No child left behind...

Peyton turned ten this weekend. The little golden-haired peanut we brought home from the hospital ten years ago now stands just below my chin. His sneakers are the same size as mine. He keeps stealing my college T-shirts and they kind of fit. The books he buries his nose in are thicker than the few I have time to read. His homework is even becoming a challenge, and I confess, I have secretly googled an item or two just to keep up.

But the one thing, the main great thing about him that we've picked up on since day one, is his caring, gentle nature. He has a soft spot in his heart for his sister and for lots of little kids. My daughter thinks he hung the moon. Our neighbors' kids and toddlers flock to him like the Pied Piper. He has something special.

It's his sister he looks after most. He manages her better than I can most days, and lets her hang around without complaint. Even this weekend, when he had 5 guys over for his birthday to go to the movies, spend the night and play outside, he let her be around the whole time and not even once did he ask us to keep her out of the way. She tagged along, and he let her. They have a neat bond that I am so eager to watch evolve. Of course in ten years we won't be letting her hang around his friends...I mean, yikes.

I couldn't resist this shot of all their shoes by the back door. Dorothy lives!

Friday

Orchids rule. Seriously. This was my awesome Valentine's gift. LOVE it! Trust me, I am aware it takes a certain brand of crazy to shoot your Valentine's present, but what can ya do. Slow season. Must..shoot...something. The spa gift certificate wasn't as pretty. And yes, my dining room curtains are grass green and azure blue stripes. Hmmm... that looks kinda crazy too.

I am off to school to have lunch with my son, who is turning ten. TEN. Double digits. That is huge!! He is so excited.

Happy VDay

Yep, she picked out this combo herself. Don't you love it? Heartstravaganza, tights and all.

Valentine's Day is such a great excuse to spoil your kids and let them know just how....nice you are. As a little Valentine's token I gave my daughter a four dollar t-shirt from Target that had a 'kitty and puppy' on it encircled by a pink heart. Yes, it was dreadfully cheesy. Glittery. Plasticky. I knew she'd adore it because her love of things plastic and pink, while deeply cliche, is decidedly chromosomal (plastic watches, even green ones, are cool too). Moreso, I knew she'd love it because these days she's all animals, all the time. She brings home books from the library like "Raising Your Bulldog" and "Jasper's Big Day", which incidentally, my weeping husband told me, was about a family having to put their dog to sleep. She loved it.

So she took one look at her new shirt and exclaimed, in her sing-songy voice, "OH my GOSH... it is SO beautiful it...it...it makes my eyes fill up with tears. You are the best Mom in the whole live world". And then she hugged it like it was her new best friend, her eyes glistening. Oh, sweet validation. And that, my friends, is how parents are trained to spoil their kids. And she's only six.

Spencer on the other hand was a little down this morning. He says 2nd grade "sucks all the fun out of holidays". All work no play makes Spencer a dull boy. Poor guy, he's having a little one-fifteenth life crisis as it sets in that he is, in fact, getting older and they don't have parties all the time in school. He's gonna love college though, eh?

L.A. Update:

My kids wanted to know what celebrities we saw in L.A. and I could not impress them to save my life. Michael Bolton, will.i.am, Ryan Seacrest, various basketball players and the Millionaire Matchmaker chick did not register. Go figure. But you kind of wonder who you might have missed along the way.

Well, it has been brought to my attention that Us magazine ("7 Nights in Hollywood") reported Orlando Bloom was seen dancing crazily to "Tainted Love" at the Friday night hot spot 'Teddy's' on January 25th. OK wait, WE were dancing crazily to "Tainted Love" at Teddy's that night. And that dance floor was about 10x20 and not that crowded....so.....that means he must have been...wait a minute... oh man! Missed it!! What the heck was I looking at, my feet? The ceiling? Now THAT would have impressed the kids...the swashbuckling guy from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Argh.

The Tiniest Nymph

As I came into the yard, I caught three little nymphs dancing under a tree. It was a balmy 80 degrees instead of the usual winter fare, and fairy costumes were the requisite uniform to relish the balmy weather. After a busy afternoon spent pushing dolls in strollers, clacking on the pavement in their plastic Barbie shoes, and painting the driveway a rainbow of colored chalk, they celebrated the day.

