Bambi's Blog

I’ve been at my mom’s home all week cleaning out all of her things. (My mom died on February 28, 2006) I was struck by how many things one collects during a lifetime. I never realized how many things my mom saved from our youth. She had drawings galore, photos a plenty, and many a letter written to and from our family. It made me think of many things, including how I’ve gotten away from writing real letters. Almost all of my correspondence is done through email, and I don’t usually save it. Wow how profound it was to be able to read a letter written by my older sister to my grandmother one week prior to her premature death. It made me realize how much my future grandchildren are missing by not having a written record of life. A written record of the life of our family, mom’s, dads, and the rest. I even found out that my mom had an older sister who died in childhood. Someone I never knew. I resolved to sit down and tell my son about my childhood.. the good, bad, and funny. History is part of any future. For those that read this.. sit down with your mom, dad and grannies. Learn as much about their life as possible.. one day it will be too late to ask why did you have that blue sparkly eyeshadow in your bathroom? Did you actually wear that color somewhere in public? Who was Aunt Donna? Why do you need 750 types of ribbon?

I know this is a weird blog.. I guess its just a weird day.

me

I just returned from WPPI. What a show! I always come home inspired! Excited! and ready for the New Me! What could I take home some ask? After all if it isn’t broken do I need to really fix it? in a word.. yes. I was print chairperson for Album competition and must say I learned a great deal. Like what? How about composition, impact, style among other things. One of the things I was struck by was the unique designs many had, Jerry G and Yervant good examples. Each of them had a definite style, and one of the things that took their albums over the top was they didn’t clutter their stories up. Hands down, two things that took the scores down and the impact away were cluttered books with too many images in them, two small, and over working the images to death in Photoshop. I must say I personally questioned my photoshopping and have decided that I too am guilty of overworking prints. Step one for me, cut back,. and don’t go to the edge with the prints. Step two, not so many images in a book. Impact is everything!

Another thing I got from the programming was the importance of growth. The new photographers from down under and afar were heads and shoulders above many of us old timers. Why? I think they practice their passion for photography, not just take pictures. That is goal #3 for me. To practice my passion.

The fourth thing I was struck by, sadly, was that many of the wedding albums lacked any meaningful family photos. It seems as though there were thirty pages of the bride and groom in every situation, and location and the two token photos very sloppily done of the families. I am a mom, my son is getting married in September! Yes all of those artsy fartsy photos are great.. but I am a bit tired of just a fashion shoot for a wedding. What happened to beautiful moms, dads, who produced those children. What about the love from extended family.? It almost seems as though we apologize for photographing them. and feel ashamed for doing so. In planning my son’s wedding (as much as the mother of the groom plans) I firmly believe we are becomming the lost souls.. the sad part, all of us will face death. My mom died last month, Sorry for “backing up the hearse” but ..What will our children tell their children about the nonexistant family? Great photos of their parents.. but no life, no connection to the past, no connection to the future. I hope this changes. Weddings are more than just a collection of bridal portraits, and a bunch of place cards on the tables, weddings in my book are about family, friends, and the bond that developes from a truly human experience.

Bambam

OK kids.. Yervant, Anie, Ricky and Robbie and I went Kangaroo hunting tonight. We didn’t have to go far infact all we had to do was go out of their home, and standing in the yard was a small herd of them. We hopped in the car, don’t you just love that play on words? and went in search of more. We found a very large herd of them about 2 blocks down the street. It was quite funny as yervant was driving down on the wrong side of the street I might add, and I am hanging out of the window with the camera. OK.. they aren’t the best photos I’ve ever taken, but cut me some slack, Yervant was after all driving. LOL..

Speaking of Yervant’s driving, All week I’ve been trying my best to get into the car on the right side.. so I’ve been opening the car door for Yervant .. he is getting too used to that… I think he thinks he is a king. LOL.

me

I had the honor of photographing Yervants kids yesterday. Now, anyone who knows me knows I approach photographing children with all of the enthusiasm of having a root canal. However, we were all getting ready to go out yesterday (sunday) and I heard Yervant and Anie laughing in their bedroom (the door was opened and the kids were there.._) I walked by, and the beauty of that family experience was so great I couldn’t help but run and grab my camera. Here are a couple of images I captured of the kiddos. They are two absolutely adorable kids… yes they look like their mother..LOL..

wow, our upcoming joint educational course is going to happen in about a week. Yervant and I were sitting at the table this morning going over the schedule. For those that are attending, you have no idea how incredible this is going to be. I saw the girls today that we are going to be photographing, wow. Yervant has pulled all of the stops out and is sharing many of his favorite clients with us. He has arranged for us to have some of the top wedding photographers in Melbourne give guest lectures, and has arranged for a personal private tour of their studios as well. I have started scouting the proposed locations and will post them when I have a chance. The city of Melbourne is just a feast to the eyes. I’ve never been to a city quite like it. There is such a blend of the old with new. I can’t get over how friendly the folks are. Any way.. look for photos soon.

