pascale wowak photoblog

Stay-Cation Part Deux

OK, so for Part One you need to scroll down and read that first and then come back to this post for Part Two, which encompasses days 2 and 3 of our little mini vacation.

Day 2:

We started out with a lazy morning breakfast on the patio at the Sanctuary Beach Resort.  The suites have kitchenettes and I brought everything we needed to have breakfast in our room every morning and a couple other meals too (one dinner and one lunch) which helped keep costs down and ensure that my kids weren't going to subsist exclusively on grilled cheese or Mac N Cheese for 3 days straight of eating out....  

We then headed down to Carmel and walked around for a bit.  I got to visit the Anthropologie store (if you know me, you know that is my favorite store in the whole wide world) and got to treat myself to a GORGEOUS plum dress and a beautiful sweater.  MAJOR treat.  It was my 8 yr wedding anniversary so I used that as the justification for the shopping excursion (something I RARELY do).  The kids got to hit the toy store there and get a little surprise too, so they were equally thrilled.  We walked down to the beach (a beach I love because the sand there is so fine and silky soft and dogs are allowed to frolick off leash) and the kids played a rousing game of "atttack dad" while I got to sit and chill out soaking in the sunshine and digging my feet into the cool sand.  I just love being near the ocean.

 

Our Stay-Cation

Such a funny term!  In June, to celebrate the end of the school year, I took the kids on a one night surprise getaway adventure to the Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina.  You can read my blog post about our mini trip there in June HERE where you can also see pictures of the resort.  We had, hands down, the most lovely escape with the kids I have ever had to date.  THE.BEST.TIME.EVER.  We had such an amazing time there that we decided we would spend our annual family vacation there in October.  Because of our opposing work schedules (when I work, the hubby is off, when he works, I am off) family TOGETHER time is a rare commodity and family vacations are even more scarce.  So, even though this was just an hour's drive away and for the duration of just three days away, we wanted to really have a the sense of "getting away."  I intentionally left the laptop at home (full disclosure: I still had my iphone) and only brought one camera/lens set up (my old 5d and even older 24-105mm F4 lens).  I vowed to try to not take too many pictures and ended up with a final tally of 250 images for three full days away, which for me, is pretty good actually!  

As a small side note, the kids were talking up the three pools at the resort up BIG TIME the entire drive down and were ready to jump into their swimsuits the minute we checked in.  Sadly, we didn't find out the entire pool area was under construction until AFTER we had checked in.  To say we were disappointed is a major understatement.  BUT, I have to give major props to the manager, Brian Rios, who not only apologized for not letting us know in advance and went out of his way to rectify the situation as best he could.    Not having access to the pool/hot tub area was a total let down but Brian handled it all really well and made it so that we would definitely come back in a heartbeat.  I seriously cannot recommend The Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina enough.  We look forward to coming back again and again over the years.  The place is super kid friendly (kiddie pool, regular pool, huge hot tub, steps away from the beach, playground area.....) and the staff are all awesome.  The rooms are WONDERFUL.  Just love.  

Ok, onto the trip.  We spent the first full day down in Monterey visiting the Aquarium for most of the day and Dennis the Menace park in the late afternoon.   Since it was super cold/windy and I had "hoodie" dress from Courtney Courtney Designs that needed a commercial shoot, I decided to kill two birds with one stone!  Ellie wore that outfit all day and I got to photograph it all day.  So, as everyone else was admiring the surroundings and sea life, I was finding perfect little pockets of light. :)  Truth is, I now do that even when I don't have my camera with me.  It's become an obsessive little habit of mine.  Always seeking that perfect light.  BTW, because I have so many pictures I am going to break this up into two posts.  This first one will cover day 1 and the second one will be for days 2 + 3 combined since I took less shots those next two days.

Before heading out to the aquarium for the day, I took Ellie outside our room and grabbed a few shots of her modeling the outfit.  She LOVES these hoodie dresses and wants to wear the hoodie on even indoors.

  

I'm back :)

Well, I'm back from my mini stay-cation.  We went away, technically, but just an hour's drive away.  Still, being as we are so blessed to live so close to the beautiful Monterey/Carmel area, it still definitely felt like a real vacation. [or, as much as a vacation as a mommy can have when traveling with her family, hahahahahaha!]   I just spent two hours unloading everything and putting everything away, including the groceries we stopped to get on the way home (because I am highly efficient and knew I wouldn't want to go back out tonight after unpacking everything and settling in!).  I am currently downloading all the pictures I took, which is actually not the gizillion you might expect since I really tried my best to not be in "documentation mode."    After I get through editing those pics, I have to get everything ready for Ellie's birthday party tomorrow.  So a LATE night tonight for sure.

In the meantime, to tide you over since I've been so lax with the ole bloggity blog here, a link to more great kids' books from Jennifer Taylor.  Great stuff!   Stay tuned for a photo blog post soon!

