maui | part three

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visits with old friends.meeting new friends. lunch and shopping at the super cool town of paia. gin and tonics with cucumber and mint. photo session on fleming beach. steve... kite boarding lessons. times two. early morning snorkeling at molokini crater. clear water. lots of fish, an eel and seven sea turtles. an incredible last-night's dinner at nick's fish house. and through it all, i feel so blessed to have experienced the most amazing reconnection with my husband. i never want to forget our time spent together in maui.

steve, thank you for loving me!!

and now... on to vail, for the awesome NAPCP retreat.  so excited to be speaking on the 27th.

spreading goodwill

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Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to gods, a common misconception; rather, the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.

- wikipedia

when i was in wisconsin, i stayed at my dear friend, julie's house.  shortly after arriving, we had gone outside to look at julie's incredible garden and i noticed the prayer flags hanging from her front port.  later in the day, i mentioned how awesome it would be to have prayer flags at the fischer family's session (thinking maybe we could pick some up before the shoot).  the next thing i know...the prayer flags are down and ready to go with us to the shoot.

i absolutely love that we were able to have prayer flags with us at the fischer family's session.  i love it even more that they were worn from their days of dancing in the wind at julie's house.

i now long for prayer flags, to grace the front porch of my own house... prayer flags to flutter in the wind... prayer flags to bring good energy, luck and happiness... prayer flags to spread blessings and goodwill to those around.

i've been asking friends what they know about prayer flags and looking around.  while i'd love to make my own flags, i just know that that's not happening anytime soon.  so far, i've found...

these tibetan prayer flags, sold on amazon and here. or these prayer flags on etsy.  i'm a bit partial to the happiness-themed flags.

if you know a great place to purchase prayer flags or have any additional insight, i'd love to hear about it.

also, i just came across this PDF article on prayer flags, which i plan on reading later tonight.  seems like a great read.

ETA:  for anyone that might be offended because the prayer flags touched the ground, please know that at the time of these photos, i had no idea that prayer flags are not to touch the ground.  i had the absolute best of intentions in bringing them to the session and photographing them, with the fischer family.  i will never let that happen again, now that i am aware.

also, my friend, wendy, just shared this with me:

i do prayer flags with mighty girl...their flags fly to encourage the girls that come after them. i ripped an old white bed sheet into squares and give them fabric markers. http://mightygirlart.blogs​pot.com/2010/05/wind-horse​s-arriving.html

and after seeing this flag, created by nina beana, on the mighty girl art site... i'm feeling the strong need to make my own flags. a family project. designing, dreaming, gathering, creating, sewing...together as a family. my new (year old) sewing machine has been waiting for something like this, to finally make it's presence, from out of the box.  YES, our august pre-school project -- prayer flags.

i heart mr. fischer

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i  think i met terri when i reached out to her about her dreads.  but i actually might have met her (pre-dreads) because of her wonderful film photography. can't really remember (because i have a terrible memory).  but i do know that we became friends on facebook.  i always knew she was special.  and then terri and julie came to visit me last year, in kansas. and our friendship has just continued to grow. yes, she really is that special...and more. a few weeks ago, terri shared the news that tom was diagnosed with a slow-growing follicular lymphoma. while slow-growing might sound better, it's actually not.  it means it's been around longer.  and often tougher to combat.  six rounds of chemo are in tom's immediate future.  he begins round two tomorrow.

as soon as i heard of tom's diagnosis, i knew i had to get out there, to photograph the fischer family.  to capture all the magic that they are.  i tried to get out there immediately after i heard but lots of factors prevented me from doing so. but last weekend, everything fell into place (much thanks to the women of the witches brew) and i was able to travel to wisconsin to photograph the fischer family.

i'm not really sure how to do justice to the amazing family that they are.  but i'm hoping that photos will show what i am not able to put into words...

I LOVE YOU FISCHER FAMILY!!

also, please check out terri's t-shirts, for sale on etsy. she's saving the money to send tom on a dream-come-true fly fishing trip in alaska...once he's in remission and has beaten this beast (like seriously kicked it's ass kind of beaten). we HAVE to believe that that is the way this will all end up, right?!!!

i'm a proud owner of both an "i heart mr. fischer" t-shirt and a goddess t-shirt.  it's obvious how cool the t-shirts are but they're also seriously great quality.  i love my t-shirts.

a special thanks to julie, who opened up her house to me, while in WI...and drove me everywhere.  you are such a magical soul.  thank you for your friendship.  thank you for everything.

p.s. cancer fucking sucks!!

are you my mother?

