Need your vote!

I took some images of this gorgeous model at a palace in India.
I'm doing an Indian expo in Phoenix in less than one month and I've narrowed down the image I want to use on some of my marketing materials.

I want my ethnic and traditional type weddings to have a modern-cool-hip-cutting edge type of flair to them.

So...........which one do you like better? The cross process and crop on the first one or 2nd?

Ava

I photographed little Ava over a year ago when she was 2 weeks old.
Last week I photographed her new baby sister who is just as gorgeous! (still working on those). I had not seen Ava since the last session. When she came out of her room after her nap, I nearly squealed when I saw that little face. She is a true beauty!

I really wanted to share the big beautiful eyes with you that I was so drawn to. She wouldn't let go of that pacifier. Still ohhhh so cute.

Williams, Arizona

Mike and I went on a camping trip a couple of weekends ago up in the northern part of AZ.

This little town was fun to photograph!
Processed in Lightroom.












At your service.





























Remember these bad boys? Metal roller skates. I remember being 5 yrs old and roller skating in our basement like no body's business.
I can't help but laugh at the idea of a 5yr old rollerskating on a concrete floor with metal things attached to her feet. A recipe for disaster. HAHA.

Crazy Cool Catherine

Please allow me to introduce you to my wonderful friend Catherine.

We have such a boatload of fun when we're together. We've partied together in Hollywood, sunbathed in Mykonos & Santorini, and devoured Betty Crocker's famous brownies in Amsterdam...no matter what we do, we enjoy each others company.

Catherine and her husband are meeting up with friends at BurningMan next week. She wanted to have her hair done in dreadlocks just for the occasion and therefore decided to photograph since the look was temporary.

These are all processed just in LightRoom....I wanted to do something funky for the type of images these are meant to be. Please let me know what you think!

Sneak Peek-Baby Alysa

I had the pleasure of photographing Baby Alysa last weekend, a beautiful doll baby.
Here's just a sampler of what is yet to come for her parents and auntie and grandma who love her so much.
How can you resist this little face?!

I...

I AM ... happy to be the person I am and blessed to know the people I know.

I WANT... to have my cake and eat it too.

I HAVE ... always dreamed of living abroad for one year

I KEEP: a clean house.

I WISH I COULD ... have one hour with the loved ones I've lost.

I HATE ... heat and bugs. (But I 'm sure you've all gathered that by now).

I FEAR ...dying young and not having done everything I ever wanted to, losing my husband, losing any family member.

I HEAR ... that I don't have patience. I really think everyone else just takes their time.

I DON'T THINK ... I'll ever go back to Delhi again.

I REGRET ... not taking my cat Cleo of 8yrs to the vet 6 months ago for a checkup. Cleo died yesterday. It was heartbreaking to see them put her to sleep. She deserves a picture on my blog. I miss her.


I LOVE ...my husband, seeing new places, my 3 cats unconditionally, being in my bed on cloudy days, and the month of October.

I ACHE FOR ... world peace.

I ALWAYS CRY ... when the bride walks down the aisle.

I AM NOT ... a pushover.

I DANCE ... only after a few vodka drinks and then I don't care who's watching.

I SING ... never. Unless it's Happy Birthday and 20 other people are singing at the same time.

I NEVER ... go a day without laughing even when it's a bad day.

I RARELY ...swim. But I can. I just don't.

I CRY WHEN I WATCH ... family events on video and miss the people I haven't seen in ages.

I AM NOT ALWAYS ... amazing and inspiring like you all think. I'm normal but thank you anyway.

I HATE THAT ... I never tried out for gymnastics. I was once so flexible. ;)

I'M CONFUSED ABOUT ... people who run. It's bad for your knees and it makes your boobs and face drop ladies! No thank you. I'll stick to walking.

I NEED ... to market weddings more.

I SHOULD ... drink more water and take vitamins and eat less carbs. But I don't.

The town of Faridabad and the Orphan Home Kids

Ladies and Gentlemen, WELCOME TO BOOTCAMP.

This is Faridabad.......or as we volunteers called it "Farida-Real-D@mn-Bad."

If you ever need to come to your senses, wake up to reality, face the truth and not take things for granted, then please visit this place.
It'll shake you.
Guaranteed.

FYI sidenote: There are 18 million street children living in India. Some run away, some are abandoned and others have parents that die of disease and are left to fend for themselves.

Both by reading and talking to people, I've learned that many of the orphans are found at railway stations: begging, haggling, prostituting. Some are not 8 yrs old yet.
It's out of control. I found myself getting aggravated at the begging of some because they will NOT stop. They open up your doors in the car, chase you until you give them something and then when you do, all their friends come running too.
There are more Girl orphans than Boy orphans.

I know I didn't finish my orphan project but I'm still so thankful I did it.
I went, I witnessed, I felt. As I edited the photos of the kids today, I stared at the computer screen and thought about how i missed seeing them. These are kids with stories and yet even having so little, they seem happy.
-----


THE TOWN OF FARIDABAD FROM THE CAR.





























please note; the kids in the next couple of pictures are not orphans.
















NEXT: ORPHAN HOME AND THE CHILDREN














This girl below-- in particular-- seemed lifeless to me. Sad. Not sure what was her story.















These boys go to afternoon class at the girls home in one sector of the building. You never have to tell them to get in for a picture. They do it automatically if you have a camera in hand.



These are those boys I was referring to whose mother wanted to hand them over to me.















the nuns hand











The lady below in purple is the boys' mother.



This is the next day with the boys. Last picture I took before leaving.
I think about them I'm not going to lie.
I hope their mother doesn't give them up.
I hope they grow up happy. I hope that the love they lack now isn't going to affect their future.
I hope they grow up to be strong, good men.
*One thing I know for sure: they'll have a tight big brother-little brother bond.