Reflections

Reflections. We are at the end of 2009 and poised on the brink of 2010. What will it bring? Will it be different than this past year or more of the "same old, same old" ? What have we learned from 2009? And will we carry it into the next year? So many questions. I personally had a great year and am very thankful for that. I completed a huge task and stand ready for the next challenge. My family and loved ones are healthy, I have some really great friends (and have reconnected with some old and very dear ones-- thank you facebook!). I have learned that without fear, you can accomplish anything and everything! I have tried to be kinder and more loving towards all people, good or bad, nice or not. I have also learned that forgiveness is necessary for growth. So forgive yourself and forgive others, we are all so very human. Stand tall, keep it real, be sincere and respect one another and for goodness sakes SMILE!!.... Have a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Merry Christmas from Mo

This is another photo from my pet photography sessions that I held last week.  I am not very comfortable around birds and I was very hesitant to get my fingers anywhere near that beak of his.  But I have to say, he was a very well behaved bird and he has a great profile!  I always love these sessions because I never know who (or what) is going to show up to get photographed.  Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!  Take care and enjoy the days off!

Cookie Shoot

This is not my "normal" type of shoot but over the weekend I attended a lighting seminar to brainstorm ideas for an up-and-coming vegan cookie company in the bay area.  They are called Bountiful Vegan and taste like nothing you would expect from a vegan cookie.  I took some home and fed them to Kurt and the kids without telling them what the deal was and they LOVED these cookies!  Check out their website and hopefully in a few months they will be putting up some of the photos that were shot by me!!!

Why I love my Job

This is Damian and Peanut.  One of the my favorite "perks" about being a photographer is that I get to interact with kids and animals.  (I like grown-ups as well but they don't crack-up as much when I am acting like a goof).  I have been photographing Mr. Damian (and Peanut) since he was a new born and it always amazes me to witness the changes that have taken place over the years.  He is taller and (hard to imagine) cuter every time I see him.  Peanut, on the other hand, has gotten a bit "touchier" (read:  bites!) so I made sure that someone else handled her.  I don't blame her, though, it is tough being little.  

Standing Witness

I took a few photos of this tree that is overlooking JFK's assasination site and while they were all beautiful, this purposely out of focus one is the way that I imagined it and how I still see it in my mind.  This was a huge oak and I wondered if it could talk, what tale would it tell?  What has it stood to witness? 

*this is a "right out of the camera" photo, although the border is added.  

"Jackie O"

Today I am in Dallas for an Art Therapy conference and I had a chance to break away to visit the site where JFK was shot and killed. It was fascinating and horrific at the same time to stand and gawk alongside the other tourists. I felt a bit morbid vying to see the X's in the street. We went inside the gift shop so that I could get a look at some of the memorabilia and this picture was on the wall. In my mind the news reel kept playing in my head... how she crawled over the seat to get to her husband after he had been shot.. her fearlessness and protective instinct kicking in. I always felt so sad for her and also admired how she held herself with such grace and dignity. It has been 46 years since he was killed and tomorrow is the anniversary of his death.

*I played around a bit with this photo. I tweaked the color a bit, overlaid it with a picture of broken glass that I had taken a while ago. I also added a sloppy border..

popcorn box

This photo is from a street fair that I went to with a few of my girlfriends a few weeks back.  The building was a giant popcorn box and there were people waiting for the doors to open so they could get their free popcorn.  We were waiting around the back and this girl opened up the back door for a quick peek.  I love the colors of this photo and the mystery of the slightly opened door.  

I had the opportunity to shoot a very unique wedding the other day.... the father of the bride was very aggressive and didn't approve of the groom... they had to restrain him with chains so that the other guests could enjoy the ceremony...

The best man was really rowdy as well... he kept yelling at the groomsmen to walk the plank...

All in all, everything worked out just fine.  The bride and the groom weren't very picky and they ended up having a lovely time...Just look at the happy couple... aren't they adorable??

                                        HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Baby Edyn and Big Bro Brody

Baby Edyn is one lucky gal. Not only has she been adopted into a fantastic loving family, but take a look at her big brother, Brody. Brody is definitely his own man and it was fun getting him to come and sit so I could photograph him. He sure loves his new baby sister and I can't wait to see this pair grow up together.

These two lovebirds were taking a photo of themselves and didn't notice that they had a friend in the background... I wonder what their photo looks like... :)

jesse and gina got married..

Here is a fun photo that I happened to get while I was vying for a spot to catch the cutting of the cake at last weekends wedding....

Under the Pier

These two photos were taken under the pier (not sure which one) in San Diego while I was visiting my friend a few months back... I like how the ocean has left a piece of itself on the shore and on the posts.

Gina and Jesse plus 4

This was an engagement session that I did last week. Gina works for the local vet and has a soft spot for animals.. two of the four pups had only 3 legs.. We had a good time walking along the beach and got some great shots of the 6 of them..

Adam's first day

it was still so early in the morning.... I didn't have my eyes open either!

Ophelia

I went to Port Costa with my friend Chelsea the other day.  If you haven't been there I suggest that you take a trip out there on a weekend.  It is just past Crockett.. if you are heading towards the Carquinez bridge it is the last exit before you cross.  Small town, old buildings = interesting.  She is sitting in an old boat that we found, not much more than sawdust really.. 

