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A Beautiful Light Photography San Diego wedding photographer. We offer wedding photography in San Diego and available for travel. Two professional San Diego wedding photographers. Top San Diego based wedding photographers for your engagement, bridal and wedding pictures. Award-wining wedding photojournalism. With 12 years of experience we offers only the best for you.
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I'm Svetlana, a professional San Diego photographer. I specialize in maternity, newborn, and family photography. I am proud to be selected as one of the best San Diego newborn photographers and San Diego maternity photographers for the last few years. I am an award-winning and internationally featured fine art photographer, known for my beautiful posing techniques, use of shadows, color harmony, and soft and dreamy editing style.
I am Svetlana. I've been a professional photographer for over 20 years and I absolutely LOVE my job! I put a piece of my heart and soul into every picture I create! I've photographed hundreds of newborns, super sleepy and fussy, smiley and grumpy, 4 pound preemies and 10 pound chunky babies. I've seen them all.
I'm here to help you create beautiful, tangible memories that you can enjoy every day. I'll guide you through the process and make sure you end up with something you love. You won't go home with a bunch of digital photos you don't know what to do with - I'll help you pick out the perfect prints, albums, and other goods that will work best for your family.
The best time for newborn pictures is the first two weeks after birth. I take a limited number of babies each month. Please reserve your spot early in your pregnancy, preferably in your second trimester to ensure availability. The best time for maternity pictures is around 32-34 weeks when your belly is already showing but not too close to your due date.
Thank you for your inquiry! We are excited to hear about your baby! We recommend reserving a spot for your maternity and newborn session when you are in your second trimester as our schedule fills up a few months in advance, but if your baby is already born, please feel free to contact us to check our availability.
Reviews (34)
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Brianna Hale
May 22, 2022
Svetlana and her assistant were friendly and professional. The studio has more props than you could possibly imagine and her process is amazing to watch, she makes the best of her studio time for your session. Our photos are unbelievable and will be cherished forever.
Lindsay Johnson
Feb 27, 2022
Svetlana is the most professional photographer around the San Diego area! My Father is a retired photographer. I sent him a list of 10+ local photographers, all of which were raved about in local Facebook groups. He said one of those many were okay but he found Svetlana on an Association site. My husband, who also has an eye for art said there's no question we're going with her. And, wow, are we glad we did!

She took us to a park for the maternity shoot. We were rushed only to catch the good sunlight - oh she did! I'm obsessed with waterfalls and she went above and beyond to find a great spot. Days after our son was born we went to her studio. Which I believe is the downstairs of her home but it was so nice and comfortable. As first time parents we didn't realize our poor little guy was so fussy because he was hungry.

Although I was trying to breastfeed it wasn't working out so she gave us a small bottle of formula and he was happy as a clam. She even burped him and taught us how! The shoot went great. She has so many props. We told her my husband is a Car Guy and she found the perfect kid size car to sit our LO on. Svetlana is not cheap but you get what you pay for.

My friend went with one of those on my initial list and she hated the pictures. I do wish Svetlana would have communicated more in the weeks leading up to the maternity shoot, like reminder emails with how to prepare and what to bring but I understand now that she is just a busy and focused photographer. We will go back to her in the future and if there's a Baby # 2.
Berenice Nava
Feb 26, 2022
The quality of her photos is incomparable. We bought her wooden block collection with our first daughter's pictures and loved them. The blocks are timeless pieces. She also has very unique infant poses many which require your infant's cooperation. Unfortunately, our little one was not cooperating that day and we weren't able to obtain poses I was hoping for. Nevertheless, I'm sure I will be happy with pictures which will see soon.
Priscila B.
Feb 05, 2022
We we're very pleased with Svetlana's work photographing our baby girl. Highly recommended!
M. P.
Feb 01, 2022
Svetlana is an amazing photographer. She has captured our little miracle baby so beautifully. She's very professional with how she works and her in-home studio is also of high quality. She has a variety of props and outfits to choose from. She is gentle and knows her babies very well. She has shown kindness to me and my family. The photo quality was breath taking. I highly recommended.
Xiaowei Z.
Jan 28, 2022
Crazy price. And even need pay $150 for each digital images after u pay the shooting cost!
Karina Reynaga
Jan 19, 2022
I love how my nephew's newborn pictures were taken and how beautiful they are. They are photographs that we will treasure our whole lives and he will see how beautiful he was to us as a baby. I only wish I knew ABL photography when I had my baby girl. it would have been a dream come true to have her take my daughter's newborn pictures. which sadly I never had done. but now I know where to go for the next baby!

