Yay! I’m psyched to launch my new website for photographers! And this is just the beginning! Lots of exciting projects are well underway, and I am so pleased with the quality and uniqueness of what will soon be available to photographers everywhere!  Fabulous resources will soon be added to the site and a new membership group is on the horizon for all Christa Meola Workshop graduates :)

Swing by the new site when you get a minute, check out the new workshop schedule, read the raves, and see a very dorky picture of me :)

Thank you to all of the amazing folks who made this site possible…
*My awesome Workshop attendees who were very generous and enthusiastic with giving feedback
*My incredible partner in crime on all upcoming projects, phenomenal new photographer, supermom and all around amazing woman… Jayne Jewell
*The best web support system a girl could ask for… Max at King Creations, Mac Sokulski, and Anthony Cunningham - y’all keep me sane, thank you :)

xoxo,

Christa

Boudoir & Fashion, Family & Baby Boudoir & Fashion, christa, Family & Kids, kids, meola, Photography, workshop, workshops

I know it’s only mid-March and I’m rushing Springtime… but recent days in LA have been gorgeous breezy and sunny - just like Spring!  These shots from a recent kid’s shoot remind me of growing up in NJ and all the awesomeness of the different seasons… when glorious Spring arrived, there was nothing better than being outside on a windy day and playing in your backyard.

Here are a few of my favorite childhood moments in Springtime…  scootin’ around and sporting your favorite boots!…

Laying in the grass… just happy to be outside…

Smelling flowers…

Oh, the excitement and anticipation of getting ready to climb a tree!…

And the fear and the thrill of it!…

Pausing for a snack of raisins…

The wind blowing…

…and being young enough to sport polka dot underwear and a ponytail…

I hope Springtime hurries to your neighborhood soon :) and you take time to bask in the wonderful everyday moments even if you’re a big old grown-up.

xo,

Christa

Family & Baby childhood, christa, Family & Kids, kids, lifestyle, meola, Photography, portrait, portraits

Fall in love with this little yummy baby, Lila… it doesn’t get any easier than this recent family shoot.  Their photo session was a breeze - the parents are loving, gorgeous and kind - and totally trusting (ie. up for any idea I came up with!).  Baby Lila was so expressive, curious, cranky and giggly… which made for a wonderfully real shoot.

Some of my favorites…

A baby’s wonder at her own hand… beautiful moment.

Love.

Dad was nervous before the shoot, but he came around once he saw this smiling face!

This mother / daughter shot was inspired by one of my pics from the mom’s pregnancy session - part of my Brand-Spanking Newborn package…

Sweet and Silly faces…

Love these moments and how the baby is holding her mom’s hair…

First official family photograph :)

Switching it up on the blog this week - posting pics from my Downtown LA project and an exciting announcement… come back soon!

xoxo,

Christa

Family & Baby Add new tag, christa, Family & Kids, kids, lifestyle, meola, Photography, workshop

The sweet chaos of a family photo session… That’s what I was going for during my recent Workshop demo - I wanted all the Workshop attendee’s to see how I negotiate challenges, work with kids and parents, and manage to capture my signature pictures.  So we got out of the studio and on our feet to a nearby home for some family photo fun…

…focusing on the necessity of play, creating action, capturing emotion, the beauty in details, the awesomeness of props, and much more…   and sweet chaos ensued, as we ran around a tiny yard looking for great light, trying not to step in dog poo, and still capture great images.

…such as, the personality and sass of each child…

…kids being kids, and Rocking Out!..

…the beauty of everyday details…

…of course yummy happy close-ups!

…and how much fun, value and variety that simple props can add to a shoot…

Seriously, my Workshops are this fun :)

Family & Baby christa, Family & Kids, kids, meola, Photography, portrait, workshop, workshops

My last shoot of the year!... couldn’t have been more fun and full with feelings of sisterhood.  I spent yesterday afternoon with the awesome energetic smart and sassy Rodriguez girls, four sisters who are visiting from Colorado and spending the holidays with their Dad here in LA.  They wanted plenty of sun and fun for their shoot, so of course we went to the beach and Santa Monica Pier.