CLICK HERE FOR NEW BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Home made gift idea from PhotoJoJo

A SUPER homemade gift idea from one of my favorite photo gadget blogs called PHOTOJOJO. I would LOVE to make these as gifts for this coming holiday season.   My goal is to make it happen.  I just need to find the time.  Sooooooooo awesome.   IN LOVE.  Just *thinking* of all the different ways to personalize these and get creative with them is making me all happy-happy-joy-joy on the inside.  :)

 
 
 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Two 4″x6″ vertical photo prints
• Assorted types of paper (lined paper, graph paper, colored paper, etc.)
• Paper cutter or X-acto knife and ruler
• Two binder clips or clothespins
• White glue (like Elmer’s)
• Stack of heavy books (optional)

STEP 1: TRIM PAPER TO SIZE

Take your assortment of fine papers and cut each piece 4″x6″, the same size as your prints. An X-acto knife and ruler will work, but a paper cutter is a lot easier and quicker.

Keep cutting until you have a stack of paper about 1/4″ thick.

STEP 2: GLUE STACK OF PAPER

Tap the stack of paper sharply on the table to even up the stack. Tap one of the short edges until it’s perfectly flush.

Clamp the stack together with binder clips to keep it nicely lined up.

Apply glue to the evened-up short edge of the stack. Smear the glue evenly over the surface with your finger.

If any glue gets on the face of the pages, just wipe it away with your finger.

STEP 3: GLUE IT AGAIN

Let the glue dry for about 15 minutes, then shmear another layer of glue onto the same edge. Let it sit until the glue is completely dry.

The glue layer should be nice & thick. Unclamp the stack and ruffle it to see if any pages come loose. If they do, apply another good layer of glue and let it dry.

Place a print, face out, on the top and bottom of the stack and re-clamp with the binder clips.

STEP 4: MAKE A PAPER STRIP

And now… the spine!

Cut a strip of decorative paper 4″ long and about 3/4″ to 1″ wide.

Apply a thin layer layer of glue to the paper strip, smearing it over the whole surface with your fingertip.

STEP 5: GLUE STRIP ONTO STACK

Glue the strip onto the spine of the notepad (um, that’s the part with the glue layer on it.)

Line the paper strip up over the center of the spine, then bend one side down so it folds over the front cover of the notepad.

Smooth the strip onto the photo with your finger, then bend the other side of the paper strip onto the back cover and smooth that down.

If excess glue gets on the face of the photos, wipe it away with your finger or a damp paper towel.

STEP 6: LET IT DRY

Dump a big stack of books on top of the notepad (or put the clips back on so they hold the strip in place) and let the glue dry completely.

That’s it! See? Easy!

V2.0: INSTAX!

Want a wee little mini notepad? Use Instaxphotos instead!

Cut a stack of paper to the size of the instant photos (which conveniently happens to be the same exact size as a credit card),

Then follow all the steps the same way as above. Just make the paper strip a bit narrower (about 1/2″) so it doesn’t cover too much of the tiny photo on the cover.

MORE IDEAS

• Use horizontal photos instead of vertical ones to make a landscape-format notepad.
• Bind the long edge to make a vertical journal-type book.
• If you can get your hands on some Polaroids, turn them into notepad covers!
• Use square pictures and a thick stack of paper to make a desktop notecube.

Photo credits: geoftheref, Ferdinand Reus, Michael (mx5tx), Capitan Giona

Alex & Tess

I had the opportunity to meet and photograph a new family yesterday morning. I was greeted at the door by a very vibrant and energetic little boy named Alex.  And, as I peered in, I saw the cutest little baby girl ever.  Between these two beauties you couldn't go wrong.  When I saw the different outfits mom had laid out and wanted photographed I knew right away that I wanted to do the red themed outfit in front of their awesome green front door.  Very Christmas-y!  So, that's where we started!

  

 

 

I love how apprehensive about the whole process kids are when we first start out and then two seconds later they are back to being themselves!

 

all warmed up!

 

 

The best lashes EVER.

 

 

  

 

This morning light was GORGEOUS.

 

Such a charming smile. :)

 

 

 

  

I told mom this is my favorite age to photograph.  Isn't she lovely!?  Sweet little Tess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Alex suddenly decided he wanted to "strike a pose" for me and I couldn't have been more delighted!

 

 

Being tackle-kissed by Tess.  SO CUTE!

 

 

  

 

 

And for the third Tess outfit we went with a soft white top with white background and red chair to have some cool contrast and accent colors.  Love it!

  

 

 

 

 

 

So very wrong...and yet so funny.

My sister in law has this little poodle dog Maggie Mae.  We all ADORE Maggie Mae.  We also derive great entertainment from the things my sister in law makes Maggie wear.  Maggie has more clothes in her closet than I do.  It's the funniest thing ever.  And every year she has a new Halloween outfit.  This year, brace yourselves people, it was a lobster outfit.   

