I am gearing up for a busy weekend! On Saturday morning, I am going to help take part in a unique charity event presented by The Steve Nash Foundation and Moonbeams (The Sleep Shop for Little Ones) about raising socially conscious kids -- all part of their The Sustainable Kids Series. I will have a small table there and also take some photographs of the event. I'm excited to be a part of this and hear Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Marc Kielburger because as a Mom, I often think of ways I can encourage my child to care about others and develop a socially conscious "give-back" spirit. I wanted to pass along the info to any who may also want to attend. It is a free event with food and prizes. If you come, please say hello! (RSVP to the number on the flyer below.)
After this event I will be kicking off wedding season by photographing Christy & Josh's big day at Firesky Resort in Scottsdale.
We are officially hitting the road back for Phoenix today! While I am very ready to get home, I am most definitely going to miss the amazing weather here. I wish I could bottle it up and bring it with me. Check back this week for lots of posts and updates, including images from Ginny & Dave's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G wedding yesterday at The Grand Del Mar here in San Diego.
I'm so excited to head down to San Diego today. I have a big wedding at the ultra-gorgeous Grand Del Mar this weekend with a killer couple that I am very excited to photograph, plus a little more down time before that with my Mom, sister, niece and daughter. It's a girls fest for a few days!
I also have SO MANY exciting things in the works. I can't wait to start sharing some of the good news in the coming weeks... a potential new partnership that I am stoked about, some exciting personal news, fun and rewarding contests and much more! Stay tuned over the next month for several announcements and lots of pictures (including the four shoots from this past week).
That is what they tell you when you park your car, when you first enter the gates, and when you walk through the park: The Place of a Million Dreams. For a child, and even as an adult experiencing it through their child's eyes, that is indeed what it is. From the smells of freshly baked sweets making you feel right at home, to the sights and sounds, to the very-well-oiled-machine that is Disneyland and how they run the park, it was still as fun a place now as it was at 11--albiet fun in a different way. Chris and I got to experience it as parents of a 3 1/2 year old, who found herself in constant shock and awe (the good kind) and it was as much fun for us watching her as it was for her experiencing it.
We felt like we waited until the perfect time to take her. No, she was no longer free (2 and under get in free) and it was an expensive day, but she was also old enough and tall enough to ride most of the rides, and past the "scared of people dressed up like characters" stage and just appreciated it in general. Plus she was a perfect angel all day since she was #1) in Princess heaven and #2) mainly past her toddler tantrum stage that used to pop up even in the most unlikely of places. Suffice to say, we had an absolute blast last Thursday at Disneyland!
I didn't want to lug my big camera, so I only brought the point-and-shoot. Here are some shots from our fun day::
Dad and Jordan on the flying dumbos. Mom avoids any rides that spin in a constant circle so as not to throw up.
In line for Autopia, the "race cars." This was the only thing that we could have done without. Man, these cars seemed so much faster as a kid! They are painfully slow now and the line was LONG.
Showing off our drivers licenses. Note the difference between posing with boring-old-Mom, and...
A REAL, LIVE PRINCESS. I think all you parents with little girls can appreciate exactly what this means for them to meet a PRINCESS, especially like Aurora and Jasmine, who soon came out to tell a story...
This is probably what my face would look like if Brad Pitt and George Clooney walked on stage to tell me a story.
Sitting on the same throne where Princesses Aurora and Jasmine actually SAT!
Meeting Mickey, another big celebrity, after touring his house in Toontown.
Are we having fun yet?!?! Oh yes!
And finally the parade at the end of the day, which we just happened to catch the last 15 minutes of, and where we saw Princess Ariel, the Lion King, Cinderella (CINDERELLA!), Alice in Wonderland, and so many more. I wish I could have bottled up her laughter and giggles of delight at how cool this was for her, which in turn made it pretty darn cool for us.
Jordan and I made it safely to Hermosa Beach yesterday afternoon and are enjoying a little down time at Shauna, Steve and Ella's before the shoots pick up in a couple days. Chris arrives in about an hour and we are taking Jordan to Disneyland tomorrow, so I'll probably be offline most of the next 24-36 hours. I'm just way to excited to be a kid again and get Jordan some Mickey ears! If I'm slow to respond in the next couple days, I hope you understand. But if you are a friend on Facebook, you may have seen a few pictures here and there. I am addicted to that thing right now! Disney pictures to come soon...