Her pictures are truly one of a kind and magical. And you won't find a more patient and lovely person to work with! My sister had a rough birth and this photography session during the height of the pandemic in 2020 was pure glory and bliss as a new mother for her. She hangs all the pictures all over her house and my mom and I have them as well hanging on the walls.

They just bring such a joy and comfort. I truly would not go with anyone else. Thank you for the detailed attention and thorough patience and care you put into my nephew. Also, my nephew's father calls her the baby whisperer and couldn't believe the way she was able to work with my nephew as a newborn.
Vitaliy Shcherbina
Dec 19, 2021
Loved my newborn photo session with ABL photography. They turned out so beautiful! Svetlana has an extremely high attention to detail. Highly recommend.
Sadhana Sridhar
Nov 30, 2021
I got my maternity and LO newborn photoshoot done with ABL PHOTOGRAPHY (Svetlana). Right from their prompt responses to guiding us through the shoots, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and it's so wonderful to c my life's best moments having been captured so beautifully. The pictures are gorgeous. Thank you
Diana Marten
Nov 20, 2021
She takes absolutely beautiful and whimsical newborn photos. It's pricier than other photographers in the area I contacted but her work is far superior, i'm thrilled with the photos we received so it's worth every penny for us.
Argelia A.
Oct 13, 2021
Omg! Where do I start? Had a wonderful experience taking my baby boy to get his newborn photo shoot. She moved carefully and was so gentle with him. Complete professional. The pictures came out amazing now we get to relive his newborn stage with a glace at his photos.
R. B.
Sep 16, 2021
The best newborn photographer around! Svetlana is absolutely amazing and captures the most beautiful photos. Her studio is full of props, elegant clothing pieces for baby and has such a relaxing vibe to it. We were fortunate to have her shoot our son years ago and then our new baby girl this year. Check out her Instagram page!
Dawn B.
Aug 19, 2021
Svetlana takes such beautiful pictures! She is not always quick to respond, the price is on the high side, but it is well worth the results. She has an incredible selection of outfits and props to suit any style or taste. So much so that it can be a little overwhelming, especially to those who have not been through the process before. If you have a clear idea of what you want, I would recommend communicating that in advance and focusing on those in the beginning of your photo shoot. Otherwise, let her work her magic!

She was phenomenal in handling both of our newborns (one in 2019 and both in 2020) and has it down to an art in positioning them while they're still asleep. Book early because she fills up!
Silvana H.
Jun 16, 2021
I don't like her work because the charge $500 for one hour and Pictures of the same clothe Only 2 shots only. And she Said your coin is a discount. When I see her pictures in Instagram was amazing, Different in action.
Audrey M.
May 19, 2021
I was searching for a newborn photographer since my third trimester and found Svetlana's page on Instagram. I immediately fell in love with her photos. I reached out for a quote & to set up an appointment and she was so accommodating to us. I ended up having my son at 33 weeks and wanted to switch my appointment to an earlier date and it was no problem with them at all.

The pictures came out so gorgeous & she was such a pro with him my boyfriend and I just relaxed on the sidelines watching him model. If you're looking for a photographer to capture your newest blessing, look no further!
Shonna M.
Apr 24, 2021
Very talented photographer that was amazing at capturing that very special moment of my newborn as well as our family. They were very responsive, worked to accommodate our schedule and our pictures turned out better than I could've hoped. The prints are super high quality and can't wait to hang the wall art up!
Mimi R.
Mar 11, 2021
I can assure you that I did plenty of research for our newborn photographer. As a first time Mom, I wanted everything to be as "perfect" as possible and we were not disappointed with Svetlana at ABL Photography. She KNOWS newborn babies! Her studio is so comfortable and FULL of absolutely adorable props. Her pictures are pristine and she pays close attention to all the details! I highly recommend ABL. We will definitely be going back for baby number 2.
Kanchan S.
Feb 01, 2021
We went to Svetlana for our Maternity and Newborn photoshoot and she did and exceptional job. We simply loved our photos. We ordered 5 wooden prints as well and they are a piece of art in themselves. Everyone really appreciates them. These words wont do enuf justice to the amazing work that she does. She is really kind and patient.
M. Wang
Dec 17, 2020
Svetlana is very professional and experienced in her craft. We are very happy with our photography session experience and are delighted by her artwork.
Liz H.
Dec 08, 2020
Svetlana is good with babies and her photos came out great. Customer service is what she lacks though. She was quick to respond and get us a spot for the photo shoot, but the 2 appointments after that she didn't bother reaching out to us. Of course, we had already given her a deposit on the day we had the photo shoot. She had told us the photos would be ready in 3 weeks, but they were actually ready after 5 weeks since she was out of town.