The setting sun brought an indigo sky more typical of August than mid-February, and their pink gauzy skirts caught the breeze as they twirled, each fairy carrying her own very distinct rhythm. The boom box bellowed “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, their little voices gleefully sabotaging whatever words The Duchess had written. And I was so grateful we’d been too busy to take down the holiday lights, their glow adding to the already magical night.

At that moment, all seemed right with the world.

In the time it took to grab the camera, two little fairies had grown shy leaving the tiniest dancer to proudly close the show.

Spencer Day

Spencer stole my heart when he came barreling into the world 8 years ago, all 9 lbs 11 oz of him, even breaking his collarbone in the urgency to make his debut (I had opted for drugs, yes indeedy). He came out looking like a 2 month old, perfectly plump and round, so I took lots of pictures in the hospital. I swaddled him in the bed and stood above him, shooting down, my north-facing room offering beautiful diffused light. The nurses weren't happy about me standing on the bed, but the photos were well worth it.

Funny, he was my chunkiest baby and now he’s all sinewy and slim. He climbs everything. He scales the doorways in the house, suspending his body 6 feet off the ground by his outstretched arms. He doesn’t like bread, or math. He can shoot baskets for hours. He doesn’t like to read, so at night he sits in bed drawing in his sketch pad. He’s hysterically funny and deadpan, his observations are unique but often true and beyond his years, his homework is sparse with words but illustrated beautifully (even when not part of the assignment). He does not like to wear stripes and he won’t play games he can’t win. I 'get' him.

He reads people well. “Mom, why is your voice all bumpy, are you tired?” or “Did you have a good day?”, he’s the first to say “you look beautiful” on a night out, or “please do not dance on the Ellen show”. For the record he thinks that if my favorite song, 'Falling Slowly' from the movie 'Once', wins best song at the Oscars, that “they should carve worst song ever written” on the back of the statuette. He’s quite honest.

Yesterday was Spencer day. Just him and me, and his fever that prevented him going to school. He let me put in a few hours of work, but once the Tylenol kicked in he was not going to let me be. We downloaded a few 'good' songs to his ipod, ate lunch, talked a lot. Freakishly warm and summerlike, we went outside as he miraculously healed. We went on an excursion, he on his bike me running alongside for some exercise, up to the 7-11 for a treat then continuing on our course. It went like this:

Spencer: Mom, you can go faster if you want.
Mom: um…this is fast.
Spencer: No really, I can keep up if you go faster.
Mom: Dude, this is all I’ve got.
Spencer: Can’t you sprint or something? Dad goes much faster.
Mom: No. *Gasp*
Spencer: Man, no wonder your runs take so long.

He’s not perfect. He used to have these horrific temper tantrums, he introduced his first grade class to the worst cuss word you can imagine (that he learned from his uncle and thankfully has no clue what it means) and he can be mean to his sister (that's in his job description). But somewhere along the way he became this cool little guy who says “I love you more” without fail, every single time I tell him I love him.

It was hard sending him to school today. He tried to stay home but the thermometer wouldn’t budge over 98.6. I got an extra long hug though. I miss him!

Once

A few weeks ago I was at Blockbuster (I'm one of the three people who still go there) in that fluorescent-lit daze where you're staring blankly at the titles and nothing looks good. My Vancouver soul sister, Lori, had recommended this little indie '06 film called "Once" so I half-heartedly grabbed it as a back-up (the cover looked just a little cheesy with the warm backlit couple...you know). It sat next to my TV for a week, but as I packed for LA I threw it in my carry-on to watch, if I had time, on the 5 hour flight.

So on the flight, after burning out on flipping through my 800 magazines, I watched it. OMG I laughed, cried, LOVED it. I got one of those headaches you get when you're trying hard not to cry since everyone else around me was sleeping, reading or putting spreadable fake cheese on crackers with those impossibly small plastic knives.... but it's not medical-condition sad, it's bittersweet life happy/sad with gorgeous music that drove it home. I guess you'd say it is a musical documentary? I couldn't get enough, I kept replaying parts and my laptop was starting to burn my legs, begging me to turn it off (those airline trays are small too). I love Swedish-influenced pop :) as much as the next girl, but sometimes those raw acoustics and sweet melodies hit the spot.

