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There is nothing like returning
to a place that remains unchanged
to find the ways in which
you yourself have altered.

- Nelson Mandela (1918 - )

We really do learn a little more about ourselves every time we visit the ocean cliffs of La Jolla. That place is still my favorite place in the whole wide world. See my cheesy and a little too honest writings from a couple of years ago regarding this place here.

It really is super beautiful there.

I am home. Glad to be so and a little sad. We were greeted with great fanfare from excited puppies and friends watching them. Only slight injuries occurred while we were gone, and since they hounds had a playmate for the weekend I doubt they missed us too much.

Photos as soon as I can upload and go through them- there are about a billion of them (it was a long, exciting trip). Some of them are insanely cute, since it was seal pupping season.

It was a wonderful weekend with my sister (who I miss terribly already), mom, and of course Kirk. Hooray for family trips. We saw baby seals/giraffes/gorillas, petted dolphins, fed slimy fish to sea lions, watched nature be nature and enjoyed sunsets. We breathed ocean air and enjoyed waves crashing into cliffs. We explored tide pools with the same gusto of the small children the next tide pool over. It was fantastic and I admit I am finding it tough to wake up in the real world again.

In other news, I will again be gone next weekend (an "emergency trip" to Kansas City, before my third trip there in two weeks for the big show. Gosh I love it there!) so you may just be missing me again. In the mean time, LOTS of editing to do for all of you, and lots of new images to create. Its gonna be a busy week!

Glad to be home- talk to all of you soon!

Color and Light

I am insanely happy for no particular reason at all, which is a beautiful way to feel.

I could see my breath as I hauled my gear into the car. I giggled as I shivered because I kinda like chilly mornings.

I spent a morning with friends in the garden and clickity flashed my way through the first part of my day. There was an afternoon nap (needed it I swear!), there was watching my Kirk help hang my mom's Christmas lights.

There was editing. There were new actions. There was joy. There was a day overflowing with happiness. There was a Costco trip and a kid movie.

There was color and light.





I hope your day was happy too. While we are on the subject of happy- go check out the color and light at the botanical gardens right now. It will make you happy too.

Sick Photographer

Being sick is the least fun thing ever. Being sick off and on for three weeks however, just plain sucks.

Thats right...three weeks.

Two bouts of that nasty two day flu thingy which my mom and Kirk seem to insist has got to be something more than flu because they were a week apart and then a whole week long nasty respiratory thing knocks me just a smidge behind (hard to edit while you are hacking your brains out/seeing through the medicated goggles).

I have been careful not to share my germs, and before anyone with the motherly instincts asks, yes, I have been getting lots of sleep, drinking fluids and taking medicine.

Ain't it grand?

At this point I have been sick enough in the past 30 days to hopefully get a break for then next six months and not get sick again. Right? Right.

On the upside it appears I am on the mend, so there should be lots of exciting stuff here this weekend. I hope. There are oodles of discs leaving the office this weekend too. Hooray!

I apologize for any delays this bit of whining and hacking has caused. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Since you read my entire pity party rant, heres a photo of a broadbilled hummingbird to entertain you!

An Autumn Ramble

For those of you who just come here for the shiny photos...let me get that one outta the way so you can move on with your busy day...


I love autumn. Crisp, cool air and that someone-is-burning-the-dust-outta-a-chimney-somewhere smell. Somewhere in this state there is some pretty yellow growing into the trees. Daily packages arrive from my vendors- holiday orders from clients...or even little parcels containing holiday shopping for my own family. The bits and pieces of family spread all over the country, are drawn back together via magnetic force, airplanes and magic. The whispers of Christmas music are starting to play in the stores and soon Christmas cards will start to appear in the mailbox. Daily trips to the post office to mail some sort of goody to somebody. Weddings on the weekends.

The dogs plead with me not to make them go outside in the morning and come back in with cold ears. We all snuggle with Kirk that extra five minutes after the alarm goes off, begging not to have to put bare feet on chilly tile. I don't have to feel guilty making my favorite tea or hot chocolate. Warm blankets and deep sleep. I can notice each day the shades of the evening light getting a little bit cooler. Time zones flop back wards in places where they are crazy enough to want to save daylight, so I can call my out of town friends to chat just a little bit later.

I can break out my favorite fuzzy sweater, and on really cold days a funky scarf. I go Christmas shopping and lunching with my mom. I take family portraits of dozens of happy families, dressed the same but different, eyes sparkling. They will send my photos to their loved ones this year.

