Inspiration & Perspiration

Happy Beginnings for Gina & Steve

2009-08-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Gina and Steve had a beautiful, sweet ceremony at The Freedom Hall & Gardens in Santa Clara on Saturday. Their first dance was wonderfully choreographed, and they looked great together. Here's a little glimpse into the festivities.

Hannah & Brandon Tie the Knot!

2009-07-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

I had the great honor of being the photographer for Hannah & Brandon on Saturday at The Lodge in Tahoe Donner. The weather was beautiful, the atmosphere festive and loving, and the ceremony gorgeous, as were the bride & groom! Their true love is so obvious for each other that I had to keep fighting off the tears as I was taking photos. Always a good thing. : ) My friend and fellow photographer Carlos Valentino assisted me, and was a great joy and help to have along. He's posted some additional previews on his blog as well. Enjoy them all.

Hannah & Brandon Engagement Session

2009-05-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous couple! Their love brightened up a cloudy day in San Francisco.

The REAL Easter Bunny Brings Pictures

2009-04-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

A cute Easter photo session for sisters Jenny and Colleen & their families

Maternity Session for H

2009-04-05T21:15:00.001-07:00

H & D are expecting a baby girl. H is due in 6 weeks, and I had the honor of taking her pregnancy photos. You're gorgeous, H! Congrats!!

I Got a Sunburn at the Health Fair!

2009-04-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Granite Bay Montessori had it's 1st Annual Health Fair on Friday to celebrate the end of it's 1st Annual Health Week. From noon to 3, kids and parents enjoyed a healthy lunch, Jamba Juice and lots of fun and games. And I forgot to wear sunscreen. Ouch! Enjoy the slide show preview of the event.

Friends of Lloyd

2009-03-06T00:00:00.001-08:00

I'm with Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything, 1989) when he said, "I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

Call me an idealist. It's true. I'm not slick or tricky or pushy. I don't want to sell anyone on anything. It's not in my nature. If you don't already know you want it, I don't want to convince you that you do. I prefer to make myself available to those who already know that they want my services, and that what I have to offer is as valuable to them as it is to me. It's a slower process, but more integral to who I am. I can't see running my business any other way. So, yes! I want to you to buy my services and my images; I want to make a living doing what I love. I just don't want to have to sell you on it.

Christmas Comes a Little Late...or a Lot Early!

2009-03-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

I had a fun day at the park with this family just before Christmas. The kids are so energetic and fun that a boring, run-of-the-mill slideshow just didn't seem to fit. I just completed their family album & wanted to make a slide production to go with it. This turned out perfectly!

Hey, Teach!

2009-03-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

I was invited to teach a class on digital photography at Granite Bay Montessori for the upper elementary kids this summer. I feel totally honored and excited about this. I'm already thinking about making models that explain how ISO, aperture and shutter speed all affect light.

I get to be a geek again! I'm stoked!

A Stowaway Butter Knife, Rubber Chickens & How Dane Made Me Cry

2009-02-21T15:44:00.001-08:00

Some things can only happen in Las Vegas. I just got back from the WPPI 2009 conference where I learned a ton of stuff, and had lots of fun. Even if I did skip the Pictage Studio 54 party.

I found a new way of taking notes. Pictures are WAY easier than trying to write everything down. Now why didn't I think of that in college?

Alison Stahl finally found a place to plug in her iPhone.

Carlos and Jeremy partied til all hours of the night, while Alison, Sharon & I had dinner and enjoyed a bit of wine, then turned in earlier than I ever thought possible in Vegas. Midnight! Can you imagine?!?

I got to hug the Kubota Action Hero. Yummy!!!

The very first night we were there, I stuck a butter knife in my back pocket going through the buffet line after the Canon Welcome, promptly forgot about it, then discovered it later that night at the Finao (effin' awesome albums!) party. Not wanting to seem too weird for taking a butter knife to a party, I put it in my purse, and there it stayed for the rest of the conference. It came home with me, too. I wonder what TSA thought....I found a little love note in my bag when I got home. LOL!

There must of been a contest to see who could make Keri cry the most. Dane Sanders and Amber Holritz were the winners. Dane inspires me to keep being genuinely me, and Amber creates some of the most beautiful images of real life that I've ever seen. Of course, then I went and offended Dane by saying he was a buddhist......let's just say that ketchup makes shoe leather taste pretty good. But we made up, and I think I might even have a new friend. Yay!

