The Scout Blog

recently, i collaborated with Pink Poppies Studio. tiffany, the owner & amazingly gifted handcrafter, asked me to do a product photo shoot for her adorable Anthropologie-inspired crochet throw.  i loved it so much that i HAD to have one for myself. i think i’ll be using it for decoration on our straw bales for our wedding!  i’m so thrilled to have this piece!

here’s the video i created from the photo shoot…if your connection is slower, go grab a cup of coffee, let it load, then sip, smile at its deliciousness, & hit play…

how much do i adore photographing repeat clients???   [infinity] <———————this much———————–> [infinity]

remember, Krista?  i did some business shots for her last year.  well, she is now ENGAGED to her guy, Javier!  i’m so excited for them!  check out our photo shoot at the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

surprise!  you’re engaged!

as a photographer, it’s so rewarding to capture those moments when a couple cracks each other up!

happy, happy, joy, joy….

to me, this one says, ‘i wanna squish your guts i love you so much.’

this one is my fav from the shoot.  i noticed they both had ink and wanted to show this side of their personalities.

want to use a photography trick?  it’s called, “throw your head back and laugh.”  i like to use this occasionally.  next time you’re taking someone’s photo or you’re in the photo, give this a shot.  you’ll be surprised at how great it looks in print and most of the time you feel so silly doing it that you or your subject actually starts to genuinely laugh.

we thought it was serendipitous to come across this shop across from the mission.  Krista will be taking Javier’s last name so after October they will be The Ortegas!

let me introduce you to Patrick.  he’s the owner and artist for PGSmith Design Studio where he does professional sign painting BY HAND!  this adds a far more personal touch to signage work.  wouldn’t you like to commission someone to do your signage work for your business?  wow!  so great!

he is also a very talented musician that specializes in piano (as a member of the group, The Rock-Its & The Hi-Lites) and the accordion.

our approach to his photo shoot was a more photojournalistic look as if he were being interviewed for a periodical story.

here are my favorites…

this is a sample of one of Patrick’s signs.

he sat down & did a sample sign while i was photographing him.  it’s impressive how he made it look so easy, but having tried to draw straight lines by hand myself, it’s so much harder than it looks!

and only such a practiced hand can make each letter the same thickness & style!  and he did this in a matter of seconds! wow!

yes, his truck is hand-painted as well!

i loved capturing some detail work of his tools.  great colors and textures shown from years of creating terrific art!  i wish my tools were this used!

a beautiful philosophy for a beautiful craft!  we need to support more art of this kind in the world!

then we moved on to his instruments.  here, Patrick is playing some great rag time for me!  what a treat!

it was time again last weekend for another CCI Graduation!  time flies, doesn’t it???  in this case, i’m happy that it does so i get to spend the day with all of these beautiful people & canine companions.  here are some of my favs from the day!

sittin’ so pretty!

and the ladies, too…

i think she thought i was taking a mug shot…

look at you all fluffy & stuff!

how adorable are they!?  and the baby didn’t even hesitate when i tried to get her to smile!  must get that from the rest of her family!

so cute!  this one just makes me smile!

caught in the middle of a yawn, but i thought this pup looked like she/he was laughing…ha!

Torelyn is telling him, “um, who is this person with the camera & where’s my snack?”

it’s so impossible trying not to post every photo i took that day!  all of the puppy raisers & dogs are such a good looking bunch!

graduate & soon-to-be-graduate (after she takes a little nap & about 16 months or so)…

this is one of the veterans formally receiving his assistance dog from his puppy raisers.  his story is incredibly remarkable & poignant.  it’s one of my favorite things about the ceremonies as i get to hear these breathtaking stories of a human’s ability to not only survive, but to thrive after adversity.

and that’s Kimi.  i’ve seen her in action training her pups & her quiet confidence is an inspiration to watch.

this one says it all…incredibly thankful…

joyous…

the new venue was packed with attendees and still spacious for all.

beautiful gratitude

and i love catching up with previous graduates!

until next time….