Alameda, California
Healthy Snack Family
I call these guys the “healthy snack,” family. Ok, I totally don’t actually call them that. But these kids’ amazing mom, Malika Yasmin, shares incredibly tasty-looking and healthy recipes on her blog. So she can make you and yours into a healthy snack family!
Malika wanted to do a creative series of photos to highlight what inspires her focus on wellness — her family. I suggested a happy, sunny beach in Alameda to reflect a healthy, vital glow. A lot of the beaches in the San Francisco Bay Area can be rather cold and windy, but this one is shielded from the coastline and much warmer.
I often do photo shoots in the city, so being in nature would not only suit this family, it would feel like a fresh perspective for me, too. As two inspired women, we had a long list of shot ideas we wanted to accomplish, and I had a feeling it might be trying on the patience of little ones. Malika said, “I’ll bring healthy snacks.”
I loved so many things about this comment. Yes, a slice of watermelon can serve as a bribe for getting photo smiles. But it is also nourishing. Photo shoots are taxing! Everyone involved needs nourishment. Even one interaction with Malika already had me refocusing on the importance of food for nurturing well-being.
Her focus on vitality and the adoration both she and her husband have for their kids were palpable throughout the shoot. I couldn’t seem to shoot fast enough to keep up with how inspired I felt. Great energy is contagious. I can see why so many people are attracted to her Instagram feed.
I would invite you to check out her blog. She has all kinds of recipes I am eager to try from coconut kefir to fermented foods. How fun would it be to learn to ferment foods? I love pickles. I could pickle everything! (Did you see that episode of Portlandia?!)
If you like the look of these, be sure to check out my family photography portfolio. And drop me a line, if you’d like to dream up your own custom photo shoot.
Photos shot on my Fuji X-T10 and my Canon 7D, most with my 50mm lens.
All images © Sarah Sloboda 2018; do not copy or use without written permission.
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