Hayley

This is my friend's daughter. We were doing family photos the other day and took a few individual shots of each of the kids... I think she is just beautiful!

lone tree

I took this photo while we were hanging out at a swimming hole in the mtns. The sky was so blue and it was VERY hot. I was sitting on a rock and happened to look up and I spotted this lone tree..

ft mason

Hi, I wanted to share this image that I captured a few weeks back. It was one of those evenings in the city where it was warm but also raining which can be confusing if you haven't lived here for very long. If you have and you are "in the know", you just know that there is going to be a spectacular sunset. *sigh*

rock n roll camp

These kids had a great imagination and they were certain that I could put fire in this photo. Needless to say, it was easier said than done. Took about an hour in photoshop to get it just right and this is going to be this groups "rock poster" for the session. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out...

Alcatraz off of Ft. Mason

This was taken last night outside a Ft. Mason building. I was there to watch girls roller derby but was called outside by the light.. This is straight out of the camera with no adjustments whatsoever. When my computer crashed last week, it took photoshop and all my other magic making programs with it.. RIP .. As you can see, it was just a beautiful night last night!

Thorny Puffs

This technically isn't the best photo I have taken but something about it has stuck with me and I wanted to share it. The wind was blowing pretty hard so it was nearly impossible to get it in focus. I did ask my 14 year old son to hold it not noticing that there were thorns on it. He got stuck pretty bad. oops!

San Diego Flowers

I almost forgot that I had wanted to post these as part of my San Diego photos! I used my new lens that the boys had given me for Mom's day. It is a selective focus which is why there is fuzziness around the edges. These roses were in a friends garden. If you look closely, there is a bee inside the yellow one.

I love this flower and the way the selective lens throws the surrounding parts out of focus. Again, there is an insect friend on this flower too!

New Shoes/Old Shoes part 11

This particular pair of shoes caught my eye, as well... I love that this boy thought nothing of showing up to a dance with two different laces on his shoes not to mention that he is wearing skate shoes to a dance where most of the kids have on suits and dress shoes. I also love that his mom didn't raise a stink about it... let the boys be boys i say!

New Shoes/Old Shoes

My son's 8th grade dance was this past Friday night. The girls were all in their finest and the boys, well they were dressed like boys-- some were dressed better than others. The first pair of shoes belongs to a young man who's family rented him a Zoot Suit for the occasion. Have you ever seen one of these? Think over sized and dapper. I particularly liked this pair of shoes.. very fancy...

Street Graffiti

I went to see the Giants play a few weeks ago. We parked a ways out from Pac Bell and on the way back we saw this incredible mural. It was nighttime so I had to use a flash on it. I want to go back and look at it better in the day light. I love seeing the unexpected-- this kind of stuff gets me jazzed!!

Melting Tree

When I was in San Diego last week we were taking a walk around the museum area (they have 16 museums in one place, it is massive!) and I saw this tree.
There was only one of its kind from what I could see and it was such a unique tree that I had to photograph it about a dozen different ways.

My kids and husband gave me a Lensbaby lens for Mom's day and that is why it is blurry around the outer edges of the photograph. I also added an acid effect to make it look bleached out..

Hare Krishna

I was in San Diego for four days. I stayed with my gal friend whose apartment just happened to be right across from a Krishna temple. I was curious about this and wondered out loud to her about them. She suggested that we walk over there and check out the store. We talked to the woman that works in the shop and she invited us to come to their "event" later on that night for a talk and free food.
This is where the "event" was held. We were an hour late and I was hesitant to interrupt, but my friend is fearless (ie: ballsy) so we went in. There were people sitting on pillows scattered about in what looked like someones living room and the smell of incense was in the air. I have always thought of the Hare Krishna as mindless "sunshiney" people handing out flowers in airports. So I was ready to mock.
In the little time that we had to hear the speaker, his words struck me in a profound way. He talked about who we are and how we are tied to possessions. Are we what we own or are we more than that? Will we fall apart and cease to exist if we lose our favorite whatever? Don't worry, this isn't the part where I say that I have sold all my possessions and have joined them. I just think that it is something that should be considered.

We got to eat the yummy-est homemade pizza after and I learned a little more about this "culture" from some of the members. There were others like me who were there to check it out and there were a few homeless people who I am sure were happy to have somewhere to be where they could get some food and warmth. I am glad for this experience as I always appreciate a chance to prove myself wrong.

Kaboom!

Hi, did anybody get a chance to go to Kaboom over the weekend? Every year they bring out the new stuff and it is so cool to see the fireworks take the shape of a smiley face or a pair of dice. Last year, it was so foggy the only thing we could see was the colored fog! This year was shorter fireworks but such a clear night. What a treat!

New Arrivals

I love the city-- especially walking around at night with my camera. Most of the photos that I take at night have some blur to them because I have a hard time holding still and I refuse to bring along a tripod. This one had just enough light for me to be able to grab this shot. It feels very voyeuristic to me, like I saw something that I shouldn't have...

me me me me

So my obsession with layers is continuing.. I usually hate pics of myself with one or two exceptions--one being that I take it and the other being that I get to mess with it and purty it up before anyone sees it! This is actually two photos, one of a graffiti wall and another of me in the hammock. Let me know what you think!

Buster and Adam

Adam just loves his puppy. They are inseparable. As much as I feel sorry for Buster sometimes as Adam is hugging him to death, it is nice that they have each other and will grow up together.

Wood on Wood

Hope you all had a great spring break! I am experimenting with photoshop, adding textures to photos that I have taken. This is new to me so I might go off on a tangent for the next few weeks :) Bear with me please. This was taken at the flea market last year. I came across it as I was going through my photos looking for something to practice on. The bottom layer is of wood which I think fits together pretty well with the photo. As a kid, I had a thing for dolls.. they really freaked me out... not so much now.. how about you??