Deann B. Photography

Real Simple on Professional Photos

While my own work tends to revolve around people and connections and emotion, I have an appreciation for all kinds of photography... especially the kinds that I'm not so good at.  One of my favorite photography niches are interiors and editorial.  Those beautiful Martha Stewart magazines, the glossy pages of Domino, and the light-filled styling over at Cottage Living.  One of my happiest days each month is when my mailbox brings me a new edition of one of the above. 

Another of my favorites is Real Simple.  I remember picking up the first issue at the grocery store and thinking, "Whoa. I love the pretty pictures!"  But behind the beautiful styling and photography, there are some seriously great features.  Recipes, cleaning & organizational tips, thoughtful quotes, and wicked collage material (although I have a hard time cutting them up!).  On March 3, there was an article that hit close to home though.  It was titled simply, "Get Professional Photos of Your Children."

Like most families, my parents have albums of snapshots.  And like most families, my parents have many of them on the wall in frames.   And though many of them aren't comepletely in focus, or the lighting is off, or they have a weird color cast, they remind me of my childhood and of great times.  But some of my favorite are the ones that my uncle, a professional photographer for many years, took of us.  They are beautiful and precious to me because they truly captured my childhood. 

Without a photographer in the family, would we have been able to get our family photos taken?  I don't know.  Growing up in a family of six, there wasn't a lot of extra money for luxuries.  But the author is quick to point out, "I figure that the money I spend on these photographs will strengthen family bonds, enhance happy memories, and capture the fleeting moments of childhood. They give me more pleasure than practically any other purchases that I make. That strikes me as pretty good happiness bang for the buck."

And if you think that I am immune to this philosophy, think again.  I am planning to book an appointment with a pro photographer so someone can truly capture the unique connections between me and mine like I do for you and yours.  :)

And just so I don't have a post without photos, here are some of my favorite family shots from the last year:

Kickin' it old school - Lester A. Walker style

Although I try hard to stay on the technology track for all the latest and greatest releases and developments in the digital and computer fields, I am really a vintage girl at heart.  I love old architecture and old cities and old furniture.  These things have history and a story and I love to find out who came before me and what they did.  So it's no big surprise that I have been trading in my digital camera for some film-love in my downtime.

A couple months ago I picked up a Polaroid camera on Ebay... an SX-70.  A couple weeks later I picked up a case for it and a week or so later, Polaroid came out with this announcement.  (Darnit!)  I haven't let the sad news dampen my enthusiasm, though, and when I've been able to pick up packs of the instant film, I do.  Unfortunately for me, the film for my particular model is extinct.  (Two strikes?)  Fortunately for me, I have found tips and tricks to get around this and have been enjoying this new medium.  (If you have a chance, take the time to check out Jen Altman's blog a bit more.  Her polaroids are partly what inspired me to get into this!  Seriously, they are swoon-worthy.)  (Don't forget to click on the image for the full size!)

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce Lester A. Walker:

(He arrived in my mailbox, already named...)

Ready for his close-up:

Although I've shot a couple packs of film before last weekend, I hadn't taken it out on the town with me.  Saturday I met up with my friend Devlynn for an "all day-date" and I promised myself I would only shoot film.  My first camera didn't work properly, so I used the Polaroid for all the documentation of our day.   All of the shots are from Downtown San Diego.

Horton Plaza

The newly restored Balboa Theatre

Dick's Last Resort

Thanks for our date, Dev, and for being such a great model!  (haha)

Have fun on the East Coast... I miss you already! 

To see the rest of the set, mosey on over here!

Sunny SoCal Weather...

While the rest of the country seems to have an ever-changing scene out their window, San Diego is staying true to form and bringing in loads of sunshine.  Temperatures are soaring into the high 80's and low 90's and I have been alternately enjoying the summer-like weather and trying to keep cool.  I felt like I didn't take advantage of our beach weather very much last summer and have made myself a promise to not make the same mistake this year.  So last week, I went for a walk around a couple of the local beaches, taking in the salty air and the beautiful, bright blues of the sky and water.  Here are a few photos from my wanderings...

Tower 23 in Pacific Beach (I really want to stay here someday!!):

The Big Dipper Rollercoaster at Belmont Park, Mission Beach:

Mission Beach:

Some of the tropical plants at our beaches (the first is a bird of paradise, the other two are parts of a palm tree).  (Also taken at Mission Beach):

When I uploaded these, I swooned at the colors.  My favorite color is pretty much anything blue, but that yellow?  How can you not smile at something so cheery?

If you are still craving the beach, you can find a few more shots from various trips here.

Happy Monday!

For the Dogs...

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is taking her first photography class.  She said that her next assignment had to do with people and she was anxious about asking someone to model for her.  "I like to take photographs of landscapes and still lifes."  That used to be me too.

