...so crazy can be whimsical (in a photographer), right?

I look like a normal baby boomer grandmother but inside I cherish the wonder of a little girl, I have a running quirky commentary asking "WHY?" and can be quite the smarty pants.  That's why I love photography.  I can express that in my photography.  I think that's where my daughter Samantha get's her slightly off center point of view in her photography as well.  Is that what whimsy is?

When my oldest daughter had a bug party we helped plan and made a photo booth as well as photographed the festivities.  Samantha did the face painting and this is her favorite shot from that day in the Iheartfaces.com whimsy challenge.  You can see more whimsical images here!

So trying to photograph a large family with boys is like trying to catch a greased pig...

it can be done but it'll wear everybody out!  Well maybe it wasn't all that bad but it was hard!  My baby brother and his family were out for the weekend, celebrating their son's gaduation in my backyard as a family graduation pool party.  The next day I wanted to take a family portrait for them and they brought clothes to wear (mom brought an assortment of outfits...so fun).

I had hoped to get them up early while the morning overcast was still around but not only would they not get up, they had a hard time getting going as well.  I didn't want their mom to stress out at them because I probably wouldn't get a happy family picture that way so we just worked with what they gave us.  That's the real Chavez family anyway, we don't sit still well and we don't go until we are good and ready.

This is one of three places I photographed them.  Before I took this one, I had them jump around, kick like ninjas and wrestle a little.  The boys love this one and I am happy with the attitude mom has, just going with it even though she wanted to strangle them all morning.  The session took about an hour and I am tempted to make a stop motion of all their shenanigans it took to get the shots.  I wish we didn't have the harsh summer morning sun but it is what it is.  What do you think?

To see more images of boys, this weeks theme on Iheartfaces.com just go here!

So the theme is yellow...

for Iheartfaces.com weekly challenge.  This image is from an engagement session I did with my daughter that was so much fun with the cutest couple!  You can have a sneak peak of our new website and a stopmotion video of their complete session at an abandoned mansion that was so cool...

at Vintage Modern Photography...Look for the cinema tab to see it.   Heidi and Brett love the movie "Benny & Joon" and that was the inspiration for their engagement pictures.  Here they are in a field of yellow wild flowers.  You can see more images inspired by yellow HERE!

So every spring I buy flowers, I grow flowers...

...and I photograph flowers.  I just can't get enough of the flowers blooming everywhere from my white star magnolia that blooms in January along with the roses (only in California folks) to the full bloom riot of color in April and whatever chooses to pop up each month afterwards, I am picking, arranging, buying and planting flowers.  Here is an arrangement of storebought parrot tulips with homegrown lilacs (that took me 4 dead plants til I finally planted one that liked it here)

I carried around my favorite log vase filled with the pretty blossoms and photographed them all over the house for just the right setting.  I photographed them in my bathroom, in the entry where they sat and then on the window seat where I liked the colors in the afternoon filtered light best.  I added some artistic filters in Photoshop and a texture because I wanted it to look like an old master painting.  I am making a set to print on canvas for my guest bedroom.  What do you think?  

You can see more pretty flower photographs at in this weeks challenge at Iheartfaces.

So I went to a wedding and took a few pictures...AS A GUEST!

As you know I am portfolio building and I am a second shooter for my daughter's wedding photography which means I take pictures of the dress, rings, the cake and whatever my daughter might miss.  It also means I schlepp around the equipment, round up the bridal party and family for portraits and make sure the main photographer eats something.  Another part of my job is heading the wedding papparazzi off at the pass in the nicest way possible.

What does that mean?  It means that I watch for those serial amateurs who will flash their point and shoot 30 or 40 times during the cake cutting sometimes ruining our shots.  It means that I watch for those who will get up and stand in front of the photographer to get the shots she has set up.  It helps that I am not a small girl like Samantha.  I just step in front of them and let them know they can have at it when she is done.  :)  There is nothing that can be done for those who stand in the aisle to get the bride walking down about 15 feet away from both of us but right in the way of the shot.  At my daughter's wedding, a zealous budding photographer stood with the photographer at the altar to get her shots.

   

 I have seen the results of these self professed amazing pictures and I am surprised that they don't see the difference between an amateur with a point and shoot trying to get the shot the trained photographer has set up with professional equipment.  Now don't get me wrong, many times the amateurs will catch moments the professional might not get.  As friends and family, they know the relationships of most of the people there.  The wedding is also part of their memories as well and many will never see the very expensive wedding album so it's an important opportunity for guests to get those pictures of their friends and family all dudied up real purty, smiling and happy where big bucks were spent on them to show up at a pretty place.

I was recently invited to a wedding of a young man who grew up around our kids.  The family has recently moved away so I knew we wouldn't get to see the wedding pictures.  They also could not invite everyone they would  have liked to so many friends wanted to see pictures of the wedding.  As a guest, I wanted to capture my own memories but I knew from experience photographing weddings that I wanted to stay out of the photographers way.  I brought my midrange dslr with a nice prime lens and another in my handbag.  I left my flashes at home, that would just make me look like the wannabe wedding photographer, right?  We got there late (due to a Starbucks/Krispy Kreme detour) but that always means a seat in the back where I can see most of the action and stay out of the way of the professionals.

  

The wedding was at midday outside which is the worst light unless you are an gifted flash ninja cuz' even photoshop isn't going to get the harsh shadows off their faces.  I don't mind them so much because my memories of a beaming young man marrying the gorgeous girl of his dreams colors my images with a rosy glow.  I did take one photo of the photographers set up about 5 to 7 feet behind her with my 85mm lens.  I am sure hers was beautiful because she was countering the harsh glare and shadows with her flash.  But I will never see it, it was a beautiful pose - I wish I knew who the photographer was now.

I hope I was not a wedding papparazzi.  I didn't take a huge amount of pictures, only enough for my memories to share with other friends of the groom...like this great one of the grooms only nephew dancing with himself.

Note:  I've been meaning to write this for awhile now...a post by http://www.digital-photography-school.com/ got me to actually do it.  What would be interesting is to hear from the photographer of this wedding.  What do you think?