Back in 2013, I was part of a "10 on 10" group with a group of pretty cool and talented ladies and we are back this month with a blog circle...10 images posted on the 1oth of the month...so go check out our circle starting with Ginger Unzueta
You may recognize a few of these images from a collaboration I did with Storybox Art for the 5 minute project that you can find here...but I had to post the others I got that I liked as well. :)
A couple weeks ago I shared this series over on the 5 minute project blog where I contribute regularly. I am sorta in love with these moments between these two so I wanted to make sure I blogged there here too.I mean how could I not want these here too right?
Last month we headed up into the mountains before every leaf fell off the trees. My kids complained about going but one we got there they had a great time. Why do kids do that? Why can't they shout hooray every time I want to go somewhere? :) I tell you with four kids it's really hard to make everyone happy at once. In fact my oldest opted out of this adventure and regretted it later.
I am honored to be posting today with some photographers that I admire a lot in a blog circle called "what _____ looks like". Each month we fill in the blank and with something and link to one another. Be sure to head over Wendy VanSosen and to see what her month looks like....
I had a GREAT time with this family...and hopefully that shows in the images. The weather got a bit cold but these kids were troopers. Mom is a photographer...which is a serious honor to know she chose me to capture her family.
We went to Southern California last week for fall break. Needless to say, it didn't feel much like fall there. We go to the beach often considering how far it from us. I love the ocean so much. I lived right here for the first 5 years or so of my life. The beach was literally my front yard. I spent a lot of time in the ocean every summer of my life as a kid. Even after we moved away, my mom made sure we spent some time there every summer. I would spend hours just bobbing in the waves and diving under them. This past trip was a big one for my oldest girl. She got the courage to go out in the big waves past her knees. She got to experience that freeing yet humbling feeling that comes from being out in the huge and vast ocean. She was giddy and kept telling me how fun it was and wondered why she had been so scared before. It was a full circle moment for me to be able to be out there and experience this with her...and I love that I was able to have my camera with me. This month I give you "what her first time out in the big California surf looks like".
And true to form, the powerful ocean flexed it's muscles for her. A big wave tumbled her to the bottom and she got a battle scar on her cheek to prove it. She was a bit self conscious of it but I kept telling her how cool it was to have proof she did something brave (and that it would go away).
Now head on over to see what El Hogan's adventurous world looks like this month....
An aspen grove is a sight to see in the fall....and Utah kills me with it's beauty. Be sure to head over to the 5 minute project to see what has been going on there.
It's always super flattering when people spend a bit of time with me while they are on vacation. These two were here from Seattle and we got to spend a bit of time up in the gorgeous Utah mountains. It was really fun to do a mommy daughter shoot!
So about two weeks ago I attended and taught at Click Away here in Salt Lake City. I enjoyed myself more than I even imagined I would. One of my jobs there was to do a live shooting demo for a very small group of ladies. Kirsty Larmour's cute, funny, smart, and well traveled girls were my models (lucky me). I was thrilled to meet Kirsty as I have admired her and her work for a long time. I will say that this particular shoot was OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE in pretty much every way possible. I'll list the reasons why: 1. It was at 3:30 in the afternoon. YIKES. For a photographer who is very inspired by light, this is tough. I mean I shoot my own kids in full sun all the time but I NEVER schedule clients this time of day.
2. We were shooting in a urban setting. I generally shoot in more rural, wide open spaces. I do this because I don't live in the city and because I like kids to be able to roam and play a bit. On this shoot we were constantly dodging cars in parking lots. For me that makes it hard to relax.
3. I was trying to connect with these gorgeous girls and do what I normally do during a shoot but I had a group of fabulous photographers watching me. It was HARD to connect with my subjects while trying to explain what I was doing and seeing....and when I say hard I mean really, really hard.
In the end though I am happy with my results. I always tell myself that all light is not equal but you can take a cool picture in any kind of light...and I feel like I proved my own point to myself with these images...
I also always tell myself that if something scares me, it's probably a sign I need to do it and I'll learn something from it. This shoot was no exception. I pushed through all kinds of fears this particular weekend at Click Away...and laughed so hard I snorted but maybe I should leave that for another post.
This is the time of year that there is much less time for the adventures I crave. With four kids and all their activities and schedules during the school year, it's just hard to find the time. So we spend much more time around the house...doing things like hula hoopin...or whatever else we can find to entertain ourselves outside before the snow comes. This month I give you "what a few minutes of hula hoopin looks like"...
Now head on over to see what Andrea Hanki of Pink Sugar Photography's world looks like...she's a fav of mine and always has such an interesting perspective on the everyday...
I decided I'd make a sideshow of this months 5 minute project to one of my very favorite songs...just because. So be sure to turn up the volume REALLY loud because this song is out of this world good and good songs sound better loud!
(Bon Iver Skinny Love)
Be sure to head on over to the 5 minute project blog to see what has been going on there...
and in case you are lazy and don't want to take the time to watch the slideshow, here are the images without the killer song....
This family came here all the way from my home state of Texas on vacation. I am always honored when people spend their precious vacation time having me photograph them. We had a wonderful time in this amazing setting and at the end of the night I planned for a special guest to visit these Texans....A MOOSE! Yeah, we got photobombed by a giant moose. It was a super cool way to wrap up our evening...and now this family has a portrait with a moose. I'm sure not many people can claim that. :)
45 minutes of hiking, 5 minutes here, and 45 minutes hiking back to the car to beat the darkness. Next time we need to plan that better! Be sure to go check out the 5 Minute Project blog if you haven't lately. You can find it here on FB. The artists that contribute there regularly are pretty amazing.
