Going to the Chapel

Last weekend I second shot the wedding of John and Sarah in San Antonio with the uber talented Lisa Woods. She was so great to work with and it was a lovely wedding albeit with tough lighting circumstances. No flash during the ceremony and fluorescent lights during the 'getting ready' portion, then hotel lighting in the evening. Oy! I am so spoiled with my outdoor, natural light. Luckily we did some outdoor portraits. We had a really good time though and Lisa was so great to work with. We were joined by David from Rings and Cake who was doing the video. I was so excited when he pulled out his old 8mm camera. LOVE the 8mm. Not only is he a very nice guy, but I checked out his and his wife's work and they do amazing wedding films. So if you know anyone who is looking for wedding videographers they should definitely check out Rings and Cake. I didn't get much of a chance to get to know the bride and groom, but they seemed lovely and very happy. I wish them all the luck in their new life together. I love the triptych shot of the bride reading a letter from her father.

Pure Gold

You know the saying. "Make new friends, but keep the old..." The Cohns are pure gold to us. I miss them so much it hurts sometimes. And when we saw them in California (as many times as they would let us) it was just like yesteryear. We slipped back into our friendship with them with such ease. I began to miss them as soon as we got to the airport to head back to Texas. And they also have a brand new member. Little Zachary is about 2.5 months old in these pics. He is a charmer just like his big brother.

You Know You Are Behind When

When there is no clean underwear in the house.When you haven't reset your bedside clock from the power outage three days ago. When there is no empty space on any floor in the whole house. When the dirty dishes look like they are about to walk away on their own. When you bought presents for new babies months ago and they are still sitting in your closet. When you have been living in Texas for almost one year and still have not gotten Texas license tags. When you have to explain to a Texas state trooper at midnight on your way home from second shooting a wedding in San Antonio why you have not yet gotten said tags (and let's face it--my looks weren't going to get me out of this one).

UGH!

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My Bonnie Berry Photography site is down again. So now I am on a mission to find a better solution to the patchwork one I have now. Hopefully I will be up and running very soon. Thanks for being patient. And if you hear that it is possible to take out a hit on a webhost, please pass that information on.

A Family Affair

Another California session today. This is the other family from our Berkeley childcare share. We miss being a part of their daily lives so I was happy to capture a bit of their spirit in these photos.

Skipping Ahead

I have about ten more sessions I need to proof. For those of you who are patiently waiting to see your proofs, I am sorry I am so far behind. That stomach flu after we got back kicked our rear ends and I have been playing catch up ever since.I am skipping a bit ahead because I can't help myself. I had SO much fun with these two that I have been dying to post their photos. Jessica and Shawn recently got engaged and I was the lucky one who got to do their engagement session. Not only are they fun, kind and smart, but beautiful to boot. And they were game for anything I threw their way. Perfect clients. They even posed with the statue when I asked. They must have thought I was bonkers (which is true). So congratulations Jessica and Shawn. Here is a little sneak peek and there's a great deal more to come.

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor

I am taking a short break from showing client sessions from California and showing some photos from the trip of our friends. I realize that this is a ton of images, but I just couldn't cut any out. I love them all. We spent a lovely evening with our dear friends the Perls in Oakland during our visit. I am so happy that I will always have this visual memento of our dinner with them. I particularly love the one where Ben is wearing Avi's nightgown. Don't know why they are all landscape either. Must have been in a mood that day.

Look Out World

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I am on my way to see the 'Sex in the City' movie with my posse, but before I go I just had to post the pics from a session I had with one of my favorite families in California. This little girl used to be in Ben's childcare share and so we spent a good deal of time with them and I LOVE them so much. I really miss their compassion, friendship and big laughs and hearts. So I was honored when they asked me to photograph their family once again. And it has grown since we left California. They now have a little boy who is quite the charmer. I am so happy with how these turned out. Hopefully they will be too.

The Breaking Point

Wow. I am TIRED. I LOVE photography, but I am tired of sitting in front of my computer all the time editing files and lugging my gear around for non-professional stuff. So for personal stuff, I bought a Canon 870 with some kick ass wide angle capabilities. It is tiny and portable and I am just going to point and shoot (like the above self portraits with Sam taken at the Farmer's Market on Saturday). I chose the camera based on the sage advice of Jennifer and Rebecca, who are both amazing photographers. So from here on out my personal stuff might not be as snazzy as usual, but I have decided that time with my family is worth more than an album full of beautiful photographs of motherless memories.

Sophie's Family

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This is the first session I did in Berkeley, California. I LOVE this family. They captured my heart. Especially Sophie. You're thinking she is the adorable little girl, right? Nope. She's the lovely black lab that I couldn't keep my camera off.

The Golden Rule

The week before we left for California, I had the opportunity to hang out for many hours at my sons' school, the Discovery Center. They love it there and now I really know why. What a great place. The kids are looked after, entertained, educated, loved and nourished. What more could you want? I love so many of the shots but here are some favorites. If you really want to see more, you can check out the slideshow for ten minutes of pics and some of Frances' wonderful music.