You know you've "arrived" as a highly coveted photographer when you get asked to take pictures of a dog in a Halloween outfit.  Tee hee hee  :)

Anywhooooo, I HAD to share these because honestly, I was laughing so hard taking these shots I know SOMEONE else is going to appreciate these as well.   Maggie was NOT digging the outfit but she worked it nonetheless and in between her "I hate you people" glares and her "you totally suck" looks directed at her owners, she still managed to look like the most amazing dog-lobster I've ever laid eyes on.

I am SO sorry I contributed to this Maggie.  But dang, it's so flippin' funny!

  

 

 

  

 

I hope everyone has a SAFE and FUN Halloween this Friday!!!  And if this isn't a great way to start off your week, well, geesh, I just don't know what you people want from me.... :)

The K. Family

If I told you everything that transpired during the course of this photo shoot you flat out wouldn't believe me! Seriously.  So, I'm just going to get straight to it and show you the slideshow and let you enjoy these images! Deborah and Charlie, it's always a memorable experience. I wonder how the kids will top it next year? :) 

 
 

  CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW

The Business of Photography

I am going to share two AMAZING links here about the Business of Photography.  Alot of photographers struggle with balancing the artistic and business aspects of this industry.  It can be really tricky sometimes to be in a highly creative and artistic field and yet also be able to manage the equally important business side of running and operating your own successful business.  Critical reading for anyone who is launching their own business or even those who have an established business.  Also great reading for your clients to know why you do what you do and tips on how to pick the right photographer for them.  It's not just about pretty pictures.   Just all around GREAT information.

First link is advice to photographers just starting out:

CLICK HERE

And the second link explains pricing:

CLICK HERE

My "baby"

My treasured and beloved camera (barely one year old Canon 5d Mark II with newly replaced 24-70mm f2.8 lens) suffered a traumatic drop from five feet high onto the hard pavement of a parking lot tonight right at the beginning of a session.  It is being overnighted to Canon's repair center first thing tomorrow morning.  No, I am not the one who dropped it, in case you were wondering. :) 

Did you know the sound of your (expensive) camera cracking as it crashes on the ground is excruciatingly painful to bear witness to? and intense enough to make your heart literally skip a beat and your hands start shaking uncontrollably!?  OY!  But it will be fixed, hopefully really quickly.  I'll be using my spare original model 5d in the meantime.  And the new dents, dings and scratches on its formerly PRISTINE body will forevermore be viewed as its "battle scars".  Please send my "baby" some internet love for a speedy internal recovery.  Thanks all! :)

Ellie, the dancing and singing queen

I had a rare day off today and it was absolutely AMAZING from start to finish.  I did my Tae Kwon Do class after dropping off the kiddos at school, followed by a Zumba class, followed by lunch with a dear friend whom I adore, followed by setting up all the arrangements for Ellie's birthday party, running a bunch of errands KID FREE, picking up the rugrats from school, playing with them all afternoon, cooking a NON rushed/frantic home cooked meal, playing some more, reading stories and then tucking my beloved children to bed and tying up a bunch of loose ends that were piling up all over my desk/computer.  One of those loose ends is getting all the little video snippets I took of the kids over the course of the summer uploaded to my IMOVIE program on my mac, and then nicely arranged on a DVD project and burned to a DVD.  I tend to do that every 4-6 months depending on how much actual video I took (I don't take very much, I take way more photos than videos) and how busy I am.  But, I am taking advantage of my day off today to check that off my never ending "long term non pressing" to do list! WOOHOOOO!  Super productive and pleasant day.  Just LOVELY!

As I was doing that I came across this video I took of Ellie just a couple weeks ago.  The girl is a nutball.  A total and complete looney tune.  I can't say that I have no idea where she gets her frenetic energy from (see me on any given day and that's not too hard to figure out) but man, she takes it to a whole new level.  This is pretty much my kid every single day.  EVERY DAY PEOPLE.  Bouncing off the walls.  Dressing up in her little outfits and "performing" NONSTOP.  It makes no difference if anyone is even watching her, although she certainly loves an audience.  When I heard her doing her thing downstairs that day, I set aside my work for a minute, knowing it was high time I caught this "act" on video for posterity's sake.  

When she sings...well, let's be honest here, it's screaming not singing.  But when she does this "scream-sing" thing she does it in a language she has created of her own called "gibberish".  She's been doing this for years now and she and I will actually speak gibberish to each other as a joke.  It's actually quite funny.  I'll have to videotape that one day.  But, I digress.  So, most likely, you will only understand one out of every 5 words because all the other words are totally MADE UP and MAKE NO SENSE whatsoever.  It's her world and we're just living in it folks..... :)

So, in case anyone is wondering why, perhaps, I am always worn out at the end of the day, look no further than my little energizer bunny/drama queen.  Mind you, Gavin, bless his sweet little soul, is generally playing Legos quietly in his room while this tornado makes her way dancing and screaming throughout the house.  Poor kid.  Can't wait to get the therapy bills for that later on....