Tanja Lippert is a total Dork. She's fun! She's high-larious! She rocks! And she encourages you to let your inner dork out--not that I need much encouragement. ; ) Her talk had a hula-hoop contest, a pink flamingo, a rubber chicken, and a lot of dancing mardi gras mask wearing people. I did a chicken dance to win some swag. Easily the most fun I've had at 8am!

I did cartwheels for swag, too. Literally. One can never have too much swag. Yes, it's true. I am a Swag Ho.

I am SO going back next year!

Dead Blog! Dead Blog!

2009-01-31T23:12:00.000-08:00

I have to say I've been a rather bad blogger lately. But at least it's for a good reason! I had a booth at both Bridal Showcase San Jose on January 18th and Bridal Showcase Stockton on January 25th. It kept me busy, and I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by to browse my photos or just to register for a chance to win their wedding photography. I have another show coming up: Bridal Expo on Sunday, February 8th at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento. Brides will have one more chance to win their wedding photography, so stop by! Hope to see you there!

A Whole New Me!

2009-01-07T00:19:00.000-08:00

I took Mitche Graf's advice when he said, "You should have a logo, not a font." So here I am. The lotus is one of the main Buddhist symbols. It rises from the mud to become a beautiful flower, and represents the blooming of our true nature. The red lotus in particular symbolizes the original nature of the heart (hrdaya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion, activity and all the qualities of the heart. This is both what photographing is for me, and what I can see in people and give back to them through my images. I show them the beauty of themselves.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:41:00.001-08:00

I like to think of resolutions not so much as tasks (lose 10 pounds, keep the house cleaner, be on time more often), but as greater opportunities to stretch myself beyond my comfort zone. This year, I will live more courageously, and I will follow the advice of Eleanor Roosevelt: "Do one thing every day that scares you."

Hopes & Dreams

2008-12-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

My friends Sandra & Erik. They aren't engaged yet, but don't they look like they should be? I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The Final Countdown

2008-12-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is. The moment of reckoning. Let's see if I can get everything done before tomorrow morning at Oh-Godly-Early when my kids get up. Wish me luck! Until then, Merry Christmas (and Happy Festivus--the Holiday for the Rest Of Us!) from mine to yours!

A Many Million Thanks to Sharon Hoyt for our wonderful holiday photos. : )

I'm a Fake!

2008-12-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. I have a fake Christmas tree this year. Something about the pre-lit/no gator-wrestling the lights/fits in my Prius/won't find pine needles in my house in June/goes in a box when I'm done with it idea appealed to me. The kids helped decorate, so there are lots of ornaments on the bottom, and it's the craziest mix of their tastes and mine. I think it turned out pretty well.

Song of the Week

2008-12-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

It's an intriguing thing, my iTunes library. I've been scouring it for songs I can use for slide shows, particularly weddings & engagements. A friend of mine a while back turned me on to Death Cab for Cutie, and these last couple weeks I've been stuck on I Will Follow You Into the Dark from Plans. It seems an odd title for a love song, but the premise is True Love....on the scale of The Princess Bride (for anyone who hasn't seen the movie, it's a must: fencing, fighting, revenge, true love...all with Cary Elwes, Robin Wright & Mandy Patinkin, and directed by Rob Reiner). And True Love gets me every time.

Luck Be A Lady

2008-11-21T00:57:00.000-08:00

I will not say, "I never win anything!" again. I attended my first SWOPmeets (a networking mixer for people in the wedding industry that is hosted by Sacramento Bride & Groom) Wednesday night. Not only did I get to see some fun friends (Carlos, Carmen, Allison, & Andrea) I got to meet lots of new, fun people in the wedding world and eat some really great food. I am so about the food! And then I won the raffle! What a great way to end an evening. You can bet I'll be there in January!

A Fall Blessing

2008-10-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

I go to yoga at East Wind Yoga in Roseville, CA. Sometimes, we finish class and find a little piece of wisdom, quote, or poem to take home. Here is what was there today:

May the Sun bring you new energy by day;

May the Moon softly restore you at night;

May the Rain wash away your worries;

May the Breeze blow new strength into your being;

May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.

Namaste

Miksang & The Agony of Defeat

2008-10-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did borrow the phrase from the Olympics. It happens to be the one athletic institution that I still respect. Well, except for the recent Chinese women's gymnasts' age debacle, but that's another blog.

