Deann B. Photography

Bonnie & Sean... Engaged!

I met up with Bonnie and Sean last weekend for their engagement session.  They'll be married in November in Phoenix and I'm super excited to be shooting somewhere I've never been before.  (Plus, the photos Bonnie has sent me of the venue are gorgeous, which just makes me even more giddy about the whole thing.  :)

Bonnie is the friend of one of my high school friends, Thom, so I guess that kind of means we go "way back", right?  :)   She was referred to me after seeing photos I took of Cayden, Thom & Jenn's sweet babe.  And now, after meeting Bonnie and her fiance, Sean, a couple of times now, I kind of feel like we do go way back.  They are both warm, genuine, down-to-earth people who are super gorgeous inside and out.  Not only were they willing to get down in the weeds and dirt for our engagement session, but they looked great doing it too. 

Here's a sneak peek at a couple of my instant favorites from their session on her parents' 5-acres out in East County.  Seriously... between the light and the raw beauty of the land, I couldn't have asked for a better location!

Check back for the full post in a couple of days!  :)

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....

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)

Bon Voyage, Devlynn!

A little over three years ago, I took my first photography class.  Back then I had no idea what I was doing with a camera, including how to load my film.  I just knew that I really, really liked the medium and spending a couple months learning how to take pictures sounded like fun. 

A few days into the class, after I got over my initial shyness, I started talking to a few of my classmates.  One of them, a girl named Devlynn, seemed like a good person to hang out with.  She was outgoing, smart and fun... and knew how to persuade me to develop her film for her as it was "more efficient."  It wasn't long before we were hanging out with each other outside of class... and the rest, as they say, is history.

A couple weeks ago, after 3+ years of coffee dates, great parties, fantastic dinners and lot of photographs, we had a Bon Voyage party for Devlynn in the few days before she left for the east coast... specifically Boston.  It was tough to think of her leaving, but kicking aside those depressing thoughts for a few hours, we had a great time that night.

Here are a few of the highlights from the evening.  (Make sure to click on the image to see it bigger!)

If you think that was fun, you can see the rest of the set here.

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!

Friends Session: Marisa & Kristin

Happy Monday, everybody!  I hope everyone had a holiday weekend as swell as mine...  as I'm browsing around flickr and the various blogs I subscribe to, I am seeing all sorts of Easter-y posts and pictures featuring little kids and rabbit ears that are just too cute.  But unlike all those families who documented egg hunts, Easter dresses and the get-togethers, Sunday was the one day I left my camera at home and just enjoyed the time with my family.  As a photographer, I get so caught up in things, wanting to document EVERY moment, that just sitting back and just enjoying the experience for what it is is a tough and rare thing to do.  But this time, instead of sitting behind a giant lens, I wrestled with my niece and nephew, helped make devilled eggs, showed Mike's daughter how to "blow out" and then decorate eggs, and watched a movie with my nephew cuddled close on my lap.  It was a very good day.

But don't think that I didn't take any photos at all, because the rest of the weekend was a whirlwind of photography and travel.  Friday morning I boarded a plane and flew to San Francisco to shoot some promo photos for a language school.  (More on that at a later date...) And Saturday, Marisa and her friend decided to get all dolled up and stage a session on the beach. 

Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time has seen pictures of Marisa.  She's Mike's daughter and someone who I've watched grow up over the past (nearly!) 4 years.  It's been so fun to document how she's changed... her style, her "look", and her affinity for having her picture taken (when we first met, she wouldn't let me near her with a camera).  And now she's coaxing her friends to get dressed up and make an afternoon of it...  I love it!

The afternoon was filled with laughter.  These  girls are seriously joined at the hip...  It's a rare thing to see Marisa and Kristin without each other.  Even in the most mundane situations - going out to eat, watching TV, or waiting around for the other to finish cleaning her room, they are constantly making each other laugh and giggle.  I can't help but to start feeling better by just being in the same room with them.  And besides all the infectious laughter, they are both gorgeous to boot.  Here are a few from our session on Saturday...

Thanks for letting me share the afternoon with you guys!

(To see photos bigger, click here.)

365 Days Project: Part II

Way back in October, I started a photo project affectionately known in the Flickr community as "365days."  I started out 2007 with a photo-a-day project that tapered off after only 3 months.  I lost interest in the monotony of trying to find something new to take a picture of every day.  In the end, it was the vagueness of the project that brought about my disinterest.

I started this project after seeing various self-portraits (or SP's) in my contacts' photo streams.  A few people encouraged me to try and one day.. I just started.  This project isn't much easier than the first and I have missed a few days here and there, but on the whole, I'm doing pretty well.  I showcased the some of the last 50 in a blog and figured it was time to show you the highlights from next 50 so you can see how I'm doing...

If you'd like to see the whole set, you can here.

In other news, I downloaded "Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection" tonight.  It's worth it just for "Overjoyed."  The video is a little cheesy, but his stuff just makes me want to boogie.