So, check it out. You can download the Oscar-nominated song "Falling Slowly" for free by clicking HERE. Then go buy the whole album, it's awesome. Just wanted to share.

Home Again

On the long flight back I tried to figure out what I liked best about our girls' trip to L.A., and I think it boils down to this. That the things we expected to be the highlights of our trip were not. The parts we didn’t give that much thought to turned out to be the gems.

Any celeb sightings? Sure. Have fun at Ellen’s show? Absolutely. Was the Jimmy Kimmel experience cool? Yep.

But the best part of our trip to L.A. was the people we met along the way and the simple pleasures from having slowed our frenetic lives down to a sleepy, lumbering pace… with lots of great food. Rolling out of bed, hitting the coffee shop next door, extending a one hour hike to two sans repercussions. Reading the New York Times front to back. Leisurely lunches and resting on the cushy pool lounges… under the heat lamps when the rain took a break. Drinks before dinner in the gorgeous lobby of our hotel, The Roosevelt. Sushi at Katsuya that was so good, the tuna melted in our mouths. Laughing, a lot.

Honestly, our most ambitious goal each day was to get to our dinner reservations on time.

And so many great people … the umbrella-wielding writer who stopped picketing long enough to escort us across the street so we wouldn’t get soaked; George Clooney’s cousin and his cute wife who sat with us at the Ellen show; the young soon-to-be-famous singer, so refreshingly wide-eyed at his own good fortune and odds defying status, yet more impressed with us that we had raised money for breast cancer research (watch for him… www.CarolinaLiar.com); our super-friendly hotel staff from bellman to concierge.

Then there were the renowned Swedish record producers who were so sweet and granted us honorary employee status so we could access the uber-exclusive club Teddy’s (much to the dismay of the grumpy bouncer). And it was surreal chatting up Damien Rice who really needs to end his hiatus and put out some more incredible music. I tried to keep my gushing to a minimum, but I absolutely love his music. "The Blower's Daughter" gives me goose bumps.

The last day was more challenging. A trip to the Hollywood police precinct to file a missing driver's license report required pre-flight (no celeb sightings there, surprisingly), a prolonged visit to the shipping store to figure out how to get our new 32" flat screen hdtvs home (our generous giveaways from the ellen show… even if they did cost 300.00 to ship home), packing up, heading out.

The final highlight of my trip was waking my three smiling sleepyheads this morning and receiving their warm, earnest embraces. They give the best, tightest hugs that let you know exactly how much you are missed.

And no, we didn’t see Marc Anthony, that was a shot I took from when we saw him being interviewed in NYC this summer. It just seemed lame for a photographer to post a blog with no photos. But at least I took it.

Back to work....

We're going to Ellen Degeneres' 50th Birthday Show!!

I love when you can trace a chain of events from something silly or maybe even regrettable, to something really great. Is it karma? Luck? Coincidence? Funny, it doesn’t even matter. It is what it is and sometimes it’s something good, sometimes it’s bad and sometimes it’s just really freakin’ cool!

So maybe, your kid throws up in carpool and it begets…. a trip to the Ellen Degeneres show with VIP passes for her 50th birthday celebration? AND VIP tickets to Jimmy Kimmel with Green Room access? Now that is crazy.

Sure, there are about 10 months of acts of kindness, sweat and tears from the beginning to the end of that story (and the story hasn’t ended yet…stay tuned!) and a LOT had to happen along the way for it all to fall into place, but when it all boils down, if my sweet child hadn’t gotten sick on his way to school I wouldn’t be sitting here, thousands of miles high above...Oklahoma?... writing this, two friends beside me, on our way to a four day fun-fest in Los Angeles. If you want to learn about the ‘in-between’ chain of events, scroll down to “The Pink Carpet Premiere” entry.

The Ellen taping will be on Thursday and the show will air Friday, Jimmy is on Friday. We have no idea what to expect but we are excited nonetheless. We hear that there are lots of surprise guests which is fun.