All-American girls… ages 15, 12, 17, and 9.

Here comes the sun!…

Their dad, John, is a firefighter, a hero, a big kid, and the girls’ biggest fan…

See what I mean?

Once we hit the beach, their competitive streaks really came out!…

It was so great to take a few moments in the midst of the holidays and get our feet wet, get a bit sandy, salty and sweaty… let loose and laugh together.

I had the best time with these girls!… They made me feel like their nutty 5th sister, and I have to say - I kinda liked that :)

Hope you have a beautiful and free-spirited end to 2009!

xoxo,

Christa

Family & Baby christa, kids, lifestyle, meola, Photography, portraits

I love nakedness! Skin is so beautiful and a joy to photograph whether it’s boudoir, babies, or fine art nudes…  it’s luminous, timeless, and my preferred wardrobe option.  Here are the top ten pics from a recent newborn shoot…

Big brother and baby sis… Rolls and rolls of the good stuff!…

Too cute.

Lest you think baby shoots are sweetness and light, here’s a little dose of reality for you….

This was a fun follow-up to the mom’s pregnancy shoot, which you can view HERE.

More Photographer FAQ’s coming up tomorrow!  You can see the last edition HERE.

xoxo,

Christa

Family & Baby baby, christa, Family & Kids, kids, lifestyle, meola, Photography, portrait

I’ve been MIA on the blogging for a bit… the holiday crush for pictures has overwhelmed me this year, in a good way :)  I feel so fortunate to have shared in the lives of so many families, artists, models, moms, shoe-shiners, street musicians, and people from all walks of life.  Creating a portrait of someone or someone’s family is an honor and gives me such a unique and intimate glimpse into their lives, and I couldn’t be more thankful this holiday season.

This is a quick peek from yesterday’s shoot at Disneyland.  Thank you Juliette, David and little David for such a memorable day!  ps. you may remember this guy as Yummy Empanada Feet… from this post HERE.

Be back soon!

xo,

Christa

Family & Baby christa, Family & Kids, kids, lifestyle, meola, Photography, portrait

Nothing like getting into trouble with your younger brother. Remember this little heartbreaker from my recent post “A Good Jewish Boy”… he looked all sweet with that flower, didn’t he?… But boy, he was a handful!  and I think it was his sister who talked him into it :)

Tell me these two aren’t up for causing trouble!…

Two of my favorite moments from the shoot… Silly and Sweet…

Look at the body language on little miss thang…

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Now, I’m in trouble!

Here’s their newly born cousin, and you can tell he’s going to be looking for trouble soon too…

I love these faces!  and I love capturing them with my camera - I feel like I’m squeezing their little cheeks with my lens :)

More cuteness, madness, and fabulous news soon…

Christa

Family & Baby christa, Family & Kids, kids, meola, Photography, portraits

Nothing like a cutie in blazer offering me a flower! This is my third shoot for this family, and I am completely charmed by this little guy every time.  Just look at those eyes!

Pouting because he couldn’t get the flower to stay in his lapel… ugh, so cute!

This little songbird stole my heart.  How can you resist?

I’ll post more pics of this gorgeous sweetheart and his family soon….

Once I recover from heartbreak :)

xo,

Christa

Family & Baby Add new tag, christa, Family & Kids, kids, lifestyle, meola, Photography, portraits

Busy Busy!… I’m so fortunate to be booked solid every holiday season with family portrait sessions, and this year is my busiest.  I’ll catch up with postings this week.  In the meantime, here’s a quick sneak peek of one of the most fun shoots this year.

Little 4 yr. old twins, Sarah and Aaron at Santa Monica Pier yesterday.  It does not get any more adorable and sweet than these two…

More tasty cuteness on the blog tomorrow!

xoxo,

Christa

Family & Baby christa, Family & Kids, kids, meola, Photography, pier, portrait, santa monica, twins