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sweet baby bird so innocentso beautiful and wise the future rests within your sights hope fills your tiny eyes your body warmed by fluffy down shields your heart from the rain rest softly on the leaves of brown your life has much to gain. - jill eisnaugle

before i photographed the fischer family in wisconsin, i really wanted to meet tom and the kids. so sunday morning, we met at a park playground. i wasn't sure if i should, but decided to bring my camera with me to the playground. little did i know that there would be a couple of children there, with a sweet little baby bird.

while baby bird might have thought this fabulous nest of brown was the perfect fit, sadly it just couldn't be so. i'm not sure what happened to the baby bird but i sure hope he was able to make it to rest softly on leaves of brown.

more tomorrow on the fischer family and my special days shared with them.

i ♥ mr. fischer!!

the everyday

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as much as i hate the mess, i absolute love and cherish my kids' imaginary play.  i think the littles learned it from their big sister.  she's the pro at it. although...they were watching sponge bob at the time of this photo.  hence, the not-so-imaginary trance.

yesterday, i was here, spending the day with this awesome friend.

tonight, i will be in the fields of wisconsin.  photographing a most incredible and magical family tomorrow.  can't wait, but i'm a wee bit nervous too.

unapologetically me

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last night, i watched this documentary...

i've loved sally mann, from pretty much day one, of photography. i love her even more, since seeing her documentary. she's truly such an amazing artist. she makes no excuses. she photographs what she loves. what she is deeply connected to. what she is passionate about. her children. her husband. her animals. her land. and yes, death.

there was a time when i worried about what others thought about my work. but more and more every day, i feel that the work that i produce is unapologetically me. you can take it or leave it. but i'm passionate and proud of what i do and the photographs that i produce.

i almost ditched the above images.  i'm beyond thankful i didn't!!

i woke up to foggy windows.  couldn't stop thinking about them.  hours went by.  i looked and still foggy.  the moment was not only there, it remained. so i asked sky if she'd do just a couple photos with me --

it will be fast.  i promise.  you can stay inside.  you just have to look out the window.

so i shot a few photos.  maybe a minute.  five frames at the max.  and thought, oh well...i guess my creative spirit wasn't with me today. i was so frustrated that i almost deleted the photos right then and there.  but i didn't; i put my camera back in my bag.  a few days went by and i thought about formatting my card (deleting the above images) but didn't.  i uploaded them today and well...i LOVE the above photos of sky.  they are...unapologetically me.

p.s. i wonder if sally mann would allow me photograph her family? maybe one day, i could knock on her door and ask her. not sure how i'd find her house. who knows...maybe someday, somehow.

goodness, i love sally mann. always have. always will.

birthday party hangover

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okay, so i should have posted this days ago.  but then this happened.  and that happened.  and it didn't get posted when it was supposed to. sky had a most-awesome birthday party, filled with...

screaming swimming crafting ramen noodles, hot dogs & pickles more screaming homemade vanilla cake dancing movie watching whispering and not sleeping

it was a fabulous day and evening -- one that i hope she'll never forget (especially since her actual birthday day was "the worst ever"...an eight-hour car ride home).

the gang...

the homemade vanilla cake...

the crafts...

the dancing (the bit about "i'm doing them a favor" kills me)...

the hangover...

hope you have an awesome EIGHT sky!!

never lose hope

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a couple days ago, i wrote an article about giving back on the creative mama blog. today, i listened to her voice (see max mikulak post, third down) on the new york times. and i hope you'll take 2 minute and 38 seconds and listen too.

it's hard for me to believe that max passed away almost three years ago. i miss him.

please take some time to explore max's site.  and if you'd like to donate (every penny helps), you can do so here, on max's ring of fire.

in a week, i fly to wisconsin, to photograph a friend's family.  her husband is beginning his battle with lymphoma. he's in his thirties and they have four young children.  i can't wait to capture their magic and all that they are, as a family!!

please... give back and never lose hope.

guess who had a birthday

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...while we were on our mini-vacation in south carolina? happy birthday sweet skyler!!!

thank you for being you thank you for being so unique and wonderful you are wise and soulful beyond your years you challenge me in the best ways and keep me on my toes you are smart and witty you want to wear makeup and high heels all the time you are an artist and a writer you are learning the joy of reading you requested ramen noodles for your birthday dinner a homemade vanilla birthday cake with no frosting and homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream you never really know what you want for your birthday because you're content with your stuffed and hard animal toys but this year you asked for cracked nail polish, makeup and dresses with sleeves (so that you can wear them to school).

i am amazed by you and all that you are.

thank you for coming into my life.

