Finally catching up on my blogging this weekend! Just sharing a few photos of our trip to Kauai a few weeks ago. Justin and I had been planning on going to Hawaii ever since I started my masters program four years ago and this was our trip to celebrate my graduation. Kauai was the perfect place to unplug, relax, sit on the beach and forget all about what homework was like.

We took a two-mile walk along the Napali coast and saw the most amazing views.

At the end of our hike we had lunch sitting on this gorgeous beach:

This one was on our hike to Queens Bath:

I have never seen a sea turtle before… this one was HUGE! I’m betting he was at least 40 pounds, and that is probably a conservative estimate.

There were so many pretty beaches in Kauai. This one was called Hideaways Beach in Princeville. It was walking distance from our hotel, and you had to climb down a steep path to get down there, but it was worth the trip. It was fantastic for snorkeling (for the record, it was the first and only time I didn’t get sick on a snorkeling attempt!)

Just a typical view when we pulled over at the side of the road. I’m not kidding, it was really that pretty everywhere.

On one of our last nights we took a sunset dinner cruise. The ship you see below had actually sailed to Kauai all the way from Maryland.  Any guesses on how long they must have been sailing?

Ahhh, this was simply paradise! Truth be told, I’m still a little freaked out by the free time I have now that school is done. But I guess it’s not a bad problem to have, is it?

I’ve had a couple weeks to soak it in… I was reeling after coming back from Santa Fe, after taking a workshop with Andrew Southam. If I could wake up every morning with a lesson in art history followed by a shoot with fabulous models in the afternoon, prepped by a world class makeup artist, I think that might be my version of heaven.  The Fashion Portrait at Santa Fe Photographic Workshops comes very close! 

Before I arrived in Santa Fe, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Andrew, being as accomplished as he is in his craft. In seeing his portfolio on his website, I could tell he’s worked alongside the best of the best in the industry and his work really resonated with me (ok, I’ll admit, it also intimidated me!).  I was happily suprised that when I met him in person he was just as lovely as he was on his blog, extremely humble and kind. He had a very organic approach to shooting, working with natural light and then using artificial light to enhance the image/concept. He kept reminding us to always look at what is motivating the light, and to always use that to decide how you will light your subject.  To me, he was the quintessential Hollywood photographer, the real deal. And the best part was he was really a great guy! (Side note: He shoots with his cowboy hat on. And has a killer Aussie accent. That must be the secret to his success.)

Being a natural light shooter, I’ll be the first to admit that using artificial lighting during the week made me feel a little bit like a deer in the headlights, especially at the beginning of the week. But I embraced the challenge. I did, after all, go out there to grow and I’ve learned the best way to do so is pushing beyond my comfort zone. On the first day the students photographed each other in the studio. I found myself in a stupor, staring at the grey backdrop, my classmate Ashley, and a pile of equipment and lighting and wondered how in the world I could find my style, myself, in all of this. It was overwhelming, and I thought I might fail. I did fail. Several times. But I kept trying!

Every morning we’d get together and for a lecture and review each other’s work from the previous day, then we’d go on location for a shoot. It truly was heaven for me (besides having to carry all that heavy gear around!). By the end of the week I was finally in my groove, feeling like my style was coming across (even in the studio, can you imagine?),  just in time to pack up and go home. I’m excited to keep at it!

Here are some of my favorite images from the week, in no particular order.

Now that I’ve had a few more spare moments than I’ve had in a long time…. I took some flower shots with the lensbaby this afternoon, just for fun. Hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

I woke up Monday morning in a panic. Like I had forgotten a homework assignment and was about to screw something up in a major way. I popped out of bed, checked my phone to remind me what date it was, and laughed at myself. Oh yeah. I graduated yesterday. There are no more assignments to do.

I guess it will take some time to sink in.

