San Clemente Art Walk

Stop by to visit me at the San Clemente Art Walk on Thursday, July 31! I will have tables set up with prints and cards for sale from 5:30-8:30pm. I will be in front of Variant, at 165 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, CA, 92672. The cross street is Ole Vista.

There will be food, music, and lots of local artists! Enjoy the artistic yet relaxed beach city atmosphere!

Hope to see you there!

Baby Session: Anthony

Today I met up with my good friend Mary for a long-promised photo shoot of her son, Anthony. We decided to photograph Anthony and have a picnic at a beautiful garden near our homes. As soon as Mary set him down on the blanket, he started rolling around and having a great time. About 5 minutes into the photo shoot, an earthquake hit! The earthquake was either a 5.4 or 5.8 (depending on who you listen to) and was centered only about 15 miles from us. We both sort of grabbed onto Anthony and waited for the shaking to stop. I'm a California native, and have been through many earthquakes, but it was surreal to be outdoors when one hit. Mary and I remarked to each other that we were in the safest place we could possibly be! Anthony's first earthquake didn't phase him at all ... the ground shaking was probably pretty fun! For the rest of the time were were at the garden, everyone who walked by us asked if we had felt it. It's been a long time since we've had such a large earthquake in Orange County, so everyone was talking about it!

Anthony is such an animated, happy little man. He was an absolute pleasure to photograph! Mary, I'm so glad that we were able to catch up at lunch, and I'm sorry the wasps attacked your salad!!! =)

Priceless expressions:

Tribute: Randy Pausch

If you don't have time to watch the complete lecture, below is a condensed version that Randy Pausch gave on Oprah:


Thank you to Randy Pausch for being so candid, you have inspired me to build my business, become the best photographer possible, and achieve my other life goals. I never knew you, but you will be missed.

Mark's 50th Birthday

Last Saturday, I had a blast celebrating and photographing my father-in-law's 50th birthday party. My mother-in-law always throws great parties, and this was no exception! Over 100 people celebrated and danced the night away. I was impressed by how many people came in fifty's style ... there were poodle skirts, Pink Ladies, roller skates, and lots of scarves tied around necks (mine included!).

Here's the man of the hour!

This is my favorite image of the night. I just love the birthday candle glow on Megann!
And a few details ...

I've had a really busy week and am still working on the rest of the images. I may add a second blog post with some of the party pictures, and will have them up in my Printroom gallery, in the next few days!

Anniversary: Kevin & Julia

Monday afternoon, I had the pleasure of photographing our good friends Kevin & Julia for their first anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since their gorgeous wedding at the Fullerton Arboretum. I can still remember the days of Kevin plotting how to 'run into' Julia at their college. They've come a long way from their early days of dating, and have built a beautiful life together.

Kevin & Julia's anniversary shoot was in uptown Whittier and at Whittier College. I love the old style and the colors & textures in uptown Whittier. We actually shot a lot more images on the back-side of buildings than in the front. I'd never been on campus at Whittier College before, and was impressed by its old-style grace and beauty. The campus had amazing locations to shoot at, and the greenest grass I've ever seen! Thanks for being a good sport, Kevin! =)

This is one of my favorite images from their photo shoot. I love the nuzzled noses, and the symbolism of being in front of a bridal shop.
Won't they have beautiful children one day? ;-)
Isn't this back-lighting fabulous? The moment before a kiss is so sexy..
I think this is my favorite images from the anniversary shoot!

I'm so glad that Julia wanted to climb this tree! My favorite kind of image is a spontaneous image!

We topped off the afternoon with a beautiful picture Julia with their baby, Parker.
Happy 1st Anniversary! =)

Photograph at OC Fair

If you go to the Orange County fair, be sure to visit my photograph, "Hairdresser Holster." It is on display in Visual Arts (building 29). If you enter the building from the "main mall" area, "Hairdresser Holster" will be towards your right in the Professional/Miscellaneous section.

There were 2700 photographs entered in this juried competition. I didn't win anything this year, but am honored to have my photograph displayed. I am very impressed by the caliber of photography on display, and am up to the challenge for next year!

Thank you to my mother-in-law for the spur-of-the-moment trip to the fair!

Getaway Weekend

We just got back from a fantastic weekend at my in-laws' condo in Palm Desert. I love spending relaxing time with my husband and our friends. With no itinerary, no computer, and no stresses of home, all there is to do is relax and enjoy each others' company.

