Easy to please.

A friend of mine asked if I would do a short shoot to capture her kids and her requirements were as follows: close up and black and white...and don't worry about them not smiling. And then she added: if you can attempt to get some of my teen son, who never likes the camera, that would be great.
It was so wonderful to know exactly what she wanted. I love close ups. And I am learning I like to shoot teens. Umm, not shoot shoot teens, (maybe one day when I have my own I might be saying that) but you know, shoot, as in capture with a camera. (must clarify)
I love capturing them in a cool way that will cause them to perhaps stop and say, "Hey, that's not a bad picture of me." Remember when you were young, and you just wanted to know what you would look like if you were cool? Yeah. I like trying to capture that.

Happy Friday!

Off the cuteness scale...

When I was taking these pictures I was completely tickled by her cuteness. Look how soft and pink she is!  :) As I was editing the pictures, I was compelled to make them soft and sweet, because nothing else would do. I love the top right picture: her one ear peeking from her sweater. I love the bottom left picture: her pom pom visible to add to her cuteness quotient. And her name is Marea. Is that just not the most fitting name for such a sweet, soft, girly baby?

And here she is with her two brothers who willingly came and snuggle up to her. Little James, turning to give her a smooch. I'm totally melting. 

p.s. I totally labored over the direction of this photo. Should I flip it? Make it vertical? (Macaire..you will have to decide!)

What happens when two boys allow you to follow them with a camera...

There was a lot of: "Ooh, ooh! Get a picture of us smacking our faces against this pole!" And...

"Ooh, ooh! Get a picture of us smashing our faces against the glass!" And..."Get a picture of me looking like I'm blowing away in the wind!"

Not pictured: Zach attempting to throw Dane into a garbage can. A tan bark war. And two boys slapping their bellies for the camera.

Seriously..such a different world from girls.

Brothers!

When your brother gives you a wild hair-brained idea and you go for it, you better hang on tight! What I didn't catch: the look of terror as she was almost flung from the swing...and her brother laughing at the sight of it.

What can I say Bean? You were the one who listened to your big brother?!

Happiness is...

Happiness is...being perched up on your Dad's shoulders, hangin' on tight.

Happiness is...wearing your polka dot dress and red glittery shoes.

Happiness is...walking the train tracks because your mom and dad said you could.

Happiness is...finding your sweet "one and only". 

Happiness is...loving your kids.

And for me...

Happiness is...catching one good close up of Parker, cause dang, he was quick, and would have nothing to do with sitting for me and my camera. :)

sugar no more?

Any body else feel like their diet for the last month has consisted of a daily sugar intake equivalent to a mountain sized pile of donuts?

Every since my kids have been able to trick or treat, the days between Halloween and Thanksgiving are one long sugar-fest...sugar-feast.

By the time I get to Thanksgiving I am so d.o.n.e. with junk, I am ready to go on some major cold turkey type of diet where I only eat raw veggies and drink water, with not a gram of sugar or carb in sight. This is how I felt today.

But then I forget that the view towards the December holidays is so very close so I shrug it all off and tell myself that I can wait till December 26th to go on my sugar fast. 

Oh, but then I remember that New Year's is a week after Christmas and that I usually partake in the gorging of sugar and fat laden treats in the hours leading up to midnight on New Year's Eve--enjoying every calorie.

So it doesn't really pay to go cold turkey today.

Oh phooey.  Someone come please do an intervention.

Bonnie and Clyde...I mean, Bean and Claude

Above: Claude, the albino alligator, that resides in the "swamp" at the Academy of Sciences in SF. Yes my picture is one that shouts, "I am a far-away blurry picture that a touristy photographer took while trying to elbow her way around other phone-camera touristy types." But don't let that distract you from the amazing awesomeness of Claude. (For a more menacing up close picture of him click here.) I know he looks like a petrified fossil, or something very close to stone, but he did manage to float a few inches to the left while we all gawked at him. While aiming my lens at him a stranger next to me snipped to her boyfriend, "I can't believe they just lock him up in this little swamp like a caged animal for everyone to stare at him when he could be free out in the wild!" To which I replied to her (in my head of course), "Lady, if he were out in the wild he would have been dead by now from the hands of selfish poachers who want him for his rare, expensive skin...so Claude should be thanking us all for paying money to come see him so he can continue to live in peace where he is fed every day and no one is out to spear him!" I mean, I am all for sparing animals of cruelty, but he has lived a long, lovely, peaceful life in his little swamp. I think he is happy. Wouldn't you be if you could float around in a hot tub and have someone bring you snacks?

Below: Bean, his side kick, who was much more approachable. No danger in taking her picture: the only snap snap snap being that of my shutter opening and shutting while I captured her rare beauty. Her admirers? Her family, who love and feed her daily (and sometimes clean her swamp) and will never let her go "free" into the wild without proper care and protection. We love her too much.

Bean and Claude. Their beauty: rare, unique, priceless, and worth protecting. 

Sweeties

'Tis the holiday season to be getting your picture taken. And it has been a busy holiday season for me thus far--hence why I have been hit and miss the last few days with my daily posts. Oh I have used my camera, but being home to upload is another story. Today I met these two sweeties at the park for a quick shoot. How easy were they to capture? Um, very easy. Cause look at their faces and smiles and little flower clips and cute jackets. I was seriously envying their wardrobes and that sisterly love. 

I mean seriously, look how cute they are! 

(Can I say once more that I wanted their jackets?)

They had just a little fun running around for me. :)

We tried to get little cousin (a.k.a. Mr. Serious) to have some fun too but he really just wanted to do his own thing. I am so glad I happened to get this picture. I love it.

I am always amazed at the beauty in children's faces. 

This picture makes me stop and take a few seconds to soak it all up.

(I love how she folded her hands into her lap.)

And another beautiful face, lit with a beautiful smile. 

When you are five, all it takes is a ride on a swing to bring that smile to your face. 

Out again tomorrow, busy busy busy. I didn't even get a chance to post yesterday and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you had a wonderful day and are enjoying some yummy leftovers. 

I love teenagers (remind me I said this when I have my own)

I met a friend at the park today, a grandmother who wanted me to capture her grandchildren. I knew there were going to be three of them but I missed the part that two of them would be teenagers. I am not sure I have ever been paid to do teen snaps before, but after today I discovered how much I really love it. Look how beautiful these siblings are!! 

Um, this could be his celebrity head shot.

And this one too. Even my hubby said, "Wow, these are good-lookin' kids!"

And this could be the album cover for his debut album. You know, when he becomes a famous rock star or something like that.

And this girl is going to break hearts. Her brother better get his protector-mojo on.

This is little little brother. Those curls, and the eyes...

he is already following suit with the good looks.

He was a bit more squirrely and wanted nothing to do with my camera 

so I had to do a bit of chasing around, and grandma burned all her day's worth of calories jumping behind me to get him to smile. :)

So after today, I say, "Bring on the teens!"

Until I have my own and then I am sure I will be singing a different tune.

the bubble gum dance

This is what you do when your Omi buys you a yard of bubble gum. You dance and jump and do a little air-guitar. You are sooooo excited about your yard of bubble gum because deep down you know that there is no way your mother would have bought it for you had she been alone with you in the store. 

Thus you are not only dancing for joy because you are now the proud owner of yard of bubble gum, but you are also dancing and singing the praises of grandmas all over the world who buy things for you that your parents will not. 

Thank God for grandmas!  :) 

(You did not just see me roll my eyes.)