Every fall my Mom plans a fun all-girls trip to the Big Apple. I think this is her 10th year coordinating the excursion and I have gone at least 6 or 7 of those years, and always have such a great time. I have loved New York City since I was a little girl, and held this huge desire to move there during my early 20's and do the single-girl-in-the-big-city thing. My life took a different path and I didn't ever make it there to live, but I still visit as often as possible and just pretend I live there when I go. I did however live vicariously through my younger step-sister Alexia when she lived there for a few years and worked on 5th Avenue at the Nicole Miller boutique.
At any rate, I would be going again this year, but my fall schedule is a bit heavy, so unfortunately I cannot make it this time. :( But I wanted to share the info on this trip in case any of you out there love doing fun girls trips with your girlfriends and are up for a seeing the city all decorated for the holidays. It surely is beautiful that time of year.
My Mom is a certified travel planner/agent and has specialized in group trips all over the world for the past 20 years or so. She has done A-M-A-Z-I-N-G excursions to Greece, Switzerland ski tips, South of France (Monte Carlo, Nice, Morocco, etc.), Australia, Italy and much more, but these New York City trips are always popular with the ladies (and mothers-and-daughters). Great shopping, great food, great nightlife, Broadway theater, etc... there is just so much to do and see there.
Me and my cute Mom back from 2000 or 2001 (scanned from film)
My friend Corinne and I there. We had just seen the Rockettes Christmas Show (which is great by the way). I think we also caught Mama Mia that year as well - also a great Broadway production.
And my Mom and her best friend Ann, and me and Corinne taking a cold but nice carriage ride through Central Park that same year, before hitting the Park Plaza for drinks. (To warm up of course!)
One of my personal goals to myself this year has been to bring more balance into my life. My business has been so busy these last two years, which is a blessing I'm very thankful for, but sometimes I feel as though I've been neglecting me and not doing the things that I love to do... such as reading books and watching movies (that are not of the G-rated variety) on a consistent basis. So these past few months, I have been trying to do more of that and have found I am reconnecting with the things that I love so much and make me, me. Of course, there are several things I like to do in my personal time (other than photography): drink wine and have good talks with close girlfriends, practice yoga (its been a while on this one thanks to some tendanitus in my wrist), travel, and above all spend time with my family. But this post is about books and movies I have been able to catch recently::
I just finished The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond. The story intrigued me because the main character is a professional photographer who actually loses her fiance's 6-year-old daughter, Emma, on a foggy beach in San Francisco when she looks down for a moment to photograph a seal. The story then follows her endless quest to find Emma, with whom she was quite close and loved very much, and the unraveling of her relationship with Emma's father Jake following her error in judgement -- by looking away for a few seconds -- and how she deals with her guilt and own memory of the incident.
I think the thing that impacted me the most was the thought that this could happen to anyone and how your life can change in 10 seconds. I'm sure as photographers, many of us have found ourselves pulled into the lens, pulled into something we are photographing, where we do in fact take our eyes off our children for a second too long and they could be gone in an instant. I wont spoil the ending and it is hard to put down because you so want to get to the end to find out what happened to Emma.
Now I digress into the consequence of reading such a book: I liked the book overall - and it's well written and engaging - but as a Mom, it is difficult for me to read or watch things that deal with stories about kidnappings, abuses, traumas, neglect, or kids dying before their time. I can barely even watch the evening news anymore, because every single story it seems is about children being killed, children being beaten, or kidnapped, or intentionally left at airports by their mother, and it literally -- literally -- makes me ill. Something in my heart changed when I become a Mom and I want to protect and love all these damaged children even though I know I cannot. And as much as I want be knowledgeable of world events and the news, it's hard to take it all in sometimes, and my thoughts about human beings in general shifts to a more negative state than normal. Not a place I want to stay too long.
So bottom line, it's a good book and quick read, but if you are a parent you might find it hard to always separate the fear from your own child.
E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It Simply put - a great book. A must read for any small business owner. This book was recommended to me by a few people over the years and I finally picked it up and read it a few months ago. I then gave it to my husband and he read it in a week and then bought 3 copies for clients to read. It describes [quite accurately] the life cycle of small businesses and outlines why the majority of them fail. And how to create a business that is more capable of surviving over the long term. Even if your business goal is to stay small, it is a still a great book in terms of strategy, thinking big and evolving.
The Boleyn Inheritance - The follow up to The Other Boleyn Girl which chronicles the women that followed after Queen Anne Boleyn's downfall including those who played a role in her demise. If you were a fan of The Other Boleyn Girl (one of my Top 10), then you will probably like this one too. The characters are just as well drawn out and the story, while not quite as complex as the first, is also incredibly engaging.
And a few movies I've seen/rented recently...