i know your birthday was the worst birthday ever because it was spent in a car for eight hours driving home, but i hope that i can make it up to you with the best sleepover birthday party ever.

happy birthday skyler! i really can't believe you're eight!!

it's a cat-and-mouse game

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that's how i feel right now. i guess that's kind of how i've been feeling for quite a while, when it comes to catching up -- my house is never clean these days, more to edit, workshop to keep up with, orders to complete, and the list goes on and on. and while this might seem like i'm complaining, i'm so NOT!! i'm grateful to have all these things in my life. the cat-and-mouse game is just part of my norm.  and i try and keep a detailed to-do list to manage this norm.

speaking of the workshop (via the bloom forum), it's going amazing. i'm loving every single minute of it. and feel it's exactly where i'm meant to be right now -- sharing and teaching.  leah and i have also begun discussing our 2012 wallflower retreat dates and location.  and we'll be talking much more at the NAPCP retreat, where we are so thrilled to be speaking, next month.  lots of excited things ahead!!

i am driving to charleston, south carolina today, for a mini vacation. the littles and i are meeting a friend there, with her little girl. we're staying right on the beach. i so can't wait to just hang out and chill for a few days.  i anticipate lots of fun, laughter, inspiration and great conversations, along with some shooting.  :-))  but yes, we will have to do some work, while there too.

lastly, kiele is at a deaf / hard-of-hearing camp (such an incredible opportunity) this week, next week she visits a friend and then she goes with her dad for six weeks. so we won't be back to the horse farm until august. the barn cat will be there when we get back, but these kittens won't. my kids love these kittens so much.  they will really be missed when we return.

it's awesome though, to see the week-to-week changes at the barn (beyond the kittens growing up).  this past week... baby mice were born (still pink and only twitching) the geese eggs still haven't hatched (i would have attempted a photo but one goose was loose and very protective of his eggs; he chased me when i got remotely close). the baby ducks are now big ducks. we also seem to find a dead animal almost every time we're there; this time it was a bunny.  but my kids have learned that when you have that many animals on a farm, it's part of the circle-of-life.

we love the farm!!

the baby mice...

and a 14-year-old dog for good measure, from my most recent family session...

HAPPY SATURDAY!!

may...

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...came and wentway too fast. although i'm thinking the summer a busy one might fly by that much faster. and as i think hope pray believe for a couple treasured friends currently battling cancer i'm ever-so-grateful for every single minute of may and every day!!

a bit of our everyday may...

and because i was traveling on memorial day, let us never forget those military members and their families, who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

if it wasn't for the kitty litter

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yes, if it wasn't for the kitty litter, i think i would steal this barn cat.  or at least take one of her kittens.  this momma is the absolute sweetest cat i have ever met (and i grew up around cats my entire childhood).  my kids love this barn cat and her kittens so much.  it's exciting to go to the horse farm every week and see momma cat and how much the kittens have grown (although we missed this past wednesday because kiele had a late 8th grade field trip). seriously love this cat. and her kittens.

can't wait till next wednesday. the kittens are going to be so big.

sometimes

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people come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime.when you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. - author unknown

the J family definitely came into my life for a reason, season AND a lifetime!!

after kiele was born, i had to go back to work (as an air force nurse) when kiele was six weeks old.  i started her at a facility day care and after many days of tears, frustration and heartache, a friend had recommended me to  the J family, an in-home daycare -- more specifically momma carmen (as kiele came to call her).

kiele was a difficult sleeper and eater.  but that was no challenge to momma carmen, who made a Philippine-style hammock in one of her bedrooms, rocked her to sleep and chased kiele around with food.

momma carmen was such a gift in my life!!  i'm not sure i can ever fully explain or thank her enough.

that was 14 years ago.  and now momma carmen's daughter (who i met when she was 12) is married with two kids and just happens to live in san diego.  so when i was on my trip last month, i was able to photograph momma carmen's daughter and her family.

i can't even begin to share how much i love the J family.  they are such a gift in my life and i feel so blessed to call them my family!!  love and miss you so!!

i almost forgot, i just happened upon this photo of M and kiele the other day (from 11 years ago)...

sky and the sea

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i feel the gleamingyellow sun shining on me as i gaze at the giant, shining blue sea. people on white and blue jet skis. i wish that was me. it would be fun if we were on the water with our grandfather. yay! yay! come on the boat today with me. - skyler, age seven

ummm. yea. i just happened to come across this poem in the pile of papers sky brought home from school yesterday. i have to be honest, typically i zip through her papers and then add the pile to the recycle bin. but i saw the lined piece of paper with oddly broken up words and began to read...and paused. and read again.

