A few weeks ago, Rachel wanted to know if the Red Bats could take some holiday photos of her daughter, Sadie. (We photographed Rachel’s family a few months ago and posted about it here.) The theme for the holiday portrait session: Christmas at the beach, overwhelming-cuteness-style.

Rachel prepared thoroughly for this shoot. She bought the right outfit, she checked with her photographers to make sure the quick turnaround time was possible, she even planned around Sadie’s naptime to ensure the best possible mood. However, all the planning in the world can’t guarantee a smile from a baby at the right time. We got a few grins out of Sadie, but it was hard work. She was simply too mesmerized by the cameras to show us her biggest, goofiest smile. Fortunately, she smiled just enough to yield at least thirty adorable smiling shots, which was more than enough for Rachel’s top-secret purposes.

Here’s a little movie that tells the story of that shoot (click the photo to play it). As you’ll see, Sadie is ridiculously cute no matter what expression she has on her face.

UPDATE: There’s a new Sadie movie, for December 2009! Click here to see the post.

Esther is, among other interesting things, my sister. She lives in Seattle, and I don’t get to see her very often. So of course I pursued her with my camera during her week in California this month. Fortunately for me, Esther is beautiful, fascinating, and willing to pose.

We did two shoots in one weekend, which made life quite hectic; after all, that weekend coincided with our parents’ first ever visit to Santa Cruz. It was worth the effort, though. The first shoot was at the Red Bats’ favorite beach, about half an hour north of Santa Cruz. Esther jumped into the ocean wearing a sparkly blue prom dress she’d bought at the Goodwill earlier that day. The second shoot was in our studio, and incorporated furry animal ears, a note found scrawled on a napkin, a mustache, and Esther’s awesome camera.

The final product from these shoots will be exciting, for sure. Until that’s ready to show, here are some photos from both shoots and from Esther’s visit. Check back later for more.

Last month, our pal Bunny and some of her friends planned a wild night based on the Peter Pan story. Team Red Bat showed up to take pictures of their preparations (though we left before the bondage happened). Check out the photos below.

In order to give his adoring fans a complete picture of Hod, we shot him again. (Here’s a link to Hod’s first shoot.) The fun began at his house, where Hod entertained us by putting on a suit and allowing Jessica Carter to spray him with a hose. Then he set his yard on fire, in the shape of the letter H. And finally, we took ourselves to the Westside, where he walked the tracks, cavorted at Natural Bridges, and sang to us from a tree while the sun set behind him.

It was truly a memorable shoot. Hod will do pretty much anything you ask him to, and let his picture be taken while he’s doing it. That’s what these Red Bats like to see. Thanks Hod!

Here are some of our early favorites (photo gallery below):