Sex and the City: The Movie
Four out of five stars for me. I was a fan of the series and appreciated how the movie really focused on the friendships of these four women and how close bonds like that get us though many of the chapters of our lives. I also thought SJP/Carrie did a good job getting quite serious through the middle half of the movie and showed her true acting chops a little more. I laughed, I cried, I pondered. What more can I ask.
The Other Boleyn Girl (movie)
NOWHERE near as good or detailed as the book. In fact, the movie changed several things and I don't think was able to establish the complexities of the book or the women and why they made so many of the decisions they did. I'd only give this one 2 stars.
The Kite Runner:: Another book-to-movie-adaption, but I liked this one. I thought the movie did a good job following the book and developed the characters quite well. I found this to be a thought-provoking and moving story of betrayal, guilt, and redemption told through another culture. 3 1/2 stars.
There is more, much more, but this post is already too long. You guys reading any good books out there?
We made it home in one piece and are (sadly) slowly adjusting to the normal routine of life again. I thought I would post a few more pictures from our time in Hawaii last week before I get back into the swing of things and forget what a good time we had!
I think another reason that I blogged so little is that we all really stayed on Arizona time while there. Not so much on purpose, but after waking up the first morning about 5:30 AM, we just found ourselves going to bed early and rising super early. I'm not normally an early morning person like this (I'm one of those lucky Mom's whose daughter typically wakes between 7:45-8:30 AM), but it was great to be up that early and outside before the world came alive. I'd walk the property and take pictures or drink my coffee and read on our balcony. So peaceful.
Along with my point-and-shoot camera, I also brought along my 5D and two light weight fixed lenses (my 50 and 100 macro) so I could capture some of the scenery and florals. I actually really love shooting with my macro, so I had some fun finding so many different beautiful flowers. That was one of my favorite things about Hawaii - how lush and tropical and beautiful it is.
Sydney picking the flowers at our hotel Our good friends who we vacationed with: Tom, Marie, Sydney and Delaney On our last night there, we went to a Lual at the Royal Lahiana Resort, which the kids just loved! Jordan enjoying two juices at once. Now that is a vacation treat. We had a great play pool area for the kiddos at our hotel. It was super family friendly, which was helpful and more fun for everyone involved. Jordan mastered the waterslide in no time My little poser
And finally, one of my favorite feelings in the whole world :-)
Can't wait to visit you again in the future Hawaii!
It's hard to believe that our wonderful vacation is coming to an end tomorrow. It has been one of the most relaxing trips I have taken in a long while (even with 3 kids). The last time I visited Hawaii I was only 12, so it's practically a new experience for me since I don't remember a great deal from that long ago. We are vacationing with our very good friends Tom and Marie, and their daughters Sydney (5) and Delaney (4). It's been great for all the girls as they have been having a blast together swimming, playing at the beach and generally tiring each other out all day. We are staying in Wailea on Maui at the Marriott, nestled between the Grand Wailea Resort to our left and the Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort on the right. There is a 1.5 mile coastal walk that runs the length of all the area resorts, and spans several white sand beaches. Paradise.
This past week has FLOWN by, but it's been such a great week. I really disconnected more than I thought I would do-- I guess because I really needed to. I thought about blogging often, but when push came to shove, I kept choosing to be out there experiencing and relaxing, rather than sitting inside our hotel room in front of my computer. But since we are leaving tomorrow, I thought I should share some of our highlights from our time here in Hawaii.
One of my favorite things was a snorkel excursion to Molokini island right off of Maui. This wasn't one of Chris's favorite because he got sea sick for the first time in his life, but I loved seeing all the fish and sea turtles-- and the fact that we got Jordan in the water to at least see one fish underwater. All of these were taken with the point-and-shoot:
Jordan looking at Molikini, the small, uninhabited crater island famous for its clear blue water and great coral reef. Speaking of the clear, blue water --it looks more like pool water. The slide off the side of the boat.
Another great snorkeling location was Baby Beach in Kaanapali. The water was pretty calm and you could go out a way to the breaker amidst the coral and sand. There wasn't nearly as many fish here, but Marie and I had fun falling over in the water while trying to walk in our flippers (we are both well known klutzes in our respective families) :)
Our very favorite spot to snorkel though was this little, off the wall cove in Makena, just south of Wailea. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it because we just took our gear and left everything else in the car, but if you are in Maui and like snorkeling, this is a fantastic spot. Tons of fish and opportunities to see turtles. We didn't see any, but it was our favorite place. If you are ever in this area and like to snorkel, definitely check it out!