sky couldn't have written that poem, i thought, and placed the paper on the kitchen table, where i knew i'd remember to ask her about it in the morning.

yes, she could!

she shared with me that they were to write a descriptive poem, in class. i asked,

your teacher gave you the words to use, right? no. your teacher told you exactly what to write. no. you just wrote this? yes. where did you come up with the idea? i just did. how do you know the word 'gleaming'? i just do. you wrote the poem all my yourself. mmm hmm.

and that's as far as the conversation got. i tried to get a title out of her, but she shyly looked at me and said,

i don't know. we didn't have to write a title.

i guess i'll settle with that because i'm simply just in love with her untitled poem.  i have this dream of combining my kids poetry with my photography. one of these days i'll make that dream a reality.

upcoming travel sessions | child and family photography

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just got back from travel sessions in VA, NC and san diego and am super excited about lots more traveling around the corner... salt lake city, UT -- may 7 - 8 denver, CO -- july 23 - 24 maui, HI -- july 13 - 20 san diego -- sep 3 - 7 NY, NY -- sep 9 - 11 chicago -- sep 13 - 14

session dates still available in each location (regular pricing | no additional travel fees). please email me for more information or to reserve your session date and time.

closing with a few photos from one of my san diego sessions...

here today. gone tomorrow.

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that pretty much sums up the past couple days.  back from virginia and now i'm off to san diego this morning. busy but grateful and loving every minute of it. super excited to be photographing a military homecoming and a few family sessions, while in san diego.  along with seeing a few of my best friends and spending some family time!!

virginia was absolutely amazing...

sharing some exciting new stuff once i'm home, settled and caught up. :-)

truly... deeply... i am blessed.

a hat, framed and your voice

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hats can be short,and hats can be tall. you can wear them to the market, or you can wear them playin' ball.

some people wear their hats to block away the sun. some people wear their hats just because they think it's fun.

the pilgrims, they wore hats, and nurses do too. sombreros are a spanish hat, but that I bet you knew.

hats can be all colors, all shapes and sizes too. like a cowboy hat or a pirates hat in black or white or blue.

magicians use their hats to pull their rabbits from. and a sailor has his hat on when it's home from sea he comes.

there are hats for all occasions and many places too. last night we thought we'd model this hat for you. - author unknown

came across the above poem and couldn't help but share.  reminds me of dr. seuss, which we read nightly in this house and...last night, i asked sky if she'd let me take a few photos of her, to test out my new hat. (the poem will also be a perfect addition for my family's annual book.)  we didn't have a lot of time to shoot last night -- about 15 minutes in between sky and ryder's gymnastic start times and then about 10 minutes when we got home (until we had enough of being attacked by mosquitoes).

photos shot with lensbaby composer | double optic and nikon 50mm f/1.4G

also, i wanted to share this video series i just discovered and am totally diggin' -- [framed] show, by melissa niu. i watched ryan muirhead's [framed] video yesterday and i can't stop thinking about his closing words...

...find your own voice and the only way to do that is by working. you can't read up on it. you can't learn it. you can't absorb it from someone else. but if you're out there shooting constantly -- on good days, on bad days, when you're feeling creative, when you're not...carry a tiny camera with you everywhere you go. if you do that enough, your voice will find you. it's inevitable.

YES... your voice will find you.

thanks ryan for your ongoing inspiration and the reminder to keep shooting...through the good days and the funks!!

lensbaby love

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i get asked a lot of questions about my shots like these...

the above images were all taken with the lensbaby composer and double glass optic.  i just can't say enough regarding either product.

and lensbaby recently launched a couple new products, which i'm super stoked about --the sweet 35 optic and the composer pro.

i already have the sweet 35 optic (but haven't had it very long at all). it's awesome. it's different. and i can't wait to play with it more.  below are a few shots that i've taken over the past couple weeks.  i really haven't shot a lot, period, over the past couple months...something i'm hoping to remedy soon. very, very soon!

and i should be getting my composer pro next week.

i just can't wait.

oh yea, one more thing... it's truly an honor to share that the photo below was selected for the packaging of the composer pro.  purchase a composer pro and you'll find this image beautifully wrapped around the box.  thanks lensbaby!!

ETA:  one thing i forgot to mention is that with the sweet 35 optic, the aperture can easily be switched, from f/2.5 - f/22.  the double glass does not offer that.  but the two definitely have their own, unique look and feel (IMHO).  and i will always love my double glass.  which means i'm completely torn on which optic to purchase, if you're purchasing a lensbaby for the first time.