This little nook is where the girls run and squeal whenever we are on our way back into our apartment. They chase each other while I holler at them to "come inside!" I can't help but smile as they completely ignore me running faster and laughing louder, racing each other back and forth across the hallway. The setting sun trickles in in the evening, and they spent this moment dancing in its shadows.
Because I feel so new to photography there are specific situations I feel comfortable shooting in -one of them is not the afternoon hour. I keep telling myself that in order to "be a good photographer" I have to confidently shoot in all lighting situations (even though I don't practice during that time because it's still scary territory for me.) Working around a toddler's schedule is difficult enough, then adding the direction and placement of the sun makes things infinitely more complicated, for me. The evening hour was not an option due to sweet baby B's bedtime, so while I was nervous about shooting at Golden Gardens hours before sunset I am pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
This family is completely in love with their little, and watching them constantly laugh and play and snuggle was a brief moment of heaven on earth.
Sir Ken Robinson gave a TED talk about creativity and referenced Dane Gillian Lynne. Gillian was given her title by the Queen due to her contributions to dance and theatre. Gillian choreographed Cats and Phantom of the Opera, and many other shows. She is now 88, still dances, and is married to the love of her life, who is 27 years younger than herself. Her life story is incredible.
Sir Ken Robinson and Gillian had lunch one day. When he asked her how she became a dancer she said she was helpless in school. Her mom took her to the doctor because she couldn't take it anymore. The school, in the 30s, wrote to Gillian's mom and told her they thought she had a learning disorder. The teachers told Gillian's mom they would call her "wriggle bottom" because she didn't have an attention span and couldn't stop moving. Gillian's mom took her to a specialist. While Gillian sat on her hands for 20 minutes this doctor talked with her mom about all of her problems. After a bit he went over to Gillian, sat by her, and said, "I need to speak to your mother privately. We will be right back. We won't be long." The doctor and Gillian's mom left her, but, before walking out of the room he turned the radio on. Outside the room the doctor told Gillian's mom to stand and watch her daughter. "And the minute they'd gone, I lept up, I lept on his desk, I lept off his desk, I danced all around the room. I had the most fabulous time." Said Gillian. Outside the room the doctor said to Gillian's mom, "There is nothing wrong with this child! She needs to learn to dance. She is a born dancer." He told her to take Gillian to a dance school. And she did. Gillian told Sir Ken Robinson, "I can't tell you how wonderful it was. We walked in this room and it was full of people like me. People who couldn't sit still. People who had to move to think. Who had to move to think." Gillian eventually auditioned for The Royal Ballet School. She became a soloist, had an incredible career there, graduated, and founded her own ballet school. She Met Andrew Lloyd Weber, is responsible for some of the most successful musical directions in history, has given pleasure to millions, and is a multi-millionaire. Gillian says she owes the doctor her life and her career. She said he saw an energy in her--and she feels she was possessed with one of the most unusual energies, "And he saw it."
NPR: "If you can teach creativity, where do you start?"
Sir Ken Robinson, "...inspire interest in passion, curiosity, and light up peoples' imaginations with the interests they themselves have for a particular discipline or field of work."
This is called freelensing. I am learning a lot about photography and even more about my style and even mooooorrre about what causes me to run around the house shrieking with joy - what sets off fireworks inside me because I made something my own. These photos' imperfections are exactly what makes them perfect to me. I took a risk and the most beautiful part is: the outcome doesn't matter! This newfound journey is one of growth and practice, as all things in life are, and I am not in a hurry to get anywhere - I want nothing more than to fill my cup to overflowing with creativity and joy.
As an aside, there were four artists/CDs that blared through my family's house (and car) while growing up: Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and The Phantom of the Opera. My mom would only cruise with the windows down, her foot hanging out the window of the car, and Whitney blasting through the speakers. And that was in 110 degree Sacramento weather. My dad would crank the stereo in the house and "THE PHANNNNNNN-TOM OF THE OP-ERA IS-SS THERRRE.....IN-SIIIIIDE MY MIND......" Oh, the good, good childhood memories. We went multiple times when I was younger to see The Phantom of the Opera because my dad loved it so much, and I'm happy to now know the inspiring story behind the choreographer. I even feel thankful for the doctor that told Gillian's mom to put her in dance class, and for her mom who took some great advice.
This gum wall session was everything a gum wall session should be: completely insane, disgusting, and most of all FUN. This chicas are too cute and their photos exude all of their creativity and talent in the strut-and-frolic department.
These two met on Match.com and the rest is history. Her idea for a Rose-Garden shoot was spot on, and the overcast skies made for some brilliant images. I love watching families enjoy their time together. When their only job is to be happy and have fun for an hour things are good. I get sit back and enjoy the ride, and then hear about how great it was afterward. And the whole time I didn't do anything but press a button and listen to them laugh and chat together. It doesn't get much better than that.
