deborah tracey photography

::: I'M MOVING HOUSE TO A NEW SIMPLE "PORTFOLIO/JOURNAL" :::

2010-08-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'VE MOVED TO A BRAND NEW, CLEAN "WEBSITE/JOURNAL." NO SPLASH PAGE (HUMMMM WHAT DOOR SHOULD I PICK???). NO MUSIC (AWWWWE, BUT YOU CAN PLAY YOUR OWN!), NO FANCY WEBSITE. JUST A "BLOG AND WEBSITE ALL IN ONE" AND A LINK TO A FEW YEARS HISTORY OF THIS BLOG (at the bottom of the new area), AND TO MY CLIENT PROOFING AREA, FACEBOOK, ETC.. I HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AROUND (ESPECIALLY "PAGES") WHEN YOU SEE THE CHANGE. JUST CLICK ON MY WEBSITE LINK AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! DON'T FORGET, IF YOU'VE BEEN TO MY ACTUAL WEBSITE BEFORE, YOU MUST CLEAR YOUR HISTORY FIRST!

::: "Team Malawi" 2010 :::

2010-08-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Praying to hear soon that they made it! Please pray for their journey and their time there! What a great group of young people!!!

::: My Muse :::

2010-07-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

Brynn and I spent some good quality time together, these last few days, and with my summer break, I am gearing up for some great portrait shoots and still doing my boutiquey weddings here and there, plus getting ready to have that open house I keep talking about. We bought a vintagey dress and we played today. I needed to get out and be in my zone. Africa is on the horizon and when Brynn gets back I know she will be changed forever. Thank you for the time Brynnie and for indulging my need to photograph you and spend time with you. You are in my prayers and on my mind even when I sleep... I love you, mom oxox

::: HOLIDAY REFLECTIONS :::

2010-07-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

All holidays are a blessing and should be considered that to all who are privileged enough to take one. Not only did I feel privileged, but just so in awe that I could rest for a week. I was a big, lazy cat and I tried very hard to live that life. A cat's life. Rest, stare, curl up in a ball. yawn. stretch. sometimes sitting, sometimes laying completely flat, getting up and walking a few yards. Sitting again. Staring again. Opening my eyes slowly and then closing them again. Reading (oh wait? cats don't read. nevermind). Wandering over to my food source. Getting a drink of cool water and....... starting over. As a mother cat, I sat in awe of my family. Staring at God's great big ocean, I thought of my husband and his devotion to our family. His patience and his kindness. I don't always recognize it and sometimes meow a little loudly at him. He loved every minute of resting too. Reading. sleeping. bbq'ing. eating. playing his bass guitar. participating in a game of volleyball and walking on the beach. He only rode his bike once. We had a long year and I could feel us giving in and resting in God's grace. It was a pretty amazing feeling and there was no guilt. very unusual, as we are constantly on the go. I watched Ian visit with friends from his new school and laugh. I was reminded of when he was a little baby reaching for the sand in a frog-like position and the deep giggles he would have for the most random things. He and John worked on Joni Mitchell's "Twisted" together and I realized why I begged to have another child. He would fill our lives with a passion for music and singing. This took awhile for John to transpose and I often don't give him credit for how hard he works to do things like this with his children. Brynn is home from college and will be a senior this fall. I had begged to take some pictures of her, while we were together, and it was a lot of fun. There's something so surreal about staring at your daughter, who's fast becoming a woman and is on her way to Africa on a mission. I can't describe how I feel, but I know that she is putting herself in a place where that place can impact her heart to change forever and I am in awe and envious. I will miss her and worry about a few things. like mosquito's and tummy problems. that's normal I tell myself. She has a kind and patient boyfriend, Kevin, that will be with her and that's very comforting to know. There are 300 children waiting to see them. wow. They are so committed to what God wants of them and it's not an easy world to live in. Brynn has always had a love of Christ and her depth and understanding of the world around her is often missed. Like her dad. During a funny and heated volleyball game, Max, my oldest, was as funny as he's ever been. Ever since he was little he's loved sports and has a real passion for life and history. I saw him Christmas morning getting a lego set and disappearing to build it. Watching him is the hardest, because he is the oldest and for the life of me, I can't be this old. He truly loves his family and he loves to watch movies with us and play board games. He loves to make tea. He loves Melissa. I love that. He still has that big, infectious closed-mouth smile that warms my heart.