In the meantime, we will check into our swank hotel and enjoy some great sushi at ‘The Geisha House' tonight (our awesome concierge hooked us up with some great dining spots). And no, I didn't bring my paparazzi lens... but I did bring the camera :)

Squash...fashion?

Several years ago I fell hard for the game of squash. My husband, David, had been playing for a long time so I knew it involved a lot of sweating, a racquet, and the space-age looking glass courts near the fitness center, but I hadn't bothered to check it out. Then a pro-tournament came to town, I was dragged to watch, and was intrigued. Somehow the players made it look easy yet they came off the courts looking like they had gotten an incredible workout.

Having had three babies within as many years and the Richmond marathon newly under my belt in an effort to shed the pounds, I was ready for a new exercise challenge. Something to shake up the running regimen (which I was SO over), make my heart rate soar, and efficiently (please...no more three hour runs) give me that killer workout. After one lesson I knew I had found it! It was sprints. Lunges. Arms. I. Could. Not. Breathe. It was awesome. To top it off, Forbes magazine had just ranked it THE number one cardio exercise. 700 calories an hour? Bring it on!

Fast forward a few years later to The Virginia Pro-Tournament having grown to one of the top ten tournaments in THE WORLD, and top two in the US. Here. In Richmond! I suggested to Tyler (Art Director/Virginia Living) that maybe there was a place in the magazine for squash as something other than a food article, and that he take a lesson with Gus Cook, CCV squash pro. He was sold (and worn out). The stylists, make-up artists, writer, Editor, lighting tech and thankfully the Publisher, jumped on board.

Within a month of getting the green light we somehow lured 5 amazing world-class players to Virginia for the two-day shoot at the Wood 'n Racket Farm. Using them as models became the best way to briefly tell about squash and make it work visually in a lifestyle magazine. We purposefully shot on a squash court which allowed them to whack the balls and give us realistic swings to show the dynamic nature of the sport. I shot from a safe distance but knew they had incredible ball control and for the most part wouldn't hurt me....

Natalie, Shelley, Anthony, Mark and Patrick were outstanding as athletes and models, and just plain fun to be around. They endured planes, trains and automobiles to get here for which we are grateful. A true testament to their love of squash and interest in raising awareness.

Bottom line, it was a fantastic experience and I hope it inspires lots of people check out the sport. Better yet, come to the Pro-tournament at the University of Richmond in Feb/March!

The Upside of Talking to Strangers

If you were anywhere within 100 yards of me during the months of September and October you probably heard about the Pink Carpet Premiere. I haven't blogged about it because I wasn't sure how to keep it from becoming a novel. The nutshell is this:

I was sleeping soundly in my hotel room in Vegas, where I had gone for a photo workshop. My husband called at 5 am (8 am ET) reporting our son had... thrown up in carpool. In someone else's car. Ewww. He was fine (the child) but then I was wide awake and my roommate was not. So I brushed my teeth, threw on some clothes and grabbed my laptop seeking refuge in the lobby Starbucks.

Next to me appeared another bleary eyed east-coaster, Linda, a documentary filmmaker. We started chatting. She told me about an independent film she had made chronicling her her sister-in-law's battle with breast cancer, "The Breast Cancer Diaries". Linda also happened to be an award-winning journalist (CNN, NBC). "Wow. What are you going to do with it?" I said. Linda replied that she was mulling how to screen it as a fundraiser in a few select cities across the country. What a great idea!

I came home and presented it to Becky Massey and the VCU Massey Cancer Center. They loved the film and its incredible message, and put put their mighty muscles behind it. I called 16 smart, wonderful women who happened to also be good friends and the committee was born. We worked hard, tapping into every resource we had to make the event a success. On October 12 we premiered the film, threw an after party, held a huge auction with incredible packages and netted over $85,000 for breast cancer research.

Oh....and during the auction my bid card shot in the air during the L.A. Girls' weekend package. That was a surprise for all of us. Especially me! But it feels pretty dern good when the money goes to breast cancer research! It's a win-win-win-win.



