Sunny Day, Sweepin' The Clouds Away

Hello faithful blog readers! I know there are some of you who managed to make it through my whole Roman Polanski review! I wanted to post a couple of photos from a shoot I had a couple of weeks ago. I photographed this family in honor of the little one's first birthday. She is so kickin' adorable!




We had a lot of fun playing that day. She was at the age where everything was new and interesting, especially all the flowers in the yard and on the porch. It was a sweltering day that day, but she didn't seem to mind at all!

Off topic, I realized something today (or, late last night, really): If you can survive assembling a house-full of furniture with your significant other, and still love them, it's meant to last. Thanks, Doug, for being such a perfectionist. It pays off.

I am off to shoot a wedding this evening! Tomorrow I am actually attending a wedding (with my camera in tow, of course). It's going to be a very busy weekend!

I Wish I Had a Pencil Thin Mustache

Doug and I have been cordially invited to a mustache competition at the end of July. Men can sport whatever they would like. It has been politely suggested that the ladies attempt something that Billy Dee Williams might wear, or the look of a French painter. I definitely think Doug should enter. He's got fast-growing facial hair. In case you've forgotten, this is what Doug looks like with a hot mustache:

Doug's all concerned about upcoming events that would deter him from the attempt, but I think he should go for it. Grow a goatee and then shave it to a 'stache at the last minute. What do you think? Opinions?

I'm Wasted By The Way She Moves

Once again I had the pleasure of photographing the lovely Zehara. This time, we added fire to the mix. It was so much fun! I, of course, am not usually found playing with snakes or fire, but I'm totally enthralled by them when Zehara's in control. Maybe I'm being hypnotized by the belly dancing. I also had a lot of fun playing around with the post-processing of the images and I'm really happy with the way they came out. Take a look!






In other news, I saw Steely Dan in concert last night. Totally awesome. They didn't play as many of their greatest hits as I would have wanted, but they sounded amazing regardless. Really. They haven't lost it. I've seen a lot of 60s and 70s singers perform and there are very few who still sound just as good. I can now count Steely Dan on the short list. Know who's not on the short list? Bob Dylan. So that's my nutshell review - if you like Steely Dan, catch them in concert. They still sing "Hey, Nineteen" like they did decades ago.

Another nutshell review. Today I watched a new documentary on the director Roman Polanski. It was fascinating. It focused mainly on his late 1970s arraignment for rape and his subsequent fleeing of the country, but the movie also took into consideration his past. This is a guy who survived the Holocaust as a child when his parents were sent to concentration camps - his mother died, his father barely survived. Then, as an adult, his 8-month-pregnant wife is a victim of the horrible Manson Family massacre. Then in the late 70s, he has to deal with the rape accusation. The movie does not take sides, but it deals instead with the facts and how, regardless of whether he was guilty or not, there was a mishandling of justice by the judge. What's crazy is that a lot of the major players participated - the A.D.A., the Defense Attorney, the victim's attorney, and the victim herself. If you're interested in movies, Polanski, or Hollywood history, this is a good documentary to check out!

Last but not least, we're finally starting to move into our new place. In fact, I think tonight we might even sleep in the bedroom and not the living room. Maybe tomorrow night we'll have a bureau to put our clothes in. I can hope, right?

This Little Piggy Went to Market

How could I not post this adorable photo?! Baby feet are scrumptious and so is the rest of this little baby. You'll have to wait for the rest of the photos, but this one was calling my name...

Movin' On Up

Well, we're finally officially moved in to our new place and out of our old place. It has been a LONG week. I get home from a sleepless (in a good way) vacation and then dive right into moving. Add on a full work week, and you've got exhaustion. I mean, bone tired. Like, I would have cried at a moment's notice. This next week is going to be spent putting our apartment together. Right now it's in a total state of disarray. Oh well.

I wanted to post a couple of photos from a wedding I helped out at in May. I only photographed the reception, so these are some random reception photos for you to enjoy!

The father daughter dance.


I love playing with the DJ lights at a wedding!



I've noticed that couples are starting to decorate their centerpieces and tables with rocks... I really like the trend.


