Deann B. Photography

My Sasha

Sunday morning I woke up to a big mess indicating a very sick little pupster.  After an emergency trip to the vet, an overnight stay in doggie ER, tests, shots, an IV (which she chewed through - twice), I called this morning to find out how she was doing and if I could bring her home.  The reply, from a couple of different vet techs, was the same, "She's wagging her tail at me, like she does every time I come up to her kennel.  In fact, her whole body is shaking because she's wagging so hard."  That's my girl.  :)

After waiting what seemed eons, I brought her home this afternoon with an arsenal of meds and a special diet for the next three weeks.  While she seems to be on the mend, she's not 100% yet, so in the meantime I'm keeping my fingers crossed and smothering her freckled face with kisses.

 

Life is so crazy... the things you take for granted can sometimes change in an instant.  I've never seen my hardy little dog so sick and was on the verge of tears all day, worrying about her.  She's been my constant companion for 2 years and I don't know what I would do without my little shadow.  If you haven't already, take a few minutes today and hug your dog.  Or scritch that special spot behind your cat's ear.  If you already have... do it again.  :)  They'll only love you all the more.

 

Daniel + Kristine... Married!

Just to reiterate, this is my most favorite wedding to date.  Danny & Kristine were awesome and nice and gorgeous and totally, totally, head over heels in love.  They've known each other since first grade and used their high school prom picture as part of their decor.  They don't like cake, so when it came time to cut they cake, they had pie instead.  And when I asked Danny to not smile in a certain picture, he said, "It's so hard not to!"  I had so much fun at this wedding and couldn't pick just a few of my favorite photos, so this post is going to be a doozy...

(And don't forget that you can click on any of the photos to see the larger version!)

Danny and Kristine - Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding. I wish you a lifetime of happiness and love with each other!!

Just one for now...

I'm almost finished editing my most favorite wedding I've shot to date and I wanted to get a sneak peek out to those folks who have been patiently waiting...

More to come soon!

One of the many reasons I am super grateful for the internet...

Between photography and my *real* job, I tend to spend A LOT of time on the computer.  So much so that my tan comes solely from fluorescent lights, incandescent bulbs, and the glow of the monitor screen.  {sigh} 

One thing I do to combat the inevitable boredom that sets in from doing the same thing over and over is subscribing to interesting blogs via my RSS feed.  (The day I found out about the RSS feed was a happy day, indeed.)  All day long, thanks to this little wonder, I get inspired and educated in all sorts of ways... and I am always excited to find new music.  I am a HUGE fan of music of all kinds and am always on the lookout for new bands and new sounds.  Recently, Chelsea of {Frolic!} introduced me to Thao with the Get Down Stay Down.  I was hooked from the get-go - Thao's voice is smooth, the band is awesome and I downloaded the cd and put it on repeat that night.  I also found out that she is coming to San Diego this Sunday and playing at one of my favorite concert venues.  Double Score!  I am super excited and will give a full report next week!

Have a great weekend!!!

Polaroid Love

Me & Lester... Lester & Me.  We've been having some great adventures.  Sometimes when I go out on my photo expeditions I am loaded down with gear, not wanting to miss out on a shot because I left something at home.  With Lester, I don't have that problem.  One lens, one camera, one bag and as much film as I can carry.  I feel light and unencumbered and like I'm getting back to basics after stripping away all the unnecessary trappings I sometimes think I "need."  Don't get me wrong, I use everything that I have in my camera bag... but sometimes the simplicity is nice.

Until very recently, I've had a stack of Polaroids rapidly accumulating, but no way to show them off.  All that changed when I had a birthday and received this as a group gift from my family.  Awesome!  So, to kick things off, here are some of my favorites so far!

For more Polaroid, check this out.

Something fun...

I found this on Boho Girl's blog and I had to repost... it's such a neat idea!  For me, it's an interesting task to create a self-portrait out of someone else's photographs.  And the end result is something that is somewhat surprising, but each square called out to me in a different way... reminding me how multi-faceted we all are as individuals.

(Please click on this to see the large version!)

1. DeAnn-10F, 2. all we are saying.. is .., 3. Breathtaking coastline of Wales, 4. Beautiful old lady from Darap(Sikkim) village, 5. What is it, Justin? What have I done?, 6. Pimm's Cups Rock from Napoleon House, 7. zero gravity, 8. day 58: creme brulee, 9. The photographer, 10. When you're lost in the rain ..., 11. Damrak - Amsterdam, 12. Just pick one

Here's how you make your own:

Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search, using only the first page, choose an image, copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows).

The questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you attend?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10.What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.

If you create a mosaic of your own, please leave a link in the comments.  I want to see what yours looks like!  :)

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza: Part III (or The Grand Finale)

Even though our group consisted mostly of women with a need for chocolate that is second to none, we didn't break out all the dessert fixin's until the 2nd day.  (Why would we need to when we had the most amazing Tiramisu from this rustic little trattoria the night before?  I don't even like Tiramisu, but this was heavenly.)  Saturday evening, we made variations of this concoction:

Take one hunk of decadent brownie and place in a strawberry shortcake cup.  Add a generous amount of whipped cream and top off with vodka-infused cherry.  Strawberries optional.  Have a glass of milk standing by.

