New Head Shots

I am one of those photographers that is not fond of being in front of the lens. When a camera is pointed my direction I automatically pull out the silly faces. So when Jennifer Low and I got together to take new head shots she had quite the challenge before her! Out of all the awkward looks I gave her I found two that I liked. One is here below. I know two doesn't sound like a very successful session, but it was! I have had sessions where I just didn't like anything. I have a lot of goofy micro expressions which can be very entertaining for clients, but they don't record well.

I will post a few of Jennifer's head shots next.

Kids Portraits in Surprise Arizona

I went to Arizona in December for a brief trip to visit family. I hate that they live so far away, but now that the kids have iPods it makes Skype calls super easy. Here are the latest images of my sister's fabulous five!

Above, in orange, is my nephew that has autism - he is always a challenge to shoot. I would say these are some of the best images he has ever taken! +Andrea Roberts 

Family Photo Session in Mountain View, CA

A few years ago, ok four years ago - time flies, I photographed Masako's maternity session and their newborn session when their first baby arrived. Their oldest is now four and a big sister. I recently photographed the family again when their latest addition arrived. Here are a few of my favorites. The second image makes me laugh every time I look at it.

The New Travel Blog

Bryon and I are embarking on a winter road trip! It will be a short one this time, but we have started a travel blog if anyone wants to follow. darnertrips.wordpress.com

The travel blog isn't as pretty yet because I am just starting to use Word Press, but we will be adding images and such as we travel.

New Photo Product - iPhone Case

Yesterday I received an email from my preferred lab - Bay Photo. They are now printing on iPhone cases! How cool is that? I cant wait to get one ordered!

They offer it in rubber or plastic for the iPhone 5 and rubber for the iPhone 4 and 4S. There are several color options and the images are vibrant and durable metal prints infused on aluminum.

The print is scratch-resistant and easy to clean using commercial glass cleaner.

These are not yet offered on my galleries but you can contact me for details.

Image above is from the Bay Photo website and was not taken by me. Great shot though!

Style Me Pretty California Feature - Rengstorff House

As is the case every summer, I am insanely behind on updating my blog. The queue of items I have waiting to be prepped for the blog is embarrassing. But I have a general rule that current clients work, such as editing, comes before blogging, etc. So blogging gets very little attention during the busy summers.

However, when I received an email from Style Me Pretty this morning letting me know I was going to have another feature on their California blog I was just too excited not to share! I haven’t even had time to blog my favorite images from this wedding! Take a peek at the images SMP chose and I will try to post my favorites soon.  

http://www.stylemepretty.com/california-weddings/2012/08/06/mountain-view-wedding-by-chyna-darner-photography/

Kid's Mini Portrait Sessions in Mountain View - Set 3

Back in the day when I used film I photographed Amanda and Steve's wedding. Amanda's entire family is super sweet. I also photographed her younger sister's wedding a couple years later. Then recently I had the privilege of photographing Amelia, Amanda's daughter. She is such a doll!

Kid's Mini Photo Sessions in San Jose

This little guy is a character! He was all smiles at first, but after a few minutes he started to entertain me. If only I had half his energy! 

Mallorca Wedding Published on Style Me Pretty Destination Blog!!

There are nice things to wake up to and there are really great things to wake up to! 
Sipping on my coffee and checking my email to find a message from Style Me Pretty stating, "I just wanted to let you know your feature will go live this morning at 10am EST on SMP Destination Weddings!" is one of those really, really great ways to wake up. 

Click on the gallery image below to view the featured destination post.

Baby Mini Portrait Session in Mountain View

Another cutie-pie from the mini sessions. I know Amelia's mother from the wedding industry. She co-owned an event planning business prior to becoming a new mom. It was great to catch-up and meet her little one.

Kid's Mini Portrait Sessions in Mountain View - Set 2

These darlings belong to a couple I worked with a few years back when I photographed their wedding. I love Zella's wild blonde hair!

Kid's Mini Portrait Sessions in Mountain View

I photographed two days of kid's mini sessions in April this year. This session is of Shelby and Drake. Their parents were wedding clients a way back. Shelby is at that great age when girls love to take pictures. 

On the other end of the spectrum Drake is at that age that they love to run - away from me! Well good thing I can run too! I love this shot of him thinking. I imagine him thinking "who is this crazy lady with this big black machine in front of her face?". :)

Should I Have Professional Makeup for My Engagement Session?

Guest post by Vanessa Quinteros at Beauty Mark Ink

Most people don’t think of having their makeup professionally done for their engagement session, because they think they would just like something natural and could probably do it themselves. However, if you are investing in professional photography, you want to ensure to look your best and have photo friendly makeup; while still looking and feeling like yourself.

