Kena Frank Photography

Nilika and Neel | Maternity | San Francisco family photographer

Kena — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:12:51 +0000

This maternity shoot was filled with light and love…

Nilika and Neel are just about the sweetest couple of life, and they’re having a baby boy this spring. It’s so much fun photographing expectant parents…These two were all smiles just talking about having a baby, and when they looked at each other you could tell how happy in love they are…

So excited that they’ll be bringing me back for their newborn shoot in a few months — I can hardly wait to meet their little man.

Favorites from the session are here:

Mark, Terisa & crew | Fort Point | San Francisco family photographer

Kena — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:19:47 +0000

This was one of my absolute favorite shoots of the year. Mark and Terisa are dear friends of mine, and I was so excited to do another shoot with them. We did one a couple of years ago at the Ferry Building & Pier 7, and I knew that I could count on them to bring a little spunk to the session…They did not disappoint :)

We were supposed to go to Alcatraz, but rain and rescheduling did not permit, and so we decided on Fort Point instead. Fort Point is such an amazing space, with its old brick walls, vaulted ceilings and dramatic lighting. Terisa, Mark, Jack and Madeleine were all dressed to the nines, and Terisa went with a slightly 1940s look which tied everything together.

I loved everything about this session — the laughs, the location, the styling, and best of all getting to spend an afternoon with friends. And these four make the most gorgeous family, they kinda made my job easy…

Here’s a peek at the session:

The L family | Crissy Field | San Francisco family photographer

Kena — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:19:08 +0000

Katie and Mike were having family in from out of town, and decided to take advantage of the fact that everyone was going to be in one place at the same time. I wish I remembered to do this more often with my own family! I spend so much time behind the camera, and it’s something to remember for this year….

It was lovely spending time with their whole crew that afternoon…In particular it was great seeing the three little cousins together — the three of them were just beautiful, and each with their own personality…I loved Lucy’s creativity, Annie’s spunk, and Eva’s sweetness…Some pics from this extended family photo session are below:

Frankie | Crissy Field | San Francisco family photographer

Kena — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:29:03 +0000

OK, so I was a little bit smitten with this little lovely even before I met her because of her name. We went with a boy name for our youngest daughter and ‘Frankie’ would have been a contender if it wasn’t so close to my last name :)

Cameron and David decided on Crissy Field for the shoot, and we spent about an hour there right around sunset–the light couldn’t have been more perfect… I really had so much fun working with the three of them, and Frankie was incredibly sweet and happy–I couldn’t get over her smile! Beautiful, just beautiful…

A few favorites from the shoot are here:

Eva | Ferry Building | San Francisco Family Photographer

Kena — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:23:32 +0000

I met Megan, Gardiner and their daughter Eva at the Ferry Building one afternoon for a shoot. I gotta say that I love it when clients opt for an urban setting for their photos….I know that they went back and forth on this one a little bit, but I was so glad when they finally landed on this spot! It’s a favorite of mine.

The Ferry Building was crowded that day so we stuck mostly to the outside spaces, then walked over to Pier 7, which luckily was emptying out at that time of day. And Eva was so much fun to photograph, watching her explore reminded me of my own little ladies at that age…

A few pics from our session are here:

Harlowe + Sienna | Crissy Field | San Francisco family photographer

Kena — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:23:43 +0000

This family was my lucky charm. My shoots right before the holidays kept getting rained out, and this one was the first to break the trend :)

The weather looked like it was not going to cooperate as I was driving over to Crissy Field to meet Llana and Joe and their girls, but in the end the skies parted and everything was uphill from there. Sienna and Harlowe were beautiful, and absolute angels…When we weren’t in the middle of an outfit change or chasing them in opposite directions, they knew just how to smile for the camera.

A handful of favorites from the shoot:

Gail + Nate | The Pelican Inn | San Francisco wedding photographer

Kena — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 02:51:00 +0000

I got to photograph a beautiful little wedding this fall at the Pelican Inn near Muir Beach. For those who haven’t been there it’s this great little traditional English inn, complete with a pub and a pretty rose garden. Gail and Nate chose this spot to gather their closest friends and family, which seemed fitting since Gail is from the UK and many of them were flying in for the wedding.

The ceremony was simple and sweet, followed by a champagne reception in the garden. I took a very quick trip to the beach with the bride and groom for a handful of portraits, which apparently made the wedding coordinator a little bit nervous, but I had them back as guests were heading in to dinner :) Dinner was followed by dancing and an amazing Scottish band…

It was a lovely gathering of friends and family — just the way a wedding should be — and it was wonderful getting to know Gail and Nate as they embark on their new adventure.

Congrats again Gail and Nate!

Mateo | Mission murals | San Francisco family photographer

Kena — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 06:27:45 +0000

Yazmin and Jose Luis had recently moved to the Bay Area from Mexico with their beautiful little boy, Mateo. They wanted a location for their shoot that was inherently San Francisco and after a little bit of back and forth, we settled on one of my favorite spots in the Mission. In retrospect the dynamic Mission murals were the perfect backdrop for this family — the three of them had such an amazing energy. And Mateo was a little angel — so bright eyed and all smiles…

After the murals we meandered over to Dolores Park for a bit (which was a complete zoo that day), and shortly after that Mateo decided that it was time to hit the road.

Some of my favorite pics from the shoot are below :)

San Miguel de Allende

Kena — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:15:46 +0000

We spent the last few weeks with family in San Miguel de Allende, a little city in Mexico with a beautiful, old-world charm…I was in San Miguel ages ago, and it is exactly as I remember it: small and walkable, with winding cobblestone streets lined with little shops, galleries, rooftop bars and places to eat. Day-to-day life here is lovely and laid back…Rumor has it that summertime is the rainy season here, but we’ve seen mostly blue skies.

My brother was out too with us, and there’s been lots of swimming and lazing by the pool, leisurely walks through town, trips to the market, games of chess and Scrabble and cards, mariachi-watching, and plenty of good eats and margaritas. The girls have made new friends and are now swimming like fish…and we’ve even gotten them to start speaking up in Spanish :)

I’m kicking myself a little bit for not having my camera with me more often on this trip, but for what it’s worth, here’s a peek at what we saw:

My parents | San Francisco portrait photographer

Kena — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:17:41 +0000

I’m getting ready to put up some photos of Mexico, but first I think I owe it to my parents (who are hosting us in San Miguel for the summer) to post the shoot I did with them during their last visit to San Francisco. I finally have some time to play a little bit of catch-up, so here goes…

These are my parents — David and Chei — two of the most amazing, creative, young-at-heart people I know. And after 40 years of marriage, they are still very much, completely in love with one another. Something to aspire to, for sure. Over the past two years, it’s been amazing to see them go through the process of settling down new roots in another country and build a beautiful home from the ground up. There’s something to be said for the way they’ve always followed their dreams…

Here’s to your incredible new adventure, Mom and Dad :)