I reflected on approaching 50 in December, reaching a milestone.... slowly watching my old high school friends, on Facebook, turning 50 too, knowing my turn is coming soon. I thought of my passion for photography and settled for always loving it, no matter what, even if I never had a job again. That was a good feeling. I love the art and I feel it in my toes and that's enough for me. I thought about how I'm not amazing and never will be, (it's my opinion that word should be regarded for very few people) but I am amazed with the fact that I've had the opportunity to do this so late in my life and how fortunate I have been to even own a few good cameras, have a little business and have the support and admiration of my husband, parents and friends/clients along the way (oh? and my kids, when I'm not annoying them). I need to get closer to God and continue to strive for His purpose for me. I don't take for granted that I am still here and I learned that this year. It was a very good holiday indeed.

Ian, Anna and Lauren

Ian, Brianna and Ciara

Volleyball madness!

"Team Crazies!"

Ian...

Brynn and Brynn and Kevin doing a "pretend" and slightly? "making fun of an engagement shoot!" (I have laughed, to the point of tears, at the middle picture) don't ask.

Beautiful, shy, Melissa...

"We want to jump like Ian and his friends..." and in perfect "John fashion" - he ran through it...(forever the youngest child)

Our friend, Charise, took this for us and she said we needed to "pretend she was the funniest thing we had seen" - she's gorgeous and yes, we worked on this one.

Double Rainbow. no crying. but we were in awe...

::: HOLIDAY ::: SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED :::

2010-07-11T16:30:00.001-07:00

::: My Life In The Corporate World :::

2010-07-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got to work for this guy..... (just kidding - I had a cool corporate job) but more to come after I get back from holiday. He's the recycling plant manager, I mean rat chaser. I think he really wants this job though.... what do you think?

::: HEADSHOTS FOR THE GORGEOUS LAUREN :::

2010-06-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

My house has been full of family, noise, food and laughter and I've really been enjoying it :) Inbetween, I've been keeping up with some headshot work (which I LOVE) and taking life a bit more easy these days. Lauren is just a beautiful young woman who has found her passion for theater, in this last year and has been fortunate enough (and talented enough!) to land two musicals. In "Rent," at The Grove of Upland, she was in ensemble, with several small roles and came out of that on such a high, she went right over to the Lewis Family Playhouse and auditioned for "Grease" and landed one of the main characters, "Marty." She is now busy with "Anything Goes," at the Haugh Performing Arts Center, Citrus College, and auditioning and sharpening some musical theater skills. Lauren thinks she might just make a big move to the Big Apple in the fall and I hope she does so I can, once again, "live vicariously" through another young person living in New York City!! It was great working with you Lauren and catching up with you after :) God Bless you Lauren in all you do and remember what we talked about. Keep pushing, keep going, keep studying and stay focused... no matter what you do in life. ox

::: HEADSHOTS FOR LOVELY MARISSA :::

2010-06-27T12:55:00.001-07:00

You might recognize this beauty, from several months back, when we did her high school senior shoot. We tried to cover a few headshots for this talented young actress/singer, however, since then Marissa has changed her looks a bit and we had to really focus on a few more for her future, and for an incredible actors workshop "intensive" she will be doing this July in Los Angeles. She will be working on acting, singing, performing skills, as well as interviewing, auditioning, etc. and getting some real one on one time with some amazing and well known people in the industry. Come fall, Marissa will be attending a college of the arts in Los Angeles and then hopes to immerse herself in New York City, of which she can't get enough of. I love to watch her sing and perform and I know that we will be pulling for her every step of the way. This was a fun little shoot and I would love to do this everyday of my life, if I could (so get ahold of me - if you want some updated headshots!!!! wink :)

