Rikki Rivera | Photographer » Wedding & Portrait Photography

Cassie is a fellow photographer of Southern Exposures by Cassie. We decided to get together for some fun in the sun and capture a few photos of one another. Isn’t she just beautiful?!

Isn’t she just darling? Cassie and I are both Nikon lovers with a passion for all things photography while balancing mommy hood on top of our careers, and living life. It’s great to connect with others who share the same passions!

 Have you ever met a child who you knew just had to have great parents based on their character? That’s how I instantly felt when playing with Catalina. She’s almost ten months old, and is so happy and playful. Her mom said when the camera is in front of her, she stops smiling. Well Cassie, I would have to disagree, your little girl was lovin’ my camera! It helps that I couldn’t stop playing with her :).

I was supposed to be taking pictures of Cassie, but when she decided to bring her family along, I don’t think she realized what a baby lover I am! I just couldn’t help myself, look at how cute she is, and with her momma’s beautiful eyes!

Daddy stuck a flower in her hair :).

I am already in love with their adorable little girl, and I’m so excited to watch her grow! Cassie and Rico, you’re great parents! Thank you for coming out to meet me and enjoy the beautiful summer day! I look forward to seeing you guys again.

  • Cassie Lopez - August 6, 2012 - 5:55 pm

    I love them! Thanks Rikki! We definitely need to do this more often! Reply Cancel

  • Shelby - August 6, 2012 - 5:57 pm

    Wow, I LOVE these pictures! You’re such an amazing photographer, Rikki! Stunning! 🙂 Reply Cancel

  • Rebecca Helm - August 7, 2012 - 5:01 pm

    Wonderful photographs of all of you. It is so nice to have family pictures to look back on.
    Looking forward to an opportunity to get together with everyone soon. Reply Cancel

Oh my goodness, I barely know where to begin with this adorable family! I had so much fun with the Carlile family, and captured so many precious moments with them. It was very difficult to chose just a few images for this post.

Kelly and John are the proud parents to three lovingly, adorable children. As challenging as it can be to photograph kids who want nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the beautiful surroundings, I can’t blame them! I get a lot of apologetic parents during times like this, but it makes my job a lot more fun to be able to chase kids around while they are just being themselves and enjoying life. I love that! Kelly and John, I really had a great time. Not a worry in the world :).

When I do these family shoots that are directed more toward children, parents are like, ‘You want us alone in pictures?’ Hahaa. Yes! I promised them they would be thankful for it in the long run, I hope I’m not wrong!

I love to see a couple take a moment to giggle awkwardly because I’m taking their picture, saying ridiculous things, and it turns out completely adorable!

Meet the darling Madison! She was a little shy, but I think she secretly loved being in front of the camera.

Too cute for words, Caleb! Caleb had his own agenda the entire time, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t willing to go after him as he ran along after his brother and sister. I’m anxious (but in no hurry) to see these children grow up, they’re so precious, and have such wonderful parents!

This image is a little out of the ordinary, but this summed up my view of the shoot pretty well. I couldn’t help myself, I just loved it!

As some of you may know, I am a sucker for a father-daughter, mother-son photo. I was just elated when they indulged me for a few moments.

We tried a few different fun images that Kelly had in mind, but with Caleb constantly darting off, we weren’t able to get the exact feel we were going for. We had just one quick moment when they all reached in, and it worked out perfectly! I love it!

I quickly discovered that I’m a little bit lame when it comes to ‘games’ for getting kids attention, and while it worked a little, I need to step up my game! Hahaa, aren’t they adorable?!

At one point Kelly mentioned she really just wanted me to capture the craziness of their family. We took full advantage of every moment to capture a photo of their family and the kids, I think this turned out to be the perfect family photo for them!

Thank you Kelly and John for letting me come out and run around with you! I hope these images captures the ‘craziness’ you mentioned. I hope we meet up again and again so I can watch your family grow! Have a great summer!

The beautiful Aruiza family came out to enjoy some sun and warmth with me at the park in beautiful Tacoma! It doesn’t get much better than spending some time outdoors with family, friends, and taking advantage of the nice weather.

I couldn’t stop telling them how beautiful their family was. Anna and Rob have some handsome little boys! Let’s hope they aren’t too much trouble when they’re older :).

Rob’s parents came out and wanted a Christmas card photo. But with two boys that only wanted to play, we were lucky to capture this one! You should see the effort we put into getting their attention and hoping for a smile! I can only imagine how funny we looked, hahaa!

The park was packed with people enjoying all the beauty it has to offer, so we really had to make due with the space we had.  After a few minutes of playing, walking around, and capturing this beautiful time of their lives, it soon felt like we were the only ones in the park!

The boys just loved the ducks in the pond below! They had no idea what to think of me, but went along with me and even humored me a little!

No matter how hard you try, you can’t always get a child to sit still with a stranger taking their photos, but if you do it right, you can simply capture their essence. After all, moments with children are fleeting and seeing them in their playful element will bring back smiles and beautiful memories a little better than a posed smile. For me, that’s what it’s all about!

Patrick and Jonathan weren’t too crazy about sitting here with dad, but after just a few moments of encouraging, there were less and less tears. The relationship between father and sons is incredible. I LOVE this image!

Motherhood is looking beautiful on Anna! What a classic beauty she is.

It makes my heart happy to see couples take a moment to laugh and love one another, even while taking photos. These are the moments that keep relationships going strong!

Thank you Anna and Rob for having me come out to capture your beautiful, growing family. I had a blast with you and your boys! I hope we meet up again and again so I can watch your family grow! Have a great summer!