You'll notice all her own original choreography...The Tiara, OF COURSE.  The judicious use of her princess purse as a dancing aide.... As a word of caution, you may want to turn the volume down.  This kid is LOUD.  Like New Yorker loud.  I do like how she was able to incorporate the buzzing fly that was bugging her directly into her song without skipping a beat, that was pretty neat.  At least she can think quickly on her feet, right?  

The password for this video is I AM IN FOR IT, but all lower case and no spaces so: iaminforit

ENJOY.  And feel free to send me your condolences.... By the way, I have no idea why the top of the video is being clipped off by vimeo... weird. And lastly, this is a FRACTION of the entire video which was over ten minutes of this.  You'd think I feed her crack for lunch.

Ellie, the singing and dancing queen from pascale wowak on Vimeo.

Logan

Oh Logan, how I love thee!  This little guy steals my heart EVERY single time I get to photograph him.  His charming personality and insane good looks are dangerous.  It's a good thing he's not my kid because I could honestly never say "no" to him.  I just want to swallow him up whole.  We were also blessed with the MOST.AMAZING.LIGHT.EVER.  I usually don't recommend beach shoots because the light is not really "at its best" until that last 30 minutes before the sun sets (depending on the weather of course) and kids cannot really be "directed" to face the "right way" when all they want to do is run around and play.  But it was cloudy (we actually got rained out at the very end), not too cloudy and not too bright....JUST RIGHT.  Usually this time of year the beach is either too bright/harsh or too cloudy/dark/overcast/foggy.  But when just the right amount of clouds are present, just enough to diffuse the bright sun but still maintain directionality, OMG, it's magical.  So, that combined with Logan's effervescent personality and I was pretty much deliriously happy.  It also helps that I ADORE Logan's mommy and daddy and that we spend half the shoot just jibber-jabbering. :)

Ok, enough chit chat, I'm sure you are dying to see these images of Logan.  I hope you love these Erin and David, such a pleasure seeing you guys again.  Thanks for hanging out! :)

My "tactical gameplan" with toddlers is to always get a couple more "posed" shots right off the bat because I know that once the kids are comfortable with me (which generally takes less than 3 minutes) they will be crazy little monkeys running around having fun.  It worked.  I got my "sit still" shots and then he was off and running for the rest of the shoot.  I just chased him around and got lucky from that point forward.... :)

He is SUCH a ham!

  

Art in all its many forms

I will never cease to be amazed by those rare individuals who are gifted with the amazing ability to spontaneously and naturally CREATE art like this.  Mind boggling and absolutely mesmerizing all at the same time.  This just blew me away.  We were late to school this morning because I couldn't stop watching it.   Had to share.

Your thoughts and prayers are welcome

to help this family through an unimaginably heart-wrenching time.  I posted about this situation on my Facebook page a couple weeks ago but just got permission from the mom, Sophie Crew, to do a blogpost here for her and her family.  Their 17 month old little girl Emma suffered a serious and massive head trauma injury while in daycare.  She was initially in a coma and is now emerging from the coma but has unfortunately suffered tremendous irreversible brain damage as a result of the injury.   They also have an older daughter as well.  When I read Sophie's blog I was in tears.  I immediately donated to their fund (the last thing they need to be worrying about right now is paying the bills) and sent this out over facebook but still felt like I could do more.   I sent an email to Sophie to ask her if I could feature her story on her blog to rally more prayers, not really expecting she would even have the chance to answer emails, but she did.  They live down in San Diego so it's not like I can organize and set up a rotating meal delivery service to her house or any of the many things that I could accomplish if she lived locally, so the best I can do right now, besides having them in my thoughts and prayers every night is let other people know about it (with her permission) so that there can be even more goodwill and positive vibes sent their way.   You can never have too many prayers and positive thoughts when in the midst of huge personal tragedy.  Sophie's strength is remarkable.  The latest update I got from her today was as follows (they removed her skull due to swelling and her entire left side of her brain is non functional at this point):

"Emma had a 3rd surgery this morning to prevent any infection that could result from the CSF still leaking through the sutures... they installed a titanium mesh in between the brain and the scalp just as a temporary fix until they put her skull (or prosthetic) back in in 2 months.  We will be starting rehab on Monday... Emma's entire right side (sight, hearing, limbs) have been affected.  Please keep her in your prayers."

The link to her blog can be found by clicking HERE.

Your opinion is needed....

I am super tired (and a bit tipsy from a mommy's night out cuz I'm a total lightweight) and I just spent over 2 hours designing Ellie's birthday party invitations, which are being done at the LAST possible minute because I am a BAD mommy and only today got my act together enough to even figure out WHAT we were doing for her party.....sigh.  Anyway, I ended up with two TOTALLY different designs.  And I can't pick.  And I need to send these out to get printed TODAY (it's nearly midnight so that means when you ready this it will be today).  Please vote in the comments and tell me which one you like best!?  It's not like me to be indecisive so I blame it entirely on pure exhaustion.  It's been that kind of week.  THANK YOU!!