::: HEADSHOTS ::: VITT LAW FIRM ::: ROBERT

2010-06-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

How cool is it to work hard at what you love, all the while helping people and also be a college professor of philosophy, encouraging students to think and expand their horizons. I met Robert and Yvonne, last week, up in these beautiful Alta Loma foothills, I call home and we worked for a little over an hour, on some headshots and general personality shots. These are for Robert's "new" website, Vitt Law Firm (new site coming soon!) I think we captured his personality, which is very, very kind and gentle and I hope that these make his sweet wife, Yvonne smile, as she goes through them :) They are both very environmentally conscious, love nature and Robert loves to run - so we wanted to portray a little of that into these images. We had fun out on the trails and I hope it wasn't too painful for ya!! They wanted to get these done, quickly, for their web designer and I feel quite honored that Yvonne called me. She has a very, very talented "photographer" brother, Louis Palos, of Palos Studio and right now he is very busy, so it was my honor to get these done for them, before I go on vacation :) Thank you so much again Yvonne and Robert and I wish you much success in life and in business! You are a very sweet and loving couple :)

::: HEADSHOTS ::: BEAUTIFUL KARI :::

2010-06-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

I keep saying, "where does the time go?" Not only this week flew by (and I thought I'd get to these images sooner), but Kari used to be 12. Hum. Not anymore!! I met Kari, when I taught Sunday school at church and I always thought she was sweet and lovely. Years went by and I didn't see her much. We all grew and moved on and one day when waiting outside of Ian's (my youngest) vocal lesson, there she was. All grown up. Kari has a beautiful voice and sings like an angel, but in the last few years she has branched out, from her more formal singing and performing, to the bright lights of theater. Kari just finished a sweet run with the show "Urinetown" (yes, I know, there goes that name again!! can we change it??) at The Grove Theater, in the historic downtown Upland. She is going through that sense of wonderment (what just happened?), accomplishment and loss (I want to see my cast family again), all at the same time. Soooo the next best thing to do is get brand new headshots and start another play!! She will be in another Broadway Experience musical at The Grove, in Disney's brand new musical tale, "My Son Pinocchio, Geppetto's Musical Tale," opening July 9th.

We had a lot of fun, for a quick hour and if you're interested in my one hour "headshot special," please email me at: debtraceyphoto@gmail.com. It's an awesome deal and comes with 5 high res downloads - so you can quickly submit to agencies and the like. Thank you Kari for coming to my neighborhood, for some sweet, yummy light! Keep pursuing your passions, never give up and break a leg!!! oxox

Who says we always have to "do it vertically?"

Okay, so this isn't a headshot - just took a 1 second break!!!

::: A DOG'S LIFE ::: GOODBYE TO THE SWEETEST BEAR

2010-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday morning, my parents had to make the tough decision to let their beloved and sweet boy go and be in peace. He came to them, over 12 years ago, from Airedale Rescue and it was absolute love at first sight. He loved them with all that he had and they loved him back with all that they could give and more.

I feel in my heart that "Edgar" came to them to serve many purposes, as I know that God has this plan for all of us and He even uses the most innocent of creatures, big and small, to serve His purpose.

You see, after retiring in Oregon, we all missed mom and dad so very much and although we would see them often and have that quality time, nothing could fill a void of the constant chatter of grandchildren or the ability to just see us for that quick dinner or cup of tea that we all so craved.

My mom and dad had had several dogs, when we were growing up and to even consider another one, was a big undertaking. They didn't want to take on another dog, unless it could get their full attention (unlike when we were young and living at home and "promising to walk the dog"). They wanted a dog that they could enjoy, embrace, walk with, lay next to, watch t.v. with and appreciate.

My dad had remembered my mom always talking about her fierce and loving protector, an Airdale, named "Major." During WWII, in England, times were very tough and people had to do what it took to survive. When my mom's dad left her and my nana alone, she was 6 years old and I believe, that God had pre-planted Major, in their life, as a source of comfort and security, during those difficult days and nights when she would be alone, her mom working, ...listening for the bomb sirens. She would spend hours, reading to him, closed up in her room and he would follow her down to the bomb shelter and lay over her, Mickey Mouse gas-mask, somewhat secure on her head. Nothing in this life is a coincidence and the more I try and deny there's a God, the more I realize I fail at it. He uses everything, including the speck of sand and the tiny bug to help us to see that no matter what, He is with us.