One of our favorite beaches: Big Beach, just south of Wailea. The waves were a bit big for the kids, but they still loved it!
I thought this kind of summed up the best way I can relax on the beach at this point in my life... only partially given the kiddos.
The girls looking for shells at the rock beach just below our hotel. The Dad's took the girls out on this rock formation to watch the turtles. There were a ton that swim right here at our hotel each evening and morning. They said they came right up to them out there, so they saw 4 or 5 right below them. The girls loved it!
I'll have a few more to share, but wanted to get these up. I wish it didn't have to come to and end :(
Olivia is the almost-6 year old daughter of our friends Christine and Eric Hoffmann. I first met the Hoffmann's through mutual friends about 5 years ago, when Olivia was a perfectly healthy one-year-old little girl. A few months after her 2nd birthday, she was diagnosed with a very rare and terminal illness called Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD). In less than one years time, this disorder caused Olivia to go from a healthy, smiling, bright-eyed toddler to a little girl who could no longer control any movement, talk, eat, see, or even smile.
MLD is caused by a genetic defect that prevents cells from producing an enzyme the body needs in order to break down a fatty substance called sulfatide. Lacking this enzyme, sulfatide builds up in the brain and spinal cord, destroying the white matter, called myelin, which surrounds and protects the nerves. Without the myelin insulation, the nerves gradually quit working. This “demyelination” causes all of the problems of MLD, which include loss of mental, motor, and organ functions, and eventual death. Children like Olivia, with the late-infantile form of MLD (there are also juvenile and adult forms), may live 5 years, but so far the disease is always fatal. (Source: http://www.caringbridge.org/az/olivia/). The doctors told Christine and Eric Olivia would likely not live past 5, but still is still fighting at 6.
Olivia and her two brothers, twins Carter and William
As Olivia celebrates her 6th birthday this Saturday, and her family celebrates every moment they have with her, the Hoffmann's and the foundation set up her name, are gearing up for the Second Annual Olivia's Walk.
The walk will raise funds for the MLD Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity serving MLD affected families and researchers throughout the world, and bring more awareness to this rare and fatal illness.
When and Where: Saturday, May 17th at Tempe Town Lake
Registration begins at 7:30 AM and the walk starts at 8:00 AM.
It is a perfect place to bring the whole family to get some exercise, help a good cause, and meet beautiful Olivia and her family.
For full details on the event, and more information about Olivia, please visit her website: www.oliviaswalk.org
You can click here to watch a tribute video to Olivia, with clips from last years walk.
I visited them recently and we were able to take a few pictures. There are not enough words in my vocabulary to express to you what a remarkable mother and woman Christine is. Her devotion to her family is unwavering and she has handled this incredibly tough hand they have been dealt with an inordinate amount of grace and strength. I respect and admire her more than words can express.
If you are able to attend this Saturday, please register first on Olivia's site. Your donation includes a t-shirt and helps to support this important and personal cause.
On Wednesday, a few of us wedding-industry peeps threw our friend Kim Jarman a baby shower for her impending baby girl!! She is due this July and I am sooooo excited for her. A large group of us met up for a nice lunch under the trees at The Farm at South Mountain and it was great to connect with old friends and make some new ones. I stole these images from Melissa Jill's blog.
Kim opening one of my gifts... our favorite colors :)
And her super cute gift from Melissa
Speaking of baby shower's - I'm going to my friend Jenny's shower tomorrow and she is having a boy next month. I took some maternity pictures of her a few days ago, so you might see a few images of her soon :)
I know it's almost trendy to talk about "green" things these days, but I believe there has been a true paradigm shift for so many people in paying more attention to this planet we inhabit. Just like we only get one body in our lifetime, we also only get one earth.
Here is what I am currently doing, and have been doing (some of it for as long as I can remember), and will be doing moving forward:
1. Recycle. This one we have been doing for years and years. We recycle all cans, plastics, bottles and paper.
2. Use less plastic. As in plastic bags. I have been buying those reusable canvas grocery shoppers and keep them in my car for trips to store. They actually hold a lot more than plastic bags anyway and are more sturdy. I can carry like 3 bottles of wine in one bag with a bunch of food on top. I like them much better! Target sells these great ones that zipper up into the size of a wallet, so I keep that one tucked in my purse.
3. Last year I traded in my big huge SUV for a mid-sized crossover with better gas mileage. I admit, it was in part to save on gas money, but alas, at least I'm using less gas ;)
4. We use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs.
5. Eat as healthy and organic as possible. I have been doing this for a long time, but I believe the less we buy with pesticides and crap in it (as in overly processed foods), the less chemicals to pollute our soil, food and bodies.
