This is two-year old Griffin.
Griffin’s dad asked me before the photo shoot what they should do to prepare for our two hour photo shoot. I told him I would like to take any exploring, playing, or learning photos, because that is what you do when you are two.
So when I arrived for the photo shoot on Monday, his mom was ready. She had a critter box, golf clubs, a baseball bat, bubbles, a bicycle, a swing, a jump rope and a couple of outfits. After picking out the first outfit, we got to work… which is hardly work when it involves bubbles and a two year old.
We had lots of fun exploring and trying out all the different activities, and when dad came home… we took some cute family photos.
It was an easy photo shoot… the location was perfect, there were tons of activities and Griffin was adorable, so we definitely got some keepers… but my favorite photos of the day, are the photos from the very end of the day, when the photo shoot was technically over.
I was saying my good-byes and I started to pack up my things… when the real fun began.
As a rule, everyone relaxes at the end of a photo shoot, so naturally that is when the real playing starts. When the parents relax then the kids relax and the smiles get bigger. There is no way I can make a child smile as big as a child’s parents can make them smile… so my favorite photos are always the ones where the parents jump in and roll around too. It makes everything better, especially the photos.
A photo shoot is all about teamwork… just like we learned in middle school, “Together We Can.”
The only fireworks I saw this year were on my mom’s shirt.
We had a very quiet 4th, celebrating with mac and cheese, a bottle of wine and a bad movie.
As we were hidden away in the suburbs of rural South Carolina, I thought about all the people out there celebrating with lots of beer, things on fire, and bbq… and I thought about the meaning behind all the celebrating today.
I wondered how many people really are celebrating our independence today… and I wondered just how independent ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’ is these days.
On June 16th, I was in San Francisco hanging out in the kitchen of the restaurant Town Hall, so I could have a better understanding of the food and space for our upcoming photo shoot for their book proposal. When, Mitch, one of the owners and chefs, suggested that I come down and take a photo of him and his brother Steven, with their former employer, Wolfgang Puck, at the restaurant Postrio, in Union Square.
I didn’t know much about Postrio, I had never been there before, and I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to celebrities. I had heard of Wolfgang Puck, but I couldn’t really tell you much about him either… so I didn’t really know what to expect. I only knew what I was told, which was: this was a restaurant that had been open for some time and they were having two closing dinners… tickets for the occasion sold out in 30 minutes… and there were very long waiting lists to get in.
So I showed up and took a few photos of the chefs prepping for the night and then decided to head home for the day.
As I got my things ready to leave, Steven informed me that Wolfgang said they would pay me to stay for the rest of the night and the next night too, if I would take photos of this important occasion. Mentally, logistically and physically I was not prepared for this assignment. I did not have enough memory cards or a flash, and I was wearing jeans in a very formal restaurant… but I could sense this was an important occasion that needed to be documented… and that I had a very unique opportunity… so of course I said yes.
And my sense was right… it was a pretty incredible bittersweet reunion filled with very hard work, lots of white chef coats, old friends and colleagues, dedicated patrons, sweat, conversation, tears, hugs, laughter, celebrities, lots of wine and good food.
My favorite part of the night was meeting the different generations of amazing chefs who worked at the restaurant over the years and who now live all over the country and run their own restaurants. These chefs returned to Postrio for the finals nights and worked for free, just to be a part of this occasion.
I also met customers who had been coming every Saturday night since the restaurant opened and waiters who had been working there for the same amount of years. I met my first celebrity, a very nice and humble man, who has not been affected by his popularity, and who made so many people smile as he walked around and talked to every person in the room. And I got a glimpse of other local celebrities, including the former SF Mayor Willie Brown, with his entourage, and the William of William and Sonoma.
It was a real community… built around good food and wine. The room was filled with people who knew and loved each other.
I have worked in quite a few restaurants, but there is not a single one that I would ever want to return to, even if it were closing down forever. I was told it was the end of an era for San Francisco, and after my two nights at Postrio, I certainly believe it.
The greatest canine love of my life died today.
Pancreatic cancer.
The disease transformed my…. strong, healthy, vibrant, squirrel chasing, pond swimming, flop to the floor and cuddle with you anytime… love into skin and bones in only three short weeks.