So, for her birthday, back in 2001, along came Edgar. A shy, somewhat unsure of himself, Airedale, that would fast become their secure best friend and a "dog rock star" to their friends, everyone that met him on the street, in the stores and especially with the grandchildren. He would greet you with his head bobbing up and down, barking, dancing his curly paws away and he would always remember you when you came back into his life, whether it was a month or a year. He loved to go camping and if you called out names, along the way, like, "horses, cows, dogs, etc., " he would race to the helm of the motorhome and bark like a lunatic!! He did the same thing, while watching Animal Planet, sitting straight up, at full attention. I swore my parents could have won that $10,000 prize, from the "Funniest Home Movies," had they submitted one!

But back to his purpose. 6 years ago, this coming August, my dad went through a terrible health crisis, and he felt lost and hopeless. I believe that Edgar helped to soothe the pain of that time, and kept my dad, not only busy, but healthy. Never was my dad in such good shape to face such an ordeal and with my mom, who has always been by my dad's side, and his biggest supporter, that dog walked him through it. literally.

On Saturday morning, my dad took Edgar out for what was now to be a very short walk and visit to his favorite park. With undue certainty, and a "second chance" operation, several months ago, the slow decline of his health was obvious and urgent. In the park, my dad was faced with the fact that things were declining rapidly and with agonizing pain he and my mom had to see their best friend through to the **Rainbow Bridge and let him go. I believe God savors a beautiful place, in heaven, made especially for animals that have done their time well on this earth.

He did his time well, like so many animals that are with us for a time. Some we recognize for all they are worth and some we leave out in the yard or drive by them, when they are abandoned, and never see them at all. We have 3 rescues and even though it's a tiny dent in a overpopulated world of animals, you never know what one small rescue will accomplish, until you do it and see how rewarding those simple, everyday gestures are, that we take so for granted. What they can truly mean to us.

They are the unconditional gestures humans rarely give each other. Eye to eye contact. smiles. hand shakes. and, .. walking by your side when no one else will.

Yes, I believe that God lives in all of us and especially in his creatures, big and small. He shakes your hand and walks beside you and you don't even know it.

** "Rainbow Bridge" comes from reading all the pet stories and eulogies in Best Friends magazine. Best Friends is a peaceful animal sanctuary in Utah where all animals have a second chance at life and are either adopted out or are cared for until that day comes.

::: Danbury, The Beautiful Wedding of Paulo and Ally :::

2010-06-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've done a slideshow (scroll down) but I had a lot to cover and I thought it would be fun! I can't believe I have already traveled to Connecticut and back for Paulo and Ally's wedding, and what a beautiful wedding it was! The story of why I covered it goes like this: When I was 2 years old, my mom, dad and I were at the American Embassy, applying for a visa, to come to America. While there, my parents met Pauline and Brian, who would soon become some of their closest friends in America. Over the years we all hung out and I got to witness, along with their girls, Ally and Michelle, a lot of English fun, food and laughter! Some of my fondest memories, of these times, are on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. Well my mom and Pauline have remained close friends for over 40 years and in the last 8 years, Pauline has been following my work, so it was just the greatest opportunity and honor to be asked to cover Ally's wedding in Danbury. Over the years the family has grown and changed and Ally, who's passion and degree is in the theater, moved to New York, years ago and I think she was on the right path, because when Paulo came along it was simply perfect and meant to be. Ally and Paulo dream of having a family and helping others along the way. Paulo is a sweet and kind Brazilian man, who I know, is madly in love with Ally. It was so neat to meet his sister Rosie, who came all the way from Brazil to represent the family. Plus it was really great to see all the family again and also to meet Ally's stepmom, Marianne, and Ally's two brothers, Chad and Patrick, that have quite the reputation in the surfing world.

