a few months ago, i headed out to the desert, well to the viceroy in palm springs actually. a little slice of heaven. my good friend, kelley and i had planned this trip since the beginning of the year, and to say we were ready for this trip would be a bit of an understatement. for forty eight straight hours, we relaxed, we swam, we reclined on beautiful chaise lounges in the sun, we ate AMAZING food. and we relaxed some more. we shopped at boutiques like the lovely trina turk boutique and trina turk residential and lunched at the parker. yes, heaven. everything was effortless and unplanned and it happens to be one of my most memorable and treasured getaways. 

and then she turned the camera on me.  

isn't this the sweetest. it is a small-scale version of our summer campaign, designed by kelley at pink dot press. kelley is on a lifetime retainer with urban baby for all things design because she is GOLD. 

these limited edition summer sessions always book up quickly, so hurry to get your date on the calendar. we also have a few dates open for our regular summer sessions!

i am giddy with excitement this morning after hearing the news last night that i'll be signing lease papers on my new studio space. i've always preferred working from my home office, with my boys being so little i just wanted to be nearby.  and i made it work, with some great help and healthy dose of humor mixed in. it wasn't always the best scenario since constant interruptions aren't the best for productivity, but it just comes with the territory.

now that my boys are a little older, and my growing business is outgrowing the space here, i decided to start the search for a studio space where i could work from p/t and also use as a client meeting space. i actually started looking in fall of '08, but the logistics were always tricky. it had to be a space that esthetically worked with my brand, somewhere that was within 10 miles of my home, a place that wan't too big, wasn't too small, and wasn't a million dollars per month.

i have always been open to sharing a space, and open to the logistics that come with that. so, when i was presented with an opportunity to share a space with a group of incredibly talented creative individuals recently, i was beyond thrilled! it's a modern building, open floor plan, 5 miles from my house, and the scenario just could not be better, really. the space is perfect for a client meeting area and office area where i'm anxious to get my productivity back without interruption! increased productivity means working less hours and spending more time with my family. 

i'll keep you posted on all the details, in the meantime i've been working on decorating the space which sends me into a frenzy of excitement. the meeting space has an exposed brick wall, polished concrete wall, painted wall and concrete floors. i love the idea of clean, crisp furniture mixed with light wood pieces to add an organic feel. let me know if you have any great ideas, i'd love suggestions!

just a few ideas for starters:

for starters, lucy is one of my absolute FAVORITE girly names. love it. and this little lucy was such a dream. we shot this session at one of my boys favorite hang-out spots, and little lucy was keepin' us on our toes! this lovely family has recently moved to austin, tx  so i'm gonna have to schedule some texan sessions just so i can see this sweet little face again soon!

international goodwill ambassador, liya kebede, is also founder of lemlem - an irresistible children's line of handmade clothing. jcrew has partnered with liya to offer select lemlem pieces at crewcuts.

expensive? yes. but absolutely amazing. what i love most about these bohemian chic pieces is that they are purely simple with amazing detail. paired with some converse, jack purcell's or wellies is perfection in my book!

i was fairly certain i had blogged this session, but after doing some research, i  realized their are several sessions that have gone un-blogged. gasp! i'll fix that right up.

i photographed these sweet boys about 3-ish years ago and it was amazing to see how they've grown into these two young boys. having two boys myself, i knew just the right lingo to get the party started. they were such a blast to hang out with!

this is andrew. those freckles just kill me:

elliott = one of the cutest little boys on the planet. hiding behind his "fort":

tickle fight in full effect:

i love andrews face in this shot:

and, the sweetness that is elliott:

this is just the beginning in regards to my posts on jcrew. this picture is the epitomy of summer - sprinklers, palm springs, laughing girls, cute clothes. every time i see this photo i smile hugely.

{image, copyright jcrew}

oopsie. yes, i am THE worst blogger. i'm really sorry, please forgive me. for the upcoming week, i have a slew of blog posts for y'all. it really is just about making the time to do this blog thing, i'm going to try to be better!

now, on to luke. we shot this session in old towne pasadena - tons of charm wrapped up in this little town!

he wanted to start off the session by shooting me. shooting him. his tiny camera was amazing:

and, because he's my little homey, he warmed up real quickly and showed me his 2 missing front teeth:

well, and he got an ice cream cone which made him super happy:

i don't know what it is about this image, but i just love luke's face:

he's a pro:

i had an AWESOME shoot with this little dude last week, he killed it. the image below is from our last session in fall '08. i've been photographing him since he was a toddler, and it's been amazing watching him grow up!

images from our last session will be up shortly ;).

**EDITED TO ADD - ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT - CALL OR EMAIL TO BOOK!!

professional photographer magazine is hosting a contest (and into the darkroom is sponsoring!) to find the freshest blog out there! there are SO MANY cool photoblogs, but i hope you'll vote for ME :).

 voting ends FEBRUARY 15th at MIDNIGHT. please head on over there and VOTE!

click on this LINK and scroll thru the numbers at the bottom to find my blog circled below - entry 0404.

thank you!!!!!

when i was invited to san diego to shoot the lilien family, i didn't realize that not only would this be one of the most memorable sessions of my career, but i would also be gaining a lifelong friend in the process. kelley is one of those people, you know the ones, that when you meet you feel that you've known them your entire life. she is insanely talented, and the owner of pink dot press - she is also the mastermind behind my new look, and is currently in the process of designing updated marketing pieces for urban baby.

i had an amazing time hanging out with her and tim, and their two delicious babes, isla and laird:

i am a huge fan of julie blackmon's work, and hope to some day acquire the "snow day" print for my home (1st row on the right). this is a quote from julie (from her site) with regards to the style of her work -

" The stress, the chaos, and the need to simultaneously escape and connect are issue that I investigate in this body of work.  We live in a culture where we are both “child centered” and “self-obsessed.”  The struggle between living in the moment versus escaping to another reality is intense since these two opposites strive to dominate.  Caught in the swirl of soccer practices, play dates, work, and trying to find our way in our “make-over” culture, we must still create the space to find ourselves.  The expectations of family life have never been more at odds with each other.  These issues, as well as the relationship between the domestic landscape of the past and present, are issues I have explored in these photographs.  I believe there are moments that can be found throughout any given day that bring sanctuary.  It is in finding these moments amidst the stress of the everyday that my life as a mother parallels my work as an artist, and where the dynamics of family life throughout time seem remarkably unchanged.  As an artist and as a mother, I believe life’s most poignant moments come from the ability to fuse fantasy and reality:  to see the mythic amidst the chaos". 

check out her work, it's all incredible - julie blackmon

 {all images, copyright julie blackmon}

i'll be posting images later this afternoon from one of my favorite sessions of '08 - the lilien family.

here's one of laird to tide you over in the meantime, is he not one of the most beautiful little boys you've ever seen?

this one is, by far, my favorite album that we offer. we call it the "modern album" and it's pretty much just that, modern! i love to keep the layout of my client albums clean, simple and well-designed. this is one of three types of album styles that we carry, and it's hugely popular because it's so darn beautiful. this one is silk shantung in a color called citron, yummy.