So last month, I threw my four kids in the car and drove 10 hours to southern California to go visit one of my dearest friends from college. She's living in an amazing house on Santa Monica Beach. We've been friends with this girl for almost 20 years (yikes I'm old) We have been on countless adventures together. Back in the day, she was my friend who would hop in the car and go anywhere on a moments notice. We have slept in countless parking lots, flown to NYC with people we hardly knew at the time. We have hiked the subway in Zions with no ropes, map or permits (stupid), kayaked the entire 17 mile napali coast. We jumped in the car and drove 400 miles to see L L Cool J just because we thought it would be funny, drove around Colorado City, windows down, rap music blaring (if you don't know what Colorado City is google it and you will get the humor in that experience). We have hiked countless miles together and belly laughed together regularly. Every time we get together it's like we we never apart. This trip was no exception. This was the longest road trip I have gone on with just me and my four kids. I was pretty nervous about driving this far with my four kids and no other adults but it was actually no big deal. It felt good to step outside my comfort zone and do it despite my apprehension. I'm a big believer in pushing past fears and doing it anyways...and every time I do that, the payoff is huge. This trip was no exception. We were sad to leave the husband behind but he was too busy at work There's always next time right? The perks of not having your husband go along is that you can do whatever you feel like without worrying about torturing him with too much photography talk. So on this trip I got to hang out with Ashley Jennett of The Stork and the Beanstalk (who is joining our group this month) and Leah Zawadzki. It's always awesome when you meet friends you have made online and they are every bit as cool (even cooler) than you'd imagined. Here are some scattered bits and pieces from my trip. I do have to say that sometimes I go on trips and feel very inspired to take all kinds of pictures and sometimes I don't. This trip fell more into the "not feeling it category" so the images are a bit all over the place, but I give you my scattered "what social looks like"....
and the one image I took when I was with Ashley...
and my evening with Leah...
Then we decided to stay one more night and we went to Leah's amazing house and hung at her pool.
Now go see what Stephanie Moore is up to this month....and then be sure to follow through the circle...
It's time for another installment of the 5 minute project. Sometimes I have spiderman powers and climb up on top of the swing to get a different perspective. And sometimes I get bored and want to play around with slow shutters. Panning is hard...just sayin.
Ok, maybe I don't have spiderman powers....just a swing set with a playhouse on stilts right next to the swing. The panning? It really is hard. :) Be sure to head over to the 5 minute project blog to catch up on all the amazing posts there. And while you are at it find it on FB here.
There is nothing quite like being in wide open spaces. We headed to go see some sand dunes that I have been hearing about for years. It's amazing what you can find if you are willing to venture out and explore a little bit. It's not always easy. My kids usually complain that they don't want to go with me BUT they are always (well usually) happy once we get there. This amazing place is only an hour and a half drive from my house. We actually went twice in one week. This was the second trip. My daughter really wanted to go back with her friend. So I made arrangements for my other kids and off we went. We didn't see one single soul the whole time we were there. Talk about quiet? Almost surreal and unsettling at times but oh so good for me. This month I give you "what Little Sahara looks like".
If you saw the summer issuer of Dreamer Journal, you might recognize some of these images. :) Now be sure to go check out what this month looks like to El Hogan who is currently living my dream. Her post will blow you away...no joke. She even attaches her camera to some crazy remote control camera to make an amazing video??? I'm so blown away by it...you must check it out.
Sometimes all it takes is to be patient and wait for that perfect time to pull out your camera. You can capture quite a bit of awesome in just 5 minutes…
This family? They are some of the most genuine and down to earth people. I had a genuine good time photographing them. Mom is a pretty talented fine art photographer. I was pretty honored she asked me to capture her family!
I'm excited to join a group of photographers that I admire in something called "the 5 minute project" that was started by Dana Pugh. "The spirit of this project is keep it unplanned, unstaged, just 5 ordinary minutes. Of course, 5 minutes can be extraordinary." It's brilliant. I have contributed once before to this project a while back but now I will be a regular contributor and I'm very excited. I tend to shoot my own kids in increments of five minutes anyways. You have to keep it short and sweet or they get sick of you real fast. :)
Today I give you what five minutes at the pool looked like at our most recent family vacation.
I probably won't always share my "5 minutes" here on my own blog so be sure and go follow this project here on Facebook and on the 5 Minute Project blog to follow along!
All images shot with my Mark III and SPL underwater housing.
A couple weeks ago we spent a few days at the beach in southern California. This beach was literally my front yard for several years of my life as a kid. I think when you spend so much time there as a child, it becomes part of you in a different way than just vacationing there. I love the ocean. When I was younger, I could spend hours out there in this cold ocean and it never seemed to bother me. Maybe I'm just forgetting. Maybe I'm getting old, but man this water is COLD! The waves are pretty big here for my younger kids to venture out very far but my oldest, me, and my camera spent some time out there together. It was exhilarating for me…FREEZING but amazing. This was the first time my camera has come with me in rougher surf (and by California standards these waves were small). I wish I lived by the ocean as I could get used to being out there with my camera (as long as I had a wetsuit). I give you "what my boy in the sea looks like"..
Now go see what beauty Amy Grace of A Beautiful Life Photo'smonth brings…her post's always make me stop, breathe a bit deeper, and look a bit longer….
See? I told you. This was my first session of the season and it felt so good to photograph someone other than my kids. Loved this family. As I was driving to the session it was so overcast. I get bummed out when there is no sun for me to work with. The photo gods much have known because the sun peeked through for a short time just for us and I was very grateful.:)
