Paper Ban Photography

Natalia’s Backyard First Birthday

SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA

It’s always a pleasure seeing familiar faces, and this was the case when I photographed Natalia’s first birthday event. The first time I met Natalia’s mom, Melissa, she was officiating her sister Alex’s wedding, to which I was the photographer. And now, I had the honor of capturing another one of their family’s milestone events.

Natalia’s birthday party was held at her aunties’ beautiful backyard in Santa Clarita, California. The weather was absolutely beautiful and perfect. Just prior to the start of the party, the family held a small ceremony in the living room and announced Alex and Lucia as Natalia’s godmothers. The celebration continued with close family and friends, and a rather cheerful birthday girl.

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Heidi and Carlos’s Wedding at Harlyne J. Norris Pavilion

ROLLING HILLS ESTATE, CALIFORNIA

What’s a better way of celebrating getting a Master’s degree than getting married to your high school sweetheart? That’s just what Heidi did and she looked absolutely beautiful doing so! I remember during her and Carlos’s engagement session at Kenneth Hann Park, she mentioned just a tiny bit of stress because of how much was going on in her life because of the wedding and school, and I’m just so glad she came out of it with shining colors.

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at Harlyne J. Norris Pavillion in Rolling Hills Estate. It’s originally a venue for the performing arts, but wow, it makes for a great wedding venue. Heidi and Carlos looks just stunning throughout the day, especially with their two boys in the party.

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Rachell and Arabella’s Milk Bath Portraits

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TEXAS

Just a few months ago, Rachell, Jonathan, and I went out to Malibu on a particularly windy day to take their maternity portraits. Fast forward to the present, and they made their way to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where I got to meet the very adorable Arabella! I mean, just look at those cheeks! And can I just say that I hope she inherits Rachell’s beautiful freckles?!

We spoke about doing a milk bath for their semi-newborn portrait session (Arabella is almost two months), I am so happy that we were able to make that happen. I absolutely love the dark lace dress that Rachell wore to contrast the milky white water and the soft pastel florals, as it also accentuates Arabella in so many ways.

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Rachell and Jonathan’s Maternity Portraits in Malibu

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Among my group of close friends, Rachell and Jonathan are the first to get pregnant, and judging by these photos, parenthood looks really good on them! For the longest time, Rachell would tell me how much she wanted to start a family, and I’m so excited she finally got her wish.

We photographed their maternity portraits on a Malibu beach where the glow of the sunset just helped in radiating their inner glow in becoming parents. By the way, as of posting this blog post, they have given birth to their adorable daughter Arabella! I will be posting their newborn milk bath portraits very soon (I may have posted a couple of images already on instagram, hehe).

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Carla and Andrew’s Nautical Baby Shower

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Remember when Carla and Andrew had their magical backyard baby shower, thrown by Carla’s mom? Just a couple of weeks later, Andrew’s sweet mom threw them a nautical themed baby shower! There was plenty of red, white, and blue balloons, sailor-themed dessert table, and mother-to-be Carla dressed up in a lovely striped dress. Baby Aaron is so blessed to have such a loving set of family and friends.

I have already featured their maternity portraits and their in-home newborn portraits when Aaron entered the world, but I somehow ended up leaving this particular event left in the drafts! And with all of the adorable nautical decor, it definitely deserves to be showcased!

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Rakhi’s Baby Shower at The Yellow Chilli

BUENA PARK, CALIFORNIA

Soon after Rakhi and Anjun’s maternity portrait session, they held their baby shower at The Yellow Chilli at Buena Park, and boy, was it lively! This was the first time I’ve ever photographed an Indian baby shower and I loved witnessing the different traditions that they have, such as stepping putting bangles on the mother-to-be’s wrist and filling her lap with various gifts. A few of the games continued the festivities, such as having the guys put on diapers on a baby doll BLIND-FOLDED and racing to eat baby food (this definitely got messy, haha).

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