One Love Photo

Sweet Thing #9 - polaroids

was quite excited to be the first one to shoot a polaroid at nancy and dustin's wedding. of course i had to take a photo of the photo. because this is what goofy photos girls do.

the magic of watching a thick square image appear instantly. i always shake them for some reason, thinking it helps them develop. it must root back to my good old stinky darkroom days.

when i was a photo teacher at a high school, i would shoot a polaroid of each student. they would decorate them, write little facts about themselves on the back. i would study them, flipping through the piles, getting to know them. connecting a face with the name. everyday i would use them instead of the sheet provided by the office to take roll.

because there is no negative or digital file, polaroids are little one of a kind treasures. once i bought a collection of them from an artist in mexico. i couldn't believe she would part with her originals. but she had boxes and boxes. she traveled all over mexico with her polaroid camera, boxes of film and coins to manipulate the surface. i spent over an hour deciding on my collection of five. her little polaroids of statues and doorways inspired me. i referenced them as i attempted to paint for the first time. i still cherish them.

using polaroids at a wedding is a great way to capture your guests. the images are candid and playful. i love the special polaroid guest books. each page has on little square to slide the photos into and lots of blank space for sweet messages.

what's not so sweet is that polaroid announced on feb 8th 2008 that it will discontinue production of all instant film. check out save polaroid to get more info. you can still get a combo deal on amazon, guest book and a twin pack of film for $86.20 (not bad). get it while you can.

a few of my top picks:
upper left: photo of my toilet that i shot before going off to the plumbing store. i wanted to show the guy which type of toilet we needed parts for to fix. apparentely we have a rare old toilet. for some reason i can't throw this one away.
upper right: my favorite image that i bought from the woman in mexico. i attempted my first painting using this as my guide. i prefer the polaroid to my painting. but it was fun to try.
two bottom ones: shots from my messy colorful classroom. i let the kids paint the walls and their stools. the pink stool on the right says "photography is for suckers-booyah!" you have to love adolescent self expression.

one of my favorite places to admire pretty polaroid images is at nectar and light by jenifer altman. her four year old daughter adie has her own blog as well. i don't know what is cuter her funny photographs or her comments on them.

photos below by: jenifer altman.
right: adie with her camera named polly.

Wordless Wednesday

o.k. maybe one little word..........smile!

Love Bug

keep thinking about my very good friend janice who is about ready to pop. hoping that little guy inside makes his exit sooner than later. took photos almost a month ago of her sweet son micah with her baby belly. love watching her hands rub and rest on her round belly. i always want to reach out and give it a feel. i try to control myself. because i've heard how annoying this can be. but every once in awhile without knowing, i find my hand on her belly. every woman who has grown a baby inside, is growing one or is thinking about the possibility.....must read this wonderfully written post by the talented ms. marta. this girl has a way with words!

micah is a love bug. he loves babies. during our last visit we looked at his baby book together. each time i would flip the page he would squeal at the site of himself as a baby. looking at each photo carefully, pointing, clapping and giggling. he melts my heart. when we visit, he always shows me his very own baby doll. he loves to carry her around with him and sweetly chimes B-A-B-Y! he so affectionate. can't imagine what he will be like with his own real baby brother. when we visit he comes running full speed, arms open, ready to hug and kiss. the same scene plays out as we leave. oh, little one, you better be ready for thousands of kisses. the more i look at these photos the more i see his dad. i see his sensitive side. i see anticipation and love. little one prepare to be smothered. xoxoxoxoxo

 

Almeda Pottery - workshop weekend

traveled south this weekend to lovely portland for the NAME  (national association of miniature enthusiasts) convention. that's a mouthful. a first time workshop teaching experience for jon. he taught an awesome hands-on raku firing workshop to 22 eager students, friends, fans and enthusiasts, of course!

we started out the workshop with a big screen movie. jon super-sized on the wall, throwing his pots in slow, fast and regular motion. it was the perfect, he explained the delicate process and steps involved as it played. jon has always been very comfortable with the ladies, which came in handy since 21 out of 22 were. each student was given a collection of five hand thrown miniature bisque pots. he showed the group how to glaze and had supplies set out on tables. everyone was eager to start and dove right in. since i was the official gofer i missed this part as i ran off to buy a fire extinguisher. when i arrived back it was time to FIRE AWAY! we had the perfect room at the red lion on the river in portland. the doors opened out onto a patio overlooking the water. jon helped each student fire their pieces in a gas kiln. he pulled most of the red hot pieces out of the kiln for them. a few did it on their own. he blew lots of hot air to get the newspaper and pots burning. never realized how close he gets his cute face to the flames. thinking bellows would be a good purchase. after the pots cooled, each person reached into their cans and searched for their new special treasures. this was the best part. loved the reactions as the pots were pulled from the burned newspaper scraps. lots of ooohs and aaahs. lots of smiles and "oh, it's so pretty!" and "i can't believe i made this!" lots of "when can i do this again, seriously when will you teach another workshop?!?!"

Coming soon-the new and improved......almeda pottery website.

