BIG News!

If you haven't already heard we have moved!

Our new studio has great high ceiling, big natural light windows AND [drum roll] is on the ground floor! It is only a block down the street from our old space at 816 South Coast Highway. We are right behind the DEMA office with loads of free parking in back.

Our new studio space is a work in progress. We have been packing up the truck, painting the new space and marveling at how much stuff we had accumulated in our old studio. In a few days we will be open for business.

Feel free to stop by and say hi.

If you are not on our mailing list, it is time to sign up, You do NOT want to miss our grand reopening party!

A winning combo!

Two little Morkies [Maltese/Yorkie] that could not be any cuter!

Charlie with his crazy hair and broken ear. His Human Mom Jessica tells me he is naughty. He was as sweet as pie while at the studio. He has me fooled.

Then the lovely Marley. She had the most stunning butterfly ears and such a sweetheart!

You can visit this winning pair at the store they run with their owner called Tucci on Cedros in Solano Beach.

Shopping and dogs..a winning combo!

Instant

I love Polaroids.


I was saddened earlier this year to learn that Polaroid will suspend manufacturing of the instant film.

I remember the first time I saw a Polaroid picture. I was at Lake Tahoe as a little girl and a friend of my Mom's had a new camera. This was the type of Polaroid you pulled, peeled and then shook [whether it needed it or not]. I was smitten!

I am sorry that my kids will never really appreciate the magic of an instant picture. They have never known anything but instant pictures, instant everything in fact. They could not conceive a world where you call someone and if they are not home, you must wait and call back later. No text, no cell phones, no answering machines, you must simply wait. This "waiting for things" is what made instant film so exciting.

Now, I am admittedly pretty easily amused. Cellphones, Remote controls and GPS all seem like miracles to me. So it is little wonder that I am still so enamored with spectacle of Polaroid.

Mike and I decided on Polaroid pictures for our wedding. I have pictures of the kids, my childhood friends and crazy teenage parties all recorded in that distinctive, strangely contrasty and off color style. A few years ago I took and then taught a class on different techniques to elevate the Polaroid to an art form. There are some amazing artist doing unbelievably beautiful artwork with Polaroids. For me though, the draw was the instant gratification.

So, yesterday when I excavated an unopened pack of film from the studio while cleaning up, I could not resist a last chance to add our newest family member to our not so instant life.

Fave Five

Or should I say "Phave Phive" phor the Candid Campers?

It is Photo Phinish Phriday Phiesta at Camp Candid Carrie and I am happy to oblige a request for a favorites gallery. It has been great hearing from the folks on the field trip.

I have picked out five photographs that make me smile every time I see them. That is the litmus test for me. When I see a client smiling as they watch the presentation sideshow after a shoot or I find myself smiling as I edit the images, I know I have given my clients what they came for, a lasting bit of the joy.

Slider
I love this picture. It looks like slider is the the first Australian Shepard to win the British Open. It was done for Interior designers Tim and Linda Arbogast who own Jett Modern.
They had this amazing Union Jack Rug and I think the effect is striking.

Nougat
Nougat lives on a ranch with horses. The saddle was brought in with him from the ranch [the dust is real]. The proud and direct way that Nougat approached the shoot speaks volumes. Something in his wonderful eyes.

Ace
Okay, this is one tough cat! At the time of this shoot he was recovering from a run in with a skunk that involved stitches! I am not going to lie, I was scared of this little kitty. I was told by Alicia, his owner, that he is a mean cat and he will attack anything. So I took a deep breath and faced Ace. This is the first picture from the shoot and I think it represents Ace's feeling about the shoot fairly well. The images came out great and I came away with out a scratch. In this cat fight it is photographers 1/cats 0.

Faita
I am a sucker for a smiling dog. This photo has it all for me. A bold composition, lovely fur, great color and a happy dog. Faita looks like she is just about to say something complimentary. "have you lost weight?" or "is that handbag new? I just love it". In fact, feel free to email or comment your captions.


Gus
I had to include a picture of our very own Gus. This photograph may not have all of the technical merit of most of my photography but I shot it on our daily walk to work and it makes me smile. This image captures the joyful prancing that Gus does all the way to the studio each morning.

And like I said, it's about lasting memories and joy.

We got Puggle blogged!

I had the opportunity to photograph a most adorable puggle named Max. He lives in Irvine. Lori [Max's Human Mom] is a blogger. Lo and behold we showed up on Max's blog. You can see a photo Lori took duing the shoot at My Puggle Max. I am so glad they had a good time here. We certainly enjoyed them. Here is a photo from my shoot with Max the Puggle.


Lori is a graphic designer and did a very cool "Che" style graphic of Max for a tee shirt. We are talking about offering these to our customers for their own dogs. Stay tuned!

Designer Dogs or Designer Chairs

BOTH!
I love itty bitty Pomeranians. My mother was a Pom breeder when I was small so these little ones hold a special place in my heart.


And well, chairs. If you have ever been to the studio you know I have a small addiction to chairs. This Kartell has to be my bet for a all time classic.

A few years back I photographed a dining room done by Arbogast Design for a coffee table book called Designer Showcase: Interior Design at Its Best. The room was stunning and included this chair in black. They reflected the zebra carpet and the effect was amazing.

I think we can expect to see a few of these show up at the studio in the near future.