Our appointment was for an hour. About 30 min in my husband was overwhelmed and ready to spend over $4k for all 122 photos. I told him no since many of them looked repetitive. Instead we should see which photos we like the most and go from there. I was aiming for 25 photos since that's one of her packages, which was close to $2k. I narrowed it down to under 30.

She then told us we had 10 min to decide. I asked her if I could take a photo of the thumbnail size photos on her screen to decide at home. She said no that we had to make a decision in that moment. I did not like that she had not been clear on that from the start. If she had, then I would've gone straight to the point instead of hearing her waste my time for the first half hour.

After I selected the 25 she asked me multiple times if I was satisfied with the photos I selected and I said yes considering the few minutes we were only given. I assume she kept asking because she sensed my attitude had changed. She gave us our photos and said the wall art would be ready in 5 weeks, but it actually became 8.she was out of town again.

I had from noon to 1 to pick it up. I got there before 1 and my piece was left outside for me to pick up. Apparently she emailed my husband around 12:30 to ask what time I was gonna stop by because she needed to go out. Nice photos, but she's terrible at handling the rest.
Aditi Varish
Oct 07, 2020
We wanted our first maternity and newborn photoshoot to be really special, that's when we reached out to Svetlana. Like her bio says " San Diego's number 1 photographer", she indeed is an amazing photographer. She did a great job with my maternity photo shoot as well as my baby girl's newborn photo shoot. We had a wonderful experience working with her. I would definitely recommend her to all my friends.
Paula Robles
Oct 03, 2020
Svetlana is amazing! The way she handled my six day old baby was just admirable. The environment is very quiet and you can even rest while she's doing her job! The pictures turned out beautifully. The quality of the blocks are the top. All around a great experience and a product. 5 stars all around*****
Ana Aranovich
Aug 28, 2020
I have to say that I was more than pleased with my son's newborn images! I feel that Svetlana captured exactly what I wanted from the neutral colors of the wraps to the cute set ups she has actually custom made for her studio. Her communication with me was perfect before the session and after, when we came to choose our photos. She provided us with the price list ahead of time, so we knew what to expect and had already chosen the products we wanted to get! I highly recommend her to anyone who wants beautiful classic newborn photos, I know I will be looking at mine all the time!
Patricia B.
Jul 15, 2020
Amazing photography team! We are in love with how gentle the photographer was with our baby boy! The team (mom & son) knew exactly how to make our little boy smile when needed. It was overall an amazing experience. I highly recommend to all the parents who want unique beautiful photos of their little one.
Hanh R.
Mar 05, 2020
We wanted to have a special newborn photoshoot for our first born, and I came across ABL photography at my OBGYN's office and knew I wanted to book a session with her when the time came. To be honest I didn't know how the 3 hour session would be considering as new parents, we were still learning what each crying cues meant, and how to soothe our baby.

But Svetlana and her assistant were natural baby whisperers. They put him in different poses we thought were impossible and that would surely wake him up. Nope! He pretty much slept the entire 3 hour shoot and the pictures turned out amazing. When the pictures were ready to view, we wanted to pick all of them, and we tried really hard and painstakingly narrowed it down to about 30 photos. We ordered a wooden print and it is now hanging in our bedroom.
Holly V.
Feb 12, 2020
I wasn't able to do a maternity shoot because I was on bed rest so I wanted to do a photoshoot for my newborn instead. I was looking for a photographer in San Diego who took pictures like Anne Geddes and came across ABL Photography. She was everything I was looking for. It was a 3 hour photoshoot where she suggested my husband and I to take a nap, knowing how tired parents are.

We just couldn't resist watching behind the scenes and saw how amazing she patiently worked with our son. Our prints were ready to be viewed 3 weeks later. It was so hard to choose which photos we wanted because they all turned out beautiful. It's mind blown to see the work that she does and it is worth every penny.
Gabi Reilly
Jan 01, 2020
Newborn photos more beautiful than I imagined! I am so pleased I chose to take my baby girl to ABL - the variety and quality of the photos is unparalleled. She was so sweet with my one week old and very quick with all communications via email. I highly recommend this photographer to anyone looking for treasured memories. Her studio and accessories are gorgeous!
Amanda S.
Apr 08, 2019
You can't put a price on memories and something like maternity and newborn photos are once in a lifetime. Svetlana is definitely good at what she does. The pictures were remarkable. I do wish some were with my baby's eyes open but that's okay. She has thousands of props and definitely understood the style I wanted and colors I liked. Again, she had every color imaginable.

