alison donahue photography

3 prego ladies & babies

2012-01-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun pic that I took with two of my friends. We all had our first children around the same time, and are now having our second babies within a few months of one another.

Here is a pic of our first babies all now 2 years old. My how time flies!

Baby C - San Jose, Ca

2012-01-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a million years since I've blogged. Mostly because I've been chasing a 2 year old and am expecting baby number 2 next Friday! Here is a beautiful baby girl that I got to shoot in December. Her mommy is one of my dearest friends and I felt so lucky to be able to capture these precious moments. Enjoy!

Maternity Pics - Castroville, CA

2011-09-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

I recently had the honor of photographing a friend I've had since first grade! This is her first baby and I'm so excited for her and felt so blessed to be asked to document her maternity process. I think she looks beautiful!

Miss D has arrived!

2011-08-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

This sweet little girl arrived a week early. She was such an easy baby to shoot because slept almost the entire time. She's a daddy's girl already, and how beautiful does mom look just 7 days later?

Miss E is getting a sister!

2011-07-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend some time with Miss "E", and her family. In just a couple of weeks she is getting a baby sister. How amazing does Mom look? She's so tiny for being due so soon!

Oscar Party 2011

2011-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's a few weeks late but here are some shots of this year's Oscar Party. I'm a big fan of the blog Twig & Thistle and used their DIY Academy Awards Party Planning tips. I didn't take a ton of pictures this year but you get the idea.

As a side note, I tried Martha Stewart's recipe for Chocolate Caramel Crunch cake and it was a disaster. If anyone has made this cake or tries to make it and it's a success please let me know what I did wrong.

Twins!

2011-02-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

Look at these cuties! Jack & Reese are twin boys who arrived into the world on Groundhog Day. During the shoot Jack was so excited he barely closed his eyes, while Reese was content to sleep away.

6 month old baby - Campbell, Ca

2011-01-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend I got to shoot one of my favorite cuties. I can't believe that he is 6 months already! Where does the time go? You might remember him from here or here.

7 week old baby boy - Mountain View, Ca

2011-01-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to shoot little "R." At 7 weeks old, he was awake the whole time and gave me some great shots!

Holiday Card Shoot - Campbell, Ca

2010-12-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

Next up on the holiday card list was this 4 month old cutie, Mr. "A". He was ready for the camera and looking very dapper.

Holiday Card Shoot - Holbrook Palmer Park

2010-12-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. I don't know about you but I was busy hosting Thanksgiving and then preparing for Christmas! I now have a little time to post about a few holiday card shoots I did.

First up was the "B" family. They have a two year old and a 2 month old! Both kids did great and we got some fun shots. Little Miss "A" was so fun. She hammed it up for the camera, and ended the shoot by playing in the leaves with her dad.

Family Photo Shoot - Baker Beach, San Francisco

2010-11-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I spent some time with the "B" family at Baker Beach. We got lucky and had a beautiful 70 degree day. Little A was a ham and had a fun time playing in the sand. Her little brother was more shy and decided to stick close to mom and dad. All in all we had a fun time hanging out and enjoying the sunshine!

You wouldn't even know it in this one, but the kids are hugging their legs....

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2010-11-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

We took K to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for his first birthday. To be honest, I was really excited to go. I haven't been there in years and was hoping to be amazed. Let me tell you, the day was fantastic.

Everything about the aquarium rocked. It wasn't overly crowded, the people who work there were very friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and decently priced. We ate in the cafeteria section, not the fine dining, but it didn't feel like cafeteria food. They had a grill, kid menus, alcohol, and a lot of fresh salad and fruit. Their souvenir shop wasn't overly pricy either. And lastly, the whole point of the aquarium...the fish! They were beautiful, funny, and cute.

Everything came together nicely to celebrate K's big day. Here are some of the photos from our day.

There was one penguin, Betty, who kept playing with K and he thought it was the best thing in the world.

I think my boys had a fun day.....

First Birthday Party

2010-11-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a month because I've been planning the mother of all birthday parties! This past weekend we celebrated K's first birthday. We decided to do a Halloween/first birthday party so the kiddos could wear their costumes. Who doesn't love to see a bunch of one year olds in costumes? Thanks to all who attended we had a blast!

I've been taking a picture a day (roughly) of K since he was born. I decided to do something with some of the photos for the party. I had seen this online before here and really liked it.

This was my first time etching a pumpkin, and I think it turned out pretty good.

Additional party decorations......

