Disney does Modern

I've been handing out a lot of my business cards lately and people keep exclaiming that they love them!  It features a shot I took at the Disney Music Hall designed by Frank Gehry in downtown LA and I think it's successful because it's simple yet intriguing.  I took a lot of shots that day and it was really difficult to choose which photo would be the best fit, but I finally did, and so far it's been getting a great response.  I thought I would post some very loved "rejects".  The gray sky and shadowless day left me with low contrast, beautiful lines and a great business card!
Here are a few of the others that I loved…..

Want to check out the Disney Music Hall yourself?  It's a great place to check out great architecture and see a great concert.  Click here to check it out.  
You can also head to Chinatown for brunch and eat at my favorite place - like I talked about in this post: Family Traditions.  The concert hall is very close to Chinatown and other great downtown gems!

(want to see my actual card?  Let me know!)

Mid Century Masterpiece

Hartman Baldwin hired me to take some shots of a mid-century home that they had completely restored and I fell in love with the project.  I was amazed at the attention to detail that both the home owner and HB went to in order to keep the home authentic.  It truly felt like a time warp walking into the house and I loved prop styling each room since the home owner had carefully shopped for years to complete the look.

Below are a few of my favorite shots from the day.  Check out the bowls in the kitchen.  Her mother collected them using Betty Crocker points in the 1950s.  And the bird wall sculpture in the living room is very similar to one that was used in a scene in Mad Men!

Love the Mid-Century look?  Here's a link to some shops in Palm Springs that have great items: Click Here
Want to check out a Mid-Century Magazine?  The one I love is called Atomic Ranch: Click Here
Curious about Hartman Baldwin?  Check out their site: www.hartmanbaldwin.com

Say Cheese

With all the portrait focus this weekend (see post below), I started looking at some of the "maybes" in my portrait folder for my new website….My friend Jaymi did a great job (click here to see) photographing my friend and I at the beach.  Some of her concerns about placement and directing as she photographed reminded me of my first client shoot.  Getting behind the camera and directing was much different when I was moving couches and objects in houses around, and at first I was intimidated to tell clients how to move or pose.  Over the years I have definitely gotten comfortable directing and I actually enjoy photographing people as well as inanimate objects!

Here are my maybes as I finish up my new website:

So, who are these people?  Click on their photos to see what they do and who they are.  They all have one thing in common though - they are all great clients!

Sandy Sunset & a Nikon

My friend Jaymi started a photography blog last year and has been upping her game ever since.  She recently bought the new Nikon D90 and made the impressive New Year's resolution of photographing more people.  She asked my friend Kristin and I to hit the beach in search of portrait possibilities, and of course, I had to bring my camera along to document the experience…

Want to check out Jaymi's Blog? www.jaymiblog.blogspot.com

California the Beautiful

I just feel so lucky to be a resident of this state.  And today it was made official!  I am now a card carrying (well, driver's license paper, but soon to be actual card) Californian.  While I appreciate the uniqueness of each place I have traveled or lived, it is always nice to be "home".  So, to celebrate, I wanted to share some snapshots I took just today while I was driving around for work.  While the iPhone is not ideal for many things (as a phone especially), it's at least handy when I leave my cameras at home.

My iPhone loves LA:

 the best of both worlds…palms and pines

a little fire in the sky

Hot Mama

I've been teaching my mom how to edit photos of her sculptures the last few days & it reminded me how much amazing work she has created in the last few years. She started working with clay after my sister and I were older and has gone on to do solo shows and international exhibitions. Her work focuses on the feminine and the importance of the goddess in past cultures.  I thought I would share some of her artistry that I've photographed this past year.  It's good to remember that it's never too late to find your passion…

Some of my favorites:

Want to see more of her work? www.mebstudio.com

Santa Barbara Gets a Makeover

I showed some photos last week of a house that I was shooting two days later that needed EVERYTHING done to it & today is reveal day!  The shots turned out beautifully and thanks to a crew of movers and a lot of great help, I was able to create a lived in effect to help show the property.  After decorating, styling and shooting it only 48 hours later, I was exhausted, but so thrilled with the outcome!

Check out the before and after shots:

Here are more of my favorite shots….they had equally as stark "before" shots, but I'll leave that to your imagination:

Want to learn more about this project?  Check out the website: www.victoriagardenmews.com

Everyone says the 5 is Ugly…..they must be blind

So, yesterday I was stuck in a car for, wait for it, 12 HOURS….. What could have been a horrendous day turned out to be fun, silly, and a great time to catch up with a good friend. We were diverted from the 5 south to the 101 when the grapevine pass was closed due to SNOW. California's weather is sure confusing me this year….Rain, snow in low altitude, and green pastures. It's like a different state completely! Overall, even with the weather, it was a great day. We sang, told stories, and took random photos of the world going (often slowly) by.

Here are a few gems of the 5 Freeway coming south from the bay area:

Want to go? I'm sure you do! These photos were taken in Gilroy, and on the 5 Freeway between Tracy & Lost Hills, CA.

A Very New Year

2011 is here! Hope you woke up to beauty and felt excited about the new year. I'm testing a post from my iPhone camera and blogging from the BlogPress Ap since I left my computer at home. Yahoo!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:San Francisco, CA