  
 
 
 

Johnson Farm Field Trip

This week I chaperoned a trip to Johnson Farm with Ellie's Kindergarten class and it was so much fun!   This is my third year straight doing these annual Farmer Rob field trips and they are THE BEST!  Farmer Rob is hilarious and amazing with the kids.  We also have a personal connection with Johnson Farm because we have been going there every single year for nearly a decade now to go cut down our Christmas Tree.  It's a big tradition in our family and we just love that place.  Insider tip:  You have to go the first two weeks of December though or there won't be any trees left to cut down, just the ones he has shipped in from up north.  If you go on the weekend, he does tractor rides and hot cocoa from the "store", you can feed the goats and chickens etc... and it's really just the most beautiful property.  We love that place.

I brought my camera and took a few pictures but wasn't really in "photo mode" and since I didn't contact all the parents to get permission to post their kids' images I am only showing a few of Ellie that I took that day.  She is wearing a COURTNEY COURTNEY dress, super cute!

On a side note, I am slowly emerging from this flue bug.  Been a bit of a rough week honestly and I'm gearing up to make up for all the lost work time due to being sick so next week is jam packed but we have our "staycation" at the end of the month and knowing that's coming up is enough to pull me through to the other side!!

  

 

Going to feed the chickens!

 

 

On the tractor ride!

 

Farmer Rob told the kids to hold their pumpkins upside down and cradle them like "babies" and Ellie took that VERY seriously.  

 

I LOVE this little pedestrian bridge.  Every year I get a shot of both kids posing on it when we come up for our tree.

 

More Books!

As a follow up to my earlier blog post about great children's books, a reader of my blog (and fellow photographer) sent me this link to her blog with a recent posting about children's books she recommends.  She isn't just another mommy reading great books to her kids either, she actually has a PhD in Early Childhood Education with a specialty in Literacy Development.  So, um, yeah, she kinda knows what she's talking about..... :)

To go see Jenny's list, CLICK HERE.

Thank you Jenny for that comprehensive list! Much appreciated!

Mountain Living

This past weekend we geared up for our first big storm of the season.  The family and I stacked nearly 4 cords of wood (that is, by the way, A WHOLE LOT Of wood), took down all the outside umbrellas, stacked the outside furniture, put gas in the generator, I got up on the roof with a blower and cleared out all the gutters, etc....   There are definitely advantages and disadvantages with regard to living up in the boonies. :)

I started feeling sick Saturday night but powered through our all day "prep-a-thon" on Sunday because it just needed to be done before the storm hit.  By Monday morning the cold had firmly established itself in my body but still, I resisted.  I overdosed on Echinacea, elderberry, "blockade", vitamin C, anti-oxidant rich foods and went to bed early every night to get a minimum of 8 hrs of (fitful) rest.  But yesterday, the cold won and became a flu.  Flu - 1,  Pascale - 0.    So far, the kids have escaped its wrath, thank goodness.  

The big storm hit us yesterday with quite the fury too.  I guess it was a good day to be sick because we weren't going anywhere!  Our little town got a foot, TWELVE INCHES, in less than 24 hrs.  CRAZY!!!

We lost power several times but the generator made it possible to cook up meals etc...  My photo shoot this midweek got cancelled initially due to the storm and now due to my bug so bear with me folks as I fail to provide you with any photoblog updates!

I need to wake up feeling all better tomorrow because I am chaperoning Ellie's field trip to a local farm and would hate to miss out on it.  I did this particular field trip with Gavin's class last year and we just love this local tree farm (Johnson Tree Farm in Boulder Creek) and go there every Christmas to cut down our tree.  

Oh, and I'm back to being a redhead!  Here's a little shot taken with my Iphone :)   [I look all pale and sickly, but you get the idea.  I get sad when my red eventually fades out but can only justify going to the hairdresser a couple times a year so I make the most of it when I go!!]

  
 
 

Rylan Blue

First of all, awesome name.  Second of all, awesome family.  I have this core group of client/friends whom I've been photographing since my very first year in business.  I love that 4+ years later they are practically family to me.  Kathy and Luke are part of that group and I've had the distinct pleasure of photographing them over the years since our very first shoot when they were pregnant with their daughter Luci.  I knew right then and there (after a great and super fun session) that I would become friends with them.  I've been able to document Luci through every major milestone and then capture their second pregnancy, which is posted HERE , and now (drumroll please), the arrival of their baby boy Rylan Blue.

I've gotten to the point where I consider newborn photography to be my specialty.  And I try with every shoot to push the envelope and try new things.  I don't want to merely copy the "rockstars" of newborn photography, such as the amazing team of Carrie and Brittany aka BABY AS ART.  Everyone knows they are true innovators who first came up with many of the unbelievable shots every newborn photographer now tries to emulate.   Rather, I try really hard to put my own spin on concepts, ideas and poses.  All of this, of course, involves a myriad of props (baskets, toys, fluffy blankets, textured blankets, hats etc...) and it's so fun and challenging to get a newborn into some crazy, unbelievable pose and totally nail the shot.   So, I came to their house with several new props I was DYING to play with (including a vintage scale that my friend gave me from her grandma's attic).