Apple cider and fall break. The kids next door play touch football in the park across the street. We go for late night walks just to breathe in the cold air. Maybe if I am lucky this year, we will see snow in the Superstitions again. Then I can go photograph snow covered cactus for Glenn and his friend who loves saguaros.

I love this last bit of every year. Maybe I am savoring being young and happy, maybe its just the change in the weather, or the hope and joy that the conclusion of one year and the beginning of another bring.

Either way...I love autumn and wish it would never ever end.

Generations in the Groves

I am not exactly sure where I want to go with this post. Its hard to say. There are just some sessions you dream about and day dream about afterwards and it gets you lost for words. You will have to bear with me...

I can still close my eyes and can see warm morning light, the kids joyfully running through the trees giggling and playing. A family, three generations of family, just joyful to be together on a beautiful Sunday morning. Its peaceful and timeless.

The truth is this family is one great tree in the grove of Kempton. The big family I had always wanted and finally got when I married Kirk. One thing is for sure, it sure is a change of pace from my little less-than-ten-people-extended-family I had come from.

I am still learning names. Still learning stories. After all, Kirk has ten aunts and uncles, each with children of their own many of whom have their own children. Its a grove of a family, each part its own great tree that branches out and intertwines. Those I know very well I love very much. Those I don't know very well yet, I still love very much.

I may never learn every name, every story. There are new little branches every year. All I know is I am lucky to be among them in the grove.

I admit, I was thrilled when Jennifer got in touch with me. Over a couple days the whole family joined in and pieced together times and a fantastic (new...to me anyway) location. It came together beautifully. The kids were fantastic...and the grown ups were pretty good too. There is an incredible amount of love in this family.

I will be editing these images over the next couple weeks. There were dozens of great ones...buckets of them even. I can not wait to share the final images- I am so excited I feel like my heart just may burst. In the mean time, a handful of previews, skimmed from my favorites will have to do.

So here are some photos for Chuck and Charlene, and their kids Jennifer, Megan, Rhonda, Austin and even that guy whose name rhymes with Dirt (and anyone else who just loves beautiful autumn morning photos of beautiful families). As always you can click them to see them a little bigger.






This was not the most perfect photo of the grand kids and Chuck and Charlene, but I just can't get over Charlene's laugh. Its so beautiful.








Watch the slide show too would ya? Its a great way to see them. Family, if you guys want the slide show for your blog just email me and I will send you the code and instructions.

I really hope you love them as much as I do.

Falling in Love with Water Lilies

As many of you may or may not know, I recently returned from a four day trip back to the home of my almost-still-sweeeeedish ancestors. Minnesota. The objective was to visit family, see my elderly grandma for possibly the last time and allow my mom to wax nostalgic for at least 72 consecutive hours all while toting along my husband, sister and I.

It was actually very enjoyable. We share many childhood favorites, and it was fun to show Kirk someplace green and cool and beautiful with just a hint of autumn. I jam packed the trip with activities, since it was to be a short one.

Somewhere in that whirlwind, we saw them...water lilies.







Now to be truthful, I have been begging the photography gods for a chance to get some good water lily shots for a while now. I love the beautiful shapes and colors all layered on black glassy water. Sadly, this type of plant does not thrive in Arizona like they do elsewhere. Sure they will grow and bloom once in a while, but nothing quite like this.

There were dozens and dozens of them, in every imaginable size, shape and color. Pure heaven. Add to that a fresh sprinkling of cool rain and diffused light and I was in my own fantasy world.









I watched the rain build up on petals and pads, weighing them down. A few of the flowers had filled with water and sunk like tiny colorful boats. Most were gracefully covered in crystal like beads of water, delicately balanced on colorful petals.






Giant amazonian lilies held a thorny underwater surprise for fishes that might prey on them. I was informed that they bloom only two nights. The first night, the flowers are white, and on the second, a brilliant pink!







I'm in love with these flowers that dance on still water. Pale and hot pinks, reds, whites, purples...so many colors heavily saturated with the grey day.

I think I will have to visit again, if only to see the water lilies.

Who on Earth Runs this Place?!?

Often these are words I hear from my mother, when the mess in my office has gotten out of hand. Not my favorite thing to hear but I figured I would come clean about who the boss is around here.