6. I'm going to start using less plastic water bottles. I can do better on this by using my Nalgene bottle when I go to the gym (when I go!)
What kind of things are you guys doing out there? Any other ideas?
Not a hard core, I-really-cared-either-way type of girl, but PC was just easy because I'd always had one since college -- and well, our house was wired and networked for them. Plus my husband has always been a big PC geek (I'm using that term metaphorically - you are not an actual geek honey), so I just never saw the need to make the switch, despite the fact that something like 90%+ of photographers were on Mac and made fun of us PC people.
Then last year Microsoft went and released Vista. I wasn't going to make the switch to their new operating system, but by the time October rolled around, I needed a new computer, so Vista is what I got. I pretty much hated it from the get-go. Ironically, my PC-loving-husband also hated it. Bugs galore. Programs would stop working and responding frequently. My Epson printer didn't work with Vista, only Windows XP on my older Dell. I could no longer find simple tasks and shortcuts because MS felt the need to move stuff to ubiquitous places that no longer made any sense. By the time I was two months in, I was doing hard shutdown/restarts daily and was cursing my computer hourly. I kept mumbling "I'm moving to Mac. This thing SUCKS!" My husband, who had always knocked Mac's for years, finally said, "Well move the Mac then! Just stop complaining!"
"But it's going to be expensive and painful to make the switch. I'm so embedded," I continued to complain. Ugghhh! I felt like I was stuck, but knew I needed a way out of Vista Hell. So I found myself driving to the Apple Store just to play and see if Mac was really that much different. I got an iPhone and fell in love. I would hover in the Apple section of Best Buy when I went in for other items, exploring the machines further. They sure looked purty! But definitely more costly than PC. I mean, I knew full well that Mac lovers LOVED their Macs, so would it really be that expensive to make the switch? What could make this computer so great? (I should note that during this time, my husband went and specially ordered a Dell laptop that still had Windows XP because Vista was hampering his ability to get work done as well. Go Microsoft!)
So in late December, I took JT to lunch to pick his brain since he has always struck me as this Mac computer guru who basically started iPod slideshow proofing and just knew about this stuff. I asked him a bunch of questions, assessing if this would be a worthwhile investment for me... how long would I be down? Would Mac read my PC files? Vice versa? What software would I need to replace? What would be my real costs of switching? He was very helpful and allowed me to think through this big (to me) business move. But the one thing he said that was the clincher for me was this: "Everyone I know who has made the switch said they would never go back."
Two days later, I walked out of the Apple Store with a brand new iMac. I loved the pretty box and slim design. Wow, a whole computer inside this slim monitor! Cool. My husband even commented how easy it was to set up and how nice it looked. I broke it in slowly, getting my feet wet for a few weeks. My business production stayed on the PC for awhile since I knew I'd have to take both machines into the Apple store eventually to have my files converted. I picked up a book (Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual) and read it before bed for a few nights. That turned out to be a lifesaver since there are differences between how the two machines operate, but all in all, less complicated than I feared. I was really digging my new Mac. Finally I moved it over to my desk next to my PC, and low and behold, I could actually SEE my PC from my Mac. All my files were accessible virtually through my Mac, but still sitting on all my hard drives on the PC. Very cool. Maybe I wouldn't need to move my files over after all. I even moved my Outlook Mail files over by myself through this easy $10 converter program, and then I really didn't need to take both machines into the Apple Genius Bar for them to do that for me. I plugged in my printer and it just worked. Just like that. Novel! This switch wasn't nearly as painful as I thought.
Four months later, I love my Mac. I have sold the Vista based PC desktop and laptop (sorry, suckas!) and have since also invested in the MacBook Pro. I still use my Windows XP PC for various programs (Quickbooks, Epson Print CDs, Cute FTP and more) and am using both machines pretty cohesively side by side. I can open any document on my Mac, but not the other way around. But that isn't too big of deal. They really work well together. So now I am Mac girl. And proud of it.
So now the second part of this blog post, hence the title. To date, my biggest issue is using two separate monitors and seeing how they render color differently. (And how all monitors render color for that matter.) For photographers, I think it's important to stress that your color correction is only as strong as your monitor calibration. A properly calibrated monitor is the foundation for getting natural skin tones and overall pleasing color. For example, this process today of fixing my blog posts (because the X's are showing up on PC and not Mac) has shown me how DIFFERENT my two monitors are rendering color. (They are not hooked into one another, each monitor sits with its respective machine, therefore I don't color correct on my PC quite as much, even though I calibrated it several months ago). My colors look great on my Mac - beautiful skin tones, pleasing shadow and light balance. But the images are showing much different on my PC - darker, more muted, more warm or orange-y. So I guess it's time to re-calibrate both monitors again to get them as close as possible. Does anyone know how I can get them to match perfectly? Is that even possible?
