Words of Wisdom

With the year coming to an end I am in a reflective mood. I started complying a list of thing that happened this year. Some good, some bad. Then I came across a blog with a few words of wisdom that I wanted to share with you. 

* Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

* All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

* Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.

* Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

*Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity.

* Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

* Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. 

My year’s list to come!

Skylar and Jake-Now!

This was a quick one. On and off the beach in 30 minutes. This was mostly due to the main street in Seal Beach being shut down for their annual Holiday parade. We didn’t want to risk getting a ticket so we did our best with a short amount of time. It was cold too. Skylar and her brother Jake didn’t seem to mind that their cheeks were red or that you could see their breath when they spoke. As soon as the two of them stepped foot on the sand they were off running. And I was running along side of them. Mounds of sand had just been bulldozed for the upcoming storm. It created a fun mountain for all of us to climb and roll down. The whole shoot was short but so sweet!

The Comics!

Yum!

Well, now anyone who knows me knows I hate being in the kitchen. I am the most impatient person when it comes to cooking. Waiting for water to boil, come on, hurry up. I’ve been known to mess up a lot of easy recipes, but I do have a knack for baking. And my new favorite thing to bake is sugar cookies. Made from scratch I might add. They were delicious!

Off the Beaten Path-#1

This is the first trip in trips of many to take place in the next year with my friends Lindsay and Sheila. We all met at the Hallmark Institute of Photography almost three years ago. We graduated together and became friends mostly due to geological location. I only say that because the three of us are so different from each other. So different, like night and day, but I love them like they were my sisters and couldn’t imagine them not in my life. “She” is from Ontario, Lindsay from LA, and myself from Seal Beach. So Cal girls! As a way to keep the creative juices flowing and to keep our camera at hand we have started to take day trips together to different locations in and around southern california and just shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Anything. Anything at all. No rhyme or reason, just shoot what interests you.

Each time we go out on one of these trips one of us has to make up an assignment for the others to create. The assignment this time was to photograph something that did not belong. We are our own worst critics so we critique each other positively and learn from each other. For now we stay in southern California, but there are plans to travel in the future. Our journey this time took us to Ojai and Solvang California.  I had never been to either. Here are a few of my favorites from the day!

My new bio picture courtesy of Lindsay Drake

Comfort Zone

My friends, Tim and Rynae were gracious enough to offer up their newly renovated back yard for the portraits. It was kind of perfect.  I feared the session might not even take place for it had been raining just that morning. Originally the shoot was set for the beach, but I am so glad the suggestion was made to just stay home. Your home is where you feel most comfortable and that was definitely the feel of things when  I arrived. We took our time getting started. An invitation to stay for the family dinner was unexpected and sweet. A bit of coaxing had to take place for Timmy to stay put for the photos as you can see by the last photo, but sometimes you gotta get shot to get things done. Like I said things were comfortable. Another great session with a family I adore.

“Idiotic” Behavior

Did you know in the Thesaurus a synonym for silly is idiotic, or better yet dim-witted, pea-brained, loopy, bird-brained, and witless? All this time I thought acting silly or being silly was a good thing. I’m going to just pretend I never saw those words and continue to be as ‘foolhardy’ as possible. So, I did things a bit differently this year with Hannah, Elle and Ava for their annual family portrait. I thought it better to truly show off their personalities, that they be as “idiotic” as possible for the pictures. I didn’t have to do much. I didn’t even have to say much. These pictures in a nutshell are who they are. Beats being dull!

How I Met Your Mother

Okay, I don’t know the whole story, but I heard a big chunk of it today. Tony and Celeste met in a Salsa class. Tony the teacher…..Celeste the student. Celeste took the class for 6 months. Hmmmm! Both not really interested in each other from the start, were pushed together by a mutual friend. Sparks flew right away. They danced together, dated, fell in love, and married 6 years ago on Thanksgiving Day!  I kept wanting more details for I loved their story. Their children, Sebastian and Catalina, are the loves of their lives and they are all so close.  Sebastian and Catalina were adorable together. Usually when you ask a brother to hold their sisters hand or give them a hug, you get a big eye roll. Well, thankfully this wasn’t the case with Sebastian, he did so willingly and most times without even being prompted. Hugs and squeezes were plentiful today. 

My favorite part…a little different than the norm. I got my own Salsa lesson! How cool is that! So it seems I’m not as uncoordinated as I thought. And there are pictures to prove it.  I look forward to booking Tony’s services in the future and becoming the Salsa sensation I always knew I had in me!  

Fall in Southern California…..no really!

Fall in southern California doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as summer in southern California does, but it looks like we found a little bit of fall this past weekend. Okay it was still sunny outside and there was no need for a jacket or a even a thin sweater, but Fall no less is here.  Had it not been for these three kids having to go to church after our session I might of had them roll around in a bundle of leaves. I think they would of been up for it. From the start, Jonathan, Julia, and Joshua took to being outdoors. They each tried to find the biggest walking stick…which then quickly turned into a sword fight amongst pirates…climbing trees… no biggie, and a little dirt on the knees… no problem.  Dad and Mom even attempted some tree climbing, I was impressed. This family was quite refreshing. Close-knit, silly and loving. My favorite!

“Underwear, underwear……”

Did I get your attention?

Well here is the chant in its entirety. “Underwear, underwear, pee, underwear.” Sung over and over by Ryan on my shoot with him and his brother Luke. It was a great ice-breaker. By sessions end all of us, Mommy included were singing the song. Quite frankly it was stuck in my brain for the next few days as well. I don’t know what to say about these two boys except for the fact that they are two of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Ryan, aka Bubs thinks he’s five just like his older brother Luke, so anything Luke can do, Bubs can do too. Such as, throwing rocks at cars, jumping across haystacks, climbing on top of mailboxes, dodging cars on the blacktop, running aimlessly across a private golf course, and spitting water.  What “typical” boys!   

I didn’t stop moving the whole time.  Luke and Ryan were on the go from the second they got out of the car. “Hey, Ms. Katie,” they both said. I love hearing that. Ms. Katie is definitely a name I won’t ever tire of hearing.  In the past “Bubs” has been so serious with me and really up to this point had never spoken a word to me. Perhaps out here on his own photo shoot with his big brother by his side he was more in his element. Luke was in his element too. I can see he enjoys being a big brother.  We finished up with a few more rolls in the dirt , said our goodbyes with a few high fives, and I walked back to my car smiling the whole way. It was a good day!