For those pictures that are taken to remember a moment or a holiday, most are usually off-the-cuff, personal and family oriented.  And taken with a point & shoot.  It's no big deal, right?  But for those of us who want to take it to the next level - to sell our artwork or make a career out of photography, we have to find our niche.  Architecture, interiors, portraits, weddings, still life, food... there are so many fields to choose from.   But on some level, all photography requires a person to be social.  To interact.  To talk about ourselves, our art, our methods.  And outside of a couple of the above fields, it requires you to interact with your subject.  You've got to be confident, you can't be shy.  And to get the shot, you've got to be able to get your point across.  It took me that first semester to get over that fear of asking people to star in my photoshoots.  But once I did, I never looked back.  There is something so exciting about catching a person on film as they truly are.  Not in some posed portrait studio, but in their own environment, in their own element.  Genuine, real, simple.

Back to the subject at hand, though.  If you really don't like to take pictures of people, but you want that dynamic of a living being, consider animals.   They show all the emotion, enthusiasm, and soul as people, but without being camera-shy.  Don't consider this a way out, though.  Animals have minds of their own and if they do or don't want to do something, they will let you know!  In order to keep their attention, you will be rolling around on the ground, getting slobbered on, getting jumped on, licked, running and wiping nose prints off your camera lens.  But don't take my word for it - I'm a people photographer.  To see some truly great dog work, check out Erin Vey, Anna Kuperberg, Susan Sabo and Charlotte Reeves.  Awesome stuff.

In the spirit of trying new things (and being inspired by the above photographers), I visited a friend a couple of weeks ago who recently added a new French Bulldog to her family and wanted to get some nice family photos with their newest member.  I was incredibly lucky because Astro is so stinkin' cute, there is really no way to take a bad shot of the little guy. 

Before our mini-session, we started out at the dogpark where I snapped a few shots of some of the other dogs since it was so crowded that I kept losing Astro:

Later on that evening, we headed out on the back patio for a few portraits of the new baby, Astro;

And a few of big sister, Luna:

Luna had her toes painted for the occasion:

And a couple of the kids together:

To see the rest of the set, head on over here!

Congrats on the newest member of your family, Ci!  Thanks for letting me spend time with the family!

Senior Session: Kristin

A couple weeks ago I got a phone call from Kristin's mom.  She had lined up a photographer for her daughter's senior photos and because of a bad flu bug, the appointment had fallen through.  Kristin had recommended she take a look at my portfolio and (because she's one of Marisa's good friends, I've photographed her before) some of the photos from our beach shoot.  (Back to that phone call...) Mom said she loved the pictures and couldn't believe that was her little girl all grown up.  We scheduled a session for a few days later, in a neighborhood park.

Kristin and her mom were definite troopers for this session.  It was cold, windy and gray, threatening to rain at any moment.  I was nervous we might have to move the session inside somewhere and miss out on the natural light and beauty of the park, but luckily the precipitation held and we still had fun.

What can I say about Kristin that you can't tell from her photos?  The camera loves her sparkling eyes and infectious smile.  The couple times that I've photographed her, I have had a blast.  Lucky for me, Kristin is also a friend of Marisa's and we have so much fun having her at our house or driving to San Diego, the back seat full of non-stop giggling.  She's an awesome kid and I see fantastic things in her future!

We started out at the playground side of the park to break the ice.  (I have to give props to Marisa who was in the wings the whole time, keeping Kristin laughing...  :)

We eventually left the playground area to wander around the rest of the park.  In the middle of the park there is this giant tree that was so cool.  As Kristin was heading over in that direction, I thought the scale of the tree and the girl was too cool to pass up.

As the session was winding down, I had Kristin chill out in the grass.  And the light?  It was beautiful!  These last few were all caught in the last 20 minutes or so before the sun (in the overcast sky) went completely down...

Aren't her eyes amazing???

I was really impressed with Kristin's mom.  Not only is she super cool and have a great relationship with her daughter, but at one point we were talking about the importance of being strong and healthy and a good role model for the girls she knows.  Now I know why Kristin is so awesome!

Thanks for braving the cold and letting me hang out with you guys.  It was a blast!

Jose Villa Workshop - Solvang, CA

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to signup for PPA's Super Monday and attend a Jose Villa Workshop in Solvang, CA.  Since I was running late (how can anyone stay on schedule on a roadtrip?) I didn't get the chance to document my surroundings.  (That and I was still dazed that I would be spending so many hours with such an incredible photographer!)  However, Solvang is a little Danish town in the Santa Barbara area that looks like time has passed it by.  It is quaint and old-fashioned with it's windmills and pedestrian-friendly downtown area.  The weather was absolutely perfect when I was there and was a great place to hold a workshop.  If you are ever in the Santa Barbara area (wine tasting, anyone?) be sure to stop in Solvang and have lunch.  And a danish! 

Once I got to the workshop, I spent a little bit of time talking to some of the other attendees.  I don't get to hang out with other photographers much, so "talking shop" with people as passionate as I am is always a treat.  It was a little odd walking into the room and seeing people I "know" through their blogs.  Jasmine, Anna, Jonilyn and Sarah are all photographers whose work I admire.  It was great to actually meet them in person.