This experience has shown me that even if you have a perfectly calibrated monitor and good color correction, it's extremely likely that your clients and others out there viewing your work do not, so they are seeing different colors than you are. This is one of the downsides to this digital world we live in - getting color consistent across all areas. This year at WPPI, I heard many photographers stress in-studio proofing only (they do not post online at all) for this very reason. If they bring the clients into their studio, they can control the colors that the clients are seeing. How many clients have old CRT screens or poor color in their monitors? How are they really seeing your color correction? Do they care? I may start doing this in the future; we'll see. For now, my busy clients like seeing their images online, but I want to ensure they are seeing the most accurate color as possible.
Which brings me back to the iMac (in a roundabout way) as I'm now about to calibrate it again...minus this one issue of matching calibration exactly JT was right, now that I have made the switch, I wouldn't ever go back.
You have blessed my life, and the life of your father, in ways we could have never imagined before you. You are a remarkably good person, a nice and thoughtful human being, with a strong sense of self, a killer sense of humor, and a level of intelligence that makes me proud every single day. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for you and not a morning that arrives where I have not been excited to see your face. You have given us the ability to love on a level I didn't know existed, and you have made me a better person. The last three years have been challenging, amazing, rewarding, tiring, and filled with a sense of joy that words cannot ever fully express. Thank you for that. Thank you for being you.
I'm now at the Superbowl of photography conventions, WPPI, having fun with old friends and making some new ones. In addition to the education and networking, there are roughly 350 exhibitors/vendors here and each night, lots of parties. I think there were something like 4-5 big ones last night and we made it to three of them -- whew! I am normally a person who really likes her sleep and am conked out by 11 or midnight each night, but I think they pump a lot of oxygen into the casinos because I can just stay up later in Vegas. I read that there are more than 10,000 photographers here, so it's a geek fest (but a fun one) of gear, laptops and blogging.
In all seriousness, WPPI provides a great opportunity to learn more and network. I opted not to do the sessions this year (platform speakers) and just do the trade show, so I plan to spend about 7 hours today seeing as many booths as possible.
Here is a shot from last night with Amy Martin, Mary Beth Tyson, Me and Kim Jarman (photo by Jefferson Todd). We are all sharing a room together and really having a great time.
I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning for Las Vegas and another fun year at the huge, annual Wedding and Portrait Photographers convention. I think it's the largest in the industry, so there will be thousands and thousands of photographers descending upon the Paris and Bally's Casinos & Hotels. There are tons of products and new equipment I want to check out, not to mention see lots of friends, so I'm excited. I'll be posting and sharing from the road, as well as have full access to email, so I won't be out of touch.
I had meant to get the rest of Charlie and Kent's images up before I left (the emotional and more PJ shots), but I had another wedding this past weekend and lots of other things going on, so I'll get those up when I return later this week.
I'm not one to like drawing attention to myself (perhaps that's why I like being BEHIND the camera), but you may have noticed a new link above called About Jennifer. It only took me about 5 months to work on getting this info to Ryan Brannen, who designed the layout (and this blog), but it's finally complete and up! A special thanks to Kimberly Jarman who took the pictures of me and to Ryan who pushed me to share more than I might have previously and came out with such a great look for this page. It's HARD to come up with a long bio about yourself! What do you think?
...to me and my step-sister Alexia (pictured below with my niece and daughter from Christmas time). We share the same birth date :-)
I keep turning 21 over and over, so it's always a celebration. Also Happy Birthday to Matt, my brother-in-law, whose big day is tomorrow, and to my sister-in-law Sarah, who also turns 21 again on the 10th!
"Jordan, I picked out this super cute shirt for you to wear today. Look how cute it is!"
"No. I don't like that."
"Why don't you like it? It's really cute." (Shauna in the background: "Oh that IS really cute Jordan!")
"Because I don't."
"What don't you like about it?"
"Because I said I don't."
"No, WHAT don't you like about it?" (Forgetting for moment there is no such thing as reasoning with toddler.)
"Because I DON'T."
"Please. Mommy wants to take a few pictures of you in it. Then you can take it off and wear whatever you would like. You can pick out whatever bottoms you want to wear!"
"NO! I don't want THAT shirt!"
