summer

summer vacation started at 12:01 p.m. because sam is now out of school. we are looking forward to a fun summer with family and friends. picnics in the park. day trips to the beach. sunscreen. sunscreen. sunscreen. play dates with friends. fruit from the farmer's market. oh, how i love summer!
happy weekend!
image via one of my favorite photographers, tec petaja

brothers

i was so excited when christine contacted me to photograph her boys. christine and i went to high school together and we have seen each other a few times over the years but it was so nice to spend some time with her family. her boys are so cute! the photo session was supposed to be a father's day surprise but it didn't quite work out as planned. dad called in sick so christine had to spill the beans - it worked out nicely since we got the whole family in a few photos!
here are a few of my favorites...

beautiful

i have a confession. i am a book addict. children's books are the worst. there is something about a touching story and beautiful illustrations that i can't resist.
a few weeks back, i came across this sweet book about a boy who decides to start a garden along an abandoned railroad track. over time the garden grows and expands along the tracks and the whole city transforms into something beautiful.
quite coincidently, this story pops up about an abandoned railroad line in manhattan that has been turned into a public park. isn't that beautiful? you can check out the details at the website dedicated to the park : the high line. just think of the possibilities!
have a beautiful week!

career day

on monday, i went to sam's school to talk about my 'job' for career day. i had so much fun explaining a bit about photography to thirty pre-school children. i brought in a bunch of old rolls of film and let them unravel the rolls which was probably the highlight for most of them! i bet many of the kids have never seen a roll of film!
by coincidence, i came across this venn diagram and thought about how lucky i am to have found a career that i love. as i tell my clients, i truly enjoy photography and it genuinely feels like a hobby. i have found my 'hooray'!
(venn diagram via mstetson design)

film

happy friday everyone!
i just got the film negatives back from lisa and michael's wedding. this is always a moment of nervous excitement as there is no 'immediate feedback' part of shooting with film. i am so pleased by the images and here is one that caught my eye on the first round. the church was quite dark so hooray for high speed film and a steady hand!
more to come soon...
have a wonderful weekend! i hope you are able to relax a bit. i am starting off the team in training season on saturday. yes, i signed up again although this time i am going to be a mentor and i am doing a full (*gulp*) marathon. i am absolutely thrilled that my brother will be on the team as an honoree. he is doing so well and i am so happy that he will be by my side.
another exciting weekend plan is a visit to the alameda flea market with my super talented/decorator extraordinaire friend, paula. i am so excited!

fascinating movie

i just finished watching the most fascinating movie : surfwise. the new york times describes the documentary as 'a wonderfully engaging look at love and family and the relentless pursuit of happiness, personal meaning and perfect waves'.
doc paskowitz and his wife had nine children and they lived out of a twenty-four foot trailer and travelled around to various beach towns during the 60's and 70's. the movie tells the story of the family and how each member of the family was impacted by the unconventional lifestyle. the movie is both uplifting and sad. such an amazing story! add it to your netflix list today!

evan & kristin

evan and kristin's wedding was so absolutely gorgeous. the olowalu plantation house is such a special spot. if you are considering a destination wedding on maui, no need to shop around because this is the place! evan and i have known each other since college (just a few years ago!) so it was really special to be present for his wedding. evan and kristin are a perfect match and i couldn't be happier for the two of them.
our trip to maui was amazing. we went to the best restaurants on the island (hali' imaili general store, sansei, david paul's) and enjoyed really incredible food. we also made the trip to the upcountry to visit a lavender farm, ate lunch at the kula lodge and visited the art gallery of my favorite maui artist, curtis wilson cost. read books by the pool, visited the beach, walked around lahaina.....so relaxing!
thank you to evan and kristin for getting married in paradise!
(painting by curtis wilson cost)