The most amazing part of the wedding day was the beautiful rolling thunder, during the end of the ceremony. We felt the rain drops coming and hoped and prayed and then as Ally and Paulo ran up the aisle, the rain broke and it was as if to say the heavens were showering love upon this marriage. It cleared just in time for the romantics! wow.

Thank you for choosing me to cover this most special day in your lives. Thank you for your love of theater, film and photography, because it's truly wonderful to work with people that appreciate the arts. I wish you only the best in your life together and pray it always has that special spark I felt, between you, on your wedding day. Never forget that. Much love to you both and to your families! oxoxox deb

CRANK UP YOUR SPEAKERS FOR SOME VINTAGE CHICAGO AND HIT THE PLAY > ARROW ON THE LOWER LEFT! (if you want to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you :)

Starting with the dress rehearsal to the fun "pizza" rehearsal dinner and the big day after that... Many thanks also to Luke and his amazing staff at The Amber Room, Danbury, CT -- you guys were AWESOME!!

::: MY LOVE OF FILM AND SPORTS :::

2010-06-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've been staring at some old sports film shots, on my wall, in our music loft and I love this one, shot on Fuji film, with my Minolta Maxxum 9, off the San Clemente Pier. This time around I gave it a vintage tone boost. I long for some time to shoot like this again. But back to wedding editing :)

::: Jacinda and Jerry ::: A Little Romance :::

2010-05-10T17:36:00.001-07:00

I have been playing catchup, and am still plugging away on wedding editing (so don't worry out there! it will be worth the wait! I promise!) and now to the beautiful wedding of Jacinda and Jerry, from May 1st! I think I said, out loud, that "this is the best day" about one thousand times, hoping and praying nothing would go wrong (can't get too far ahead of yourself in this business!) and I have my friends Shelly and Nikki to prove it! What a wonderful day! We started with the "first glance" or pre-moment, where they see each other before the wedding and we had a very tight schedule of accomplishing ALL photography before the ceremony too! Meeting in Uptown Whittier was perfect and everyone was on time and just so happy! The day was full of laughter, love and wonderful family and friends. Jacinda and Jerry actually went to high school together and hung out with different people. They found each other on Facebook a few years later and the rest, as they say, is history! They dream of a life that is fully committed to serving in full-time ministry and enjoy taking road trips, Dodger games and especially photography and the arts (yeah!). I felt so honored to be a part of their special day and it all started with one other special couple, Jeff and Karissa, back in 2006. This is the coolest testimony to praying for a referral business ever and I believe this was the 7th wedding! Thank you to my best friend and fellow photog, Shelly and Nikki, who I've known for awhile and never realized had found her passion for photography a few years ago, for coming out and shooting with me. I can't wait to see what you guys got!! We had so much fun! I also want to thank Amanda for her wonderful coordinating of the reception and I will be adding makeup (which was beautiful!), flowers (gorgeous), desserts (yummy cupcakes and Cuban treats!) and the D.J.'s Often times I don't get cards (because I'm spinning) or wait for the info - but I will add it here, as they really deserve it! God Bless you Jacinda and Jerry! Thank you for your kindness and the amazing example you show of love to others. Since I'm late, here's a "BLAST 'O PICS!" ENJOY!!!!! oxoxoxoxox

::: My Mom, My Mentor, My Friend :::

2010-05-09T13:24:00.001-07:00

My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~Graycie Harmon

I love you mom. oxox

p.s. did I also mention that I still think you are the most beautiful mom in the whole world?

::: BIG BEAUTY :::

