ELISE BLAHA CRIPE’S MATERNITY PHOTOS

Yes, I realize that her baby has just turned one, but all the more reason to finally post these, right?

I was over the moon when I got an email from Elise asking me to photograph her maternity and newborn images last year, and even more so once we met. She is just as cool in person as she is online. Down to earth and loved to laugh with me as we drove around San Clemente and scouted locations for photos together. It takes a woman with a good sense of humor and a good head on her shoulders to frolic on the beach in a bikini! Elise is also my online social media GURU. She does the best job of walking the delicate line between self promotion, interesting content, and giving back. I love what she is doing with her latest Make29 project, and her podcast is amazing as well. If you are crafty at all you have got to check her out.

As you can see with this year old session, I am quite behind and have some goodies from the vault to share. My personal goal is one client session and one personal share per week on my blog going forward. I am also feeling that old writing itch, I miss it so much, and have so much to write about with the transition our family is currently going through. Over the last few years I really pulled back on my writing here because I felt like I was giving away too much and I was in a place where I needed to give to myself. I also wasn’t sure of what my purpose was in sharing what I did. I needed to pull back at the time but as life changes so does that need to be quiet. I feel rusty and like I have lost a bit of my voice, but with each post it comes back a little more.

I would love to hear from my readers if you have certain subjects or content you would like to hear from me going forward – please share in the comments – I blog for me but also very much for that shared connection with you.

xo

DREW BITTEL’S FAMILY IN THEIR 1920s HOME

How Drew found this amazing property in the heart of suburban Orange County is beyond me. It was built in 1921 and used to be 40 acres of orange groves. There is so much personality and history within these walls, and now her family has filled it up with their own brand of personality and love. Shooting here was a special treat for me, being a person who LOVES OLD HOUSES. I love the way they smell, I love the way they creak. Also, I had met up with the Bittels once before and enjoyed their sweet connection with their little boy. I was happy to see them again, with the addition of a little girl with curly red hair.

HUNTINGTON BEACH PIER PEOPLE WATCHING with ANNA

 

My daughter and I had a few hours to ourselves one Saturday in March so we decided to go to Ruby’s at the end of Huntington Beach Pier. I love it down there, the energy is so good. The pier is longer than you think it is so you get a good amount of time people watching. Which is always my favorite. I love observing other people, in a non judgmental way, just out of curiosity and for my love of personality and faces. We decided to pay attention to what we were seeing and take photos of things that were interesting and unplanned. So we walked, and we watched, and we waited, and then sometimes she would tell me to take the photo and sometimes I would decide to take it on my own. There was a lot of time leaning against the railing, waiting for something interesting to happen, taking in the blue water, waiting for a pattern to emerge or colors to line up or a human connection to take place. There was also some time spitting over the edge, while I pretended not to notice so she could experience that harmless little thrill.