Luckily I made it home just in time to hold his head as he took his last breath.
So… needless to say I am a little bit sad today.
It doesn’t seem fair that “man’s best friend” does not live as long as man.
I am in search of Puff the Magic Dragon to be my next best animal friend…
because I don’t know that I can go through this again.
Well, I wanted to boost my food photography portfolio… so I made it happen at Windrush Farm, with the help of the Gardening, Baking, Styling, and Photography Dream Team…
Most of the veggies and flowers were grown and harvested by: Rebecca Bozzelli at the Sonoma Garden Park, Paul Wirtz at Oak Hill Farm and Mimi Luebbermann at Windrush Farm.
Pizzas were made from scratch by Mike the Baker Zakowski, also from Sonoma.
The ingredients of the day were styled by the talented Esther Feinman (with her arsenal of pretty things) and her fabulous friend Stacey.
The location and many of the props were graciously provided by Mimi Luebbermann of Windrush Farm.
A big thanks also to:
The Firestarter/Male Model/Comedian Arann Harris.
Nick from Nik’s Chix for the eggs.
Jude Mooney, my photography partner who will soon be displaying her own version of the day, and her super helper daughter, Dixie.
The gorgeous James family for modeling, yet again.
The people behind Parducci Wine who generoulsy gave us wine for our wedding in exchange for photography.
Christy, Mike’s wonderful girlfriend, who helped with anything that we needed help with.
Here’s to teamwork and more amazing dinner parties on the farm with fresh food and wonderfully talented friends.
I had an amazing Sunday… it was full of yummy fresh homemade food that was grown, prepared, baked and styled by incredibly talented people. And I can’t wait to share my new collection of food photos… but you just have to wait… because this is slow food. I only have 300 more photos to sort through and then I’ll be ready to share the very best.
By the way, that pie up there… I made it! It is my very first made-from-scratch strawberry rhubarb pie… thanks to a little help from my dearest friend Rebecca and the Joy of Cooking.
More pie and other tasty treats coming soon.
This is my beautiful friend Shari. She is embarking on a new adventure and she needed some photos of herself… even though she is not a fan of being photographed. In an effort to get her to forget about the camera, we spent the day slowly catching up, sipping on champagne to ease her photo nerves, with me occasionally snapping photos during our conversation. Contrary to her belief, she was the perfect model and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing her… bright blue eyes and dimples are a pretty easy combination.
My advice to Shari, and to all the amazing women I know… you are beautiful, smart, funny, and kind, and you deserve the absolute best… so don’t settle for anything less. Be yourself and love yourself, and eventually you will find your perfect match.
And if you are an amazing single guy who lives in the Bay Area… then you should get in touch with me, cause I know some of the most incredible single women ever, and I do enjoy playing matchmaker.
And here is the ladybug who crawled to the very tippy end of a single blade of grass, as we sat and talked. I couldn’t resist. Although he was kind of hard to photograph, because his perch was blowing in the wind and therefore blowing out of my narrow depth of field… but Shari didn’t mind sharing the spotlight, so I kept trying until I got the one I wanted.
…And I don’t mind just what you do,
Happy Birthday to my favorite dancer, singer, chef, chicken, fire starter, hot skater guy, farmer, camp counselor, rock star, hiker, kick-baller, traveler, sunflower, model and best friend.
For your birthday, first something new….
And something old…
I am doing the dance for you right now in Minneapolis. New rule, no more birthdays apart ever again… deal?
After photographing Vienna, I understand the evolutionary purpose of big blue eyes…
There is no way you could eat your baby when it looks this cute.
I also understand why bubble baths and babies are not such a good mix. I imagined cute baby flapping arms and bubbles floating in the air: happy family, happy baby, happy bubbles. So I wondered why it was necessary for Vienna’s parents to read the ingredient label so carefully before selecting which bubbles to use. I thought, bubbles are bubbles are bubbles… nothing harmful with bubbles. But now I understand…
Once Vienna entered the bubble bath, the bubbles went straight into the mouth again and again and again. I think it will be Vienna’s first and last bubble bath for a couple more months. Even still the occasion was pretty cute… and we did get some happy family, happy baby, happy bubbles shots when she wasn’t eating the bubbles.