It was supposed to rain, so we decided to decorate the garage to have more space. Not the prettiest place to take pictures, but it worked out. Lucky for us it only rained a little bit. The lanterns I made following Martha Stewart's directions.

I got so involved in the party, I forgot to take too many pictures of the food. For lunch we had some kid-friendly comfort foods. Homemade (non-spicy) chili, macaroni and cheese, chicken wings, green and fruit salads, and some huge pieces of cornbread! (The mini hot dogs were actually appetizers)

I'm a huge dessert person so I felt like we needed some varieties. Guests could take a little of everything home with them.

And last but not least, it was time for cake! K had a really good time with it.

All in all I think the party was a success!

Family Shoot - Oak Meadow Park

2010-10-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got to spend some time with a family who was taking pictures for Christmas. It's never too early to start! Little "C" is the same age as "K" which is really fun. Even though it was a million degrees out they were troopers and got some cute shots. Enjoy!

My pumpkin baby

2010-09-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I love Halloween. I was so excited when K was born so close to Halloween. He will forever be my pumpkin baby. This past weekend my boys indulged me and took me to a pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay. The purpose was really to get some photos for K's first birthday invitation and I think we succeeded. During our hour there his emotions ranged from high to low as you can see. Enjoy!

Introducing Miss E!

2010-08-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I spent some time with this adorable little 9 month old. She was a ham for the camera and showed me a few of her moves. Like a true little girl, she wore 5 different outfits like it was no big deal.

10 day old baby boy

2010-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the please of shooting a beautiful baby boy! He was 10 days old and was awake for almost the entire shoot. I was so impressed. Here are a few of my favorites (of course he's sleeping in all of these). I had worn him out by the end.

Family Photo Shoot - Holbrook Palmer Park

2010-08-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Last week a good friend from college contacted me about doing a shoot for her family. They were in the same place at the same time and wanted to document it! They were a fun group to shoot and I got a glimpse of what my little man is going to be like in 7-8 months..... I'm going to be a busy mommy.

Happy Friday!

2010-07-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

We spent this afternoon hanging out at the park. It was a great start to the weekend. Happy Friday!

Fourth of July

2010-07-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

Our fourth of July was spent in town which was nice. We attended a few BBQ's, I made my first apple pie, and our little one learned how to crawl. All in all it was a fun weekend!

30th Birthday Party

2010-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my brother in law's 30th birthday. His girlfriend did an amazing job putting on a party for him. She had so many little special touches like photos from his childhood, a trivia quiz about him, and personalized water bottles!

The food was catered by Casa Lupe in Campbell and brought by family.

She rented a margarita machine which was a huge hit.

No party is complete without a candy bar to take home some sweets. The cupcakes are from Kara's cupcakes.

I think the birthday boy was very happy!

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day was all about food. I decided to make homemade doughnuts for breakfast using this recipe from Real Simple Magazine. It was so easy, I felt like I had cheated some how. The doughnuts came out perfectly and we ate them right up while they were warm. Yes, we each had 2 doughnuts and doughnuts holes.

After our yummy breakfast we decided to head to Palo Alto to walk around and have lunch. We had eyed Slider Bar Cafe about a month ago when we were out on a date night. Since then, we've been wanting to try it.

The idea is to try a bunch of different slider burgers. They have breakfast burgers/wraps, vegetarian sliders, chicken sliders, pulled pork sliders, kobe beef sliders, hot dog sliders. Pretty much anything you can think of they have. We decided to try a breakfast slider (which is the wrap in the photo), a vegetarian slider, and a few chicken and kobe beef sliders. They have a few different fry options too. We wanted garlic fries and sweet potato fries, but they were out of sweet potatoes. So we went with regular and garlic fries. The burgers were delicious, but the fries were my favorite part. Though I am known to have a fry weakness.

Last but not least, they have a variety of beers on tap and wines by the 1/2 glass, glass and bottle. They were having a $6.00 pitcher world cup special while we were there. However, we didn't partake in it.
It's fun for the whole family!

Graduation

2010-06-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my baby sister graduated from college! I'm so proud of her. She completed a teaching credential in four years all while playing an NCAA sport. Isn't she cute?

As a side note I'm trying to get bigger images on here, so hopefully this will work!