Moose

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Last night I managed not only to go out of the house to a cultural/social event AT NIGHT, but I also patronized a local independent bookstore here in Austin where I handed over 25 big ones to buy a GASP hardcover book. Can't remember the last time I did that. But this was a special occasion. Stephanie Klein's newest book, Moose was being released and she would be reading from it. Her first book, Straight Up and Dirty was HILARIOUS and all too close to my very own life and love story. That is, minus the ultra adventurous sex life and uber cute clothes and super chic lifestyle. Okay, maybe not SO close.I took a stalker photo of Stephanie on my iphone to PROVE that I actually did go and to show how cute she looked in her little yellow dress. Also, watch this promo video for the book.

I Traded in My Principles for a Breast Pump

There are not many causes I am good at devoting myself to. I am just too darn lazy. I try not to eat meat and a hamburger beckons. I want to eat only organic, but I don't want to have to hike it to the farmer's market. I want to support independent bookstores, but Amazon is so cheap and easy. I know that I am selling my future soul and those of my children and it grates on me. But there was one area I was very proud of, and that was that I had NEVER spent even one of my hard earned dollars at Walmart. I HATE Walmart. There. I said it. No lightning yet, although I do think I hear the scampering feet of lawyers coming over to take all my worldly goods away for defamation of character or the likes.Notice that I wrote 'HAD never'. I think you know where this is going. A few weeks ago I went to an amazing workshop near Dallas called The Lab. I guess I was so excited at the prospect of getting away from the house for a few days that I didn't realize until the next morning that I had forgotten to pack my breast pump. But I figured it would not be that bad. I was only nursing a few times a day. How bad could it be? Well, let me tell you. BAD. By the end of the first day, I approached the only person who lived in town, the FABULOUS Amy and asked if she happened to still have a pump, even though her girls are much older. She did not and made some calls on my behlaf and nada. So that night when everyone was just sitting down to dinner, Amy whisked me off to Walmart (the ONLY store in town that would carry such merchandise that was open that late) and I procured a hand pump. Now let me tell you that this was not done light heartedly. I was in agony. I kept looking around at the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks looking for a baby to grab and stick to my breast and BEG IT TO NURSE. Ultimately, I decided that it would be better to patronize Walmart (aka the store that is single handedly destroying the American way of life) than to end up in jail on god only knows what the charge would be for abducting a baby and forcing it to nourish itself at your breast. So now the one unblemished record I held is soiled. Shit. I am a very bad activist.

Glitter

Another shot from the Discovery Center fundraiser. Glitter encapsulates the spirit of the school as well as being something that is ALWAYS on the kids. Yes, we have even found it in Ben's diapers.

Stopping to Smell the Roses

Yesterday Ben and I went with Geni and her two youngest girls to a little town about an hour away called Gruene. I took a bunch of photos that I will post later, but this one just seemed to fit what I wanted to write about today, as does the town's slogan, which is "Gently Resisting Change Since 1872". This is a little story about the conversation Ben and I had this morning. As usual I was trying to get the boys out of the house and dressed in a hurry. As I was putting Ben's pants on, I was a little more abrupt that necessary, so I said "Sorry Ben. Mommy is just stressed". He said "I want Mommy to laugh". Okay. Heart falls to floor. I am officially a schmuck. So I stop and laugh and then he hugs me. I thanked him for reminding me about what was important in life. And then I rushed him out of the door to school.

The Lovely Miss O.

Put it in the history books. This is Ben's first girlfriend. They L-O-V-E each other. She rubs his back when they go for a class walk. SO cute. And like all great love stories, there is a tragic aspect. He is moving to the next classroom soon and she will be left behind. Just like a man to leave a woman waiting.

Cheerleader

Sam sure does like his Cheerios. These were taken at his school during the fundraiser shoot a few weeks ago. There's something about photographing my kids 'on the job' that makes me feel like a slacker.

Miss Whitney

I mentioned the other day that we had our photo taken in Southern California by Tara Whitney. I brought my camera along for the ride and took some 'action' shots. The first of Ben was from before she arrived while we were playing around and the rest are during the shoot. I just realized I didn't get any of her face, only her backside. Silly, silly me. But you can see an amazing one here taken by the uber talented Jefra Linn.

Frances Strikes Again

If you have ever done a photo session with me, you probably had music on your slideshow sung by the splendid Frances England. She is a San Francisco based musician who is not only incredibly talented, a wonderful mom but also a good friend. And I have only met her a few times in person. She is one of those people you meet and feel like you have know for a million years. Her second children's cd (here is a nod to her first) is out now and it is, of course, amazing. Frances' cds are the only kids ones that I listen to on my own. I have already listened to the new one about ten times in a row. With no children present. Which for those of you who know me is amazing. I usually try to pretend to be childless when alone.AND she did all the artwork for the beautiful cover. It is so great. And I am a tough critic. Ben is even worse and he stared at it ALL the way over the Bay Bridge (for you Texans, that's a long ass trip). She even put a little nod to me in the liner. It's as close to producing a music cd and I will EVER get. We did a little shoot last weekend and with our crazy schedules we almost didn't pull it off. And I would have been so sad. Frances and her brood always brighten my day. My favorite part was her older son's glee at being on my business card. I haven't finished going through all of the photos, so there will be more later. But for now, here is a sneak peek. I love you Frances. Come to Austin soon. And the rest of you, go buy her cd NOW!