Bambam

ok.. so I am excited Yervant and Anie’s house backs up to a national park, and last night we were coming home from dinner and jumping around in their yard like a dog was a 6 ft kangaroo.
just too cool..

I am in Australia working with Yervant. I had the opportunity of working with him on a wedding this past weekend. It was a very large greek wedding. No, nothing like “my big fat greek wedding” the bride was a stunning woman, the groom a doll, and the party was just incredible.

I’ve had the chance to visit a number of bridal salon’s here and they are very daring in their approach to gowns. There are light blue, green, and pink dresses. Lots and lots of beeds.. The gowns are across the board much more elaborate and sexy than those found in the States. This is truly a feast to the eyes.. The bride in the wedding I shot with Yervant wore a gown that was almost brown… a soft gray/taupe. Why do I bring this up? What does it matter what the girls wear here? Well, the fashion isn’t the only thing that is daring. I’ve never been to a city like Melbourne. The entire city embraces uniqueness. The buildings are a mix of the old with absolutely ultra modern. Sky scrapers are cobalt blue with bright orange geometric squares. I am taking photos today to attach so you can see them.

Weddings are also a bit more daring. On Saturday Yervant took his bride and groom down town to photograph on the streets. I expected this to be a novel event. While his approach is novel, his images unique, there were at least 10 other photographers doing similar cafe style photographs of their brides and grooms.
it seems that many Aussie photographers bring their couples down to the city to photograph them walking down the street, sit in the cafe’s and have lattes’ We had about 3 hours between the ceremony and the reception. wow what a neat, relaxing time.
the image below is one I took yesterday at brighten beach. It has nothing to do with weddings.. but i like it.

me

Well here I am at the SWPP convention in the United Kingdom. What a great show. As I was flying in and looking out of the plane window I couldn’t help but think about how similar the countryside looks to California. We went to Dublin Ireland first
and I could almost see the golden gate bridge.. I’ve been to many places in the world and have come to the conclusion that the “world” is very much alike. Sydney Australia could be San Francisco, CA, The coast of New Zealand could be Big Sur..what makes the world go round is not the planet or ground we walk on but the people we meet. I have met such delightful people here from literally all over the world. All of them talented in their own right. I’ve learned a great deal and am delighted that i’ve had the opportunity of meeting so many folks. I am off to Texas next week for the PPA national convention and will continue my journey with humanity.

me

I was working on the images from my New Years wedding, and couldn’t help but think, People are the funniest things..What other creatures are so unpredictable and just plain quirky? The groom was a major and instructor at West Point, and his dad was a major General in the Army. At first glance, dad and son were wound up pretty tight. But after a while, I realized how wrong I was about both of them. The groom was tough on the outside.. but on the inside was just a ball of fur. The dad.. oh my god.. was just plain crazy. A photo will be attached to this blog so you can see just how funny he was. It just goes to show that you can’t judge people by just looking at them. Infact one can’t just judge by what some say either. We need to consider the circumstances, and many factors that make people do or say what they do. Anyway.. its late.. I can be sappy if I want to ..its my blog.

I can’t believe it’s already 2006. It seems as though just yesterday I moved to California, started my business and had my child Cameron. Now I am about to cross over “to the dark side, turning 25 again, for the 2nd time, my child is grown and life goes on. What is new on the horizon? Where do I go from here? I could get another dog, dye/bleach my hair, wait I’ve already done that.. ok.. loose a few/ no a bunch of pounds, make a resolution to be kinder, quieter, and actually think before I open my mouth.. maybe thats asking too much..you are probably thinking I am writing about myself.. actually while the above is true, it also applies to my business. I have found it very important to continue to grow, and adapt to changing times. First and formost it is important to consider where I can “loose a few pounds” from the financial side. Have I been wasteful? have I given enough attention to my company’s bottom line? It has been my experience that there are many gifted photographers, with talent beyond words. Yet, many starve to death because they just copy the pricing of other photographers instead of considering all of the cost. Remember it’s not what you charge, but what you get to keep that counts.”

OK, so you are profitable.. is that all that is necessary? no, we must continue to adapt our style of photography. How does one become a trendsetter? I would say, keep a close look at the fashion world. I know that sounds “girly” but remember our clients are young women. It comes down to this, don’t be afraid of change, embrace it. It will keep you young, fresh and always ready for the next assignment. I guess that same advice could apply to our personal lives as well. At some point I will probably drive 35 mph on a 65mph freeway, wear polyester with elastic waistbands, and “practical shoes”.. ok.. maybe when I am 95 but until then I will take each day as an adventure, never allow fear to keep me from growing, and not take myself too seriously. Here are a couple of images that reflect some of the growth I’m working on.

Bambi,

Bambam to my friends