Baby Shower

2010-06-14T16:46:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago I attended a baby shower for a dear friend. She is one of those patient people who are waiting to find out the sex of the baby once it is born. So the shower was done in blue, green and yellow. It was held at Left Bank on Santana Row which, for those of you who don't know, is a French restaurant. We were able to be in a private dining room outside which was perfect for the lovely weather. The food was incredible, as was the planning of the event down to the last detail! Here are some photos captured from the day.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the meal, but everything looked amazing. I had the French onion soup and thought of my friend. She would have loved it.

Since the restaurant was French, the favors were done in a French theme. Soap in the Linden scent from Pré de Provence.

We played a fun game where you had to match up current celebrity photos with their childhood photos. Some were hard and others were easy. Can you guess who is who?

The last idea that I didn't get to take a picture of was really sweet. Each guest had to pick a number upon arrival. Then when the time came you had a to make a birthday card for the baby for that year of their life. I got lucky number 7!

More Baby in Beanie

2010-06-08T22:21:00.001-07:00

This was the other hat that I bought. Sadly, it's getting too warm here for him to wear it now. It was cute while it lasted though!

Beanie Baby

2010-05-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

I think babies in knit hats are so cute! Here is one that I recently bought.

Superhero fun

2010-04-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

So it's a little late but thought we could all use some fun images to get us through to the weekend! What's more fun than a baby superhero outfit?

Happy Wednesday...... it's almost Friday.

10 day old baby boy

2010-04-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today I had the joy of photographing a brand new baby boy. There is nothing like those first few weeks of a baby's life. I'm so happy these parents let me capture their little angel. A sneak preview for them!

Baptism

2010-04-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

The week after our Oscar Party we had K's baptism. Since I knew it was going to be a production getting him ready, myself ready and having lots of family over I decided to have the party catered. So with some help from friends and family we put together a nice party. The sandwiches and fruit salad are from The Purple Onion in Los Gatos. The potato salad was purchased at Costco and doctored up by my mom. She also made her famous zucchini madeleines but I didn't get a picture. The cake is from Jen's Cakes in Willow Glen and it was amazing. The cupcakes were made by my future sister in law, using Sprinkles mix from Williams Sonoma, and I made the cookies using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. That is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I wish K looked happier, but that's what you get with a four month old!

2010 Oscar Party

2010-03-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Every year I host an Oscar party because I just love love love the Oscars. It's so fun to watch the red carpet to see what everyone is wearing and talk amongst your friends who looks great and who's dress you hate. There is a prize at the end of the night for the person who predicts the most winners in each award category. I like to have a slew of appetizers and dessert instead of a meal so people can pick and choose their way through the ceremony. Here is what we ate!

Mini hot dogs with a mustard dip, bleu cheese and bacon dip, chicken satay skewers, and crab empanadas....

Mac n cheese in ramekins

Brown butter and parmesan popcorn and rosemary and cayenne pepper cashews

A slew of desserts from Icing on the Cake Bakery in Los Gatos

And last but not least, the prize and party favors!

many faces

2010-03-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd have more time to work on the blog, but clearly that hasn't happened. I have more Oscar Party and Baptism photos to share with you soon, but I wanted to share this little tidbit first. It's so fun being able to capture the different expressions he makes. Enjoy!

Months 1 through 3

2010-02-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've written but I'm hoping to keep my blog more up to date now that K is taking naps! They are only 30-40 minutes but it gives me just enough time to do fun photoshop projects like this. Here are months 1-3. All of the lighting scenarios are a little different which is annoying but it's almost impossible to get photos of him at the same time everyday. Enjoy!

Baby "K" has arrived

2009-11-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Our little bundle of joy arrived on October 28, 2009 at 7:05 in the morning! He is providing us with a lot of fun and some sleepless nights. He is definitely my most favorite subject to shoot. Enjoy the photos of baby "K".

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins. We came across this cute little pumpkin that we thought just might be the baby's size. He'll be here soon!

Kelli & Julie's wedding!

2009-10-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the honor of shooting a wedding for my friends Kelli & Julie. Here are some of the highlights!

Baby "D" Nursery

2009-10-15T21:33:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted a lot lately because we are expecting a baby! He's going to be here in a few weeks so I wanted to share some nursery pictures with you!

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-09-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

This too is a very late post. I decided to make cinnamon rolls for my husband for father's day since this was his first father's day. He loooooves cinnamon rolls and I felt up to the challenge. I decided to use my favorite cooking website for some instructions. These definitely took a long time to make so leave yourself some time. Here were the results, and let me tell you they were delicious!! They didn't last long in our house.