Here you see a shot of my messy, but lovable workspace. Yes, I know I need to sweep up the corner. Yes, I know windex could be used everywhere and anywhere here.


I am a creative. I am a mess. I am a creative mess.

But the brains of the bunch...the cracker of the whip, is hard at work at her post under the desk.


Mirabella would like me to inform all of you that she in fact runs this place. Ask, her and she will tell you she runs the world.

Here she is hard at work in her favorite designer garb (with swarovski crystals, which you can't see because shes dreaming on them), that we all work so hard to keep her in. Clearly she works really really hard for her nice things....hehe.

See? Here she is supervising....


And here she is making sure everything is running smoothly....


Odds are if I am at my desk, shes there, keeping a handle on things. If she is not, she leaves Aldo in charge but lets face it, we all know hes a goof.

So, complaints, concerns and the like go to me...praise, love, treats and worship go to the boss... and don't you forget it!

The Joys of Desert Living...

Almost exactly a year ago, Kirk and I left our Tempe apartment and bought a gorgeous house in the far East Mesa area, overlooking the beautiful Superstition Mountains. Just mere moments from great hiking and nature in two directions, I expected some of it to venture even closer to home...but the last month has been interesting.

So far we have:

Nearly run over a poor king snake in front of our house. For what its worth, he was not the Central AZ desert type, but rather a Southern AZ type...yeah I don't know what thats about.

Heard more than a couple coyotes nearby. I don't let the dogs out alone at night now.

I have seen baby quail early in the morning. I like those...they are adorable and fluffy and cute.

Dealt with a paraplegic tree squirrel (yes tree...and I had only ever seen ground squirrels out here) who made Mirabella insanely throw her body into the back door to try and get it. No idea how it got back there...but it eventually tried to crawl into our wall, and unsuccessful, crawled out and sadly passed on in the middle of the yard.

Baby Gila Woodpeckers in the saguaro in the yard behind ours. They sing cute and its fun to watch mom feed them.

As I type there is the BIGGEST Palo Verde beetle I have EVER EVER EVER seen (including the ones we saw while in college in Tuscon) sitting on my wall. The thing is bigger than my hand....biggest I have EVER seen. Mirabella- the little huntress she is, alerted me to it and is feverishly demanding to go outside and monitor the beetle situation. Needless to say between bouts of me going out with the flashlight to make sure I am indeed not hallucinating (I get chills looking at it!) she is grounded...those things deliver a NASTY bite. I refuse to take photos. I don't want to be anywhere near when it decides to open its wings and use its horrid sense of direction...75% of the time that ends up with me with a giant bug in my hair screaming like someone is stabbing me to death.

Needless to say, I am remembering quite quickly that I live in the desert. This is their home...not just mine. But it sure does get interesting out here when the whole desert comes into my yard to play.

Close to My Heart

This particular post happens to be a very special one. One that is very close to my heart.

A year ago Brittany met Dan. Dan liked Brittany. Brittany liked Dan. They fell in love.

Last Saturday, Kirk's younger sister Brittany married Dan. It was an incredibly special moment for the entire family....not only because we all adore Brittany (and we do) but because she found a wonderful, sweet, caring guy and managed to get him to marry her.

These two are great together. Seriously. They compliment each other beautifully. Perfectly made to fit together.

Given that the camera is really an additional appendage for me at this point, I was asked to capture the day.

There are hundreds of moments I could talk about. The weekend was a whirlwind of love and red gerbera dasies. So many perfect beautiful details, so many loved ones coming together. My mother in law cried those beautiful happy tears, my father in law sang "the ultimate party song" while playing with his youngest sons fantastic band, the grooms family made a respectable attempt at upstaging said party song with a couple tearjerkers of their own. Family and friends came from Utah to see Dan marry this amazing woman who must seem too good to be true.

It was beautiful.

If a picture is worth a thousand words...I may never ever stop talking.

This morning as I contemplated this post, and how exactly I was going to share my favoritest favorite images with you (there were more than 50 and the number keeps growing as I edit!!!!) I remembered my pals at animoto.

The only solution was one of their amazing slide shows. I needed to put one together in the interim before I finish editing anyway, so here it is:



Family and friends can check out Brittany and Dan's engagement and wedding pictures and play a fun trivia game here. If you need the login details shoot me an email via the contact link and I will send them to you.

