Taken about forty seconds after somebody said “I don’t wanna.”
Hey, I’m Daniel Wesley.
Relaxed family photos that feel like your actual family.
Family, maternity, newborn and senior sessions across Orange County and Los Angeles.
You get clear direction, your kids don’t have to perform, and everyone gets to relax. We make the classic portrait, then I photograph whatever happens around it.
49 five-star reviews on Google
What a session with me feels like.
A conversation, with a camera in it.
I learn who’s who before anyone is asked to stand anywhere, and I notice when someone needs a minute or when the pace should change. You’ll hear plenty of direction and almost no “say cheese.” Both of these photographs came out of the same hour.
The first fifteen minutes.
Easy direction, room to be yourselves.
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one
I say hi to the kids first.
There’s usually a dinosaur question to settle. By the time we have, everyone has settled in a little.
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two
The grown-ups get clear direction.
Where to stand, what to do with your hands, when to look at me. A few shots in, I show you the back of the camera, so nobody is guessing.
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three
Then the hour follows your family.
Some families need to walk and wrestle before anyone can stand still. Some love dressing up and making polished portraits. Either way, we make the portrait, then catch the twenty seconds after it, and you’ll want both.
Two things I’ll actually say out loud:
- “Everybody look at whoever ate the last cookie.”
- “Give Mom the slowest hug in history. Slower.”
Somebody always cracks halfway through the slow one. That’s usually the photo.
See how whole sessions hold together, a handful of frames from each:
Kind words
Their words, not mine.
He gave us just enough direction without making anything feel forced or awkward. Within minutes, we were laughing, relaxing, and genuinely enjoying ourselves.
Sierra Gsell
He was incredible with our two energetic little ones and even managed to get our teenager to enthusiastically participate.
Kristina Mitchell
Pick your chapter.
The notes in the margin are me.
Beach, park, trail, or your own living room, anywhere in Orange County or Los Angeles. Pick the one that sounds like you and I’ll take it from there.
The practical part.
The three questions everybody asks. Good questions.
What it costs, and what you get
The Picture Book, $650.
- Family and maternity: about an hour. Newborn at home: around two, at the baby’s pace.
- Up to six people, then $30 for each additional person.
- Full curated gallery: every photograph I select and edit, lightly retouched. No choosing favorites, no extra image purchases.
- Want more time? Add Another Chapter, one more hour, +$200.
- Short on time? The Snapshot: 30 minutes, Tuesday through Thursday, $450.
- Expecting? Maternity + Newborn together, $1,050.
- Seniors from $650, couples $650, weddings from $1,500.
When the photographs arrive
Within two weeks.
Online, ready to download and share, and up for six months. The print shop is built in, so the good ones can actually leave your phone.
How to book
Send a note. I reply within a day.
Tell me who’s coming and roughly when. A 50% retainer holds your date and the balance is due one week before. The retainer isn’t refundable, but if life happens it moves with you to a new date.
About Daniel Wesley
An hour with me, roughly.
Easy to be around, hard to rattle, and the adult who joins the kids’ game. I grew up in Phoenix, took the long way through Portland and Los Angeles, and landed in Anaheim Hills with Katie and two cats who review my work.
The supporting cast:
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Katie
My partner
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Noodles
Editor in Chief
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Samantha
from Accounting
This fall:
The Weekend Matinee
Twenty-minute mini sessions on weekend dates through December 5. $295 for twenty-five photos, or all 40 images for $370.
Ready when you are.
I reply within a day. Noodles remains unavailable for comment.
You don’t need a location, a pose list, or any experience being photographed. Tell me who’s coming and roughly when. That’s enough to get started.