Black & White Cookies

2009-09-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue but for Father's Day this year I made my father and my father-in-law black and white cookies. I was a little nervous but they turned out so good. I turned to my trusty cooking website Smitten Kitchen and used her recipe. The one trick I learned after I finished is that you are supposed to turn the cookie over and actual frost the flat part that was on the cookie sheet. I will try that next time.

Meet "A" in Oak Meadow Park, Los Gatos

2009-06-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I got to spend time with a very fun 2 year old and his family. His favorite song is "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas and he had a portable stereo we rocked out to. He is one cool kid!!

Meet "D" and "C"

2009-05-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago our good friends came to visit and brought their 7 month old daughter. I was able to snap a few pictures of her. Enjoy!

Check out Grosgain

2009-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

I love this website. It inspires me to learn to sew because she creates such beautiful things. Right now you can win the dress featured on the blog. Have a look!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Crown and Crumpet

2009-04-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom and I went to Crown and Crumpet for her birthday lunch and then went to see Wicked. Crown and Crumpet was really cute! We split the tea for two and I highly recommend the hibiscus and cinnamon tea. The inside isn't very big so reservations are a good idea, but the overall experience was really fun. If you haven't see Wicked yet I highly recommend that you do. It's a fantastic show and you don't need to have read the book to understand it.

Bridal Shower

2009-04-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my mom, my sisters and I hosted a bridal shower for our cousin. It was a beach themed shower and we had a great time!

My mom sewed unique kitchen items onto an apron for my cousin and we turned it into a game. She walked around and everyone got a minute to look at the apron and write down as many things as they could remember. We also had a crossword puzzle filled with clues about my cousin and her fiance. Lastly, every guest filled out some words of wisdom about marriage for my cousin.

We served homemade mushroom puff pastries, zucchini madeleines, and salmon cakes as appetizers.

For lunch we made fruit skewers, homemade macaroni and cheese, spinach, candied pecan and strawberry salad, and cilantro shrimp skewers.

Dessert included homemade brownies, lemon macaroon tartlets, and mini lemon cheesecakes.

Birthday Presents

2009-04-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to receive many presents I loved this birthday. Here are a few of my favorites (that were easily photographable).

My parents got me these suede boots from Steve Madden. I love their slouchiness and color.

One of my best friends in New York always finds something amazing to give me each year and this year didn't disappoint. Check out the bracelet similar to that of Jessica Kagan Cushman. It's french for what would the world be without girls?

And lastly, I was looking for some comfy yet stylish sweats for my birthday so my husband got me these Lululemon pants. (not my photo)

Seascape Resort

2009-04-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year my husband took me to Seascape Resort which is just south of Santa Cruz. I love when we can find local places that we didn't know exsisted! We were lucky and got a beautiful Saturday in March so we headed down to the beach to hang out. After a yummy dinner at the hotel restaurant, my husband had the hotel set up a private beach bonfire. It was fantastic. The hotel staff brought us in a golf cart from our room to the beach, gave us a box filled with smores fixings, and gave us two chairs to sit on. If anyone is looking for a romantic proposal spot this is it!! Here are some photos.

(smores box)

(they do weddings on this lawn)

Homemade Soup

2009-03-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I made the most delicious soup! It was a creamy mashed potato and leek soup. I had a base recipe and then added my own special touches and it was delicious!

A day in the life of my cat....

2009-03-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in a photography class and the assignment was to follow someone or something for a day. I chose my cat. While she does sleep a lot, she does do a few other activities during the day!

Hakone Gardens, Saratoga Ca

2009-03-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I've lived in the South Bay for the last 13 years and I've never visited Hakone Gardens! I'm a little ashamed of myself. Last Friday I decided to take a field trip to take some photos. I had a field day! The rain stopped for a bit as I started my journey, but the break didn't last long. It dumped buckets while I was trying to shoot, so I ran for the ancient tea house and waited for the skies to clear. Here are some of my favorites!

Oscar Party 2009

2009-03-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Watching the Academy Awards is one of my all time favorite things to do. Every year I have a very small oscar party where we drink champagne and eat a lot of food. This year I went a little overboard and made the following items:

* prosciutto wrapped shrimp

* chicken wings

* caprese puffs

* brown butter parmesan popcorn

* samosas

* chicken taquitos

* spinach and artichoke dip

* chocolate chip brownies

* lemon cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting

I then made the guests goodie bags that were popcorn containers filled with swedish fish, gummy coke bottles, milk duds, a kit-kat and some microwave popcorn. I didn't get pictures of everything, but here are the highlights!