There are plenty of other photos for me to post! I went to an awesome wedding yesterday, plus I've got some great portraits. All is good. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Incommunicado

Yes, another post without photos. I am back from Utah, which was awesome. If you haven't done it already, I encourage everyone to vacation for a week with their craziest friends from college. It totally brings you back. I still haven't reverted to my normal sleeping habits. In other news, Doug and I are moving! It's very exciting, but a giant pain. We're actually moving right next door from where we live now, which makes it both easier and harder. Our lovely internet company stopped our service today, but will not be starting our new service until at least Wednesday. How very considerate of them, I know. So, until then, I will be mooching off the internet of others. Of course, it should be great for my editing. No Perez Hilton breaks. In the meantime, if you need to reach me, you can always call!

Sometimes the Snow Comes Down In June

I don't have a photo to post right now but I'm in Utah and it's snowing. On June 11th. I've been here for a few days now and it has been gorgeous. Shining sun, t-shirts, sunglasses. This morning we woke up and it was snowing. I just had to brush snow off the rental car with my bare hands because a rental car in June does not come with a snow-scraper. As an update, I still haven't spotted Robert Redford.

Take Me Home, Country Road

This is what I'm going to need before I get on a plane tomorrow! I will have plenty to post when I return from my little trip. Rumor has it, some of my friends will have their laptops with them so if I'm feeling particularly productive, maybe I'll blog from Utah. Of course, if I'm being honest, instead of blogging or hiking or some other Utah pastime, I will be all eagle-eyed and looking for Robert Redford. Hearts aflutter.

How Old Are You Now?

This past weekend, we celebrated Sophie's birthday! Guess how old she is now...


And here's the birthday girl waiting for her guests...


Happy 3rd birthday, Miss Sophie!

It's the Loneliest Number Since the Number One

I've been experimenting with diptychs lately, just for fun. Some create a little series. Some combine totally different photos that create a little twist. Here are two that I've been playing with:



Just a little something to share. So tonight, with the weather's cooperation, I am going to be watching a cheesy chick flick projected on the very white wall of my friend's garage. So far, the weather is not cooperating. It may not be raining, but it seems rather chilly. It might have to be a movie on the couch instead. However, I will still be insisting on the s'mores!

True Colors Are Beautiful

It's been a few days since I blogged last. Things have been very busy (excuses, excuses) since I'm finishing up with editing work in preparation for my trip to Utah next week. I am so excited! I am flying out to Park City to meet up with some of my college friends to celebrate our college reunion. Apparently we're eschewing the official reunion, which is fine with me since it's not actually my year. I wanted to make sure I got as much editing done as I could so my clients wouldn't be wondering where their photos were. Here are some other exciting things that have happened since I stopped teaching:

1) I went to see Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour (hence the post name). It was awesome! Regina Spektor and the B-52s performed. Rosie O'Donnell did stand-up. Carson Kressley emceed the show. It was awesome. The tour is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, which this year is focused on getting everyone to VOTE. You know, since it happens to be a rather important voting year. The concert was just amazing. I am so happy to have finally seen Cyndi Lauper live. She was as good as I had hoped she would be. Next concert: Steely Dan!

2) I set aside the time to go see "Sex & The City" in the theater and was not disappointed. I didn't have huge expectations, but the movie was pretty good. It made me laugh. It made my cry. Multiple times. And that made me angry. I would categorize myself as an easy mark when it comes to crying at the movies, but sometimes I try to resist the emotional manipulation. I was no match for these ladies! Regardless of what you think of the show, the characters, or the movie, at its heart, "Sex & The City" is about friendship and I was glad to see that was upheld in the movie. There's my nutshell review.

3) This week I welcomed a new member of my family... the Nikon D300! I am sooo excited! It's a nice little upgrade and I will be transitioning it into my primary camera. Tomorrow I'm shooting a wedding, so I'm going to start experimenting with it then. It's going to be interesting trying to carry two cameras around my neck! Who needs the gym? Well, I do, but we'll see how this goes first.

4) The same day I got my new camera, my sample wedding album also came in the mail. I am so pleased with it and I know my clients will like having this option. It's a beauty!

Okay, so this post is long and it's about to get longer. I shot this awesome family last weekend and I love their photos. I've got a bunch to post, so bear with me!

Meet the family! This photo made me laugh, so I wanted to include it.

Big Brother trying to comfort his little brother with a "Shhhh..."

Big Sister sharing the spotlight

The Little One right where he belongs - with Mom




I had so much fun playing with these kids! They were so friendly and chatty, it totally made my job easy!