Baby Bridget

She’s precious, beautiful and totally silly. Little Bridget made quite the protest against having her photo taken, but I was determined to capture the curious, gleeful girl trapped inside her fussy, weeping exterior; even if it meant that her mom and I would fill the house with high-pitched baby talk for two hours. And it looks like we pulled it off, because these photos are undeniably cute and slightly addictive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbyes and Golden Interiors

I apologize for the slow blog news lately. But I’m afraid I’m still recovering from the recent passing of my wonderful, beloved cat named Funk. If I can muster the emotional strength, I do plan on dedicating a full post to him with a handful of the hundreds of photos I have of him.  Here’s one to tide us over for now…

He was the greatest cat that ever lived.  Sir Funk…

 

And as a distraction, I thought I’d share a recent photo from an assignment gig.

This is the opposite of where I live: High ceilings, spacious floor plans, decadent furnishings and perfect ambient lighting. 

 

Beautiful, beautiful Bleu

Bleu is one of those dogs you meet and never forget. She eats grapes and carrot sticks instead of greasy dog treats, loves to chase squirrels and has boundless, infectious energy. She and her mom are both true beauties and it was an absolute pleasure to spend the evening photographing them. And if that weren’t enough, we were blessed with gorgeous, late summer evening light cascading all around us, something I will truly miss as we head into Fall.

We started off at their pad for some indoor shots and playtime, then it was off to Woodland Park where Bleu got a little work out, and we ended the session over at Green Lake, where she stopped all the joggers in their tracks with her white hot modeling skills. 

This shoot had me smiling (and laughing) from start to finish. 

Thanks girls! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The camera gods were shining down on us for this shot. That tongue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brianne and Bleu run five miles together, multiple times a week. They are inseparable. 

The connection they share in undeniable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love her dog shape in this shot. 

 

 

 

Doesn’t she look like a puppy here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were drawing pretty big crowds at this point. I even had Brianne holding lighting equipment!

She’s a show stopper…what can I say? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for a memorable evening, ladies!  

Exciting News

One of my photos has been chosen to hang at a gallery in NYC!

It was selected as part of a group exhibition entitled Close Up. The gallery is located above Calumet – and just around the corner from the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, one of the many places I trekked through during my East Coast odyssey last week.

The invitation…

 

The photograph, titled “Stalking Fields”

 

Out of Town

Hi Friends…

I’m headed for the East Coast bright and early tomorrow. But I’ll be back with more photos to share in about a week. Thanks for all the visitors and comments as of late, and stay tuned for some upcoming projects I can’t wait to share when I get back, including a gorgeous pup named Bleu and a sweet baby girl named Bridget!

Until then, all is quiet on the blog front. 

 

The Sky’s the Limit

Thought I’d share an image from one of my recent trips. I snagged this shot in Sandpoint, ID.

It cracks me up. 

More to come from this trip, and others – soon. 

 

Cake and a crush

There are few things in this world as joyful and hilarious as a boy on his very first birthday. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…

Carter Madigan

He’s one! And in my opinion, the best thing since sliced bread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No first birthday is complete without a three-legged race.

 

 

 

Sometimes baby love is expressed in the form of a cheek slobbering.

 

 

Carter has a way with the ladies.

 

 

And his way is to chase them down with a hug on deck. 

 

 

And to shower them with gifts…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time for birthday cake…

 

 

One year old style…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which sometimes requires a little hosing off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up, A CLOWN! He had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops! Looks like somebody might have a slight case of coulrophobia…

 

 

 

But then the clown made him a balloon hat, so now they’re cool. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Carter! I’ll chase balloons in the park with you anytime, buddy! 

Love along the shore

What a beautiful day to be married. Dave and LaDonna chose a fantastic spot for a summer wedding in Western Washington. Snuggled up to the Edmonds Ferry Terminal, their location had it all – a grassy knoll for the ceremony, beautiful blue skies, waves crashing on sand and the constant gentle passing of ferries in the background.  What more could you want?

Oh right – a blushing bride, perhaps? Enter LaDonna…

Beautiful, simple, elegant – and completely at ease. I’m pretty sure she was more relaxed than I was. 

And the groom?  He was having as much fun as the kids…

Speaking of kids, between the two of them, Dave and LaDonna have 10!  The largest, and youngest bridal party I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. 

What a blast…

My thanks to Dave, LaDonna and their families for including me in their big day. 

 

 

 

The ceremony site…

 

 

Girls getting ready:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dress:

 

 

 

 

 

The details:

 

 

 

 

 

The rings:

 

 

Hanging out in the girls’ getting ready room! My favorite part of the day for candids.

 

 

 

 

 

And the boys’ room…

They had much tighter quarters than the ladies did. Exactly as it should be. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite shots of the day. It doesn’t make a lick of sense. 

He’s got a camera, she’s got a shoe. Yet both objects appear equally confusing.

I love it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave and LaDonna really wanted to see each other for the first time at the ceremony, so we were all on high alert to keep them from seeing each other beforehand. I had an idea to get a group shop of them with blindfolds on – and thankfully they were game. It was quite the task! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ceremony begins…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This sassy little flower girl was so much fun!

 

 

 

 

We snuck away from the party for a private couples session down the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first dance as a married couple…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I caught this little munchkin stealing candy from the dessert table…note the clenched fist.

Without a doubt, full of sweaty m&ms. Mmmmmm.

 

 

One of many moments of natural, candid beauty from LaDonna.

 

 

The father/daughter dance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sneaking in a kiss…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mother/son dance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The garter…

 

 

The bouquet toss…

 

 

Time for dessert…It was almost too pretty to eat.

Almost.

 

 

 

 

 

Toasts…

 

 

More dancing…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The great escape!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thread in a Spider’s Web

A little stream, drawn by the magnets of air and light,

and flowing like time, like copper forming, 
is the thread
in a spider’s web. Pools of silver shimmer
from one leaf to another, from one path trodden
to another on the soft ground. I see you go across,
over there,between two lines. ‘I love him’,
I say.

The little stream forks; flows between
two possibilities.
Its thread is in thrall to this sea of light,
this liquid, 
coursing. This water makes the evening sing, heady
and drunk. Its fire flows
on into the east forever. Held in the sun’s
fine balance
I think of you.

~Coral Bracho

 courtesy of Poetry Translation Centre (http://www.poetrytranslation.org/)

 

Sneak Peek ~ Carter’s 1st Birthday!

This is what happens when you give a one year old his very own birthday cake.

You get a little frosting between your toes. Like that’s a bad thing…