Valentine's Day Sugar

2009-02-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late on this post but this year Valentine's Day involved a lot of sugar. I'm not sure how it happened, but we ate a lot of sugar. We started out at Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos, one of my all time favorite bakeries, and then wandered over to Powell's Candy Shoppe for some snacks for our movie. Enjoy!

collage of kids!

2009-02-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd put together a little collage of all the cuties I've been so fortunate to work with over the last year or so. Enjoy!

redwood city sunrise

2009-02-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it pays to wake up early. I don't really like doing it but then you get rewarded with a sunrise like this. I can't decide which photo I like better. Do you have any opinions?

cherry blossoms

2009-02-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

I love cherry blossoms and I'm so excited to see them in bloom this time of year. I'm taking a class right now and I was supposed to focus on creating motion in photographs. So the last two images have the motion included and the first two are just ones I like!

james at holbrook palmer park, atherton ca

2009-02-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted! I have a bit more time to focus on photography now so look for more posts soon. A few weeks ago I got to spend some time with James at home and in the park. He is such a fun loving, adorable, and patient little guy. He even has a motto! It's I'll try anything once. How can you not love that? Here are some photos from our time together.

rosemary flatbread recipe

2009-02-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I made a fantastic recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I'm in love with that website. You can check out the recipe here. Here's a photo of my work!

san francisco street musician

2009-01-25T22:17:00.000-08:00

Last weekend while in San Francisco, I came across the most beautiful little girl. Her and her brothers and sister were playing violins on the street. I wish I could have stayed and photographed them longer. They were incredibly talented.

Walsh family - San Jose, Ca

2009-01-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I spent some time with the Walsh family. They are such a fun and photogenic bunch! We hit the park and JT showed me some of his skateboarding moves.

Vanessa & Howard - a San Francisco Wedding

2009-01-19T20:43:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Karen Wise and Karen Rusten were nice enough to let me assist on a wedding they were shooting.

grrr - the best chow chow ever

2009-01-19T16:47:00.001-08:00

Grrr is my favorite dog ever. He's a chow chow.

meet sydney

2009-01-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Sydney, her mom and I spent some time at the park. She was such a ball of energy and talked the whole time! I loved that at the end of the day she invited me to come back later after her lunch.

Annmarie Koenig's Art Show

2009-01-10T18:13:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Annmarie Koenig has a really cool art show going on right now at Mr. Barbershop and Urban Lounge in San Francisco. She paints on old skateboard decks. Stop by and check it out! And men, if you need a haircut they are highly recommended as well!

a photo a day

2009-01-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

Since it's the new year I'm making it a goal to take at least one photo a day for a year. Keep track of my progress here. Here is one of the first photos of the year.

london

2009-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

We spent the end of 2008 in London. Enjoy the photos!

hawaii

2008-12-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a little backlogged on photos from our travels. We went to Hawaii in November and I became enthralled with surfing. I didn't actual learn to surf, but I had a great time taking image of boards, and surfers. Enjoy!

Wine tasting!

2008-12-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love spending the day in the vineyards of Sonoma County? We had a fun photo shoot over the Thanksgiving day weekend. The last one is a personal favorite.

robyn & kevan's wedding

2008-10-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

My dear friends Robyn and Kevan were married recently. They are the cutest couple

and had the best wedding! The food was the best wedding food I have ever had. The

wedding was at little house weddings in geyserville, ca.

meet connor

2008-10-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

Sweet 16

2008-09-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I shot Katherine's Sweet 16 party. It was an amazing party with a fortune teller, delicious cupcakes from Icing on the cake, a photo booth, and a ton of delicious food!! Happy Birthday Katherine!

3rd anniversary

2008-09-21T15:46:00.001-07:00

Our wedding anniversary is September 3rd. This year we went to the newly designed La Fondue in Saratoga. It's been a long time since we've been there but I loved their new design. Each room has a different theme and it's all romantic mood lighting. Our chocolate fondue had a flambe topping which always makes for a fun photo!

ashley

2008-09-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

merritt & joe's pre-wedding

2008-09-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend I was a part of my dear friends' Merritt & Joe's wedding. I didn't get a chance to take a lot of photos since we were busy getting beautiful, but here are a few photos I did take.

henna ceremony

2008-08-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

On August 1st I shot a henna ceremony for Luken and Vareen. The ceremony was on the eve before their wedding and brought together family and loved ones from each side. It was a fantastic night full of color, laughter, good food and dancing! It was a honor to shoot you two!