But, Rylan had other plans.  After a couple hours and no success I was, admittedly, a little bit worried.  How am I going to get my usual amazing shots for Kathy & Luke?  And then, I remembered something very important that I think I had started to lose sight of lately....namely, that the baby is not a prop.  That capturing the emotions and connections of the day along with the magic of this moment in their lives, which is what got me so passionate about newborn imagery in the first place, is far more important than capturing some incredible pose.  So, Rylan, THANK YOU for wanting nothing to do with all my props and instead making it perfectly clear that the only place you wanted (and rightfully so, needed) to be was on your mommy.  And, really, who can blame him!? :)

When I walked in I saw Luke in the bathroom combing and prepping Luci's hair.  SO sweet.

 

Time

Ah, yes, this ever elusive thing called TIME.  The past several years I have felt as though TIME was my enemy.  Never enough of it to go around.  Never enough for any given aspect of my life.  Never sure how to divvy it up amongst all my many obligations.  Such a precious commodity, really.  As busy moms we can all relate to the concept of time, and lack thereof.  There really never seems to be enough of it, and certainly never enough for US!  My time always seems to be swallowed up whole between work, kids, house, errands, activities, chores and then, when possible, time for myself or with my friends.  There's certainly never enough time in the day to get everything done I want to get done or enough time to allow me a full night's rest.  And so, after nearly 8 years of getting absolutely no sleep and running around in a futile attempt to "catch up" with time, I started to feel like time was out to get me, so to speak.  It wasn't until the kids both started going to school every day this fall that I suddenly had precious little pockets of time to BREATHE  (or should I say actually stop and catch my breath) that I started to see time more as friend than foe.

Time has now become a valued and treasured commodity, rather than a race.  I appreciate it.  I cherish it.  I respect and honor it.  How I choose to divvy up my time and maximize it has become a testament to my priorities and my choices in how I want to live my life.  I work WITH time now rather than against it.

There still isn't enough of it in any given day and yet, I don't go to bed all stressed out about what I wasn't able to accomplish and instead look at what I DID accomplish.  I've come to accept that I am, in fact, only human, and ergo can only do so much in one day rather than trying to be this perpetual machine of productivity.   This new approach materializes itself in me by being committed to working out every single morning during the week without fail as I finally honor MY time for myself for the first time since becoming a mom.   This new way of thinking exhibits itself by me putting aside my work in the afternoon to hang out with the kids in the backyard or work on an art project with them and ENJOYING them rather than cramming in as much work as possible while sending them off to do something on their own, with me "around" but not actively present.  And if this means I am up til 3am later working because of it, that's ok, I happily OWN that because it meant I got quality time with my kids and the lack of guilt from that more than makes up for the lack of sleep.

We really have no idea how much time we are going to be given in this life and EVERY moment should count.  Whether we are doing something huge or something small is of no matter, as long as it is time that is really LIVED and appreciated for what it is.   I feel like this transformation within me of accepting life's time constraints and not fighting it anymore has been huge for my sanity and my happiness.  I don't feel nearly as much guilt about everything or resentment for the lack of me time because I am finally able to get that ME time now.  And it feels oh-so-good.   I can fill my tank finally.  And instead of running on empty ALL THE TIME, I am only running on empty for short periods of time until I can refill my tank again, which I know will be soon because I have now scheduled those "refilling" sessions into my life.  I can count on them.  And that brings me great peace.

So, this little soliloquy of mine is all a prelude to announce: I got my fourth tattoo yesterday and it's based on this concept of time.   It honors this stage in my life where I feel I have finally gotten to a point where I can really appreciate time rather than just living life going through the motions.  I appreciate everything so much more and feel so enriched by having this constant sense of perspective and appreciation that helps sustain me through the rough days/moments.

What I love most about all my tattoos is that each one represents a stage in my life.   It's almost like my body is a canvas and the tattoos on it tell the story of my life.  The one I got last year for my birthday was a flying robin (bird) on my back carrying two strings in its claws, each string was designed to spell out my children's initials.  The concept of the bird was two-fold.  One was to represent the "nesting instinct" that the birth of my children created in me (something that was definitely never there before) and the other was to honor the idea of freedom.  The freedom to be the kind of mom I choose to be and to follow my powerful mommy instincts at all times.  

The tattoo I got yesterday is three "stacked" vintage pocket watches in "black and grey".  Each pocket watch is set to the respective time each of my children were born and the middle one is set to the time I was born.  There is obviously the theme of time being represented in the idea of the pocket watches but beyond that the birth time concept is huge for me.  There is the time I was actually born, and then there is the time I was "born" as a mother.  Becoming a mom changed me in so many immeasurable ways and the birth of my kids definitely represented a sort of re-birth for me too.  They are, and always will be, the best thing that ever happened to me.  