Girls Weekend - orcas island

when we're together we will always be girls. someday we will be sixty something with gray hair and plenty of smile lines. we will still call ourselves girls. it will always be girls weekend, never a women's retreat.

girls weekend....time to connect. to act silly. to giggle. to pretend we are sixteen again. to cook for people who appreciate it. to go off our diets. to talk about what we love about our men. and what drives us crazy. to compare stories and feelings. to lust after each other's sweatshirts and jeans. to discuss skin care and wrinkles. to encourage each other to treat ourselves to what we deserve. to buy cute things at gift shops. to search for treasures at the island dump for 8 minutes. to flip through piles of magazines. to daydream about seaside cabins and villas abroad. to get stiff necks while combing the beach. to search the sand for pretty little things. to be carefree artists with painted fingertips. to create little works of art. to adorn dream boxes. to make a fabulous mess and then clean it up before bed. to learn from each other. to realize we are all in this together. to be renewed.

someone said "when we are older and have more money we should fly away somewhere for girls weekend" all week i've been thinking why wait? been daydreaming about a trip south to san miguel de allende  with mi amigas next year. but for now, i'm grateful for our sweet ferry ride escape. thank you margaret for sharing your lovely new home. it's just what i pictured from your little paper model. perfect in every way!

Sanctuary at Admiral - sara & martin

sarah and martin promised forever on a snowy saturday in march in west seattle. these two love to kiss... lips, cheeks, hands, can't get enough. it's so sweet. since i love taking smooching photos, we were a match made in heaven.

i realize that all people who marry really like each other, but these two REALLY like each other! sometimes i think being liked is better than loved. since being liked is conditional. sara and martin have both going on. in my crystal ball, i can see them. giving each other wrinkled kisses. people driving by will say "oh look at that cute old couple kissing on the corner". then they will smile and wave and go in for another. xoxoxoxo

details:

venue: sanctuary at admiral

yummy food by: ravishing radish

cool iron tree thingy: rented elegance

dress designed by the talented: chrissy wai-ching

see another awesome chrissy dress here: the fitting, the wedding

Film is not dead - nanci & dustin's wedding

i must apologize. started to doubt you, my trusted old friend. started to wonder if it was still worth bringing you along. reconsidered one more camera bag to carry. thought you may be too klunky and loud for weddings. thinking your film is difficult to find and overpriced. worried that the photos wouldn't turn out. becoming dependent on instant gratification. but there is pleasure in anticipation. uncertainty often leads to unexpected satisfaction. today these photos reminded me of what i already knew. some things are worth the wait, some things are worth a little extra effort. and some things never go out of style.

visit film is not dead it just smells funny to see beautiful work by other analogue photographers.

above images shot with my classic hasselblad camera and 80mm lens, kodak 800 speed film.

All Star Wedding - nanci & dustin

every which way we looked on saturday there were chuck taylor sneakers to shoot. groom, best man, ushers, dads, the musician, maid of honor and even the bride. all in all star sneakers. nanci had two pairs of wedding shoes. shiny heels to start and pink chucks to finish. this was perfect for two foot loving photographers like us.

despite the crazy weather the wedding was wonderful. took advantage of the vintage decor inside the lovely monte villa farmhouse. nanci looked gorgeous! the boys looked handsome in their etsy ties and black chucks. the sweet ceremony was followed with non-stop dancing.  i even put the camera down once, got my groove on to love shack. i think the cons made everyone's feet happy. kept them dancing until the last dance. everyone arm in arm, a big circle, swinging to purple rain. it doesn't get much better than that.

Wedding Weekend - nanci & dustin

everybody please do a little sunshine dance for nanci and dustin. or at least an anti-rain/snow dance. can't believe we are worried about snow in late april! these two are tying the knot on saturday at the monte villa farmhouse in bothell, washington. am so excited to see them again and to capture their wedding (rain or shine)! we did an engagement session in late october and enjoyed the dahlias and orange leaves at volunteer park. their wedding is going to be sweet, artistic and full of precious and thoughtful details. these two have great style, can't wait to see what they have put together. am starting to get my pre-wedding butterflies, this always happens. i start praying to the photo gods to smile down on us. to be with us and help us capture magic. it always seems to work.

on another note, please go visit notes to self. kathleen wrote a sweet, heart warming post inspired by my recent engagement sessions. it is titled "insert cheesy 80's lyrics here", you must read it!  I met kathleen this summer at her good friend shawn's wedding. i was the photographer and she was the art director of the cool guest book paint project. her writing delights me and always, always makes me giggle! i like to end my days with a quick read on notes to self. we all should giggle a little before we say goodnight. 

Aloha - amanda & anthony

these two are so sweet! jon and i are so excited for their hawaii wedding this fall! can't wait to shoot this local island girl with all her family back home. love anthony's dad, am excited to capture his excitement on their wedding day. we completely lost track of time while shooting these photos a couple weekends ago. i love that, losing track of time, always a sign of creative inspiration. had much fun under the pink canopy of blossoms and in the funky bookstore. while editing tonight i've lost track of time once again. enjoy!

More cute engagement photos HERE.