"Please."
"No."
"Well, Mommy is going to put it on you anyway for a few minutes and then you can take it off, okay."
Tantrum/battle ensues for 2 minutes.
"I want to go to the park now!"
Shirt is forgotten and all is right with the world again. Mommy got some pictures and toddler is just fine. Toddler wore shirt all day.
Jordan and I spent this past weekend in California visiting my childhood best friend Shauna, and her husband Steve, to meet their new baby daughter Ella. She is six weeks now and so-so-so adorable. I somehow managed to take about 2000 images this weekend, mostly of the baby and new family, but also of Shauna's sister Roshelle (who used to babysit us) and her adorable daughter Ariel. And lots of Jordan too of course. Oh yeah, and Val, the family dog.
We had a great time catching up over baby snuggles, walks to the park, shopping, and of course, a glass of wine or two. I should note that Jordan had a big, HUGE crush on Uncle Steve. I almost (almost) felt bad for him because from the moment she woke up until she went to bed each night, she talked about him nonstop if she wasn't talking to him. Of course it helped that he was so sweet and kind to her, so even if my daughter drove him crazy with attention, he certainly didn't let anyone know.
Jordan to Steve: "Have I told you about my doll yet this morning?"
I wish that Jordan wasn't hiding her face here, but we didn't get too many good ones because Jordan was uber-cranky by this time. Oh well, such is photo-taking-life with toddlers.
Jordan was pretty into Ella too. How could you not be? She is super-smushy-mushy.
I can only hope this is coming to the Phoenix IMAX! One of my favorites bands of all time, this 3D movie looks almost as good as the real thing. Check it out!
Happy New Year to everyone! I've taken a little time off this past week to recharge, hence the no blogging. Its been nice to have a little much need hiatus.
I always appreciate the coming of a new year because it is a time of renewal, hope and inspiration to me. I enjoy the holidays and spending time with family, friends and being busy in general, but there is something so cleansing about starting a new year with fresh perspective and goals. Slimming down from the excess of the previous season. Decluttering. Emerging a little wiser.
Each year my husband I set our goals for the coming year (I prefer not to call them resolutions because it's more likely I won't keep them), and for the past four years we have achivied roughly 80% of what was on our list. Maybe it's because we are both driven to succeed or maybe we just like crossing things off our list, but I'm proud of all that we have accomplished personally, professionally, spiritually and wholeistically. We also know we are very blessed to have our health, our families, our friends and each other to keep one another grounded and the compass pointed in the right direction. It really is about the journey, and we strive to remember that each day.
2007 was an amazing year. A busy year; a year of great growth and learning. I shot 20 weddings (the max I shoot per year) and roughly 60+portrait sessions. I met so many wonderful people and made new friends. I launched a new website, a new custom blog, new marketing materials, attended some great seminars and tradeshows, and learned so much. I look back and wonder how I ever did anything else besides this. It fulfills me in ways that isn't always easy to express. I love being a mother and a wife, but I also love being a photographer, and the pure joy that comes from doing what I love. I believe that discovering your passion and your purpose is one of the greatest gifts that God and this life can give you. I am thankful for this every single day.
Im in a reflective mood, so I wanted to share some of my favorite images from the past year. This is mostly weddings with a few portraits shots thrown in and in no particular order. Just shots I love for some reason or another. (Im planning a seperate slideshow version of my favorite portraits since there are just way to many to include here. Stay tuned....)
I just noticed for the first time how every person in this shot is looking at someone different. I love that! They are all watching each others faces :) This one might be a top contender for me for that reason ... there is so much emotion in this shot.
Whew! That was tough since there are so many I love, but my arms are tingling from sitting too long. Which one is your favorite?
Now, for 2008... What a year ahead: so many things in the pipeline, on the books, and up my sleeve...
New contests! (one announcement coming very soon...) A trip to Hawaii! (Do you know anyone getting married there in late May/early June??) Cool workshops and seminars to attend! Another 20 weddings! More great photo shoots! An updated website (maybe even a whole new look)! Fun mini getaways!
And so much more, but you'll see lots of new blogs posts soon.... Happy New Year!
My entire family is out visiting me right now and its been so fun having quality time together. Family is the most important thing to me in the world and we are a pretty close knit group. Like all families we have our moments, but I love them all so much and we always have a lot of fun together. My daughter Jordan and niece Morgan are on Grandma and Grandpa's laps (my mom Linda and step-dad Jim) and my sister Shannon and brother-in-law Matt are on the right, my other sister Alexia is in the middle and Chris and I round out the left side. Jordan is laughing so hard because Woody from The Toy Story movie was "taking our picture" and she found that quite hilarious.
