Halloween in March

Better late than never, right?  My photography is on hiatus at the moment but my backing up project is almost done and I finally got around to editing these Halloween photos.  We attended the Atlassian bash and although I admit I didn't do as good of a job photographing it as last year, it was fun and a nice change from our usual routine, which is basically all about staying at home always and going out never.  Hehe.  

Anyways, I am taking the family down to Pacific Grove this weekend, so new adventure pictures coming soon!

Christmas Bokeh Galore

Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos is a magical place this time of year.  There are inflatable Santas ten feet tall, there are Nativity scenes, there are reindeer pulling sleighs, huge blown glass ornaments, snowflakes, Grinches, glowing gift boxes, bows and angels and elves and glitter, and there are hundreds upon thousands string lights adorning every house and tree and car.  It's a very good photo opportunity for one's Holiday family portraits...if, of course, your kids are willing to stand still for even a second instead of running amok, trying to destroy the place.

We left the baby at home so that Johnny could enjoy some Christmas spirit, but I only managed to take one proper photo of him.  I compensated with capturing the amazing bokeh!  Merry Christmas, peeps!

At Santa's House

I love Christmas but when it comes to decoration, I keep it simple.  A stocking or two under the mantelpiece, a small living tree, a dozen ornaments in classic red and gold...and that's pretty much it.  But life is interesting because people are different, and there's a family in our neighborhood who's literally obsessed with holiday lights.  We went to their house last year to take the photos for our Christmas cards and we returned again yesterday for more bokeh and glitter and toddler fun.  Most of the portraits here are fuzzy on the focus - I was tired and the light was fading fast, and I was not able to keep up with the speed Johnny was running around.  Still, seeing the way his face lit up when we got there made up for all my technical failings.

P.S.  This is Johnny's NO face.  I get that face every time I try to photograph him...

Santa's Little Helpers

'Tis the season, my friends!

I started it off with an amazing photo session of these two beauties, and I can't be more happy with the results.  First of all, they are - evidently - gorgeous.  Secondly, they were in their element, which means in the process of driving their Mamma nuts trying to get them ready for the shoot.  And finally, the winter morning light was just perfect, bright yet filtered, giving these awesome contrasts to everything.  So my only job was to show up, point my camera at them, and click! Sure, I danced around them, laughed with them, and I used a few tricks to coerce them to pose, but all this was just part of the fun.

Enjoy and do let me know if you desire a Holiday-themed portraits of you and your loved ones!

Snow Over Broomfield Park

One of the coolest things about where we used to live in London was the local park.  Well, I should say one of the parks - the biggest and the most interesting.  Broomfield Park had ducks and geese and swans, ponds and fountains, flower beds and rose gardens, a tennis court, a gazebo, a greenhouse, a football field, a playground, hilly grass grounds and many smooth benched alleys surrounded by old trees.  I loved walking there and spending the entire afternoon reading, taking photos, or just daydreaming and people watching.

It snows seldom in London, so when it did that year - I think that was in the beginning of 2010 - I had to go out shooting.  Not many successful images but a few I particularly like.  Behold the fattest squirrel in the world!

 

Easter Family Portraits

This family's reality is my dream - they have two kids, two dogs...and two cats.  I am 3 months away of having two kids, and a couple of animals short, but I know I will get there.  

It was a pleasure to photograph Vicky and her loved ones for their Easter greeting cards, and those two girls were some of the most gorgeous models I've ever had.

The indoors images came out a bit dark, and the outdoors - a bit overexposed (it was already 10:30 am when we started the shoot), but a little touch up - and the smiles of my subjects - compensated this.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells Jingle-ing...

I spent the day resting and editing these, and I also made Christmas cards, so expect them in your e-mail soon! 

The bokeh background could have been even more spectacular but we got there a bit early, before all the lights were on.  This isn't some winter fair or Christmas tree market, it's just a house in the neighborhood that's decorated a bit over the top and provides a great attraction and photo-opportunity.  Kudos to the family that loves Christmas so much, though all this energy usage surely can't be very environmental....

How about you guys - did you make and send your Holiday cards already? Are they super tacky? Are you sick of Christmas yet?  I hope not, because man, all this festive music and lights and colors and gifts and food is just great.  I think Christmas is great! 

(Bursts into a spontaneous song:)

"Our cheeks are nice and rosy
And comfy cozy are we
We're snuggled up together like two
Birds of a feather would be"

I hate cameras. They are so much more sure than I am about everything.

~John Steinbeck

I had two photoshoots scheduled for this week, plus a good number of chores and engagements planned, but they all fell through when I got sick, followed by Johnny, so we spent many days sitting at home nursing our coughs and fevers.  Adding to my horror of getting up a billion times at night (and having to deal with a very cranky, very stubborn toddler), I was faced with the failed opportunity of using the Sigma lens I had rented for the occasion of my cancelled gigs.  It's a 30mm, f/1.4 glass of near perfection, and I was dying to try it out.  Luckily, I refused to accept such an anti-climatic development of things, and I started shooting whatever I had and saw right here at home, with no regard of elaborate artistry.

The lens performed exceptionally well in the low-light indoor conditions at home; on top of things it finally rained and it got dimmer than ever.  Still, I am quite happy with what I came up with.  The following images are practically representative of my life in general - Shelby and Johnny, my Mom and John, the daily routine of cooking and bathing and reading and watching the gardeners and the garbage trucks and hanging out, and the occasional walk around the neighborhood.  Not too shabby, after all.  Not too spectacular, either, but full of love, which is much more precious to me in the big scheme of things!

I still can't get over the way Blogger completely ruins my image quality.  I'll try and post some of the shots on Flickr for a better viewing experience!

Oh, and the headshots of me?  Johnny took them :)

So welcome to my world, thanks for visiting, and enjoy!

P.S. Johnny has discovered his "camera smile".  It's crazy to think that he is becoming increasingly self-conscious even at that early age.

P.P.S. Roseola sucks.