- 01 Apr 2010
I’m so thankful it didn’t rain yesterday.
I have so many images that I never blogged. I get busy, I get my work done, and then I put my images up on facebook for my clients to show off. It works for us, but not for you folks out there in the blogosphere. Hence the start of my “Stuff I never blogged” series. The following images are from my newborn session with baby Liam and his parents from October 2009. Enjoy!
…that can help you forget that you were just rear ended twice, in twenty minutes, within the same 747 feet of road. “But what the hell were you doing on Sepulveda at 2:30pm on a Friday, Pamela?” Well, I was trying to avoid traffic. I know, in Los Angeles that just never works. I really should have known better. I don’t even really want to get into my two accidents, both of which seem pretty sketchy at this point. A word of advice, when you rear end someone who owns a nice camera, don’t try to drive off after they question why you don’t have your license on you, and ask to please hold while they call the police. Duh, I’m going to take a photo of you, in your car, driving away in an attempt to avoid being held responsible for your own stupidity. I digress. (As I often do, I’m a woman full of tangents) So needless to say I got home in a foul mood. Thankfully, putting the cards from a days work in the reader feels a lot like opening presents, even if I already know what the contents are. I can’t think of any other time in my life when I got home and laughed at the first image I clicked on after having the kind of day I’ve had…
Cute tookus, Liam! I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the same room as your folks when they bust this out in front of your first serious girlfriend. I mean really, it could be MUCH worse. Believe me, I’m part of the army of photographers who enables parents to build their arsenal of embarrassing photos. It’s not bad. Adorable even. Thankfully, I’ve got Liam the Little Man to cheer me up. I’ll explain more later, but let’s just say that if there were a “Strongbaby” competition somewhere on the face of this planet, Liam would take 1st place in the push/pull competition. He’s not even 4 weeks old yet…
Thank you Liam, Janice, J.D., and Anne, for reminding me that my day didn’t completely suck. More to come, if I ever get off the phone with my insurance company. Julieann and I have a special friendship. Over the years, we’ve drifted in and out of each others lives but recently we’ve done a lot more and have spent a lot of time chatting. Even more recently, she and I have been shooting together. I love that I can geek out with her and her husband Erik for an entire day and talk shop. Over the years, Julieann had asked a few times to do a session with me but always found a way to put it off. When she and I were having coffee together one day, she mentioned that she would be going on her annual camping trip to El Capitan State Beach with Erik. My eyes lit up and I told her it was time. It was. Camping at El Capitan has been a tradition in Erik’s family for years. Julieann is not new to the outdoors either. She and her family are also expert campers. When the two of them met back in 2001, one of the instant attractions they had to each other was because of their mutual appreciation for nature. A typical vacation for these two is one that enables them to surf everyday or takes them out of the busy city to enjoy the company of each other while soaking up the sun. These two were even married on the sand. Instead of a typical reception, their post-nuptual celebration came in the form of surfing. The prize gift to the Bride and Groom? A set of matching surfboards. This year during their annual trip to El Capitan, Erik and Julieann would be celebrating their 2nd wedding Anniversary and I couldn’t wait to shoot it. I’ll admit we had ulterior motives. When these two got married, they had the misfortune of receiving wedding photos that were not exactly what they had paid for and not something they could be proud to display in their home. Part of the purpose of our session was to try and recapture the essence of their wedding day while tying in the present. It wasn’t difficult seeing as how these two keep each other on their feet. Erik is the one that keeps calm on the surface but has been known to burst out with even the most random of comments. Julieann, she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s honest and loyal, and you always know what she’s thinking. She’s strong, she heals people (she’s a Nurse), and she’s been known to burst out into song and dance if the moment calls for it. One of my favorite memories of the two of them was a time when Erik asked Julieann to “Keep the crazy on the inside”, his wife lovingly glanced over at him, threw her head in the air and exploded into a fit of laughter. That’s what I love about these two. They bring balance to a chaotic world, but not without a sense of humor and kindred spirits. Here’s Julieann’s take on our session: “When Pamela came up with the idea of trashing the dress @ El Cap, it instantly made sense to the both of us! We both looked at each other as if to say “DUH why had we not realized the COMPLETE SENSE of that IDEA?” So last Wednesday we met up at their campsite, bustled a 2 year old wedding gown, played in and around the ocean and shared some laughs over the proper way to fall off a tree. Here are my favorite images from the day:
I knew Juan & Perla’s wedding was going to be fun as I passed the Paul Frank beach cruiser while walking into the ballroom at the country club. I was even more certain when I saw that Perla had taken the time to bring some of her own fun props for their guests to use in the portrait booth. Perla and Juan now hold the record for the most enthusiastic wedding guests….ever! I had so much fun with everyone! By the looks of it, everyone else had a great time too.
