Dorothy & Allen

How wonderful is it to see this couple still in love, still embracing, holding hands, and enjoying each other's company? Allan really wanted portraits of he and Dorothy for some time, and we finally found a date and time that fit their busy schedule! It's such a joy knowing these two. We bump into one another at church, and they have been kind supporters of Bridges of Promise, the small non-profit that I run with my colleague Karen Schuster. BUT what is so fun and interesting about meeting Dorothy and Allan is the 6 degrees of separation that we share. Circa 1954, they actually lived in Catania, Sicily for one year while Allan worked in Melilli as a geologist, a small town 20 minutes away. So, the big deal about that is... Melilli is the town where my grandmother and grandfather are from and where my cousins still live in the home and on the huge farm where my grandmother was raised. I promise you, NO ONE has heard of this little paese accept for the thousands that live in my hometown of Middletown, CT who immigrated to the states before and after WWII. Really, other Sicilians don't even know about this place. I could hardly contain myself when Allan recounted his experience there. I give them both so much praise for the courage to live in another country and embrace another culture during that era. Dorothy even had her first born in Catania! This period of their lives and Allan's desire to have their portraits taken are testimony to their love and commitment to one another, and to their adventure and thirst for life.

These images are stylistic which is not typical for my work, but somehow the mood struck me today.

Abundance Organizing. Headshots.

Abundance Organizing is a team of women located in Richmond, VA who specialize in helping those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, hoarding, as well as individual and corporate relocation projects. One of their members (and my lovely younger sister) is an expert on A&E's Hoarders. Last week, we updated their head shots.

Casey Moore. Headshots.

Casey Moore of Living Simply Consulting, Inc. needed to update her head shots. I hope she doesn't mind me revealing that she was a little nervous when she arrived to her session. Believe it or not, I can easily forget how uncomfortable it is to have your portrait taken. Before I could set up the camera and check the lighting she was zapping me with questions, "Where should I look? How should I stand? Where are you cropping the image?" I get it. It's hard to trust that the photographer sees you the way you want to be seen. She's investing good money for a 45 minute session and her hope is that these images will represent her and her company in a way that she wants to be portrayed. She had only seen my work on-line, and we didn't even have time to speak over the phone before we met. I wanted her to feel comfortable, so I told her the truth: she looked great. Plus, we laughed a lot, and I empathized with her. My cheesy trick for moments like this one is to encourage my subject to look at the camera as though it's a person they admire and enjoy being around, and yes, flirt! It's a cheap trick, but it works! Casey, I think you look fabulous in your photos. This sneak peek is an example of a few "fun" ones. Don't worry, we captured more "serious" poses, too. : )

Virginia

We just returned from a short vacation to Virginia and Washington DC to see family and tour our nations's capitol. I couldn't pass up taking some family snapshots of my sister, her husband, and their son, Alton Joseph. Yes, that is also our mother who looks much more like she could be our sister, right? AJ's favorite things are jamming to music and eating yummy food. "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is an instant cheer-me-up. If he discovers that you're admiring him from afar, he'll wave to you and shoot you the most charming smile. Yep, my heart melts each time. The photos were taken at this really sweet store just outside of Richmond called Gather, one of my mother's favorite places to find vintage and one-of-a-kind items to decorate her home. A big thank you to Tina, who made us feel welcome and for helping me pick out my gorgeous new purse repurposed from an antique quilt. Love. It.

Marino Fleisher

The final and last portrait session from back east: The Fleisher's. I could easily write a book about my friendship with Michelle. I remember vividly sitting in the cafeteria at a bench table packed with kids on our first day of 4th grade, my first day at a new school. Michelle was seated at the table behind me threatening another kid to shut up. I made a very clear decision to stay far away from her which wouldn't be easy in a small classroom like ours. Unfortunately, she didn't like me either. After a long year of keeping our distance from one another came to an end, we found ourselves at the same family picnic for the 4th of July. Her Uncle's wife is my father's cousin. (Yes, I know, more cousins....) Anyway, as I whined of boredom my mother encouraged me to play with Michelle. I reminded her that we weren't the best of friends, but she nudged me along anyway. Before I knew it, we're running down the peer that jetted into the ocean jumping fearlessly into the water and lighting as many bottle rockets and smoke bombs as we could find (stealing them from my cousin's bedroom, of course.) From that day forward we would become the best of friends. We would get into countless amounts of trouble, see the Principal's office more than once, be told to sit out in the hall until we could behave, steal our parents cars (before we had our licenses,) go to dances with boys sporting mohawks, perform Sonny and Cher routines for our school and department stores alike, and eventually dance until dawn in New York City. She's been my comic relief, the wind beneath my wings (wink wink) and my partner in crime. Oceans couldn't keep us apart. Thank heavens for BFF's.

Salafia Pepitone

The Pepitone's were the third family photo session when I was back east. Again, Silvana and I have known each other since the 4th grade. Not to mention, her mother and my grandfather are first cousins. My favorite memory of Silvana that sums her up well is when we were teenagers shopping at a mall, she lost track of me and used the store intercom to announce, "Sandy Fazzino, please come to the cosmetic department. Sandy Fazzino to cosmetics." In one word: fearless. How she knew how to use that thing is a mystery. Now, she's married to a great guy with two wonderful children. Sofia Rose has my heart and Joseph, you are growing into a fine young man. I miss my friends so much. To live on opposite coasts and go one to two years at a time without seeing each other is tough. But when we come together and gab like no time has passed, it's truly a blessing.

Benavides Family

Look at the beautiful Benavides family! I love the colors they chose to wear for their session, and the fun details that personalize their portraits like the glasses on Celia, the bow in Alexandra's hair and her favorite sweater that she wears almost every day. I was actually sad when our time came to a close. I could have photographed them forever. They chose Rancho Nicasio for their backdrop and came all the way from the east bay... I hope the trip was worth it!

Hunter Konstan

The second east coast portrait session was with the Konstan family. Christine and I go even farther back, all the way to 1st grade! We played barbie dolls together in grade school, passed notes in the hall in middle school, and molded clay together in art class at Mercy High. We hadn't seen each other since graduating in 1990. It was really good to meet her husband, daughter, and three gorgeous dogs: Jessie, Fergus, and Reggie. The backdrop for their session was their lovely home in Essex. Sadie Blue LOVED the camera and the camera reciprocated the affection. My favorite moment was after the last shot, Sadie asked to climb on her mom's back. After we snapped a few frames and headed into the house, she said, "Mom, I love you," in the most satisfied voice I've ever heard. I hope we don't wait another 20 years before we meet up again. We hardly broke the ice. Maybe next time we'll see each other west side?

The Cinclair's

My recent visit back east was a whirl wind of accompanying my father to doctor's appointments, getting him organized for hip surgery and pushing through a minutia of red tape to ensure he had the operation before I returned to San Francisco (the doctor's made some major communication errors that required us to jump through some hoops, and we surprised them all with our super abilities to divide and conquer.) In between my daughterly duties, I was able to share some well needed quality time with good friends and photograph their families.

The first session was with the Cinclair's. Rebecca and I have known each other since the 7th grade. We went on to catholic all girls high school and college together. Needless to say, we share many good memories. It's amazing to think that twenty years ago, her now husband and I were leaving the dining hall one crisp fall evening during our first semester at RIT when we bumped into Rebecca. Rick's curiosity was instantly peaked, and now they have ten years of marriage behind them and two adorably handsome boys. It is so wonderful to watch them grow as a couple and a family. I am looking forward to all of the good memories to come!