Every sign pointed to girl...so they thought! Congratulations, Liz and Thomy! #IVFSuccessStory
Cupcake Royale used to have my favorite ice cream: Salted Caramel Cupcake. But now by some freaky turn of events I prefer cake over ice cream--I can't believe I just typed that. They were "sold out" of my fav so I mostly sat back to enjoy the girls enjoying their ice cream--they loved having three bowls and three cones in front of them. I loved sitting back watching through a lens. After we cleaned up, Annie walked past the jars of sprinkles right to the stacks of cones on the other side of the counter, which are conveniently placed at the exact level of little eyes and little hands. She didn't mind at all and grabbed a small stack! Then we ran out the door. On the way to the car I asked them if i could take their picture by the flowers to which they happily obliged (gasp!) and then had a ball cracking up at each other. I wish I would have kicked it into video mode because that laugh of Kate's - where she can't breathe - is one of the sweetest sounds this earth has ever known.
I am crazy about the photos of the girls cracking up so hard they couldn't stand up straight. Of course no one else knows what's funny! That is what sister life is all about--a lifetime of secrets that will never be shared. To watch these sisters strengthen a bond that will last into the eternities is happiness on the highest level.
Everything is perfect while babies dig in the sand and quesadillas are what's for dinner. Never mind the quesadillas - that's actually every night. Regardless, the days can't possibly get any better.
This is my favorite photo from the shoot
Becca is kind and confident and funny. That is what I see in this photo.
It had been sunny all week, so when it was cloudy the day of the Anderson's shoot I was bummed out...until I pulled up and saw her fiery red hair against the grey clouds. Then I thought, "Hallelujah for clouds! This weather is perfect!" This photoshoot was everything I want every photoshoot to be: relaxed, real life, full of laughter and love and more laughter and more love. I'll take all the families who don't feel like they are "good in front of the camera" because they aren't working for a perfect picture. Tom, Becca, and Dean walked, played, laughed, chatted, sat, snacked, and relaxed, and I was having so much fun observing them I [accidentally] took more than 600 photos of them.
I have been studying a lot about creativity. It's not a talent that comes easily to me, but it's a talent I want, so I am reading, listening, and practicing everything creativity related. In one podcast I listened to the interviewer asked Sting to define creativity. Sting said it was the ability to take risks. The interviewer also talked about one study that was done on musicians who perform for hours, and everything they play is improv. Those conducting the study wanted to know what happens in our brains the moment creativity happens. While they don't know much about when or how that moment occurs, what they did find - in this one study - was that while creativity is taking place, our prefrontal cortex (the part of our brain associated with consequences) turns off, in a sense. In other words, if we want to be creative, we have to be able to take a risk, and not worry about what happens if, or when, we fail.
I have set a goal to practice creativity everyday. I want to take pictures that make me giddy-happy. The relaxed attitude throughout this shoot made it easy for me to take on that challenge, and I love the photos that came of it.
When Nicole says, "Look at that light out there!" we drop everything and chase it! These babies were all ready for books and bed, and then we took them back outside to play in the raining blooms. If only we would have snapped the picture of the two littles back in the pool, in their pajamas, after the shoot was over . . .
Tyler and I sometimes pop the question, "If you could move anywhere, where would you go?" After listing the same "must haves" in the place we want to raise our family, we always come back to: "Seattle. Where else would we go?!"
It's interesting to think that there is not a time or place in the future we are waiting for. We are content - more than content - we are happy where we are right now! While I do look forward to the liberation that will come when there is no more studying, or exams, there is nothing I would change about our lives. We love everything about this place that is home, and it only gets better with time.
Summer is here. Hopefully. Fingers Crossed. And we can't get enough.
Memories of my summers as a child are some of my favorite memories of all time. I can still taste the humongous carrot cake slathered in cream cheese frosting Mema would buy from Costco every year for my birthday - she knew they were my favorite. Bacca would sit poolside as all of the grandkids swam for hours and hours. We would hold our breath underwater and he would count. When we popped up he would shout out how long we held our breath, "8!" "4!" "12!" Little did we know he wasn't counting at all - just making up numbers! I knew I held my breath for longer than some of those 4's..... BBQs and cousins and parties and late nights and slumber parties on the living room floor and King's games...Life could not have possibly been any better than any of that, and now to watch it unfold through my babies' eyes is almost too much happy for me to contain.
Mother's Day weekend spent in Wenatchee was a much needed break from city life. Tears come to my eyes now as I remember Cindy, Nicole's mom, tearing up the stairs SO excited to see her own grandbaby. She had been out on an errand that could not wait and was sad to be gone when her family had arrived. I was in the house when she came home and heard her fly through the door, watched her leap up the flight of stairs, in a rush to get out the back door fast enough to her family. I hugged her and asked how I could help, but she said, "Oh, I have a car full of groceries that can wait; let's go see these babies first!" Life was put on pause - she had babies to see! I am full to overflowing with love and gratitude for my own parents, and equally for Tyler's parents, because I know they would, and do, sacrifice everything for our own happiness, no matter the amount of sleepless nights and busy schedules. Thank you, Cyndi, for welcoming us so lovingly into your home and taking care of us as my own mother and mother-in-law would have--even as a mother I still long for the rejuvenation that comes from being mothered.
These photos are what I want every summer to be: freedom, laughter, pool toys, naked babies, yummy food, smells of the grill, dessert, happy, family, friends.
Sitting in a backyard while the babies play in a pool are the memories of my childhood, and some of my favorite memories of all time. Then, nothing compared to Mema and Bacca's house all summer long, and now, to watch the girls bask in the freedom that is summer fills this mama with a joy that is infinitely times sweeter than honey.