Click here or anywhere on the image below to launch Perla and Juan’s wedding portrait booth slideshow!
… I found myself driving past Santa Barbara to meet a woman in a dress and her handsome husband for a 2 year Anniversary celebration during their annual camping trip. Who says weekdays are boring?
I’m going to leave you hanging for a few days while I play catch up.
Tai, Ivy, Joshua and I had a session back in March when Joshua was just kind of hanging out and doing things that a 3 month old does. He had all his cute baby chub and spent a majority of his days sleeping and growing. But not anymore, now he’s crawling, laughing, kicking, grunting, and making all sorts of goofy faces. He’s just as cute as ever, even more so because he’s such a social kid who likes to indulge any willing audience. In 5 short months he’s become quite the explorer (and kind of a flirt too). I found this out a couple weeks ago on a Sunday morning with Joshua, Ivy, Tai, and Anne. The weather was a bit humid but otherwise it was a beautiful day outside. We spent the morning catching up and hanging out…and taking photos. 8-10 months is a fun age for babies. There are so many milestones that seem to appear one right after the other in the blink of an eye. Joshua is really happy and likes to watch the world around him. He checks out everything in his field of view, kicks his feet in the arms of his parents to get the attention of folks passing by him, and grabs at his ears as if it’s he’s doing it for the first time. He loves a good game of peek-a-boo and is at the point where you can fully engage him with the camera. It was amazing to watch this little guy notice that I was changing the focal length on my zoom lens. Such a fun age! He’s getting so tall too! Those little legs have stretched out and the baby belly is gone. The next few months are going to be such an exciting time for this family. Watch out world! Joshua is on the move! After our session, Ivy and Tai treated Anne and I to a tasty Sunday lunch. I wish I had taken photos of the food, but we were all starving and it was just so good I could never ask anyone at the table to wait to eat it. Thanks again for lunch guys! Oh, and thank you especially for helping a sister out and keeping my glass of tea full! I can’t wait until next time! Oh, and please check out Anne’s version of the day.
Last week, I received a phone call from Anne asking if I was available to shoot a private dinner party that her friend Joella was throwing. Anne would be in charge of the design of the florals, decor, and coordination while Kitchen12000 would be in charge of cooking up a 4 course meal and cocktail menu with about 36 hours notice. I love the adventure of a last minute opportunity, so of course I immediately joined the team responsible for making it all come together! Anne designed the gorgeous table and floating lit floral arrangements for the pool. When I asked her what was in the centerpieces, she responded, “There were lisanthus, football mums and button mums. I liked making the centerpieces visually interesting by varying the textures. Structured flowers with soft flowers. I wanted something classic and modern. That’s why I used the candlesticks that had classic shapes but were in clear and mercury glass.” I loved the touches of green in the white centerpieces. The white flowers and candlelight at different heights bounced some light onto guests faces just as I would catch them laughing. Needless to say, all of the design elements of this dinner party were pleasing to the eye.
Shortly after meeting Joella (who is a fabulous multi-tasker, if I do say so myself), I was greeted in the kitchen by the folks at Kitchen12000. Don’t let their casual “these people could be in my family” charm fool you…they are organized and quick even while carrying on casual conversation (and that is true with everyone on their team). Their menu was beautiful, and what I tasted was fantastic. They were also super friendly and all smiles whenever we would cruise through to snap photos of their mouth watering plates. The servers left no glass empty and no plate unkempt.
