I have this thing for putting people into bushes and trees. I love incorporating the texture and color. I think it started with my love of plants many years ago and and then took off after I was inspired by THE photo of Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley with her hair draped into bushes. I remember seeing that photo and it blowing my mind. I love hiding a face with flowers. I love shooting through leaves and trees and greenery, so you can see them blurred out at the edges. I try to find something like that during every session, whether my clients are looking at me like I am crazy or not. This time we were walking towards the beach and I saw a short palm tree with drooping branches and mom was closest to me so I asked her to stand for a portrait. Afterwards, I got all excited, kind of like a dog who knows she is going out for a walk, wiggly and giddy, as I do when something is hitting me just right, so I asked the rest of the family one at a time to stand for me and “become one with the palm frond”.

Maaaaaaybe half of them thought I was crazy, so I tried to make it as not awkward as possible standing with your face in a tree while people are walking by on the sidewalk, but I can tell you this, I am crazy for how these turned out, and I would totally hang these together in a wall gallery if it were my family.