Jose was a fantastic speaker.  Funny, personable, and very, very knowledgeable about being successful in the photographic world.  One of his philosophies I like best is his way of simplifying everything.  His design and photography is both clean and simple and showcases the beauty of his work so well.  He was willing to answer any question and go into detail about his workflow and business.  If anyone ever has a chance to go to one of his workshops, I highly recommend it!

Although a lot of Jose's information can be applied to any photography business, he deals mainly with portraits and weddings.  Toward the end of the day, we were given the chance to shoot some models that were dressed in wedding gear.  Shelbie Sno and Gerardo Ibarra were awesome as the wedded couple and Jose's assistant, Lacie Hansen, modeled as a beautiful bride on her own.  The makeup and hair was done by Team Hair and Makeup and the gorgeous flowers were from Renae's Bouquet.  They did a great job!

(To see the full-sized version, click on the photo...)

Shelbie (L) wore a Melissa Sweet dress while Lacie (R) wore Jenny Lee...

The Paparazzi:

Since I have several upcoming weddings in the next few months, I am super excited about trying out everything I have learned.

Thanks to all the photographers who came out to the workshop... it was so great to meet you and exchange ideas.  And thanks to Jose for hosting the workshop!

(Interested in a Jose Villa Workshop? Check this out.  His work is AMAZING!)

Newborn Session: Baby Brinn

So, I know it's been pretty quiet here in my corner of the Internet, but not without good reason.  I've been so busy... and it's all been photography related.  Isn't that the best kind of excuse?  A week ago, I started off my weekend with a newborn shoot, went up to LA for a visit with friends and to get some headshots for a new website venture, Monday found me in Solvang at a workshop hosted by the Incredible Jose Villa, Tuesday was senior pictures with Kristin and Wednesday was a chance to help out my community and work with a local church.  Whew!!  Since then I've had my nose stuck to my computer monitor, proofing all of the sessions and having a blast... wishing this was my day-job instead of my part-time.  {Sigh} The waiting game isn't much fun, but in the meantime, I'm so lucky to still be able to do what I love!

So, we'll start at the beginning...  A little over a week ago I went over to my neighbor's house to photograph their beautiful, tiny little girl, Brinn Ashlee.  Brinn's parents met, fell in love, and have spent the last few years traveling, living life to the fullest and creating a beautiful home for their family, which up until now included the two of them and their cute pups, Brooklyn and Capone.  It seemed they had it all, until they decided something was missing and soon little Brinn was on her way.  It wasn't easy - Mom had a tough time and Brinn was born 3 weeks early.  But it was oh-so-worth it as she was the delight of her parents from the moment she was born - tiny, but perfect in every way.

(Be sure to click on the pictures for the for full-size versions!)

Dad's Tribute to his new daughter...

At one point, I made Mom look up at me.  She had the most amazing blue eyes...

The new family...

Thank you for letting me spend the morning with your family and getting to document this special time in your lives.  Congratulations on Baby Brinn!

Out of Town...

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be out of town this weekend (4/5 - 4/7) for a couple of shoots, a concert and a workshop!  Whew!  All emails will be answered on Tuesday, when I'm back in the office.

Thanks!  Have a great weekend!

And now for Phase II: Weddings!

Most of my business comes from clients who are interested in portraits, which is kind of a stuffy word that encompasses all sorts of photos: headshots, family, maternity and newborn pictures... just to name a few. I prefer to call it lifestyle photography.  These sessions typically last a couple of hours.  They are relaxed, and fairly casual.  There is a lot of room to play and they can be held almost anywhere.  To me, they represent who my clients really are and it's my job to capture that on film (or digital).  I love these sessions.

But lately, and much to my surprise, I've been getting quite a few wedding inquiries.  I say I'm surprised because a lot of the time, I still feel like the girl who heads out with her camera to take pictures of her friends.  But in the last year, my business has really taken off.  Besides all of the wonderful people who welcomed me into their homes and let me document special moments in their lives, I assisted at 8 weddings last year as a second-shooter.  And this year, I am already booked for 4 weddings as a second shooter and 2 as the primary photographer.  With all of this wedding business, why don't I have a wedding portfolio on my website???

So, I've been busy at work on Phase II, which is rolling out the wedding galleries.  So far, I have one gallery up and I hope to have another 2 galleries up in a couple of weeks, possibly by this weekend.   I have added a page for wedding pricing in the "Investment" section as well.  I am also going to be changing the way the galleries are set up, and eventually adding a couple more galleries that feature pets and fine art.  There are a few more changes ahead, so keep checking back in the next few weeks!

These are a few images from a wedding I shot last year (and are featured in the new wedding gallery on my site).  The weather was gorgeous and the bride and groom were so sweet to each other and to everyone that attended their wedding.   The way they looked at each other made my heart smile. 

Don't forget to check out the wedding gallery on my site to see the rest of the photos!