I promised all my friends I would post a picture of the tattoo.  It took two painful hours to get done (much more painful than my other ones, even my large one on my back) due to the sensitive nerve endings in that area.   It's still very raw and red (the parts that are showing up red are actually going to settled down and be a very light grey in a few days).  So here it is  (it's really hard to get a self portrait by the way....):

The top watch is Ellie's at 1:12am

Then mine at 3:30pm

Then Gavin's at 4:10pm

The kids love looking at "their" watch.  My tattoo artist (who did the last two of my four tattoos) did an amazing job of making each vintage pocket watch unique and yet have them all close and connected, distinct and yet intertwined.  I love it.

  

and a closer up view

 
 
 

Gretchen

Gretchen contacted me to get some quick updated headshots for her business before she left for a conference.   I squeezed her in, and by that I mean literally a 10 minute session, which was all I needed because, hello? She's gorgeous.  

Gretchen is a mom of three kids, a rep for MY MANGO STEEN, an event planner and also works part time at her kids' school.  Superwoman, basically.

Love these shots!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stunning.

Dave & Kristy

Dave & Kristy are very close friends of mine.  I worked with Dave many years ago and cannot even tell you how happy I was for him when he met Kristy.  She is absolutely PERFECT in every way and he is one lucky dude.   He is also so good to her and they are just the best match.  I shot their engagement, their wedding and now, yipppppeeeee, their pregnancy!!  And sometime around Christmas, I will be lucky enough to shoot their new little baby girl, fresh out of the oven! I cannot wait.  Kristy was meant to be a mom and she is going to be a complete natural at it.  I can't wait to see Dave cuddling his newborn baby girl, it just might make me cry. But, you know, I'll pull myself together real fast cause I'm a professional and all.  :)

Kristy wanted her maternity session to be sweet and simple.  No dramatic half naked shots but rather images that capture their excitement about their baby and their incredible bond with each other.   It's so obvious that Dave and Kristy are best friends and really make such a great team in their marriage.  This little girl is going to be very loved.  

Kristy wanted to do the shoot downtown Capitola because of all the bright colorful buildings and then finish off with some beach shots.  The light that day was magnificent and Kristy looked stunning!  She definitely had the "glow."  Of course, Dave's job was to make us laugh and he was quite successful in that department.  I can always count on him to put a big smile on my face.

Dave and Kristy, I love you guys and am soooooo excited to meet your little girl!  CONGRATULATIONS!

 

Interview with Jodie

I had the distinct honor and pleasure of being interviewed by photographer/blogger extraordinaire Jodie Kuhn (formerly of JODIFIED) over at Fresh Art Photography.   Jodie has been a blog friend of mine for a while now and it's such a treat to have my book featured on her blog!  To go read the interview, visit her blog and check out Julie and all her radness CLICK HERE .  Jodie and I are kindred spirits.  We have young children, run a full time photography business, have husbands who are gone a lot at work and have homes filled with art, chaos, messes, tantrums, laughter and bouts of total craziness.  We also both get absolutely NO sleep.  It's truly amazing how many of us out there  continue to function on so little sleep. :)

Feel free to swing by and give Jodie some love on her blog and read my interview and maybe even enter the contest if you are feeling creative! :)

THANKS JODIE!

ZoZoBugBaby visits the Apple Orchard!

Technically, Gavin, Ellie and I visited the u-pick Gizdich Apple Orchard yesterday but since Ellie was wearing a brand new just released ZOZOBUGBABY outfit designed JUST for her, well, that means Zozo was with us too! :)

For those of you who dabble in sewing, this outfit is also going to be available as a pattern for purchase as well as already created by Julie, which is WAY cool!  But, seeing as later today will be my FOURTH shoot in THREE days (yeah, I know), it's not like I've got ANY time for sewing these days.  Good thing I've got Julie to send me the outfits already created to perfection! Phew!

Ellie was totally digging this outfit and seeing as this was our first time at Gizdich Ranch both she and Gavin were having a BLAST!  I always bring the kids to the new locations I am scouting out for regular shoots to try it out with them first.  Whenever possible I like having the opportunity to get a feel for a location and its lighting and various backdrops with my kids before bringing a client there.  I will definitely be shooting there again!  I LOVED the place!  

We came home with a huge bucket-full of apples and a yummy pie.  Doesn't get much better than that!

  

Renee, Coral & Bailey

I know Renee because her adorable daughter Bailey goes to school with Gavin and is actually in his classroom this year.  We attended a mom's soiree a while back consisting of the moms enjoying cocktails on the back deck of our friends gorgeous property (with a stunning view of the mountains no less) while the kids ran loose like wild monkeys.  If that doesn't sound like fun, then there is something seriously wrong with you! Hahahaha :)

I had the opportunity to photograph Renee and her two daughters, Coral & Bailey, last week and BOY did those girls work the camera!  They BROUGHT it!  I *love* when confident women of all ages work the camera.  I start squealing and saying things like: "Oh, yeah, work it girl, work it!"  I'm not shamed to do that.  I'm passionate about what I do. :)

Anyways, here are just a few favorites from an amazing shoot.  Bailey is the cutest kid on the planet with the sweetest disposition, Coral is the quintessential California Girl with dazzling smile included, and mom is H.O.T.  This trio was on fuego.