This is Anna, watching us try to finish our crazy desserts. 

At this point, I could neither eat, nor drink, any more and decided to take advantage of the light on our last night at the inn.  A couple of my favorites:

On our last day we spent a little bit of time in town shopping and ordering the Tri-Tip sandwich from Firestone Grill.  It is soooooo good!

While waiting in line at the restaurant, I saw the cutest puppy ever!  Lucy is a 4 1/2 month old Boston Terrier who is the most good-natured little pup I have ever met.  I am trying to talk Mike into letting me get a sibling for Sasha!  :)

 

Back at the B&B, we sadly packed up all of our things and spent another hour or so commemorating the trip in a number of ways...

... defacing traffic cones...

... painting rocks...

... or taking a bath.

 

But when "Captain" Mike said it was time to go, I insisted on a few group shots...

This was seriously, the best road trip ever.  It was so great to spend it with so many of my awesome friends in a location that I absolutely adore.  Thank you to everyone who made this so awesome! 

....and a special thank you to Mike... who not only helped me plan for it, but also did ALL the driving and helped (in a big way) to pay for it.  Without you this wouldn't have been possible!  I love you!

Last but not least, to view the entire flickr set, head over here.

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza: Part II (or A Central Coast Wine Tour)

I tried not to take too many photos of the weekend.  When I'm wearing my photographer hat, I tend to get caught up in the moment of getting a great shot and forgetting to just enjoy the event.  I have a few shots of the first night, but the light was bad, it was super dark, and I spent more time hanging out with my friends than behind the camera.  Which is how it should be, right?  Suffice to say, there were some drunken games, good conversation, and most of the wine disappeared.

The next day dawned bright and early... around 9:00.  I dragged myself out of my comfy bed and found this at the breakfast table:

Seriously, can I just move here already?  I would definitely eat breakfast everyday if someone cooked me a spread like this.

Trying to decide on what to do for the day with a group of 10 people is not the easiest thing in the world.  Luckily, my friends and I all think alike and found Wine Tasting to be the unanimous decision.  We visted Tolosa, Edna Valley, and Baileyana/Tangent (two wineries, one location).

First up was Tolosa...

Next was Edna Valley Winery, where the view is amazing...

And then finally, Baileyana & Tangent, where we managed to get these stellar group shots:

To be continued....

Mitch + Jeannene

I come from a family with 4 kids.  Growing up was both fun and annoying because we were all as close in age as stairsteps and it was tough to have enough space to stay out of each others' business, but fun because we had built-in playmates.  We also had fun taking over every school we were enrolled in, becoming known as "the Barrera kids".  Since I was the oldest and only girl, I enjoyed a sense of individuality and being the first one "known" at school.  So it was with more than a little shock when, during my senior year, I became known as "Jared's Older Sister."  My little brother, upon entering his freshman year of high school, quickly became one of the more popular boys on campus with a gaggle of girls swooning over his sports-enhanced muscles and boyish charm.  Unfortunately for them, Jared only had eyes for a tall, cool blonde named Tanya.  And that is how I came to know Mitch and Jeannene.

Jared and Tanya dated all through high school and eventually married. Over the years, our families grew close.  Our parents became friends and, as there were a lot of kids in their family, the kids became friends too.  When I first met Mitch, he was a young, tow-headed boy, sorely outnumbered in a house full of girls.  But when he called me recently, asking if I was available to photograph his wedding, I couldn't help but picture that little boy and wonder when he transformed into this mature, confident, calm husband-to-be.  And when I met his bride, Jeannene, I saw that this was truly a match.  Like him, she has a calm and content air about her that immediately brings peace into a room (especially helpful during crazy wedding prep!) and when they look at each other, one can truly see how much love they feel for one another.

Mitch & Jeannene - Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding.  It was intimate, family-oriented, heart-felt, and truly let the love that you have for each other shine through to all who witnessed it.  I wish you nothing but love and luck as you embark on your new life together! 

(I've included some of my favorite images from their wedding... be sure to click on the image to view it larger!)

To view a few more images from their wedding, you can see the rest of the set here.

Birthday Weekend Extravaganza: Part 1 (Or, the Devil is in the Details)

I had a fantastic 30th birthday weekend!  Thank you for all the wonderful comments and thoughtful birthday wishes... they really mean a lot to me.  :) 

Friday morning myself, Mike and several of my nearest and dearest friends finally got on the road (after locking the keys in the house) and headed up to San Luis Obispo.  My favorite B&B in the world is located up there on California's Central Coast and after 5 hours of sitting the car, it was even more welcoming than I remembered it. 

The Sanitarium (Originally known as The Hageman Sanitarium) was built in 1880.  It was used from 1904 to 1912 as a Sanitarium, where it was then used as a boarding house during WWI & WWII because of a housing shortage.  The current owner purchased it in 2006 and renovated the whole place.  She painted everything white and as a result the light there is amazing.  The white walls and floors also serve as a neutral backdrop for all the beautiful details.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

(As always, you can click on the photograph for a bigger view)

Seriously, this place is a photographer's dream.  I stayed here once before and couldn't imagine spending my birthday anywhere else!

(To see more details, you can view the Flickr set here.)

 

(Tomorrow's post: Part II or A Central Coast Wine Tour)