These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...

I like to get people talking about themselves, their lives and their favorite things when I photograph them, but lately, it seems like my clients and subjects have been turning the tables on me and asking me to tell them about myself.  Hey that's my line!  My initial list obviously included my family and dog, but one of my clients told me since that was a given, to name 10 more.  This weekend, we spent some time on a weekend project that included several items on my list--a new full wall of reclaimed wood headboard, so I thought it'd be a good time to share my 10 favorite things that keep me happy in no certain order.

"When the dog bites, when the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad"  My Favorite Things, Sound of Music

1. Leopard.  I don't like carpet (our house is all tile and hardwood) but if I did, the carpet would be leopard.  I have Ralph Lauren leopard sheets for our old queen bed, but now that we have a king, I can't find any.  And I love wearing anything leopard.  But it has to be a really great pattern--some patterns can be not so great.  I do consider it a neutral.

2.  Reclaiming.  (Also known in some circles as thrifting, or the thrill of the hunt)  Whether a flea market, off the street, from the dumpster or from Goodwill or a garage sale.  I'm not afraid of a little work to turn trash to treasure and if I can't find room for it in our house, I'll sell it.  Win win, right?

3.  Gardening.  I love my drought tolerant garden.  It fulfills me on so many levels--it's great exercise in a non traditional way, it exercises my creative spirit and yet, lets me zone out in a non thinking way.

4.  Pinterest.  Sometimes I'll create a board for a client or a client will share their board with me, but really, I just use it to pin all those pretty pictures of fantastic living rooms and dream kitchens, crafts and recipes that I may never get to.  It's my guilty pleasure on Sunday mornings while Michael reads the paper and we drink coffee.  (which is bad because I can come up with all kinds of Sunday projects for him!)

5.  Photography. Obviously.  I cannot go anywhere without composing an image.  I guess that could be a curse, but I love figuring out how I would light and compose something.  My husband is terrific at containing me when I shouldn't be shooting (as in holding my phone hostage at a recent wedding where we were guests) but he can't contain my thinking about it!

6.  The ocean.  I am definitely a water baby and love being near the water.  Many mornings find me by the water taking a walk to start the day.  There have been several opportunities to leave California but besides my parents, the ocean is what I would miss most.

7.  Spanish stuff.  I love spanish tile.  I love dark woods.  I like to think of our house as spanish, rustic, bohemian modern.  That's a term, right?   I think I might have been a spaniard in a past life.

8. Coffee.  It's my grandma's fault.  When I was little, she let me put a couple of teaspoons in my milk.  I'm not one to drink coffee during the day, but that (LARGE) cup in the morning is heaven. Add to that my husband brings it to me most every morning in bed.  Can you say lucky?

9.  Reclaimed wood.  Honestly, almost all wood.  Except for honey oak.  Which is what my kitchen cabinets are.  Someday when I have a week without anything to do, (hahaha!!)  I'll stain them, (or rip them out!) but until then, I hang air plants and pretend that my kitchen is bohemian chic.

10.  Music.  I love a wide variety of music.  It gets me moving when I'm working out, it keeps me pumped while I'm working, and  provides the background to living.  There's a special place in my heart for 70's, Justin Timberlake and Steely Dan but I'll listen to just about anything.

So, hey, there you go.  10 of my favorite things.  Now we can get back to your favorite things--do we have any in common?

Featuring: Website images for Plant Depot

Over the course of the last several weeks, I've been creating new images for Plant Depot's website.  It's a big project that spans the entire site to create a photographic snapshot of the Nursery for the web viewer.

Projects like this are much easier when they are broken down into smaller shoots within the larger project.  Additionally, creating a shoot plan and even setting up and styling in advance provides relatively stress free shoot and post production days.

Perhaps the only stress was trying to get the nursery cat Disney to walk through at the right time.  Tricks like this work much better when cats are hungry.  I'm not going to call myself a cat whisperer just yet.

It does make me feel like getting out in the garden, even if it's just to put out some holiday greens!

Keep an eye on Plant Depot's site--new images coming!

Featuring: Plant Depot and California Friendly Plants Campaign

With new water restrictions in place in California, it might be difficult for people to imagine what their garden could look like without their lawn.  Or impatiens. Or other water loving plants.  (Full disclosure: I have a garden full of low water plants, cactus and succulents already)  Even if the predicted El Niño arrives this winter, California is still really a desert and conserving water should become a habit for the long haul.

With the right design and using the right plant materials almost any garden style be low water, butterfly and bee friendly AND gorgeous!

It was fun to put together these water friendly plants to design and photograph for the California Friendly plants campaign for Plant Depot; as I worked, butterflies fluttered all around, clamoring for a little flower time.  Hummingbirds whirled about and bees buzzed.  All the plants made for not only a beautiful garden to look at, but also a beautiful garden for cutting and making a long lasting floral arrangement.  (The arrangement lasted more than a week!)   And this shoot combined three of my favorite things: gardening, Plant Depot and reclaimed wood!

Often times when I'm working, although I start with an initial plan, I often try several different setups and this was no exception.  I had originally envisioned the flowers on burlap, but after that setup, switched to using reclaimed wood as my backdrop.  Anytime I can use my reclaimed wood pieces, I'm a happy photographer--and they were the perfect backdrop for all of these beautiful flowers.  For the bouquet image, there was no doubt that my reclaimed wall backdrop was going to be the winner.  

If you're a little hesitant to get rid of your lawn, head over to Plant Depot and let them show you a few alternatives. They have an amazing staff full of knowledge!! (And if you like reclaimed wood, head over to True American Grain for reclaimed wood heaven!!)

1. Achillea millefollium 'Pineapple Mango'
2. Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'
3. Achillea millefolium 'Pink Grapefruit'
4. Echinacea 'Sombrero Flamenco Orange'
5. Asclepias curassavica 'Tropical Milkweed'
6. Salvia canariensis 'Canary Island Sage'
7. Lantana montevidensis
8. Gomphrena Orange
9. Buddleia davidii 'Cranrazz'
10. Lavendula stoechas 'Spanish Lavender'
11. Echinacea 'Sombrero Flamenco Orange'
12. Kniphofia 'Rockette Yellow'
13. Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'