ENJOY your images ladies!!

  

So funny!

Gavin has a weekly spelling test on Fridays based on a list of ten words he practiced spelling throughout the week and which were also incorporated in his homework for that week.   The teacher also throws in five "bonus" words that day.  They are, obviously, much harder than the regular spelling words.

Here was Gavin's last test.  You'll note he got all his REGULAR words correct (nice job!) but HOLY COW did he butcher the bonus words!!!  Goodness... I was laughing so hard!  Now, granted, as someone who is particularly OCD about proper spelling, I couldn't help but cringe a little bit...  Yet, I was still able to see the delicious cuteness in how he worked his way through those words.  I typed (in red) the "correct" word with Photoshop in case you needed some help deciphering his spelling!! Hahahahaha!

I love stuff like this!

 
 

ZozoBugBaby LOGO shirt!

Julie sent me this ADORABLE first of its kind custom ZOZOBUGBABY LOGO shirt tee and skirt!  SO cute!!  It's about time she created a logo shirt!  She just needed five quick photos for her Etsy listing (as opposed to a regular full scale shoot) which worked out well because I had alot shoots this week and was not able to squeeze in another full shoot!  So, yesterday, in between picking up the kids from school and taking them to their art classes I had exactly 10 minutes to kill so Ellie and I whipped out a wicked fast mini shoot!  I then dropped them off at art class and headed out to my REAL shoot I had scheduled that day.  It's been a crazy week and next week is just as busy with work including school volunteering, chaperoning a couple field trips etc...  I am very much looking forward to the 4 day mini "staycation" we are taking the last week of October down in Monterey.  We obviously would have preferred, oh, I don't know, a trip to Hawaii or Disneyland or something but it's not feasible so, we'll be skipping a real family vacation yet again this year...but, I'm still way excited because it's time away with my kiddos and we have so many fun things planned! So, it's all good. Until then, I'm just taking it all one day at a time during this crazy start of the most hectic season for photographers and having fun with some new techniques, locations and clients to keep the creative juices flowing! :)  This shoot with Ellie was done in a staircase right by her art class building!  You can find little "shooting gems" just about anywhere...

To see Julie's work and/or purchase this outfit CLICK HERE!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next one is my favorite!

 

 

 

And Gavin even let me grab a couple shots of him!!  Ellie can make him laugh like no one else and he'll laugh so hard he cries.  It's hilarious.  He is such a sweet, sweet boy.  I just want to squeeze him all the time.  And the best part is, he lets me.

   

 

 

 

The P. Family

This family is very special to me.  We worked together ages ago and I miss Debbie in particular for helping those long nights go by faster! :)

Anytime you get six people in a shoot it's a ton of work but with these guys it was just easy peasy lemon squeasy.   We cycled through every conceivable combination of groups and arrangements and everyone was so sweet and cooperative!  SUCH a difference dealing with young adults versus, oh, you know, TODDLERS! :)

Debbie, Don, Eric, Kendra, Chase & Austin (my "favorite"... that was just for you Austin)... thank you for a delightful time hanging out at the beach enjoying the lovely weather, scenery and catch up time.  Miss you guys.

ENJOY your images!!

 

  

Retirement is suiting Don quite well, handsome fella. :)

 

 

And Debbie is a total hottie.  She looks better every year I see her and I'm totally jealous.  

 

 

I could have taken pictures of Kendra all day long, so photogenic.  Gorgeous.

 

 

Eric was totally under the weather with a bad flu bug (and yet still so unbelievably cordial and friendly, such a great guy) so we all joked about not getting too close to him and treated him like he had the plague.  Just kidding!  At one point Kendra was able to say, through gritted teeth yet maintaining a perfect smile throughout: "if I get sick from being this close to you I'll kill you."  Ah, sibling love!

 

 

Chase was so sweet this time.  I even got a hug and a kiss instead of dagger eyes.  Ha! Chase just LOVES having his picture taken.  Right, Chase? :)

 

 

And Austin, my "favorite".  He tries to come home with me every time.  And the adults try to get me to take him home with me every time.  It's pretty funny!  It's all in good fun though!

 

 

  

 

What a group of handsome men!
 

I have a RIDICULOUS amount of amazing shots of Kendra.  WOW, just WOW.

  

 

 

 

Her dad's not too shabby either.

  

 

My sweet Debbie, I miss you chicka.  Such piercing blue eyes.

 

 

Oh if you ONLY knew what we were talking about here....

  

 

 

 

 

         

LOVE YOU GUYS!