Here are a few things to remember. Primarily, professional photography will minimize your makeup (it will appear to remove about 20% of what you have on your face). So once you see the photos you may be surprised that you did not have coverage you thought. You may even look “washed out”. Because of the way professional photographers use light artistically you will also notice that skin imperfections are more noticeable if not concealed properly.

The type of makeup used is also important, as not all makeup is photo friendly. You want to avoid any makeup that reflects light; which includes shimmery makeup and makeup that contains these light reflecting ingredients: titanium dioxide, mica, zinc, paba, and any oxides. These ingredients will make skin lighter and often look gray, white, purple, or bluish. Proper highlighting and contouring can also make a huge difference in your photographs. Airbrush makeup application is highly recommended as it is the closest in skin appearance, and has a beautiful light weight finish. Many brides take advantage of their engagement session to schedule their bridal trial/consultation. Since your makeup will be “photo ready” it’s easy to quickly make a few changes to your bridal look, and be ready to go for your engagement session! You will have an opportunity to see what the makeup looks like in photographs, and how long it will last. Why not get the V.I.P treatment for engagement shoot!

Do you have any questions on professional makeup application? Contact Vanessa Quinteros at vanessa@beautymarkink.com and check out our website for more beauty tips www.beautymarkink.com

Family Photography Surprise Arizona

I love going to see my sister and her 5 children! Honestly though I usually only last 3-4 days and then I need a break, but the first few days are always a ton of fun. We typically try to plan fun and educational activities each day; which can be a challenge in the Arizona summers. So I prefer to go in the winter.

Usually the last day I'm there we do a photo session with all the kids. This time the oldest was gone, typical of a sixteen year old. And another child wasn't really in the mood. Having a stranger take family pictures definitely has its advantages!  However, my niece is always ready to pose, anytime. So I always have at least one model.

The newest and last addition to their family is a face maker. Love it! I had to share a few of the images - I couldn't resist.

Maternity Photo Session Los Gatos, CA

I photographed Zeyad and Lydia's maternity session about a week before she went into labor. They scheduled the session just in time!

They scheduled a half and half session. Half of the shoot was done in the studio and half at a local park.

I also photographed the newborn session at their home in Castro Valley a few weeks later. Images to follow. 

Family Photography Session in Mountain View, CA

This is another session I photographed a few months back, but didn't have time to post while I was working on the new website. I met Stephanie and her family at her sister Joanna's wedding in August 2011. They scheduled a family photo session while they were in town from SoCal .
Their daughter is such a doll!

I learned a new trick to getting toddlers to smile even when they are sleepy, clapping! :)

Tax Season Special

I was so happy when the accountant said "you are getting money back this year". Sweet!! Because we usually don't calculate it quite right and end up owing a bit.

I'm passing on my joy to potential clients. To celebrate I am offering 10% off any wedding booked between now and May 15, 2012!

Offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.
Offer ends 5/15/2012. Contacts and deposits must be received by 5/15/2012.

Family Photography in Los Gatos, CA

Anastasiya modeled for a photo shoot at Radonich Ranch a couple years ago; so her face may already look familiar to some of you. Her family decided to have portraits taken while her grandmother was visiting from Russia. 

It was fun photographing her entire family. Her grandmother was awesome! She made everyone laugh and smile during the session.

A little brotherly love.

Maternity Session in San Jose

Stanley and Michelle's Maternity Session! Their little one has already arrived and we have some newborn images that will be posted soon. These are from just a few days before Michelle gave birth! We took the images just in time!!

Dika is the little guys Nigerian name. How cool is that - to get two names.

Spain Travel Photography - Phone Images

In September 2011 I traveled to Mallorca, Spain to photograph a wedding. Bryon tagged along and we added a few days before and after to enjoy some site seeing and relaxing. These are images I took with my old Android camera phone. These images are not taken with a professional camera.

Bryon and I arrived 5 days early to stop over on one of our favorite islands, Menorca. It was our 14 year anniversary. We stayed in the Cala Galdana area at The Audax Hotel.  It was a cute hotel, with great service. I loved the green accents in the rooms!

After the wedding at Cap Rocat we went to the St. Jordi area where a few family members joined us. My niece enjoying her chocolate gelato!

After a couple days in St. Jordi, Mallorca we flew to Barcelona and stopped over for 2 nights before heading back to San Francisco. So we took a whirlwind tour of the city, one day on foot and the next on a red site seeing bus. Barcelona is Beautiful and I look forward to going back someday to spend a bit more time.

We need drink signs like these in the States!

Fabulous architecture at Gaudi's Gϋell Park. These images don't do it justice.