autumn

As I drove into Klamath Falls this morning I noticed the very beginnings of fall colors -- a few yellows with just the slightest pop of orange. I'm more than ready to break out my collection of sweaters and do all the fall things. This time last year we were in Okinawa where it was way too hot and sweaty to think about making hot apple cider and soups and chili. Autumn in Japan was beautiful in its own way -- a few trees changed colors and dropped leaves -- and our trip to Kyoto at the tail end of fall was especially beautiful. This photograph is from our visit to Fushimi Inari-taisha and I was thrilled to learn it is one of the twelve images featured in the annual calendar put out by the Kadena FSS.

Homer Alaska story featured on Steller

Are you on Steller? Steller is my new favorite app and not just because they're featuring this story in their PLACES collection. I like the aesthetic, the ease of use, the ability to tell a story with a set of images, rather than just one.

Let me know if you're on Steller so I can follow you!

friday i'm in love: the vegas edition

oh, vegas. 

Vegas and I have some history. For the longest time I did my best to avoid it. On a whim, I visited Vegas when European travel plans were crushed by a weak dollar. On that trip, I met my future-husband. Less than two years later, we moved to Las Vegas. We were there three years. They were good years but I hadn't been back since we moved away.

I returned to Las Vegas recently for WPPI 2015 -- Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. As always, I walked away from WPPI with notebooks full of ideas to bring back to my clients and shoots. 

If you've never attended WPPI before, here are a few tips:

1. Study the schedule. 

My dear friend Boots assumed this conference was like others conferences she'd attended where the good stuff is at the beginning. She booked her hotel and flight accordingly and ended up missing the Expo entirely as well as all the Platform Classes, not to mention the opening party! She ended up shelling out more cash to attend some early Master Classes but her pickings were rather slim by the time she'd realized her mistake.

Also you'll want to read up on the speakers. Roberto Valenzuela is always one of my favorites. His talks are always loaded with useful information and I appreciate his sense of humor (as well as his accent). But try to get an idea of what the speaker is shilling before committing to a session. Everybody is shilling something, some of it is more useful than others. And do use WPPI's pre-board system for the sessions you really want to see. 

2. Watch the print competition.

I learned so much from the live judging of the print competition. Key learnings: print quality and technical execution matter and just because a client loves an image does not mean it will score well in the competition. 

3. Wear comfortable shoes.

The MGM Grand is the biggest of the big resorts and you will be hoofing it to get to coffee or food or anything not conference related. 

The Mandarin Bar on the the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental was a perfect spot to watch the daylight fade to nightlife in Las Vegas.

Beyond WPPI, Las Vegas looked a little different than the last time I was there. My absolute new favorite spot was on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental. I made a reservation for a window table at the Mandarin Bar around sunset and was not disappointed. With Giant windows well above the fray, it was an oasis of calm and elegance. I brought my husband back a second time.

The Linq is a new addition, as is the High Roller at the pinnacle of its promenade. We'd just spent several days at Disneyland and were on theme park ride overload or I would have given it a whirl, but regardless, it makes a photogenic addition to the Las Vegas skyline. Also on that Linq Promenade is the Polaroid-Fotobar, another must-visit for photographer types.

The Las Vegas High Roller at the Linq is a new addition since my last visit.

friday i'm in love: the disneyland edition

As we drove away from Disneyland, my husband and I marveled at the empire that is Disney. We mused about what it was really like to be a cast member at Disneyland, if they were as happy to be there as they seemed to be. A few days after our trip, I received a survey from Disneyland Resorts asking me any number of questions but the one that really stuck with me was the one that asked if anything "magical" had happened. Magical. 

Imagine a place where cast members are directed to go out of their way to give you a magical experience. In a place that is gob-smacked with crowds, where apps exist simply to help you avoid the longest lines and busiest days, cast members are tasked with making magic for guests.

Would I describe our visit to Disneyland with two boys aged 4 and 5 as magical?  In a word, yes. 

Carsland was their first ever favorite movie come to life. Both boys were both tall enough to ride Radiator Springs Racers and so we did so 3 times the first day (no doubt aided by FastPass and Magic Mornings).

Star Tours allowed the boys to "ride" a Star Wars space craft through a Star Wars scene. I didn't realize at the time that there are 50 different scenes for this flight simulation ride. My guys probably would have stayed on this ride all day if we'd known, just to experience all of them.

At the Jedi Training Academy the boys donned Jedi robes, learned a few light saber moves AND fought Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Also, the show is a hoot for parents to watch. The boys never felt braver. We will never stop talking about this experience.

A few tips:

1. Offseason meant some features were closed for refurbishment. Even the signature castle was under wraps. I might have felt differently if this was our first or only visit but we'd seen World of Color and had ridden Peter Pan's Flight on previous trips. Offseason for us meant smaller crowds and shorter lines and I was all for it. 

2. Jedi Training Academy. We wore Star Wars t-shirts and sat in the first row for the first show as I had read we should do. The first show was packed. Parents had their kids holding signs: "Yoda is my preschool teacher." Our boys didn't get selected. We came back later when other people were claiming parade viewing spots. The boys donned mouse ears in addition to their Star Wars shirts and were the first padawans recruited to the stage. I was worried that they'd be afraid when Darth Vader appears. To prepare, they watched a YouTube video of the Jedi Training Academy. They couldn't wait to have a chance to fight Vader! I was also worried only one (if any) of our two would be selected. The Jedi Master is no dummy. He selected kids in groups of two (give or take) and seemed to make every effort to include all interested siblings, especially in that much less crowded afternoon show. 

3. Fantasmic Fastpass. You can buy a meal to ensure a good viewing spot for Fantasmic. You can also grab a free Fastpass. We opted for the latter not knowing if we'd still be standing by dark. The FastPass put us in the Green section on the bridge by Pirates of the Caribbean. I never would have guessed, but it was a great spot to watch the show, and cast members kindly helped us find an unobstructed viewing spot within their roped off section. 

4. 40" is the magic height. Our littlest was too little for some rides on our last visit. Naturally, meltdowns ensued. This time, he was just over 40". He got measured EVERY SINGLE TIME a ride had a 40" requirement. And every single time he got the green light. And every single time I saw him stand a little prouder and be a little braver. The confirmation of being tall enough, even just, felt good.

5. Ideal camera lens for Disneyland. The last time we went I brought my 50mm lens because it was light. This was mistake. I was too close (especially on a cropped sensor frame). I needed a wider lens to shoot anything from within the Teacups and it made me nervous to back that far away from my little ones just to take a photo. This time I brought the 24-70mm. True, it was heavy. Had we not rented a stroller/sag wagon/camera bag carrier, I might not have, but it gave me the width and zoom I wanted and I was glad I did. 

For our four and five year old boys, Disneyland was a place of magic. Yes, it helped that cast members went out of their way to make sure our views weren't obstructed by trees or that my boys had straws for their milks. I doubt they'll remember those niceties, though I will. I imagine they will remember they saw their favorite movies come to life. They rode Space Mountain for the first time. Above all, they had opportunities to be brave.