Cole and Emily {wedding commission}

Emily reminded me of Grace Kelly...the whole wedding had a classic 1940's feel to it with touches like the white tuxedo jackets and Emily's beautiful veil passed down through her family. Thank you, Emily and Cole for giving me the opportunity to document your joyful wedding day. CLICK HERE to see a slideshow with highlights from their wedding.

{Catherine and Nick} wedding commission

Click here to see more highlights from Nick and Catherine's lovely wedding.

FREE!

Last night I had an amazing experience. I attended a benefit performance of the Axis Dance Company of Oakland, California (www.axisdance.org). The performance was hosted by Hope Haven Children's Clinic and Family Center (www.hope-haven.org). The Axis Dance company features dancers with and without disability. From the moment the curtain went up, I was mesmerized and enthralled. I loved the way the dancers integrated their movements with each other, and the way the disabled bodies and the non-disabled bodies became more buoyant through the support of the other. I also LOVED how the wheelchairs and the prosthetic devices became a part of the performance, and I loved how beautifully each body expressed itself.

I was so moved, it was all I could do to keep from jumping out of my seat and moving with these amazing dancers (good thing I restrained myself)! Watching them, I began to get an understanding of why photographing people with special needs is such a powerful experience for me. Watching each dancer fully embrace the capability of his or her own uniquely beautiful body, I glimpsed how powerful it would be if we were ALL able to embrace exactly who we are--disability, hardship, talents, blessings and all. I got a picture of how exciting it would be to see each person expressing their own individual creativity, and joining with the creativity of others by being fully themselves--embracing the strength and the fragility that is a part of every human life.

IN MEMORY OF GUY

I was invited over Labor Day weekend to capture the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration of Guy and Ruth at the family's beach house. At the time, Guy knew he was living with advanced bone cancer. One of the most amazing things about my job is the opportunity I get to see inside families and to learn from each of them. Several times during the day, I noticed Guy peacefully and adoringly gazing at one of his grandchildren, or one of his sons, or his wife. He looked up to see me watching him at one point and he said that over the past few years, God had opened his eyes to the inner beauty in people. With tears in his eyes, he told me just how amazingly beautiful we are.

I am so honored to have met him and witnessed his beautiful love for his family. He passed away on January 1st.

One of the qualities that moved me about this family was how fully in the moment they lived even in the face of saying goodbye. They especially love to play. Ruth planned a game for everyone to enjoy. She showed the kids her wedding photographs and told the story of how Guy proposed to her. Then she divided the group into two and gave them their assignments: one group would make a wedding dress for her and the other group would make a tuxedo for Guy. Their materials: all different colors and sizes of garbage bags and duct tape!I have photographed quite a few brides and grooms preparing for their wedding days, but this one stands out. It was fun to watch all the different ages compete to make the best outfit --the laughter and the creativity exploded all around the room.No detail was left out--Guy even had a new ring out of duct tape to put on his beautiful bride's finger.
They even tossed the garter and the bouquet!

After the wedding fun, we all headed out to the beach for some fun family portraits:

portrait commission

senior portrait commission {erika and sarah}

Fun with siblings....

One of the sweetest young women I've ever met...she and her mother share a great relationship.

I learned a lot about gardening from this guy. He is passionate about nature and about planting seeds and watching them grow.


I've never met a child who LOVED grass stains so much! This little guy insisted I photograph his grass stains!

I always enjoy working with each child separately, finding what is unique to him or her.

Lakehouse Family Reunion

Molly, the beautiful dog! (an e-session and a wedding)

I know Molly is eager to see her photos...

I thought she might also enjoy seeing a sneak preview of the photographs from her parents' beautiful wedding day.

It must be football season...

I guess it's as good a place to start as any. I've liked the idea of a blog or online journal for a long time...but that beginning thing is a problem for me. Putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard--very, very daunting. It's WAY easier to construct ideas in my head.

What I love about blogs for a photographer is it allows viewers to get a sense of the flow of a photographer's work. A website features key images that represent an artist's style, but it doesn't really give a sense of the fluidity of that style or a sense of where the artist has been and where she's going and that windy road process in between.

So here I am on a Sunday afternoon, beginning my blog. First entry. And some of the best advice I've ever gotten is to start where you are (thank you, Pema Chodron). Where I am this Sunday is in front of the computer editing mounds of images. I open a batch, write actions and then let photoshop carry out my orders. While I wait, I wander into the buzz of my home, and I see the evolving structure of my youngest son's architectural constructions. Every football season, he creates a stadium out of cardboard blocks in our sun room. He uses it to keep track of every football game and either the time of the game or the continually changing scores in the game. It's a very scientific process--he uses the newspaper, online schedules and articles and the television to create spreadsheets and graphs. He prints out logos for every team and has a ziploc bag with handwritten numbers that he uses to change the scores. For him, it is serious, scientific business. One time I wrote on one of his spreadsheets by accident and my normally even-tempered son went to pieces.

first he reads the paper...

then, he writes out the stats...

he cuts out the team logos...

and numbers to keep the score current...

every weekend, he refines his structure....





What fascinates me is how each of us seems born with certain specific interests and talents. Even as a two year old, my son's teachers and relatives would comment on his engineer-like temperament. I LOVE discovering these nuances in children and documenting them on film. It seems when a person is engaged in an activity that taps into these inborn talents, there is an incredible sense of light and energy and peace in the air. It feels like such a gift to be able to witness these moments. MY inborn passion is to see with my camera what makes each person or relationship unique and how that uniqueness contributes to beauty in our world.

How's that for a beginning?