2010-05-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and tiring week of trying to catch up with work, running my car into a wall and an unhappy dog, who I never knew could sing quite a nice aria. Big Jim found us 5 years ago and he is probably the most beautiful animal we've ever encountered. Beautiful on the inside. He also has stunning good looks, and a constant and loving stare, that reminds me to stop what I'm doing and go out and play. I will admit that we chose to be "one of those" irresponsible owners that "chose" not to get him neutered for many reasons. The first being his personality. It's amazing and we worried it would change. The second was he had no interest, nor change of mood in all the time we had him and the third, we had two other male dogs (large collies) in our 25 years together, that both got terrible infections and sick from the procedure. This week, our Big Beauty went to the vet and had the inevitable surgery. He came in the door, with John, on Tuesday, barely standing, saw me and did his usual (but slower now) extending of his paw and did a slow slide onto the floor, where he laid all evening near us. Our cat, Mama was filled with crazy-joy (secretly!) at the site of him and although she probably added to his drugged out brain, she has realized how incredible he is and has kept watch over him. He is doing so amazingly well and has been outside visiting his best friend, Sally, our other "spayed" rescued sweetheart (but very difficult to photograph). This morning I spent some time throwing his ball and held onto it for these pictures. He lasted about 2 minutes before I had to give it to him. He has amazing concentration and is doing so well. Big Jim is definitely a very under-appreciated gift to us. If more humans were like him the world would be a better place. (and just a note - I always say I normally never sharpen eyeballs and other than some contrast and a slight vignette, this is out of the camera -- I will hang onto my 5D's as long as I can!!!!!)

::: JERRY AND JACINDA SNEEK PEAK ::: TRUE HAPPINESS :::

2010-05-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was a wonderful day, spent with great friends, clients and a kind and beautiful couple. I just had to look for one shot that described the feeling of the day. I quickly looked at my last card and saw this image. It really says everything about Jerry and Jacinda and captures the spirit of the entire day. I couldn't stop saying "wow, what a great day!"

Happy and madly in love... congratulations to you both, and enjoy your honeymoon! ox

::: PASADENA WITH KRISTEN AND TROY ::: TIMELESS :::

2010-05-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I met up, in Pasadena, with the gorgeous and sweet Kristen and Troy. I love Pasadena, but they especially love the city and have spent a lot of time between working and dating in Pasadena, so this was the perfect place to shoot. Kristen and Troy met when he hired her to work for him and she wasn't impressed at all. In fact Kristen didn't like him at all, but slowly, over time, started to see a side of Troy that swept her off of her feet! Now here they are ready to embark on a lifetime together! I met Kristen, years ago, when her younger sister, Mackenzie, and my son Ian were in the same school. In fact they grew up at that school, from kindergarten through Jr. High! Kristen would often be at school events and I became friends with her mom -- so I would see her on different occasions, over the years. She is such a beautiful girl and I always wished I could have got to know her better. Well, it had been a few years, since I'd seen her, and when she called to inquire about my work, I was thrilled! So, here we are and I get the honor of covering her most special day! No pressure there!!! Troy is a really gifted man, who has served our country on several tours overseas, in a "specialist" unit. He is presently a karate instructor and works for a fire restoration company. Kristen works in her field of marketing and dreams of owning a bakery! They have an adorable puppy named Cupcake or "CC," for short, that came along with them for the day. She is so cute and I think has wheels for feet! Thank you for tolerating my most obnoxious sounds, while getting her to look at me!! ugh! the things I do :) I can't wait for your big day and it was so great to work with you both!! oxoxoxox

::: DON'T BLINK ::: KRISTEN AND TROY ::: STAY TUNED :::

2010-04-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

::: Mission San Juan ::: Janie and Steven ::: Simply Beautiful :::

2010-04-23T00:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the day before my wedding anniversary, I drove down to the Mission San Juan Capistrano, and met up with Janie and Steven. They were referred to me by some great clients of mine, Tricia and Danny, and from the moment I met them, I really hoped I would work with them :) Janie, a South African beauty, is an absolute doll and works as a dental assistant and Steven is one of our finest, serving as a police officer, in one of our local departments. The one thing I love about them is how down-to-earth they are and the things they love to do. They would love to own a horse ranch someday and spend their free time kayaking, backpacking and exploring new places. The mission is one of their favorite places to hang out, locally, and I was so excited to work there. I want to go back with John and explore the mission, as it's been a long time since those 4th grade projects! It's truly a beautiful piece of history and I felt so blessed to, once again, be working at something I love to do, with such nice people. I can't wait for your wedding, this summer, at the Nixon Library. I know it's going to be simply beautiful. Thank you so much for this honor. oxox