Yes, I will have downtime now. I forgot what that felt like!  Balancing my day job, photography, and grad school has left me in a constant state of trying to keep up for four years. What’s weird is now every day after work, I am so exhausted I just want to fall asleep on the spot, and I wonder how I ever had the energy to do it all. It’s like my body went on strike trying to catch up on the sleep deficit I’ve accrued over the past few years.

So, I am going to put my feet up and take it easy for a few weeks, and just enjoy this gorgeous weather and do the things I love.  And then I’m sure I’ll find something to fill up this ’spare time’.  I asked Justin if he thinks I should start learning to play the guitar but we came to the conclusion that the eukalali might be easier with my small hands… and we just so happen to be going to Hawaii in the not too distant future…. so who knows what other tricks I may have up my sleeve?

On a serious note, I have learned so much over the past four years, not just in school but from the many amazing people I am lucky to call my friends and peers. And there’s no way to sum it all up in one blog entry. But, for what it’s worth, I’m more inspired than ever to chase down my dreams and make them a reality.  And to never again wake up panicking over trivial assignments because I’m too busy loving every second of my life.

Today I’m breaking the radio silence. Yes, my blog is still alive and kicking! It’s been crazy lately trying to balance between work and school – and I’m at the homestretch! I graduate June 13th

So I thought I’d share something short and sweet (which aptly describes this little girl). I ran across these photos I took earlier this week of my adorable niece Victoria.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Do one thing that makes you feel like this:

My niece Valentina continues to amaze me daily. For the past few weeks she has been eager to remind me she is ”Two on May 2nd.” Really? Yes she can say that.

It’s hard to believe that not too long ago she looked like this:

And today, she  can identify a guitar, violin, flute, cello, banjo and clarinet (with GREAT articulation I might add!) as she points them out to me in her book. Prodigy child? I think so. And cute as a button to boot! Happy Birthday, little Valentina!

My parents have their house filled with beautiful details, that until recently, I never fully appreciated. I guess I’ve grown up with art surrounding me and never realized it. There are always fresh roses in the living room, which my mother uses as a prayer area where she prays the rosary often. There asian decorative plates, gold trimmed candle holders, gorgeous fabrics and paintings… Here they are with their cat Sugar (who was originally my cat that they stole from me!).

My very favorite. I love their expressions here. It’s how I always imagine them in my head.

Mom and Dad – I appreciate you so much more than you know. I love you with all my heart and have been blessed with the most caring people to raise me than I ever deserved.

And, just because I can, I also wanted to share a snapshot of my niece Valentina, who is quickly becoming quite the diva Happy Sunday!

I kept trying to come up with some gimicky theme for my first blog post of 2010 - my top 20 favorite photos of 2009, top 10 couples of 2009, etc.

Luckily, it’s my blog and I get to make the rules.

Instead of limiting myself to a certain number of photos that were my ‘favorites’, I’ll show you the ones that were special to me based on how they made me *feel* and how they’ve helped me grow personally. I learned more about myself than I ever have in a single year. There were extreme ups and downs, and each feeling was worth the experience because at the end of it, I came out a little wiser and I’d like to think helped build up a little character. They say you find a bit of yourself in every photo you take. I couldn’t agree more.

In 2009, I have felt pure exhilaration, trying things I’ve never attempted before:

I have felt that warm, fuzzy, innocent kind of wonder:

I have felt extreme loss:

And extreme faith:

I have felt imaginative:

And playful:

And sensual:

And colorful:

I have felt like a kid in a candy store:

…like I didn’t have a single care in the world:

And most of all, I have felt myself in love:

Thanks for reading my first post of the decade! If you like what you see, or even if you hated it, please let me know what you think and add your comments below. No matter what it is, I’d love to hear from you! Here’s to the start of an amazing new year!