The Miksang conference I was so looking forward to attending has been cancelled. While I'm terribly disappointed that I won't be going, I can still practice Miksang on a daily basis. That's part of what I've always loved about photographing, anyway. I get to turn my experience of what makes life beautiful into a visual translation. So as I was shooting the Fall Carnival at Granite Bay Montessori yesterday, I also started looking around for those little, overlooked things that make it unique. Here's something I found. Hope you enjoy it.

All Hail the Photography Gurus!

2008-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I joined Photography Mentor the other day. The Playground (ya gotta love it! They know I won't grow up!) has tons of information, chat rooms, and is a great online photography community. And if that weren't enough, Gary Fong gave a live broadcast the other night. He took questions, and talked about how he developed his success in the wedding industry. Now, I realize that Gary doesn't shoot anymore; he invents stuff that makes shooting better for the rest of us. Still, it's awesome that he openly shares his knowledge so that everyone else can benefit. He doesn't hide his trade secrets for fear that someone else will become better than he. Gary seems to be one of those remarkable gurus who wishes for his successors to achieve as much as they can--even if that means they outshine him. Thanks, Gary!

Love/Hate Relationships

2008-10-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

I love technology! I hate technology! I have had the unpleasant experience of having Photoshop CS3 decide it didn't like my licensing anymore. Apparently, this can happen when you have a trial version, then purchase the program, and then Adobe comes out with the next version and gets rid of the original public beta. So after uninstalling and reinstalling 3 times, scouring the Adobe website for fixes, staying up way too late swearing an awful lot, and finally email support, and then running all their fixes, I'm up and running again. I just want to say thanks to all those people geekier than me (who knew they existed?!?) that help me keep my computer in tip-top shape. I couldn't do this without you!

Miksang

2008-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm incredibly excited about a photography conference/retreat I signed up for recently. It's called Miksang. This was started by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and is the art of contemplative photography. It is seeing beyond looking. Too often, we go through our lives too busy to really take in the world around us. We start off being able to see everything when we're small. One simply has to watch a toddler's fascination and excitement about something we adults consider mundane to remember this. The trick becomes, then, how to see like a child. And in Miksang, this is taken a step further: how do I see as a child (or with beginner's mind for all my fellow Buddhists) and translate that into a photographic image. I know that this is a place I can get to when I have camera in hand. When I truly let go of all my shoulds and oughts to simply be present, I cease to exist. I become everything and nothing. I am photographer, camera, and subject. It's a strange concept, and I have to admit, sounds a bit "new-agey" when you first hear it. But I see it more as this: I know, in that moment, that I am interconnected with everything in the universe, and that what benefits one benefits all; and that what harms one, harms us all. I am perfect, just as I am, with all my imperfections. I think this is the state that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (a professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago) describes as Flow.

So back to my conference. It's in LA. Actually, worse, it's in the Valley. And most people who know me know that--with the exception of a few tiny enclaves--I don't like LA. For me, LA represents everything about American culture that I hate: pretension, self-loathing, a strive to have someone else love us without ever loving ourselves, pollution, wantonness and waste. Oh, and traffic. I can't forget that. So I foresee a big challenge for me. I will need to embrace everything that I love in a setting where my feelings about that place can be the utter distraction. I need to forget my preconceived notions, get out of my own way, and see the world with the eyes of a child. I'll let you know how it goes.

Holy Trip Down Memory Lane

2008-10-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

I'm making a mix for my best friend. It turns out that she and I both are huge fans of 80s alternative music. As I'm listening to all these songs from the late 80s and early 90s, I'm transported back to my early college years. I remember my newfound independence (yay! no more parents!), falling in love....and out of love....and in love....and out of love....I remember the great wide open life I had before me, and all the possibilities it held. I remember hope, friendship, happiness, and angst. I wish now I had more photos to document that time in my life; instead, I have precious few snapshots taken with a very cheap point and shoot camera at some parties my friends and I had. Where, coincidently, we would mostly listen to crazy music like Depeche Mode, the Cure, New Order, the Smiths and later the Stone Roses, Jesus Jones and Red Hot Chili Peppers (yes! they existed before 1995). OK, OK, I know I'm dating myself. But that's not the point. Here is the point: cherish what you have; hold it tight, and let it guide you as you meander through life.