Micah, Venice wants you back!

This little guy and his Mama just moved out of our Venice 'hood to start a new life in one of my favorite places on earth, New York City. I wanted to photograph them before they left but we ran out of time and couldn't get the scheduling right. Fortunately, one day Meredith dropped him off so that she could visit a friend. I scooped him up, grabbed my highchair, and headed outside for a quick 10 minutes so that I could finally put my camera in front of his darling face. Of course I had to bribe him with marshmallows, but it all worked out.
Meredith, this is my going-away gift to you, and I hope you love them just as much as I do. He's beautiful, and we wish you all the best of everything in the grand old NYC! Miss you guys!

Contax 645; Portra 160; One Hour Photo Avenue, LA

Cashie -Six Months

Six months old. Wow. 

I am so happy and grateful to have you in our lives, Cashie. Our love for you is endless. 

Canon 1V; Kodak BW400CN; Fromex

Marble Game James

James with his obsession, Quadrilla.

Mamiya 7ii; can't recall film; RPL

Does Out of Focus Mean Ruined?

Friday was a hard day for Cash and me. It started off good but slowly deteriorated and ended with me in tears. Most days I can roll with the constant fussing, crying and restlessness but Friday it just got to me. The root of the problem is sleep, and the fact that Cash doesn't need much. Now that he is sleeping more at night (yay!), it seems as though he just plows through the day without needing much precious sleep at all (boo).  This probably sounds like I have nothing to complain about, but honestly it makes for a really long day when you have a baby that wants to be held most of the time starting at 6 a.m., and two other boys with whom you'd like to be involved.  When Cashie naps it allows me to rejuvenate; it provides me an opportunity to gas up for the next few hours filled with playing, eating, answering, cleaning, etc.. By 4:30 Friday I called Fran pleading with him to come home so that I could get a break from my precious love, Baby Cash. 

Anyway, this post wasn't supposed to be about more sleep issues. It truly started off as a post on the fact the images below are out of focus. Somehow I got sidetracked with everything else going on in my life. Last week I shared 10 minutes of time with Cash and my Mamiya 7ii.  My Mamiya is my go-to camera when I want to document a piece of my life by actually being present in the photograph instead of behind the lens (I use the self-timer).  Life can get so loud and crazy around here, and it's good for me to stop and make time for the moments that pass so quickly. I set this up using zone focusing, something I've used in the past and continue to experiment with. I've had pretty good luck so far, but this time it didn't work out that well. It's clear that in most of them my leg is in focus but Cash and I simply are not. Even so, I don't feel like the images are a total loss. They remind me of a short moment in time when Cash and I bonded outside of all the craziness and everything was just the way it ought to be. I'm going to pull these up next time the goin' gets tough and the day feels completely out of focus. Because it's certainly not ruined. 

Mamiya 7ii; Delta 3200 rated @ 2500; Fromex

Early 2010 Favorite

This is one of my favorite images of the boys from early 2010. It was taken right after I got my Contax 645 and started experimenting with film. It wasn't staged and I adore it; George looks like he is watching James' every move, something he still does today.

Contax 645; Fujipro 400h; Fromex

A Few Snapshots at the Park

Canon 1V; Kodak BW400CN; Fromex

Outtakes From the Trampoline

It's not always easy getting a group of people to cooperate enough in order to take their photo. Being on a trampoline makes it especially challenging. I remember running out when all the kids (and a couple of grown-ups) were bouncing around with my camera around my neck and baby in arm. In went Cash to Aunt Shasha and off went a few frames of film. A couple of incooperative toddlers/preschoolers, bunny ears, and a crying infant made the experience memorable. 

Contax 645; FujiPro 400h; One Hour Photo Avenue, LA, CA

For Katie

Back from October 2011:

Canon 1V