Lonely Nights & Angels. Portraits of Joseph. Palo Alto, CA.

I sat on the bed in solitude wondering if I made a mistake by moving to San Francisco - which in fact I had only landed in Milpitas, a suburb south of the city. Like the kind of suburb with rows of houses that all look the same, strip malls, and cul de sacs. I wished my family and friends were two miles down the road instead of three thousand miles away. It was a Friday night. I was twenty-six. I had nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to see.

Then, the phone rang. I couldn't leap for it quickly enough. It was my five year old cousin, Joseph, "Sandy?" My heart sank into a million pieces, and I wept happily with a smile. "Yes, it's me." "Sandy, I miss you." And then the loneliness was over… I took in a big deep breath and absolutely knew that angels were watching over me, because hearing that sweet tiny voice right when I needed it most melted away all of my pain. Just like that.

Well, here he is now, only this time he is very grown up, very mature, and very grounded. I could rave about how accomplished he is in school, travel, the fact that he's a pilot, and so on. But if I did all that, it might sound like I was bragging… which I would be… just a little bit. But all of those things are not exactly what make me so proud of him.

I'm proud because I can visualize the posture our grandpa Joe would have if he were alive and standing next to him today. I can picture his face, his smile, the pride and joy in his eyes as he glances at Joseph and marvels at what he's becoming. Again, less for the accomplishments he's making but more because of the man he is turning out to be. One with solid integrity, good values, a kind heart, gentle spirit, and an ability to be thoughtful beyond measure.

Wish they could have met… but then again, that's kinda silly, because I have a feeling grandpa Joe is one of the angels watching over us.

Arden's 1st Birthday. Seesaw SF. San Francisco, CA.

Few things are more precious than a baby's first birthday, and Arden's mommy, Reichel Broussard of Copycat Chic, a popular interior design blog for those with great taste but a tight budget, made sure no detail went unnoticed. From her jelly jar mini cup gift giveaways, mini strawberry plants, mini grilled cheese sandwhiches, mini burgers, mini pink ballons, mini pink beach balls, mini donuts… even Arden's pint size guests…. you name it…. it was mini, and it was simply adorable. The party was held at Seesaw SF in San Francisco's Hayes Valley. If you haven't checked our their website or venue, it's a must see. Seesaw provides creative education, workshops, story times in various languages as well as an on staff child psychologist who is available to parents and children for ongoing support.

Here's a little peek at Arden's special day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed photographing it, and have a wonderful weekend!

Spring Forth

The sweet delicate blossoms of the cherry tree revel in the morning sun while I bite into chocolate covered strawberries and begin another week full of new beginnings. 

One of the sweetest things Alessandro has ever said to me is, "I want to live through the seasons with you." We had just reconciled after a brief break up and while we were apart, it had dawned on him that for the first time we had been experiencing a "winter season." After more than two years of pure romance and bliss our love was becoming comfortable, expected and maybe even boring.  

I was forced to step away because he courageously admitted he was having second thoughts about marriage. We were living together, and I needed to let him figure things out. When he called and asked to see each other and spoke those words to me, I knew my lost soul mate had returned for good. 

I am blessed to have someone by my side who can recognize that there are seasons in life that we must endure. And when we are patient, grace has time to refill our hearts with delight over and over again despite all the many chilly winds that may blow.

I feel the same way about my work. Regardless of all the many mistakes and veering off course, there will always be opportunity for renewal and new beginnings. 

My Favorite Gift

To this day, the best gift I ever received was on my sixteenth birthday. My Aunt Linda presented me with a book about two and a half inches thick with a portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe taken by the grandfather of photography, Alfred Steiglitz. The title was "Georgia O'Keeffe A Life". I must have mentioned my new fascination with the icon and she must have been listening which is partly why the gift was so meaningful. She was tuned in and that made me feel good. I finished the book in fifteen days. For me, that was a record and a testament to how the book shaped my idea of the type of woman I wanted to become. 

Truthfully, Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings didn't intrigue me as much as her personality. I had seen a documentary on her in Mrs. Mooz's art class my sophomore year of high school and it was her zest, spunk and scratchy personality that made me want to learn more. It was the way she responded to the interviewer asking her if living in the dessert was terribly hot, the way she scoffed at the stupidity of the question, her open annoyance that pulled me in. I felt like I knew her, like she was the type of woman I wanted to be - open - honest - real. 

One of the many and most important things I learned about this extraordinary yet simple woman and also what I have failed to remember many times over is that a woman must always be her own person. That sounds quick and easy, but attaining and maintaining one's identity can be a struggle - at least it has been for me - especially creatively.

Juxtaposed to that memory is the one of the time I won a CADC (Connecticut Art Directors Club) award for my business card design in my early twenties. It never occurred to me that putting a naked woman, Venus in this case, on the front of my business card was distasteful - but had you seen my father's reaction you would have thought he learned I was turning tricks for a living. Venus is the goddess of love, afterall, not necessarily sex. And what fascinates me is that love has been my motivation for all things that I do. And when I work from that motivation, so much abundance springs from it.

It all reminds me that regardless of outside opinion, what lives in me - is me - and who I am is innately good, pure and simple. Over the years, I have floundered swaying back and forth between who I think I should be and who I truly am (for all the good and the bad, thank you, please.) 

Reminding myself to be "me exactly as I am" feels so good, like slipping-into-clean-crisp-bed-sheets-after-a-long-day good. I hope my memory doesn't fail me again, because I am convinced that knowing my truth, owning it, and living it out loud lay the foundation for my inner peace and happiness.

Amen. : )

What's NEW at Sandra Fazzino Photography? {Menlo Park, CA Photographer}

My tummy is filled with fluttering butterflies, because I'm sitting here at my desk working on a whole slew of yummy delicious improvements at Sandra Fazzino Photography. Yes, everything relates to food and that's why these changes taste so good, like bolognese lasagna oozing with besciamella straight-from-Emilia-Romagna-good. 

So, the first and most exciting update is SFP will now be offering new luxurious albums with select wedding and portrait packages. I can't think of a better way to archive your memories than by creating one of these luscious albums (see below). I know, decadent, right? I scoured the vendor show room at WPPI a couple weeks ago hunting for the products that best represent my style and the style of my beautiful clients. Below, are a range of albums with everything from velvet to linen to leather to photo paper covers. The print and binding quality is as good as it gets and there's something here to fit every budget. 

The second major change at SFP will be Order Appointments. Based on personal experience, I have decided to best serve my clients by scheduling an appointment to meet soon after your session to review your images together and be there with you to sip tea, have a glass of wine and munch on some homemade snacks while you place your order. I'm taking this extra step for two reasons. One, my husband and I married four and a half years ago, and we only purchased the CD of our images, and guess what. They're still sitting in the dark abyss of that polycarbonate plastic disc called a CD. Yes, I've looked at our photos many times on the computer, but I want something in our living area for our family and friends to see when they visit, and I want that something to be archival and gorgeous - as gorgeous as our wedding day. It's a little more romantic to sit on the couch and reminisce turning pages in an album than it is to hover over my computer screen together, don't ya think? I thought so! So, the Order Appointment will help my clients SEE and TOUCH the albums as well as print types and sizes and judge for themselves which options best suit them. Second, several of my clients this year had a hard time choosing sizes and understanding the proportions of print sizes. In order to better serve you, I'll be here to work through all of those kinks. For long distance clients, you're lucky - we will get to Skype!

I am looking forward to sharing the album samples once they arrive later this spring. Until then, please feel free to tell me what you think about these products and whether or not you feel I've hit your mark. 

All this talk of food may make me go for an early lunch, but that is nothing new. ; )