Double Prawns with Kim Chi and Red Cabbage shred, topped with a Citrus Soy reduction
MKay, Steve, and the rest of the posse gettin’ down on it...
Marinated Cucumber Carpet with 3 Potato Hash, topped with a Radicchio and Frise Sesame Salad
Chilled Glass Noodles with Blueberry Citrus Broth and Candied Ginger
4 Style Japanese BBQ Sampler with Steamed Rice and Black Rice Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Marbled Beef, Chicken Breast, Shrimp, Ahi Tuna
To check out more photos courtesy of Anne on the Kitchen12000 site, click here. The guests were serenaded by EVERYTHING throughout the history of music provided by these two gentlemen playing their guitars who didn’t stop all evening. They even rocked the theme song from Super Mario Bros!
Thank you Joella, I hope you shook a tail feather @ the club for me! Thanks again to everyone at Kitchen12000 for the snacks and smiles! Anne, you are amazing.
Jen and I met in 3rd grade. We grew up in a small town (at least it was in Elementary school) and so we were always in the same classes together and had the same close knit group of friends. As we grew up and the area’s population grew faster than mold, we met more and more friends and eventually hung out in two separate crowds, maybe only waving or giving each other a simple “hello” in the hallways in 9th grade. A few years passed and then we never spoke again after High School. Until now. This is 2009, and five years ago or so Jen found me on myspace. A few years later, we both made the transition to facebook and found a few other girlfriends from long ago. We kept up with each other here and there and checked out each others photos, sent messages back and forth, and exchanged comments. It was nice being able to keep up with someone who meant so much to me as a child but was so easy to lose track of as an adult. Roughly 10 years ago when the black hole existed in our friendship, Jen had met Jerome in college. They’ve been madly in love with each other ever since. They recently celebrated their 5 year Wedding Anniversary in Scottsdale! (Congrats, guys!) A couple months ago, Jen asked if I would shoot a portrait session with her, the handsome hubs Jerome and their two dogs, Lola and Lou. She asked if I had any suggestions for locations. I knew from looking at her facebook photos and getting a sense of her tastes that The Viceroy would be a perfect fit for them. We spent a little time really shaping their shoot beforehand, discussing wardrobe and the looks they were hoping to achieve. I’ve noticed over the years that Jen and Jerome are super affectionate. They have an amazing sense of style, and as you will notice they are photogenic times ten thousand and forty seven. On a warm Tuesday afternoon, Jen and Jerome drove up to The Viceroy with Lou, Lola, and their sister, Melissa…who was there to help with wardrobe changes, do Jen’s hair, and touch up makeup. I can’t even begin to describe how well the 5 humans and 2 canines worked together that day to create something special. Jen, Jerome, Anne, Melissa, Lola, & Lou…..thank you so much! I had an amazing time. I feel like my internal shutter clicked a few extra times that day. Some sort of inner light bulb went off and I realized…I’m in LOVE with editorial shoots! It was so much fun to see how we all helped each other develop our ideas…everyone was such an inspiration to me. It.was.fabulous. If I may share some great news, I have recently been teaming up with Anne of The Paper Stylist. She has such an eye, and during this shoot acted as a 2nd photographer, studio assistant, set dresser, stylist, art director, and overall great company. In the next week I’ll be blogging projects that we’ve been working on together. I think it will become pretty obvious why I love working with her! Oh, and thanks to Anne, I now have a right sidebar photo. Jen and Jerome are fans of the tv show “Mad Men”…..can you tell? These two have some chemistry. Like I even need to point that out!
P.S. – You see Jen’s great hair and makeup? That’s Melissa’s work, and if you’d like her contact info please email me @ pamela@pamelamastersphotography.com
On a Saturday evening, Rudy and Christina celebrated their one year anniversary surrounded by their friends and family. The happy couple had decided to provide a portrait/photo booth for their guests. I loved that her soiree was an intimate affair, because I got to interact with them just a tad bit more. As usual, the more times folks stepped into my office, the more they wanted to play up their portraits. Love it! Click here or anywhere on the image below to check out their slideshow. Happy Anniversary, Rudy & Christina!
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