Very cool stuff happening over at momtog.com! I was chosen to be a guest-blogger for a day. In case you missed my blog entitled, “The 40′s Momtog”, here’s the link!
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If I can make it there…
I wouldn’t consider myself a contest-entering-junkie. I mean, sure, I can get behind the random contest every now and again… I once committed myself to entering the Frontgate sweepstakes where you could win a backyard makeover worth $100,000. And I had to enter everyday. And I did. And no. I didn’t win. I still daydream about entertaining in my tricked-out backyard complete with barbeque pit, pool and an ice chest the size of my bathroom.
Most of the contests I’ve ever entered are those that I forgot about the minute I sent the entry. So imagine my complete surprise when I get an email notification that I WON a workshop with Jessica Claire in New York! Yes, THAT Jessica Claire… the one who lives in Orange County. Which is where I live. So, why would I travel to New York to see her? Exactly the question my husband, a.k.a. the money man, wanted to know. All I know was the minute I heard that I won, I KNEW I was going.
So, in order to make the trip feel more manageable, my husband and I decided to make it a couples weekend and wrap it around the workshop. Which was a great idea, except for the fact that my husband got sick with what could only be described as a less creepy version of the bubonic plague. So seeing that he was all phlemy, coughy, achey, etc, etc, he made the game-time decision not to go. Bummer for our couples weekend away.
In my former life, I was one of those advertising executives… like Mad Men without all the smoking and sexual harassment. And I spent some time working in New York – the mecca of the advertising world. It was a blast to say the least. And I got to know Manhattan pretty well, so I wasn’t too worried about finding my way around by myself for the weekend. And to be honest, the prospect of being ALONE ANYWHERE WITHOUT MY CHILDREN almost made me giddy. I had visions of me shopping in SOHO, eating in bistros in the Village while reading a book, sitting in the park people watching… all while feeling glamorously alone.
The reality of my trip? 99 degrees and 100% humidity. Shopping that consisted of me bargaining with some illegal street vendors for my fake Prada bag and knock-off Channel’s. A night of food poisoning from the quaint little Italian restaurant where I grabbed dinner. I DID sit in a park, but I only lasted 15 minutes in the sweltering heat. Not so glamorous, my friend.
But I DID make it to my workshop! And I have to say it really was fantastic. Jessica Claire is an incredibly talented photographer… she is one of those people that just has THE EYE, if you know what I mean. Her style, while being incredibly powerful is also incredibly “simple”. She knows what she wants to photograph, and she gets it dead-on in the camera, so her editing is minimal. I am really grateful for the experience and all that I learned. I met some great photographers from other parts of the country (I wasn’t the only one who traveled, but I did apparently travel the farthest!).
So, I am on to the next contest…. this time I’m hoping to win a 1d Mark IV. God willing I won’t have to travel to get it. 
(… here are a few of the images I shot from the workshop… )
The Renner Family
I love shooting families. I really love watching them interact and play, especially the kids. The Renner family (who brought along Grandma and Uncle) was a lot of fun, mainly because there are THREE boys in the family! I know I’ve mentioned it before… but with two girls, I usually view boys with that intense curiosity that people reserve for those situations where they are learning something new. And really what it comes down to is that boys have this amazing capacity for energy that defies logic and all rules of physics. If they aren’t climbing trees, they are jumping, running, hitting each other, jumping… they are just constantly in motion. And the Renner boys are the same but with one exception — they were VERY well behaved and were great in front of the camera. It also helped that I bribed them with Sweet-Tarts and Jolly Ranchers (which, by the way, I gave to Kyle, so… a note to Lucas and Austin — If you haven’t seen the candy yet, you now know where to go looking!)
It was a pleasure Renner Family! Here are a few of the shots and your slideshow!
Liza’s Senior Portraits – San Juan Capistrano
I think it’s a universal thing with most of us Gen-Xers that we truly believe that high school wasn’t THAT long ago. I mean, some days it seems like it was just yesterday…
I usually believe that until I actually spend time with youngsters who are at that prime high school age… then I realize how truly old I really am (dammit).
And are all high school girls this cool? They are all so cute, and hip, and sweet, and cute, and smart, and cute… they are just really awesome. And that is certainly the case for Liza. She is one of those girls that is all of those adjectives and more. She is already moving ahead with her college plans and seems so sure of herself. She was SO fun to take pictures of — so enthusiastic and really seemed to enjoy herself. It didn’t hurt that she brought along her best friend, Claire. You might remember Claire from a previous shoot a few months back. She, too, is nothing short of terrific. And all I had to do was to tell Liza to look at Claire and they would both start laughing hysterically… talk about EASY!
It was a pleasure, Liza! Here’s your slideshow and a sampling of some of your pics!
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