Brittany and Dan- congratulations. We love you guys and are so happy you have decided to start a life of love, laughter and happily ever after! Thank you for inspiring me, entertaining me and exhausting me. I had a blast!

A Casual Observer

I very rarely take a day off. Day in and out I am usually either on client shoots or editing them, ordering prints, running concepts, meeting potential clients or heck, even cleaning the office. I eat, sleep and breathe photography- I dream about it at night and think about it all day. I measure light and angles, even when I do not have the camera in my hand.

Lets be honest, professional photographers in this day and age wear many hats. There are a lot of things we have to do to make it work. We are not just photographers anymore- we are our own business managers, sales staff, marketing department, order fulfillment team, receptionists and editors. We are just most passionate about the photography part...thats where our hearts lie and thats why we do it all. Thats the part we love. So, as you can imagine, when I take a day off of studio stuff, ripping the camera from my hand is very much akin to ripping the heart from my chest.

Much as rarely take a day off, I even more rarely am a guest at a wedding rather than a vendor... so I was absolutely overjoyed to spend the evening in Tucson Sunday at the wedding of Jake and Jamie- Kirk's cousin and his very long time better half. Just don't ask me to put down the camera.

I took this as an opportunity to shoot from a 100% photo journalistic standpoint, much as a newspaper photographer would- a casual and silent observer. No major editing (just a little color correction or a conversion into standard black and white here and there) , no pressure, no direction, no responsibility....just an evening of photography, fun and family. This is harder for me than one might think, since I tend to naturally go into work mode at weddings.

I admit it...I had been looking forward to this since we got news of their engagement. There was a great story around the proposal, and something about showing off the ring at a formal dance called the "Eye Ball" (optometry school comes up with original names for their events don't they? Jake just graduated...he is now Dr. Jake and has the ability to put crazy eye drops in peoples eyes that will make them wish they were dead the second they hit sunlight again...). We were thrilled for Jake and Jamie.

Months passed, and we did not hear much... until one day a cute little pink card arrived with their save the date info. On the calendar it went (thank goodness they sent out save the date cards...if you are debating, seriously, do this - it was the only reason I was able to go!) and viola! I had a date with a handsome Kirk in a tie and a day off.

Slinging my loaded shoot sac over my back, I was ready to have a little fun. Kirk left his camera in the car.

Jake and Jamie selected a lovely venue for their wedding, just a few miles up the road from Kirk's aunt's home in Tucson. The drive down was pleasant in the miata and while slightly warm, its was nice out and not unbearably hot like it sometimes tends to be this time of year. Traffic was lighter than expected given the current state of things construction wise on I-10 there, so we were a smidge early and dawdled a bit in an effort not to be too early.

When we arrived at the oasis at wild horse ranch we quickly found Kirk's dad, step mother and youngest brother relaxing at a patio table in the shade. Across the yard next to a lily pond, black chairs had been laid out for the ceremony, adorned with little pink fans.

Bridal party members bustled about and we eventually ran into Kirk's aunt Stacy and Jake's sister, Chelsea. They both looked beautiful! Stacy was wearing a gorgeous pink gown that reminded me very much of one of Jackie O's dresses that I had seen at the Phoenix Art Museum earlier this year and the bridesmaid gown Chelsea was wearing matched her eyes exactly.

I forget how much I miss those girls when I do not see them for so long. The Lane side of Kirk's family have the distinct fortune of being in possession of contagious smiles and amazingly sweet personalities. From what I am told, its a personality trait passed down from his grandmother, Lee. If everyone in the world were fortunate enough to know someone like these ladies, I think the general demeanor of the human race might change for the better! I remember feeling like family the first moment I met them... and I believe they have that effect on everyone they meet.

Jamie is no different, and so Jake is blessed with loving, sweet women surrounding him in his life. He knows he is a lucky man.

The ceremony began as we took a spot in the back of the field of guest chairs. Jake and Jamie's ceremony was beautiful. They were surrounded by family and friends from across the country. Beautiful cello music lead the bridal party to their positions and the officiant was gentle and kind to those there to support Jake and Jamie. The cacophony of shutters tripping was astounding, as point and shoot cameras were whipped out of pockets and purses, and held into the air hoping to catch a glimpse of true love and the beauty that surrounds it.

