Carlos

I've really been into these portraits of children. Anyone want to send their precious littles my way?
I'm in love with the first one.

Contax 645; TriX or Tmax 400; FIND Lab

Almost One

How the past year has flown by! Cash is almost ONE! Here are a number of things about him: he just started crawling at 11 1/2 months, he's pulling himself up to a stand in the crib, he's got three teeth (two on the bottom and one on the top), his only word is still "Mama" and his favorite place to be is wherever Mama is, he loves hanging out with his brothers, throwing toys is one of his most enjoyable pastimes, and being outside is definitely preferred to being inside.

Contax 645; TriX 400; FIND Lab

The Legend of Cash

This cutie cut his first tooth this past Friday. And his thighs are really meaty. He's my legend.

 Contax 645; TMax400; Fromex MDR

George March 2012

Canon 1V (BW) & Contax 645 (Color); TriX-400 & Portra 800; One Hour Photo Avenue, Los Angeles

James in the Neighborhood

No, this isn't our house. In fact, this is a empty house around the corner from us. The other fact is that it used to be a crackhouse of some sort back in the day. Many years have passed and now it sits sold but abandoned. The place gets some beautiful light around it, and I was meaning to take the boys over there for a few weeks. I heard that the property was going to be torn down and built up, so I took my chance. The back yard is particularly enticing near the end of the day but I became too much of a scaredy-cat to toss my kids over and climb the fence. 

So, the final fact is, I will happily place my children in front of a former drug house if the light is right. Oh, and that James desperately needed a haircut (which he has since gotten).

Contax 645; FujiPro 400h; One Hour Photo Avenue

Mr. Funny

George is absolutely brimming with personality. He loves making people laugh and is constantly trying new things to get a giggle out of someone. Currently he is in "funny word" stage, which means he makes up words and says them over and over again in mismatched sentences. His favorite ones so far are "pook" and "ooka" followed up with "bleh, bleh." Thankfully he's pretty much given up on the potty talk.

Oh, and here is a movie with George singing "Jingle Bella, Batman Smells."

George Singing

Contax 645; One Hour Photo Avenue

Joanna's Boy

Yep, here he is. Cute as a button.I was lucky enough to hang out with his Mama, Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo, not too long ago. She is so very easy to talk and laugh with. I adore her. Check out her entertaining and sweet blog about all kinds of stuff that life throws your way (think fashion, babies, romance, style, hair, travel, art, etc).

Can you tell I love to contain squirming toddlers in highchairs? 

Contax 645; FujiPro 400H; One Hour Photo Avenue

The Cashie Challenge

Truth be told, Cashie has been my most challenging baby. Not in the sense he had colic but in the "I want my Mama told hold me ALL DAY LONG. And, if I don't get that I'm gonna whine and cry until it happens." I sure do love my Cashie, but it has been a rough couple of months. I wake up each morning with a renewed vow to make it through emotionally unscathed. But, by 2 p.m., I am usually completely worn down. Now I know he's just a baby and that babies deserve to be held and snuggled and cuddled and given loads of love. I try my best to make this happen.....but within reason. There is absolutely no way I can hold him all day long. I have two other young boys in my life that also need time with Mama. Whenever I put Cash down, I have approximately 3 minutes before the whining begins. And believe me, he is relentless. Maybe I've taught him this. Maybe it's just his nature. A part of me loves that he loves me so much to want to be in my arms for hours at a time. But another part of me yearns to have a solid half-hour to clean the kitchen without interruption, put away laundry, or simply build a road with my older boys. We are still working on a balance. 

Last week my sweet baby boy turned 7-months old. He's rolling effortlessly from stomach to back, holding his toys tightly, switching items from hand to hand, loves swinging at the park, gobbling up pureed foods, enjoying his bath-time, flirting with the ladies, complaining about toys that he drops, happily interacting with his brother George (my prediction as they will be great friends), and sleeping longer at night. (Daytime naps are not happening much, but we are working on them). 

Mamiya 7ii; Delta 3200; Fromex

My Valentine

Contax 645; Portra 400; One Hour Photo Avenue

Sticky Crab

My Dad came for a visit (more on that later). I just got some pictures back and came across this (blurry) one. This is a pretty good representation of how Gwampy and the boys spent a lot of their down time...playing 'crab.' Crab, as James so creatively named it, involves two velcro crabs and a couple of coordinating balls. You throw the ball to the person holding the crab and it sticks to it. There are two crabs, one for each person, but the boys mainly liked to throw. Every morning when they woke up, one of their first statements was, "I want Gwampy to play crab with me."

Contax 645

Girls Day Out

My friend, Kate, and a couple of girlfriends celebrated her birthday in style a couple weeks back. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the festivities but was still able to snap a few photographs of them and their cool ride before they began combing the streets of LA looking for trouble. Happy Birthday, Kate!

 

Contax 645; One Hour Photo Avenue, Los Angeles

Raving About Ryan Muirhead

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity for a mentoring session with one of my favorites, Ryan Muirhead. He was coming to Los Angeles for a visit, and I asked if he might fit me in for a one-on-one tutoring session. Lucky for me he said yes! I grabbed Stephanie and headed upstairs to watch Ryan in action. He went over film, exposure, camera settings, how he interacts with the model, and how he sees light (my personal favorite). We moved all over the space and watched how a slight change in position can completely change the mood, depending on the light. It was really beneficial to see through another set of eyes and watch it play out.
Ryan, thank you for the time you spent with me. I learned a great deal and hope that we can do it again in the near future. And if anyone else is interested in a mentoring session here in Los Angeles with Mr. Muirhead, either one-on-one or group-style, please let me or Ryan know and we can try and make it happen!

Contax 645; FujiPro 800Z; One Hour Photo Avenue, Los Angeles