Some more images from the past few days...
My sister Alexia took this shot of Jordan and Papa and I love it!
Another few (above and below) that my sister Shannon took...
Tradition Time:
Growing up, we made sugar cookies every year shortly before Christmas and decorated them (ours did not look like Martha Stewarts, but we didn't care), so it was so fun to make them with our girls this year.
They made a Gingerbread house with Grandma and Grandpa on Christmas Day. I think you can see their pride with the outcome! Every year we add a new meaningful ornament to the tree. Earlier this month, I took Jordan to a children's Nutcracker production put on by the Arizona Ballet Company and she loved it! We received this ornament there, so of course added it to the tree.
Matching Jammies
Growing up, my Mom always gave us matching pajamas every year on Christmas Eve, so she has continued that with our own children. (Since its highly unlikley my sister and I would wear matching jammies now).
Christmas morning was so fun with the girls....
...And the aftermath of cleaning up for the adults...
Christmas came early for me this year! My sweet husband got me the iPhone, which I am now in love with. He only gave it to me early because I kept going back and forth between wanting the iPhone or another smart phone based on reviews and specs, and because he had already purchased the iPhone, he told me I needed to make up my mind quick. So I did (and then begged that I could start using it) and have zero regrets. This thing rocks!
It is so easy to use, so logical, and fun - and I love having access to my emails on the road now, not to mention the web. Also love the visual voice mail function, so I know exactly who called and left messages without having to listen to all of them first. I watched a TV show while working out yesterday (which made the whole treadmill thing go much faster). If you have ever thought about getting this phone, just do it, you won't regret it!
Another Thanksgiving has arrived in record time. Why is it every year goes faster than the one before? This year we were in Pinetop for exactly 30 hours of family time and turkey before heading back down to Phoenix so I can shoot two weddings tomorrow and Saturday. Jordan is opting to stay at Grandma's house (err, The Princess Resort & Spa) through the weekend and I can't say I blame her. Why wouldn't she choose unabashed freedom, lots of sugar, sleeping in Grandma's bed, and cousin Sierra over Mom and Dad's less fun daily routine. With a lot less sugar.
My Mom is now saying, "Where can I find this little thing!?"
Since it's the holiday to pronounce gratefulness out loud (really, we should be expressing those things we are thankful for every single day), I am also extremely thankful for my husband and daughter, our families, our health, our businesses, our friendships, and our resilience. And that the bloody heat has finally broken in Phoenix. Sheesh.
I'm thankful for little moments like this too.
I am also incredibly thankful for my clients. I have met so many wonderful people via this business and I often feel this sense of connection to many of you because you allow me to share in your intimate moments, important memories and indescribable joys. I see your tears, your laughter, your kisses, your love, and often, some of the true essence of who you are. I don't take any of that lightly, and you all have left an impression on me in some way.
I am extremely grateful for all of the wonderful emails and voicemails that you have left me this year sharing your appreciation. Sometimes you are literally crying with thanks, and I tear up right along with you because it means the world that I get to capture these moments and that you appreciate the work so much. Sometimes you send me hilarious emails... one couple recently pronounced me the proud owner of their first (yet to be born) child after watching their wedding slideshow, and yet another wrote after watching their family slideshow "OH MY GOD, WE ARE IN LOVE WITH OURSELVES!" That one had me laughing out loud for some time. Recently, a couple of you sent me iTunes gift cards (after seeing my iPod post awhile back) and one of you just made me a cd of mixed tunes. How cool is that!
Most clients don't comment on the blog and that is okay by me... you send me your heartfelt thanks in touching notes, email and voicemails and I appreciate all of your words. Happy Thanksgiving!
I couldn't resist. My niece Sierra came bouncing into the house this morning in this little ensemble. She is like this adorable little golfer-meets-English-rider.
I took Jordan to the Desert Botanical Gardento see the annual butterfly exhibit last week. I also took my macro lens to try and grab some super close up shots. I love this lens and use it at every wedding to capture details, for lots of tight shots of baby hands and feet, and for personal things like this. Jordan was very into the butterflies for the first 10 minutes and then was more happy to build "castles" in the dirt while Mom took a few more pictures.
Incidental factoid: I learned that Monarch butterflies take 3-4 generations to make a full round trip migration to their refuges down in Mexico where they all head in the fall and winter and then back up again. They ride the winds down, similar to birds, but it just takes several more generations to complete the migration.
(The view from our hotel.)