Witnessing as many weddings as I have, I have noticed that each groom has a "look" when they see their bride for the first time. Its amazing to watch- a very honest and candid expression few seem to notice. Jake was no exception. As Jamie's father escorted his daughter towards the aisle, the look on Jakes face was priceless. Pure adoration. Rightfully so...she was stunning. The dress she selected was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and suited her perfectly.

The ceremony was beautifully put together. Chelsea did the reading... and she was definitely just the person to do it. Chelsea is incredibly musical and theatrical, and though wedding readings are generally pretty predictable, she made it beautiful and memorable through her artful inflection and obvious genuine love for the her brother and his bride.

Vows were said, rings were exchanged. I think Jake had a little trouble, because it took him a little while to finish putting it on Jamie's finger. Kirk snickered and poked me because when we got married two years ago I tried to put his ring on the wrong hand. Hey, what can I say, its a nerve wracking thing to be up there in front of those you love. Remembering right from left is not always easy- nor is slipping a ring onto someone else's hand.

The officiant pronounced Jake and Jamie husband and wife. On review of the images I shot later, it played out like a perfect movie scene (in fact, I may have to throw them all together in a little animation tonight...) . Jake gently lifted Jamie's veil, gazed lovingly into her eyes, embraced her and kissed her. I admit this is probably one of my favorite wedding traditions. Every time, I hear in my head that classic line that ended "The Princess Bride":

"Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that have been rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."

The joy was obvious as they turned and made their way back up the aisle, now husband and wife.

After the recessional everyone filed into an adjacent courtyard for cocktail hour while formal portraits were being taken. I admit to sniping a few shots while casually chatting with family and friends. It was fun to watch the bridal party laugh and play and dance to Jimmy Buffett songs while waiting for the next formal. It was the perfect time of day for the photographer to do portraits, and as the sun set the clouds lit up in shades of pink and blue, mimicking the bridal party's flowers.

Laughter and chatter was heard throughout the courtyard as people visited, some with family and friends they had not seen in quite a long time. The bridal party happily hung out on the lower terrace having joyful conversation between formals.

Portraits were taken, lives were gladly signed away into one collective life, and as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, everyone was ushered into the reception hall for dinner.



The bridal party was introduced and the couple made their grand entrance.

After the meal, a champagne toast was given. Many members of the bridal party had lovely things to say, but it was Jake's father Noah who took the cake. In an elaborate story style toast, he seemed nearly moved to tears as he spoke about how proud he was of his gentle and intelligent son, and how joyful he was to have a sweet and beautiful new daughter in law. He was beaming.

I am not sure where they got the wedding cake, but it was lovely. After a long set of photos mock cutting the cake, the cake was cut and served. There was no face smashing to report. It tasted as lovely as it looked, which is saying something. Jamie's cousin, a gifted musician, serenaded the couple and played guitar while cake was served.

Kirk and I had intended to leave by 9pm to make the drive back to Phoenix before we were too tired, but we were having too much fun. Following the cake, everyone walked into the dance hall to watch Jake and Jamie take their first spin on the dance floor as husband and wife. No instruction needed, and no penguin shuffle dancing for these two...they stepped out with grace and style to a selection by Norah Jones.

Parent dances were next and Jamie and her father shared a dance together. We could not wipe the smiles from our faces watching Stacy and Jake dance- and I don't think they could either!

After that, all the fun broke loose! Chelsea has quite a knack for swing dancing and looking good while doing it- and the whole bridal party followed suit! It was a riot to watch them all dance together. After watching Noah dance with Chelsea, I see where she gets it from.

Eventually we did have to sneak away, or risk not making the drive home. For the first time ever, I wished we still lived in Tucson so we could have stayed a little longer. It was so much fun to be a fly on the wall just watching everyone have a blast!

Kirk and I were so happy to see Jake and Jamie finally tie the knot. Jamie has another year of school (she's going to be an optometrist too- is that cool or what?) and then they will be moving back to Tucson from California! We can't wait! It was so nice to see everybody again...we really don't make it down to Tucson enough to visit.

It was fantastic to spend a wedding as a casual observer. While it was a little different than what I am used to, it was an entertaining challenge for me. We had a great time! I am sure the hired photographer captured some incredible images (hopefully many many more than I did-I was simply shooting candids...) too and I can't wait to see them.

Family and friends, leave a note or shoot me an email and I will get you guys a disc if you want one...the images in this blog are just a few of the ones I captured for the day. Had I included all the images I would have liked to share, this post would have never ended.