We had to get some pics of Steven's arm and the tatoo he's been working on! He loved board games as a kid and I love it! We LOVE board games too :)

::: 25 YEARS TO LOVE YOU MORE ::: A DAY REFLECTING IN LAGUNA :::

2010-04-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Dear John,

Yesterday was a silver milestone in our life together.
A silver lining on a long and sometimes very challenging road together.
The road of commitment is an amazing testimony and we are a just a speck of sand
with a little story to pass onto our children.
A little story that started in a grocery store,
found it's way to the beach,
in an old orange Volkswagen Bus,
wound it's way up into the mountains,
found it's way back to the city,
with a puppy and an orange cat,
in our orange bus,
to a lime green house,
with a white rock roof,
and three sweet children,
a treehouse to play in,
a doughboy to swim in,
the sounds of friends and family,
holidays and everydays,
the joys and the pains of responsibility
laughter, tears, sickness, health.

Thank you for 25 years of growing up.

25 years to try and see the world the way you do and see how much you love me, even when I thought that was no longer possible.

For all the days that should never be my everydays...

God has been so graceful to me.

I love you.

RAY AND ERIN ::: AT LAST ::: FALKNER WINERY ::: APRIL 10TH, 2010

2010-04-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Over a week ago, Bill and I traveled out to Temecula, for the much anticipated wedding of Ray and Erin. I had covered her sister, Andrea's wedding, on Catalina Island, last August and really liked their family. When I met up with Ray and Erin, last September, to do their engagement, I just left thinking the world of these two. You know how EVERYONE always says "they are the nicest, sweetest people?" Well, Ray and Erin truly are and after almost 5 years together, it was so great to witness their most happiest day to date. Erin, who could melt you with her beautiful sweet blue eyes, is a budding photographer herself and Ray, who I think is just a teddy bear, works for a large real estate firm, but has a talent for building things and makes very cool custom dog houses!!! They dream of having children and traveling and just growing old together and I can honestly say, approaching my 25th wedding anniversary tomorrow, that these two will go far beyond that. When you are around them, they have a very strong and natural love for each other and I hope I get to continue to be a part of their lives, watching their family grow. God Bless you and your families Ray and Erin. We really enjoyed our day with you and we really enjoyed witnessing all the love you all had for each other. Especially during those "parent dances." That really choked me up and I try hard not to get that way. Thank you to Bill, for all of your detail work, which I'm barely through looking at and your friendship. oxoxox Terrific video, by Steven Javitz and the best entertainment yet by Brian A. Stodart. amazing.

We started the day at the Pechanga Hotel...

The above macro ring shot is one of the details that Bill covered :)

"The Butterfly Release" didn't exactly work because they were cold! When Erin shook the box, they finally flew out and attached themselves to the children, and whoever would keep them warm!!!

Before the "real first dance" they surprised everyone with a coordinated, pumped up first dance, that was hysterical!

ALICE: CLASS OF 2010 : "In my world, the books would be nothing but pictures"

2010-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

In my world a book would be all pictures too! But for Alice In Wonderland, and this lovely Alice, it's all about pictures! Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting this beautiful high school senior, in downtown Pomona, and was completely blown away, by not just her beauty, but her spirit. I honestly think I have an angel on my shoulder, when it comes to my clients. They are, for the most part, full of a radiance for life and it absolutely reflects in their pictures. Maybe too, it's that the stages of life, I cover, are some of the happiest, most anticipatory moments in time. Alice also came with an "entourage" and so did I!! She brought her mom and friends from out of town and I brought along Nikki, from Nicole Rae Studio, to shoot and shadow :) I can't wait to see what her eye got! I am a bit behind in blogging, because after I shot this, I did a beautiful wedding (next post) and then I got the flu and it's still bugging me. Editing Alice's shoot has lifted my spirits for sure! Her best memories, from high school, are being with friends and I loved hearing that, because being a friend and having friends is so important in life... especially ones you can trust and just be yourself with. Alice is so easy-going and has a natural silliness that I totally related to. We laughed a lot (especially at the crazy music playing in town!)and had a lot of fun being creative. Alice will be heading to a big university on the east coast and has plans to go all the way to a masters in speech therapy. I believe she will do everything she sets out to do, because unlike what the book of pictures might look like, Alice has come through a lot of challenges in her short life, just like her fairytale counterpart, and finds strength and joy in her faith, family and friends as the core to her success. God Bless you and your family Alice! I can't wait to see what your future holds! If only I had had a speech therapist, like I'm certain you will be, for my Brynn, when she was little! You will be amazing!!! ox

