blog

Today, 500 attendees gathered in excitement and adoration to hear from a very special talent and icon in this world, Peter Lindbergh. The doors to the conference center opened and I walked quietly to my seat. The room felt different than before. There was a quiet rumble and conversations I overheard were filled with shock, confusion, and sadness. I soon learned that Peter Lindbergh, 74, had passed away the night before we even had a chance to meet a man who gave women a voice when society expected otherwise. Although I did not get to hear his story, his legacy and message lives on. Peter believed for women to be seen that they must be seen authentically with every flaw we label ourselves with and in return he not only created a stunning body of work in fashion but empowered everyone he photographed with his talents. It is not only heartbreaking to know that Peter passed away so unexpectedly but that his family has to grieve their loved one momentarily from a distance. My heart goes out to his family but I know an incredible legacy has been left to demonstrate what it means to have passion and a sense of humanity in every piece of work we create as photographers.

Is it Fall yet? I have to admit I am enjoying the fairly mild Summer we are experiencing in So Cal this year. Shooting on location is normally dreadful, but this year I have had time to explore and be adventurous focusing on each creative project rather than double checking that my Yeti is filled to the brim with ice and water with back up bottles of water thrown in the back seat of the car. That being said, I am still ready for summer to be over. I want to feel the crisp air and sip on hot coffee all day long. In our house, we are big coffee drinkers and my husband has become an absolute guru at making cold brew and even makes his own stabilized cold foam to top it off with. So, I've been spoiled with fresh cold brew at arms reach all day long. Although it's delicious, I'm ready for hot coffee in hand under a blanket sitting cozy editing beautiful photos for my amazing clients while FRIENDS plays all seasons on repeat in the background.

Let me tell you a little about this maternity session. Revisiting these images gave me all the feels, literally. I could remember my toes tingling, my lips turning purple-ish, and my nose running it's own drippy 26.2 mile marathon. It was so darn cold during this session but we had to do it because this momma was due at any moment. Now, I wasn't the only frozen person toting an icy camera though a chilly canyon. My two assistants were lugging the rest of the gear and each piece of the wardrobe while doing everything they could to keep our client from freezing in the sheer maternity gowns we brought for her. Can I tell you something? Nina, our client, did not complain once. She was willing to do every pose, fight through the numbing cold to make every perfect expression and stay in the perfect stance without shaking. The point of this story? We are all Southern California winter sissies! I'm kidding, well sort of. My point is that sometimes I get this awesome moment to soak in lessons from the people I work with as well as from the people I am honored to photograph. This momma showed me what resilience looks like, and you know what? I see this discipline in her all of the time and it is so inspiring. Then, there's my assistants, that without a doubt, I could not even begin to create some of the images I have in mind without them. With every new crazy and demanding idea, they show up with loyalty and dedication to my creative vision. All I can be left with is a feeling of humility and gratitude and some beautiful photographs to remind us of these very moments in life.