Jill and Kelly (above), my great friends who co-chaired and will join me on the L.A. trip, and the rest of the committee members, worked so hard, reached out to contacts, families, and businesses to get incredible food donated (from 10 of our favorite restaurants), secure auction items out the wazoo and put together some amazing flowers... they're the BEST!

We will forever be indebted to Easton Events for hearing my plea and DONATING their time to help plan our event. Thank you Lynn, Kennon and Dickie. You guys are awesome!

I will always be grateful my friend and fantastic photographer Julie Skarratt who flew down from NYC and donated her time to come shoot it (and for answering my email many years ago when I told her I loved her work and was thinking about getting into wedding photography). And we love The Martin Agency (you made me miss working there!!) for lending us two amazing art directors.

Mostly, I am so amazed by the strength and inspiration of beautiful Ann Murray Page who kicked breast cancer's ass and was willing to tell her very personal story, and Linda Pattillo who helped her tell it. We miss you girls!

Check it out: The Breast Cancer Diaries

Catching up...

OK, that was pathetic. I had not fed my blog in so long I forgot my sign in ID. Terrible! It took several tries.

Things around here have been so crazy I have purposefully neglected my blog. Every time I thought about adding to it I was the proverbial deer in headlights, not sure which way to go. Too much to cover and too little time! So I didn't do anything at all. But I am finally responding to some gentle prodding by some friends who have gotten a little bored with the ice cream shoot (as much as they loved it ;-). I hope this is a new beginning of more regular posting. Wish me luck!

This summer was amazing. The kids have gotten to that age that it's really fun to travel with them. Not that it wasn't fun before...it just used to be a lot harder. Naps, bottles, diapers. Now we just pick up and go. And hanging out with them is like being with your favorite group of friends. They're funny, smart, observant and can talk about anything. They show us stuff we would otherwise miss with that wide-eyed appreciation that comes from seeing things for the first time.

We went to NYC for the kids' first visit. In a million years I never thought it would be so much fun to do the big city with the kids. They loved everything about it! Peyton's favorite part was being on TV (CBS this morning), Dylan's was the horse-drawn carriage ride (worth every over-priced penny for the vision of her hollering "I love New York" as we cruised the busy streets). Spencer's highlight was chatting up Adam Sandler on his movie set on 5th Avenue. He's a nice guy! I haven't looked at all the pictures yet. The photos are trapped on hard-drive 6.

We spent a week in a big rambling house on the coast of Massachusetts, on a bluff overlooking a small harbor, a beach and the vast Atlantic. We explored, hiked, searched for sea glass, went whale watching, hit Fenway Park, went on a boat ride, swam and ate lobster. None of us will ever forget it - it was beautiful and such a happy place. These can be found on hard-drive 7.

I hope to liberate those family photos sometime soon.

Business has been great. Lots of gorgeous weddings and the sweetest couples. When it comes to photography, work comes first. I'm keeping up with those. What's that saying about the cobbler's children? Ha.

Above is a fun wedding that appeared in the inaugural 'weddings section' in Virginia Living. I hope to see lots more in there! It was a beautiful day with lovely people, orchestrated by the inventive and tack-sharp party planners at Easton Events. Here is the slideshow for Liz and Scott's Wedding.

Father's Day

We've given David shirts. Ties. Gift Certificates. All well received, some slyly returned, some never used. Like the Nano we gave him ages ago that still sits in the box. No time to deal with loading it. So it sits.

But not this one, no sir. The kids and I did a little photo project and the little saints sat so professionally for me (ha!!). We gave him this gift yesterday, the nine images filling the holes in this great big frame I found. He said it was his favorite Father's Day gift ever. Ever!

I've been in a little bit of a family photo rut. I still love my digital camera, LOVE IT!! I love everything it can do. But for as many photos as I take, so many personal photos are trapped (and archived on CDs, ALWAYS archive...) in one of my many external hard drives for lack of time to deal with them. Noone to look at them. Just sitting there in pixels and bits. So I just keep buying new hard drives. Sad. Like the nano that sits in his closet, new technology brings great benefits but requires time to learn, do, deal. Ugh.

