school portraits that celebrate your child the way they are. No awkwardness necessary! This is a one-day school portrait event in my home studio on Saturday, September 18th. 5-min session per child. Limited spots available, details and sign up for your child's session HERE!

A lifestyle family photography session at the beach // Ventura Family Photographer

A confession: I have been missing photographing clients in their home BUT here in Ventura County, thank goodness for having the ocean as our backyard.

When COVID-19 hit, photographing clients in their homes was suddenly off the table but the truth is, our children continue to grow and a pandemic doesn’t mean we can’t get our family portraits done..it just means we have to take additional precautions to protect our families and our clients. When I started photographing more family sessions at the beach, my goal was the same as when I photographed clients in their homes - photographing families in a space that they love, doing things that they love doing. So for this lovely family with three boys, it is making funny faces, lots of laughing, and a lot of playing and splashing (and maybe pushing and chasing)…in November no less. Ventura weather is seriously unbeatable.

These clients chose a modern barn wood frame for one of my most favorite photographs from their session and I am in love. Here are some photographs from this super fun session. Hope you’re all are well.

Ventura County Family Photographer - Archival framed family portrait

let’s document your life

If you are interested in family portraits that document your life the way it is, then I’d love to chat with you. Reach out here!

- Ventura County Family Photographer -

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