I started every day with a cup of coffee on the patio, gazing out at golf greens. The greens were mostly quiet. By the time I had my coffee around 10am, most of the golfers had probably finished 18 holes and and retreated to their air conditioning. On Friday, Julia and I hit the Cabazon Outlets. I got some incredible deals, but am most excited about the Christmas stockings that I bought Bob and I. I had been eyeing them for months on the Crate & Barrel website, and bought them at the outlet for only $4.95 each! It was a very, very successful shopping trip! =)

The sunsets this weekend were incredible! The clouds shimmered as the sun set behind them. Gorgeous!

My goal is to shoot 100% in Manual mode. This weekend, I had a lot of time to play with shooting techniques. I experimented with wide apertures, shutter speed, and ISO as the evenings grew darker and darker. As a reformed Program and Aperture Priority shooter, I love the control that shooting in Manual mode gives me. My 50mm f/1.4 lens was perfect for evening photography because it lets in so much light. I love this lens, and it hardly ever leaves my camera! Eventually, I'll add the 85mm f/1.4 lens to my collection.

Have Avocado, Will Travel

Last night, I went to the bank and post office with an avocado in my purse. It seemed so out of place ... I giggled every time I saw it! I was on my way to my sister's house for dinner, and grabbed the avocado because she had mentioned guacamole. We didn't end up using it. It's safe and sound ... for now! ;-)

That's me: Have avocado, will travel.

Twitter

Has anyone ever heard of Twitter? It's sort of a micro-blog that you can update online or even via text messages. Bob and I just upgraded our cell phone plans to include 300 text messages per month, I want to use every last text message, hehehe! (I've only used about 30 so far this month, so I'd better get a move on if I want to get to 300!) I'm trying out a Twitter feed on my blog. You can also join Twitter and add your own updates, so I can follow you!

It's an interconnected world ... lets all hold virtual hands! =)

Photo shoots galore!

Every time I do a photo shoot, I am going to post a blog preview of images from that shoot. Since this is a new blog, here is an assortment of images I have done in the past:

We'll start with headshots I took for my mom..

Here is my lovely sister Alyssa
Jena barely had a moment between brides at the La Mirada Golf Course bridal show.

Megann was one of Jena's make-up models at the La Mirada Golf Course bridal show.
Amie and Dak's baby girl, at less than a day old.
I just love watching fathers with their babies!
So sweet!
My favorite jewelry duo ... Kim and Debbie of KD Bracelets & More

Kevin & Julia ... the kind of couple who're more like family than friends!
There is nothing I love more than capturing someone laughing from the bottom of their soul. It's hard to put a Santa hat on a dog, and Parker wasn't having any of it!
A noir shot of Hunter & Alex.
Matt, Marion, Hunter, and Alex on a gorgeous old Victorian porch.
I will post a blog preview after each photo shoot ... check back often!

Mission San Juan Capistrano

I have a new favorite photography spot, Mission San Juan Capistrano. Odds are, I went there in 4th grade when we were studying the California Missions, but lets be honest, I don't remember that at all. I went in May, and loved it so much that I bought an annual pass. Now I can go whenever the mood strikes, or stop by on my way home from the San Clemente Art Gallery, where my work is often shown.

Have you ever noticed that you pay attention to different things on different visits to the same place? That has definitely been my experience at the Mission. My first visit was on a weekday afternoon and the place was crawling with 4th graders on field trips. My attention was on spots that didn't interest students, such as vigil candles, graveyard crosses, and macro flowers. The Mission has a few large fountains, but they seemed to be the meeting spots, and were surrounded!

My second trip couldn't have been more different! The Mission was sparsely visited by couples, families on vacation, and another photographer. I spent a lot of time shooting the fountains that I missed on my first visit, but they weren't only fountains, they were koi ponds with beautiful water lilies!

The old stone church is (or better put, 'was') enormous. There's a shot with kids in the picture to show the scale.



I love the idea that people still leave flowers at memorials. Who left these? Was it someone associated with the Mission? Or a visitor to the Mission? Whoever it was took the time to cut flowers and set them before a statue of Father Serra. The kindness to leave flowers for someone long deceased touches me.



Photographing bees is always delicate ... how close can I get without one of us spooking?

Happy 4th of July

Have a safe & happy 4th of July!

Greeting Card Winners

Congratulations to Allison, Allison, and Jena for being the first 3 comments on my June 27 posts. You are each receiving a signed Serendipity Images greeting card! Watch your mailboxes!