I plan to retire someday and spend lots of time organizing the thousands of photos in there, but for now they wait. I spend too much time at my computer already. But it's nice to know they are there when I am ready to tackle them, and archived, sometimes even printed. And I am sure his nano will one day be stocked with great tunes, especially if we hire our babysitter to do it for him...

Dorothy and Darth

Up until about six years of age, kids are nutty. They say what they think, don't edit anything, and certainly don't care what you think of them. They just do what comes naturally, and it looks so fun and liberating! After six, they start to lose that 'lack of censorship' so I am savoring every moment...

Dylan saw the Wizard of Oz last week and decided she IS Dorothy. We don't have actual Dorothy clothes or a black Toto, so she made do with pink sparkly shoes, a white toto, braids, the closest thing to a blue dress....and (washable) magic marker freckles.

She went to school in full Dorothy costume, and when told she really couldn't wear that every day, she decided Mondays would be Dorothy days. Freckles and all. This is her interpretation of the witch coming... Oscar, please....
When Spencer was five he had serious Star Wars fever. Even sent a Valentine to George Lucas, no lie. But he made his own costume, just came down to breakfast one day in it. Unfortunately he used permanent sharpie markers to make his face like Darth (under the mask). He looked like that for DAYS.
We're never at a loss for photo ops here....

Kids, Kids, Kids

I love kids. I love taking photographs of kids. They keep it real in every sense. Their expressions are honest, they quickly forget I am there, they do their thing, and I just go along. And I shoot a lot. That helps!

My kids are a bit camera savvy so the honest photo takes a little work... sometimes they'll just ignore me. Other times they'll let me take photos but know I can go on and on, so they'll just tell me when they are 'done'. Hmph! But I admit I can be a pain...like the time my daughter got stitches and I (slightly) tortured her trying to get a macro shot of the wound.

Here's a little Kids Slideshow I put together that hopefully shows what I mean....don't worry, it doesn't include photos of the stitches...

Jamaica

(click on images to view larger)

If someone had told me 10 years ago I'd have a photo assignment in the Carribbean, at one of the most luxurious locations in Jamaica, I would have asked them what they were smokin'.

In March I was asked (no giggling, please) to spend several days capturing beautiful Bluefields Bay. Along the bay are 5 villas, owned by a family in Alexandria, VA, which are rented out much of the year. These are fantastic houses, and their best features aside from their cliffside perches, open air architecture, gorgeous beaches, infinity pools and freezing cold Red Stripe Lights (I swear, Red Stripe Light!) were the amazing staff who magically reappeared when you even thought you might want something.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the owner, Debra. She showed us around, our eyes big as saucers, astounded by our good fortune. She returned us to our rooms, where our clothes had been carefully unpacked and hung, suitcases stored. Yep. Great start. And the laundry was scooped away each night and rediscovered in the closets the next morning clean and pressed. A tired mother's dream! Huge canopied antique beds, large doors that swung completely open to let in the sea air while you slept. And a view to die for.

Every meal was cooked with fresh ingredients and served on china and silver, on beautiful antique linens. Lobster, fish, mango sorbet, key lime pie. All were deftly served with a smile and drinks were replenished before you could ask.

I know you're thinking, "What a cake job!", and yes, in some ways.... yes. But it is daunting, trying to capture that fourth dimension of amazingness, where the smells, the views, the textures, the lightness of being and being pampered, are all relayed in a two dimensional photograph.

But I'm not getting any sympathy here, am I.

A Great Day at the Farm

There was a time that the word 'Colonial' put me straight into a catatonic state. History has never been my thing, but as I am forced to revisit past eras through my kids' homework I am realizing it's really not all that bad. I almost even like it..shhhhh.

Especially when I can work on my..I mean my child's.. projects and let the creative juices flow. Peyton, my oldest, was assigned to do a poster about indentured servants, so naturally the camera reared its head and wanted to join in. Hey now, I am a photographer. It's allowed!

We visited my friend's beautiful farm, put him in his garb, and had the best time with her three kids and mine traipsing around creating colonial-looking servant scenarios. Yes, that sounds kind of dorky, but the kids loved it and got very involved and it was cool to watch their brains churn with ideas. I think they were learning out there.