::: GOOD FRIDAY ::: A LETTER TO MY FRIEND :::

2010-04-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Last Good Friday, I had two portrait sessions. One in the morning and one in the later afternoon. It was an amazing Good Friday. At the end of my first portrait session, I was thinking about my friend Peggy, who has been battling cancer for 2 years and was given 6-9 months to live, last September. As I watched the airplanes take off at Cable Airport, and watched the young man, I was photographing and his mom, I was thinking, as I always do, about life and how fragile it is. I knew that she had taken a turn for the worse, this week, and I felt that the time was soon, as we all did. I didn't want it to be soon, because I knew how much she wanted to see all her children graduate, get married and I knew that she wanted to be a grandma someday. As I was walking to my car, at 11:15ish, my phone rang and I knew that she had left us on this Good Friday. How appropriate. So like her. So perfect. So beautiful in a way and yet so hard to fathom. Her sister-in-law called me to tell me the news and I sat in my car for several minutes and had a good cry. Then I followed my heart and drove straight to her home. I saw her and I touched her and I had never done anything like that in my life. But what was really amazing? is that I knew she was all around me and that she was at total peace. To be with the family, and surround her in prayer, was the most profound thing I have ever done in my life. Thank you for that. Thank you for the fellowship, hugs, love, tears and even laughter on Good Friday evening too. What a family you all are. Thank you for all the years of friendship, my dear, sweet Peggy. Thank you for being honest and for loving Jesus so much that you have left such a powerful legacy for us all to share that love. Thank you for making us all better in your courageous process of having your life slowly taken from you. Thank you to all of you, family and friends, for the Sundays that we shared praying and singing and hoping. Thank you for making me still believe that God is a good God and that He has a plan for all of us. Am I scared? yes. sometimes. Do I hear your laughter, Peg, in the middle of the night? and do I see our children running and playing and having tea parties? yes, all the time. all the time. Thank you for making me think that my life was not just about me. That it absolutely served a higher purpose and that loving my husband was next to loving God. Thank you for your time here on earth. We are left behind with your smile, laughter, bravery and goodness and I promise you that I will try really hard to live up to what you asked of all of us that one Sunday. "Just love each other and love Jesus, because I want to see you again." I want to see you again my friend. I will someday. I love you.... oxoxoxoxoxox

::: SARENA ::: COLLEGE GRAD CLASS OF 2010 ::: THE SCIENCE OF BUYING :::

2010-04-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

When you look at this beautiful young woman, you would never know that she has learned the total "science of buying!" So, watch out future shoppers, because Sarena has studied your habits and is ready to get out there and help some lucky company sell, sell, sell! Last Good Friday, afternoon, I got the absolute pleasure of working with Sarena, who found me through a few other high school seniors I had photographed and also her boyfriend, who is a good friend of my oldest son. I met her and mom, in downtown Claremont and was overwhelmed with her from the start. We emailed back and forth and I could sense her extreme kindness and politeness and she was nothing less when we met in person. I love how beautiful she is on the inside and it just shines through her smile and big blue eyes and pretty blonde hair, on the outside. You just want to hug her and protect her. I know it's a tough economy out there and that continuing on with a masters education is probably a smart way to go, but I can't tell anyone out there, enough, how blessed they would be, to have Sarena be a part of their marketing team. Sarena was actually an "art minor" and loves to paint when she has time. She loves fashion and art and puts God and family above all. I so enjoyed my time with you and mom and I can't thank you enough for your heartfelt words at the end of the day. We had a TON of WIND to deal with, but we pulled it off! Thank you for this opportunity and God Bless you, Sarena, in all you do.