Four weeks ago I flew into Albuquerque, NM and made the hour long drive into Santa Fe not knowing what to expect for the next 7 days. I knew it would be different than anything I had ever done, and I was completely thrilled about the opportunity to gain a new perspective. What I was not ready for however, was how profoundly these next few days would impact my life. I left Santa Fe with a new pair of eyes, a confidence in myself that I had never been able to attain, and a deep, deep understanding of what photography meant to me. I left Santa Fe finally feeling like I was a photographer. Starting a photography business was a pretty bold move for me, without having had any formal training in it. I sometimes had a hard time believing I could ever be a legitimate photographer.

Studying with Elizabeth for a week changed my mind in so many ways. She would talk to us every day about the feelings behind what we were capturing in our cameras. I began to realize that all this time I had been capturing feelings in a box, grabbing moments that resonated with my spirit and sharing them with people. It is a gift to be able to share my perspective with the world.  The way that life has impacted me has given me a unique view and interaction with the world around me, and this reflects in every image I make.  In so many ways, the photographs we take are all self portraits. I never understood this until that week.

I watched Elizabeth working from her heart without questioning the technical aspects. She said it was important to know the technical stuff, so that you can forget about it and get to your art. I got the sense of encouragement I needed to feel like I was doing just fine. I’m finally comfortable in my own skin.

On the third day of our workshop, we photographed nude models and I was pretty apprehensive about it before we began. I wondered if I would be able to direct the models, wondered if I would freeze up, or giggle, or just take horrible images. But when we got to the location and Elizabeth prepped us a bit more, I began to trust myself. After the first 5 minutes with our first model, it was smooth sailing for me!

Learning from Elizabeth, I tried to create images that were dream-like, surreal, and beautiful. I believe I was able to capture what I was looking for in the following two photos. I wish I had more to share, but I haven’t received word back from some of the other models. So out of respect, I won’t be showing their photos here. Thank you Tara for letting me share these with my readers! Tara is a lovely model and actress living in Santa Fe. I’ll let you look at the images to get an idea of how gorgeous she is.

A word of caution: If you are offended or uncomfortable with nudity, then please skip this blog entry and do not scroll down below.

********************UPDATE: New photos posted after receiving permission*****************

To view my personal slideshow from this trip click here.

If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you want to remember about life? This was one of the questions I was confronted with last week as we were about to embark on our final assignment. It felt almost impossible to try to sum it up with just a few photos. My mind was spinning as I gazed across the classroom at everyone. I was almost frightened as I thought of how deep I would need to dig into myself to get what I needed. At the end, I ended up with a handful of emotions I wanted to represent. But before I even fully processed what we were being assigned to do, scared that I would somehow fail, I looked over at the smiling and friendly face of Carole, the woman I sat next to through most of the workshop. Suddenly I knew what I needed to do. While there are several feelings I’d want to remember, one stands out so clearly to me: what it feels like to be in love.

Over time, we age and evolve. We change. But what remains when all is said and done?  It is that current that runs between two people; that epic love story that makes the impossible, for a fleeting moment, feel possible. I want to remember that feeling forever.

Throughout my week in Santa Fe, I had the pleasure of spending time with Carole. Her husband, Les, had come to Santa Fe with her and was busy writing his book while our class was out shooting. Every day, at lunch time, I would watch the two of them meet and set off together, hand in hand. They still said “I love you” every single day. For the final assignment, I asked Carole if she’d do me the honor of allowing me to photograph the two of them. She was so touched by my asking I watched her wipe away a few tears. We set off to pick up her husband and found a spot that was perfect.

As I photographed them in a beautiful field next to the school, I posed them for a few shots, then took a step back and asked them if they had a song. Carole looked at Les, with a dreamy look on her face as she envisioned their wedding day. She began singing “Strangers in the Night” to him and then they danced. I was fighting back tears.

As Les twirled Carole toward him and the wind blew in her hair, I was reminded of that epic love story. It was my very definition of a successful life; everything I could ever hope to achieve in my own time. And I was more grateful than ever before that I have found someone to share my heart with forever.

Thank you Les and Carole, your example of love was truly a gift to me.