I learned I have an irrational fear of cows. They freaked me out a little, but that's another story.

Peyton also got an education in photoshop as we removed the 'adidas' from his cleats and ran cool actions to make the photos look old.

Then as the sun set, we Moms poured some wine and watched the kids play capture the flag and I was pretty grateful we didn't live back then. The kids were exhausted from just pretending to do the work.... and there's the cow thing.

The Peaks

As with every career, there are peaks and troughs. Some deeper, some higher, and sometimes things are just regular. And regular is fine a lot of the time.

But the peaks, well, ya gotta love 'em. You know you can't stay there forever, so you just enjoy it and try to figure out how you got there so you can visit again really soon.

The past few weeks have been like that, culminating with the beautiful wedding of two really wonderful people. The day couldn't have gone more smoothly. They were so kind and easy-going, and clearly meant to be together. When the gospel choir broke into "Oh Happy Day" and once the goose bumps on your arms subsided, you could only agree.

I also completed a sweet travel assignment for my favorite magazine. Can't say much about that until it publishes next month, but it was one of the most blissful locations I have visited. Ever. And it didn't hurt that it was sunny, warm and came fully staffed with outstanding people who made sure your every whim was met, and a view that could make you cry.

One last thing...an international magazine emailed asking to use some of my work for their next issue. Can't say who yet, but...oh, happy day!

Ahhh, I love my job.

A Gift

A few years ago I started doing pro-bono photography work with a pediatric hospice called Noah's Children.

The families I shoot are in varying stages of losing their children. I can't put into words how it goes, stepping into their lives for a few hours. The parents overwhelm me with their attitudes and their skills, managing respirators, medicines, feeding tubes. I just go in there and try to capture their relationships, and their joy in having these children, if only for a little while.

The social workers with Noah's are saintly. They care for these families as their own. I have been told what a gift these photo sessions are to these families, but they have no idea what a gift they are to me.

Richmond Magazine published an article about Noah's and all their amazing work this month. I was honored they used my photos. You can click on the article above if you want to read it. It's really nice.

Viva Las Vegas!

I just got back from an amazing trip to Las Vegas where I met up with my favorite fellow photographers and a few thousand others I didn't know, went to a mind-boggling quantity of photography seminars and workshops, and checked out all the latest developments in the photography field. The warp-speed changes in technology make it necessary to keep up... but can also make you want to run madly into the desert yelling "why can't I just shoot film?!".

Digital offers so many benefits over film, but requires us to be photographers and tech experts. It can be pretty demanding. You learn one thing, it gets overhauled, and back you go to square one (ok, maybe 2). Or you buy a camera that costs more than your first car, and they come out with a new version rendering your old one obsolete. Argh! And you want it. Bad.

On the artistic side, I really love the direction that wedding photography has taken the past several years. It's fresh, dynamic, beautiful and relevant. And the talent!! It's humbling and motivating. I left there totally inspired.

Best of all, I got to hang out with my little brother, Will, a Vegas resident. It was so great to see him.

A Lesson from a Five-Year-Old

Dylan, my five year old, has been bugging me for a week to wash her favorite baby doll, Babette.

Dylan has had Babette since birth and she is well-loved, soft and smells yummy. I can't put my finger on it, but it's a combination of Gain laundry detergent, candy, and that good, sweet, indescribable baby smell. She has a clump of yellow yarn bangs that Dylan will roll between her fingers when she is stressed or focused. Or she'll put the bangs right under her nose and breathe herself to sleep.

But when Babette loses her smell, she doesn't work the same magic.

Dylan kept asking "Please, Mom, can you push the button and make her clean?". I kept forgetting. But she did not.

I went down to do laundry today, opened the washing machine door, and surprise!, there she was in her faded pink, velvety glory ready for the wash cycle. Lying there, expecting me, with that "I am so loved" smile on her face. She was even sprayed with Shout to get those pesky stains out. I did not move her, I just laughed and got my camera. She's such a poser, that doll, having been photographed a lot over the years.

I learn so much from Dylan. She's a doer.