Capture the Magic of the Season with Holiday Portraits by In Focus Photography and Video in Ventura County, CA

The holiday season is fast Approaching so now is the best time to gather your loved ones and create lasting memories with professional holiday portraits. Based in Simi Valley, California, Ken Bahr of In Focus Photography and Video offers beautifully crafted holiday portrait photography sessions throughout Ventura County, CA — from cozy in-studio portraits to stunning outdoor family photo sessions at some of the area’s most scenic locations.

With over 20 years of experience as a family photographer and event photographer, Ken brings professionalism, creativity, and warmth to every session. His easygoing nature and patient approach make him especially skilled at working with children, helping every member of the family feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera.

Ken’s holiday portrait packages are not only beautiful but also affordable, with reasonable pricing from $175 to $250, making professional portraits accessible to families across Ventura County. Each session is customized to reflect your family’s personality and holiday style — whether you prefer classic studio lighting, modern lifestyle photography, or outdoor backdrops in locations throughout Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, San Fernando Valley and other parts of Ventura County.

Clients of In Focus Photography and Video appreciate Ken’s attention to detail, expert posing guidance, and ability to create vibrant, high-quality portraits that make perfect holiday cards and gifts. His work has earned a reputation for excellence in both portrait photography and event videography throughout Southern California.

Book your holiday portrait session today and experience why so many Ventura County families trust In Focus Photography and Video to capture their most cherished memories.

Layla's quinceañera in Southern California

Was a great day with Layla celebrating her Quinceañera in Van Nuys at the Airtel Plaza Hotel on September 28th, 2024 . The day started at the St. Joseph Worker Catholic Church in Winnetka in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. The church mass was lovely and brought some of the family to tears of joy as the priest gave fantastic sermons and conducted the ceremony beautifully. Layla's mom had mentioned how she was brought to tears after reliving the beautiful moments through the photos. We were able to show many great moments and compositions of the church ceremony. After the ceremony we quickly finished at the church with many great family formals with Layla and her family. After finishing up at the church we made our way to the Airtel hotel near the Van Nuys Airport. There we started by having Layla pose for some of the very extravagant photos inside the hall with Layla in her beautiful dress and party backdrop behind her. She was absolutely great in the photoshoot and really modeled her stunning dress for the pictures. I really had a great time too being her photographer with all of her great energy and enthusiasm for the day. We then got more group family photos as well as many photos of Layla and her friends together. After the room and group photos we were ready for the party which started with a great Mariachi band for the live music. About 2 hours into Layla's Quinceañera reception, the party really got going with dance sets as well as some of the fun Quinceanera party traditions. As the photographer and videographer company In Focus Photography and Video, it was our job to capture every single moment of the party and I must say I was so proud of how our team captured every moment of the day. We pride ourselves on being able to capture every single moment of the event in the utmost artistic way while capturing those moments in time that really captures the essence, energy and mood of the party. We specialize in events of all types including Quinceañera's, Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Birthday Parties, corporate parties/events, Religious Events, Memorials, Family reunions, and many more. Our home studio is in Simi Valley CA in the lovely Ventura County but we work on events all throughout Southern California including All of Ventura County, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles area. We edit all of our images that we give to our clients to perfection so you will always get a beautiful gallery of images given to you. Thanks again to the Macias Family for a wonderful day and we look forward to more great occasions with them. Please call us today if you have any questions about how we can be a part of your event here in Ventura County, San Fernando Valley, any other area of Southern California.

Holiday Portraits here in Simi Valley area

Christmas and Hanukkah are almost here so this is the time to do your holiday portrait session. Book us today for your family holiday portraits here in Ventura County. We specialize doing on location photography here in Simi Valley and surrounding areas of Ventura County and LA County. Prices start at $150 and include the session and print packaging. Options to purchase the digital images are also available at a reasonable price. We offer a variety of print packages as well as holiday cards with many style templates. When you book us for the session you will get a location of your choosing or leave it to us to decide on our favorite location here in the Simi Valley area. We know of many beautiful locations to choose from here in Simi Valley and Ventura County areas. We include 15 mile travel in the cost of the session. If you would like an alternate further location there is an extra fee for further locations. We Also offer studio locations and can even come to you and setup up our backdrop at your house for only slightly extra.

Great Family Portraits in Simi Valley

I had the pleasure of doing family portrait photography for this great family here in Simi Valley CA. The pictures came out amazing at the Santa Susana Park. We were able to utilize several great spots at this park and had both great lighting and backgrounds. Of course having a lovely family to work with made my job fun. The Girls had amazing smiles and they loved having there pictures taken in many of the great spots in the park. We were able to get great photography of the whole family. We spent a solid 45 minutes with Hugo and his beautiful family. I really appreciated the great attitude of the whole family and how much fun everyone had being photographed. I take a fun and easy going approach to all my photo shoots. I love to do professional photo shoots all around Ventura County. Outdoors photography is really what its all about for the best personalized family photography portrait sessions. Call us now at (805) 558-4048. Prices start at only $150 for the photography session and a print package.

Why I prefer natural colors in my photography

So as you know many photographers love to go with certain color tints on their edited photography. These looks are generally a fad that will be popular for a time until the next trend gets established. I've literally seen a dozen or so looks in my time including Blue tints, orange tints, red tints, teal tints, and today the brown tinted look is in. Tints are basically a color scheme in the image that tends to dominate more than others creating a certain look that people may find unique and interesting. Another trend I've seen among many Ventura County Photographers is the bright(almost washed out look) with kind of a flat color scheme. This again has been a popular trend as it creates a some what dreamy and nostalgic look. Now I'm not against being creative and I think these styles can be flattering and I have thought a lot about editing using these styles of the latest trends. Now here is a few reasons why I personally stay away from these trends for whole sets of pictures. 1) These are trends and fads and as time passes they might not be thought of as a flattering style anymore. Remember trends and fads come and go and what is thought to be avantgarde one day may not be in a fear years time. These types of fads and trends are truly a preference and not necessarily going to be liked by everyone. Not only that but sometimes you may not like the image style in 5-10 years when that fad has grown out of style. 2) Natural color and lighting does not go out of style. There will always be a place for natural color and lighting. A beautiful photo with realistic color and and exposure will be just as beautiful 20 years from now as it was when it was taken. While some may see natural color and exposures as boring, I have actually reached a happy medium when it comes to creating photos that are different from a style point of view while still keeping a very realistic look to them. So what's my secret you may ask? My secret is creating rich colors and rich contrast within my images. This is what I do to set myself apart from many other photographers. I prefer this style of image editing to make an image pop off the screen or paper. The color is still accurate to the scene but it seems to have this very life like quality to it. The image should make you feel as if you are there enjoying the vibrant scene in person where the picture was taken. Don't get me wrong I do love Black and White photography too as that has been proven to be timeless but when I am giving those image to the client it is the exception and not the rule. So What I will do when I am feeling creative about color tints it is usually only a few pics here and there that I am going to be experimental with. Its not a whole set of images as I feel that most people will see it as an extra bonus to have a few stylized shots that are different but not all of them and if they don't care for it then its ok too as its only a few shots here and there. Having said that I have studied what makes photographs timeless. I see myself as a student of the art of photography. What I have found is that vibrant yet realistic colors tend to always be appreciated. Also giving the images just the right amount of contrast. When you include a nicely saturate image with the right amount of contrast you get an image that pops off of the page. My goal is to make those colors come alive on the screen but still giving the impression of a realistic scene.