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05.10.12

andrew + daniel | pasadena child photographer

It’s not every day that I get the chance to photograph twins, so I was pretty excited when Andrew and Daniel’s mom contacted me about doing a photo session.  Photographing twins is fun because it adds a unique dynamic to the photos that I might not get from photographing siblings who are different ages.

I took them to my favorite alleyway in Old Pasadena where there is always great light and plenty of room for these two boys to do what boys do best… play!

I had to get a couple shots of the boys with their mom, who they absolutely adore!

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05.04.12

happiest baby ever | pasadena family photographer

A couple of weeks ago now, I spent a beautiful afternoon photographing beautiful families in one of the most beautifully un spots in Pasadena for my Spring Mini-Sessions.  Getting great shots within 30 minutes can be a little challenging but having such a great setting definitely helps.  I’ve been working diligently on editing all the photos for my clients but had to stop to share these fun shots of John and his parents who, for good reason, are clearly smitten with their little boy.  He was smiling from the moment he saw me.  I’m pretty sure he is one of the happiest babies on the planet.

I first photographed John when he was a newborn (he was a natural at being photographed even then).  I think I probably say this about all the babies I photograph, but looking back at those photos, it’s amazing to see how much he has grown!

In any case, I was particularly happy with how many great shots we got in such a short period of time.  Imagine what I can do with a full photo session!

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04.21.12

Taking Focus | Waste

This week for Taking Focus I wanted to do something for Earth Day, which is tomorrow.  So, I chose the topic of waste.  I’m kind of a nut when it comes to trash and recycling.  My husband gives me a hard time because I want to recycle everything.  Our recycling bin fills up faster than our regular trash and I’ve been known to collect old electronics of family and friends to take to our local e-waste facility.

With 545 million tons of solid waste handled by waste management companies across the country last year, this is clearly a big problem. While recycling has become more and more prevalent, I bet you would be pretty shocked at what you’d find going into your local landfill. Yet, I’m optimistic that it’s something we can do something about.   But I’ll stop there before I get too preachy.

The story behind these photos is that I called up my pal Scott who has a landscaping business here in Pasadena.  He makes frequent trips to the local Scholl Canyon Landfill hauling a ton or two of green waste at a time and he let me tag along a few days ago to check it out.  It was fascinating to me.  When we arrived there were at least 10 trucks ahead of us–garbage trucks, those trucks you see around filled with junk like the Grapes of Wrath and construction-looking trucks—all waiting in line to get up to the landfill.  The landfill itself was a trip because it looked just like a big dirt hill but in fact was layers upon layers of garbage.  But the thing that really got me was thinking about was the fact that this landfill was just a few miles from La Canada, Eagle Rock, Glendale and Pasadena and yet most people probably don’t know that it’s there.

Well, here are a few shots from my field trip to the dump!

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04.14.12

Taking Focus | Pets

In honor of National Pet Day, which was celebrated by millions of dogs, cats, birds and fish across the country on Tuesday, I thought it would be fun to use “pets” as my Taking Focus theme for the week.  Not only do I have two sweet cats, who may or may not be spoiled as if they were our children, but I have also photographed many a pet for One Eleven Photography clients as well as during my time working for newspapers.  I love when clients want to bring along their dogs (and a bird in one case : ) because they help tell the story of that couple or that family just a little bit better.  And, they just add a fun element to the photos.

This first set of photos are from client photo sessions:

I still love this shot from a dog show I covered in Dubuque, Iowa.

I’ve taken many pictures of people’s horses for some reason but this is one of my favorites.

This a photo I found of my family’s pooch, Murray, when he was a younger fella.  It makes me smile because he’s pretty old now and it’s nice to remember when he was 100%.

The rest are of my two kitties, Ruby and Gus, who possibly get photographed a little too much.  I can only imagine how many photos there will be when we have kids!

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April 14, 2012 - 3:44 pm

Whitney - These are all just amazing, but I have to say, the one of Murray brings tears to my eyes. I had forgotten how he looked in his teenage years. <3

April 14, 2012 - 6:44 pm

111photo - Thanks sis! I know what you mean about the photo of Murray. It had the same effect on me. <3

04.07.12

Taking Focus | Beginnings

I found Taking Focus a bit challenging this week.  The only thing I can compare it to would be writer’s block… it was photographer’s block.  I just couldn’t get excited about photographing any of the ideas I was coming up with.  It was definite rut.  So, I jumped in my car with my camera and started driving around town aimlessly.

It didn’t seem like it was working until I drove past the main Pasadena library.  I felt strangely compelled to pull into the parking lot and as soon as I did a flood of memories came back of all the time I spent there as a teenager.  I remembered always loving going there because it was such a cool building and it felt a little extra special for a library.  So, I started exploring inside and out and snapping away.  But, when I happened upon the photography section on the third floor, I was struck by a very poignant memory.

While my interest in photography was first sparked by a photograph I saw of the Great Depression in my history textbook, it was this very library that my mom took me to when I wanted to know more.   I could spend hours looking at books about the pioneers of documentary photography like Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange and Cartier-Bresson.  I was fascinated with how these photographers could express so much about their subjects in a single image while making me want to know more.  I wanted to know how to do that so I can do the same.  When I least expected it,  I rediscovered a part of my own photographic story that has taken me to so many incredible places… I rediscovered the beginning.

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April 7, 2012 - 11:33 am

Whitney - Oh wow! Really loving this one. I have so many fond memories as well. Love everything about this. Beautiful!