Most of her newborn costumes are so delicate and hand made and can't find anywhere else. The work was great and supplies was there I just wasn't happy with the business side of things. I was surprised with the "Black Friday" sale and how yeah you didn't have to pay a session fee for the newborn but you were forced to buy either a package deal or a very expensive al a carte for not prints but digital files.

I was disapoonted because I wasn't able to drop $1000 on just digital files and but how could I not get all of the poses. She does let your emotions empty your pockets as she insists on continuing to go through the pictures you already sadly sad no to to see if you changed your mind. Oh and also included in the "deal" was a free 30 min maternity photo shoot. One, who can do a shoot in 30 mins and that doesn't include the prints or files either, that's another rack. I'm not saying to expect low prices for someone's work and I know you get what you pay for so good quality is going to cost you.

I just don't like being tricked into a "deal" or mislead and then feeling bad after seeing pictures and having to pick and choose which ones to get since I couldn't afford them all then after saying no (which was really hard) she wanted me to see them again in hopes id change my mind. Anyways other than that I give her 4 stars to give credit for her well deserved art.
Gena B.
Feb 21, 2019
I came across ABL Photography on Instagram, and admired her work for several weeks -- I finally reached out, and she was able to accommodate us for a very last minute mini-session. I emailed her Saturday night and she got us in on Sunday afternoon. I am so glad that I did. Svetlana is THE baby whisperer! Her studio was filled with so many amazing props, and cozy baby blankets.

I was overwhelmed with excitement as soon as I arrived. She was so patient with our feedings and diaper changes. I am sure that this is par for the course, working with newborns, but it all flowed so smoothly. Then there's the part where babies cry when you change them - but this was not a problem for Svetlana or her amazingly helpful son. They were able to change outfits, and pose my very strong newbie beautifully. Don't get me started on the posing. I was fascinated by their talent. I am excitedly awaiting the finished product, but I just know they will be gorgeous and well worth the wait.
Melinda V.
Dec 10, 2018
Svetlana is a photographic artist. She took pictures of my two boys as newborns and they are gorgeous. I had pictures printed on wood as well as photo books made. The quality is very high for the pictures as well as products that I purchased. She is not cheap, but the photography and products are high quality.
Yan L.
Nov 21, 2018
Svetlana is a wonderful and very talented photographer. She took pictures of my youngest child when he was only 10 days old. She is a true baby whisperer. She has so many props and various clothes elements and will work with you on the color scheme and settings. We get so many compliments on these pictures. She also took pictures of my older kids. She has a wonderful and artistic eye to capture that very moment. Try Svetlana and you will be amazed by her art!
E. W.
Oct 26, 2018
We had a great experience working with Svetlana. She was always very responsive to our emails. She runs a very professional studio. When you walk in, you see just how much effort she has put into making the photo shoot something special. It helps to know what poses you like before you arrive. Even more helpful if you know what colors you might like, both outfit and surrounding color.

If she has the info ahead of time, she will be ready when you walk in the door with a plan that moves seamlessly from one pose to the next. She was very good at helping the baby back to sleep. She was amazing with her ability to pose a sleeping baby and have the baby hold it. After searching for a few days and looking at the images other photographers put in their gallery, there was no question that we'd be going to ABL. There is nothing else out there even close to the quality she provides.
Amber T.
Sep 29, 2018
BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE! Honestly, if I could give it no stars I would. Initially, upon email communication with Svetlana I was excited and hopeful about this business arrangement but it has been hell. Upon initial contact, she was pleasant and speedy with communication. After she received my deposit, I couldn't get in contact with her. I've called and called and called.

Finally I get in contact with her for my maternity shoot on 9/7. It is now 9/29 and I'm 8 days away from my due date and haven't even seen my maternity shoot. I have also hired her for my newborn shoot but I will be finding someone else. This has been the worst experience of my life. If you're looking for someone who cares, I suggest you find someone else. Paying this much money for pictures should include stellar customer service and it does not. Wish I had a better experience but I don't want the next mom, bride or excited individual to suffer like I have.
Alissa Bjerkhoel
Sep 23, 2017
I cannot say enough good things about ABL Photography and Svetlana. She was amazing to work with! Very professional, no non-sense, and efficient. She has an incredible amount of props and her assistant hand makes tiny little fuzzy outfits to put your little one in. We could not be more pleased with the photos and experience. The pics are a bit pricey if you want the full package (as are most newborn photos), but it was WORTH EVERY PENNY for the level of quality you get. I have no regrets and highly recommend her!