A Few From Today

I don't usually post these on the blog, but here are a few froma shoot I did today for a property on Turk. It was a lovely place!

The Hissing of Summer Lawns

They're Coming For Me

We walked past the bush on the Chico State campus, and I could smell it. Something delicious.

So I turned and looked, and saw a bush laden with gardenias. Heavy with them. Now I don't know about you, but that's not an everyday sight around here. I've seen a small gardenia bush (my mother has one, and she treasures every blossom). It was the largest group of gardenias I'd seen outside a wedding or a flower stall.

And they were gorgeous, and perfect, and did I mention? They smelled like heaven.

So, I did what any normal woman would do in the same situation. I lost my head (and my ethics!) and I stole a gardenia. And not just any gardenia, I found the most perfect,unblemished one to take with me.

It sat in my lap for the whole four hour drive back from Chico. Now it's in my kitchen, perfuming the room. Every time I walk in I take a deep breath. So, maybe it was wrong to pick the flower. But I don't regret it for an instant.

Film on a Friday - Mandy and Tony's Wedding!

We went to Mandy and Tony's wedding as guests, not photographers, so I knew I didn't want to bring my big honking DSLR and get in the way of the 'real' photographers of the day. But I always do want to take pictures. It's my compulsion.

So I brought the film camera and a couple of rolls of film, and it was so fun! Have I mentioned yet how much fun film is? No? Well, maybe you haven't been listening.

Also, I love the highlights. Digital highlights just suck in comparison. There's no other way to describe it. On film, highlights are like buttah. Digital? Not so much. More like margarine.

(If you have strong feelings about butter versus margarine, please do not weigh in in the comments. If you have strong feelings about film versus digital, please do.)

Everyone has to take a photo of the wedding kiss. It's like some sort of rule or something.

Another rule is that I have to take as many photos as possible of Evan. When he sees them later, he will say, "why did you choose such a funny looking guy to be with?"

But I think he's pretty cute.

Champagne! I think this is self explanatory.

Also, first dance. Another rule. (At our wedding, I could not wait for the first dance to be over. So much so that we ended up inviting everyone onto the dance floor after only half the song. Mandy and Tony handled it with much more aplomb.)

Cigars!

And more cigars. Fire and smoke are fun in pictures.

The guys, looking way more dapper than I've ever seen them before.

Ummm, yes. More smoke.

Some party games. This one was really fun. Except that I sucked at it. But Evan said it was fun for him. I think that's because he always won.

And a gray mustache that made the rounds.

A photo of us! Together! Awesome!

And, that's it!

Little Flowers

These Are My Salad Days

Summer is approaching fast, and we're eating more salads to celebrate. They're lovely: simple, light, delicious, easy to throw together and totally guilt free.

A current favorite is Trader Joe's Herb Salad Mix with tomatoes and carrots and some cilantro dressing. Yummy!