It's called the Day of the Dead.  Not a time for mourning but rather a day of remembering the life the lived and shared with us.  I haven't lost many people in my life, however, the one of the two people I've lost is my grandma Delfina.  

A beautiful woman wrinkled with the lines of her life.  Her triumphs and her undying love her for 8 children in the tiny pueblo of Chihuahua.  With it's dirt roads and city buses.  I remember spending my summer vacations in her little adobe home while she cooked us eggs and beans.  Made flour tortillas from scratch and never failed to make me my favorite buñuelos.  With her hands cupped ever so femininely, she would grab us and hug us.  The only way a grandmother could.  Transcending such a special kind of love.  Her love. 

She gave me the best memories of my summers in Mexico.  Letting us run wild, sleeping in late, and helping her wash clothes by hand.   I can still hear her laugh and see her smile.  And I will never forget how she would always say, "mis ninas! quales ninas, mis ninotas!"  as we grew and grew.   

The distance never mattered.  She was 2000 miles from me and yet would ask how my music was coming along.  She'd send us love through telephone lines when we'd call her on her birthday, which coincidentally, according to her, was on Christmas eve.  

But my favorite memory of her is when she'd sit outside on her stoop and watch the street awaken with the life of it's inhabitants.  Her life wasn't easy, but she's a constant reminder that life is worth living for and making it the most with what you have.  

Today, I remember her.  The same way I remember her when we would rush through her front door at midnight unexpectedly and she would smile happy to see us.  Then we'd all gather around the dining table and catch up in the dim morning light.  

Happy Dia de los Muertos!  

This year, I've taken a back seat to the festivities.  I've been busy editing and trying to relax. But tonight, I will enjoy some popcorn, candy, and scary movies.  By scary, I mean Hocus Pocus.  :)

Be safe out there!  

Today's tips are a bit random.  Simply, they are just here to help inspire and keep you working on your photography business :).  Hope they help!  Make sure you comment any additional tips and share with your friends!

1.  Shoot for yourself

In our industry it is very easy to get burnt out and not touch our cameras for a few days.  Because of this it is important to pick up a camera and shoot for yourself.  Do some photographic therapy :).  I shoot film for myself and it keeps my photo juices going.  It's an automatic point and shoot 35mm film camera and I admit, it's fun to not have to worry about exposure, or settings, or lenses.  I just point it and shoot it.  Then the fun part is next:  developing the film! 

Shooting for yourself will help you reconnect with why you love photography. It will give you a new perspective and help you tune into your creative side.  I know it works for me 

2.  Blog It!

 I'm sure I'm not the first one to say this but blogging is imperative to a photographer's business!  It showcases your work, your clients, and most importantly, yourself.  Rather than just picking the cream of the crop for your website, your clients (and future clients) will have somewhere to go to view more photos from a particular session.  

I know that at first it seems silly and a bit invasive, to put yourself out there for all to read about... but why wouldn't you?  Don't you want your clients to know that you love your life and love doing photography?  Don't you want them to know that you have a Starbucks addiction and can't put the Caramel Mocha down?!  Okay, maybe that's a little extreme but I am a little dramatic sometimes.  And that is exactly what I want my clients to know, that I can joke and have fun.  That I love my doggie and sometimes he's way to raggedy to photograph.  I write birthday posts for each of my parents because I want my clients to know how I feel about each of them.

Allowing your clients to see who you are can better your chances in getting their business.  People do business with people they like.  It's really that simple.  And many a times I have made friends out of my clients.  Gone on coffee dates, dinners, and even drank a beer with them.  This makes the level at which you take care of your clients that much higher.  And they will feel it and see it.

3.  Be Yourself!

This goes hand in hand with the blogging.  BE YOURSELF!  Don't try and be like anyone else.  You are unique, special, and different and people like that.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little weird and I'm not afraid to embrace it.  I talk in circles and ramble, can't tell a joke to save my life, and until recently, thought I never made any sense when I wrote blog posts.  I was told by my sister and a couple of friends that I am indeed a good writer and that they like to read my blog... and all this time I was just being myself, talking in circles, and making every grammatical error in the world thinking people were here for the photos.  

Because I am myself, people have gotten to know me on a deeper level. They know how to connect with me. On the blog and off the blog, don't be afraid to be you.  And if someone doesn't like you, they can keep on walking! 

4.  Carve your own path.

In this industry, it is easy to get inundated with how everyone else is doing business.  Kinda like, I seriously want to be Jose Villa in another life.  But this doesn't mean that I will start shooting all film.  I love film but don't get me wrong, digital is something I know.  This also goes ties into the two points made above.  It's okay to take advice from the greats.  It's okay to use their techniques but make them your own.  Make them YOU.  Absorb the information and advice but use what works for you and tweak what needs to be improved.  

This will also help you separate yourself from everyone else out there.  

5.  Bad is bad no matter what.

Even if you're a Photoshop guru, a bad photo is a bad photo.  I have seen many people show their clients all photos from a session, no matter if they're bad or not.  Culling your photos for the top notch ones is important.  Photoshop will not make bad photos great.  Great photos will be great photos.  

And please, don't get me wrong, I've taken bad photos.  It takes time to get it right and even then not every image will absolutely perfect.  But practicing and getting it as close to perfect will help you be better.  And then you can use Photoshop to make a good photo even better.  

That's it!  I hope this helps someone learn from my experiences.  

Happy Friday!

Yes, this is the same beautiful Romanian model I shot a few months back at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  You can see the images

here

.  She was going to leave in 10 days and well, I couldn't pass up another opportunity to photographer her again!  This time, a whole new theme, location, and vibe.  She is an amazing model and has done lots of print and commercial work in her home country so naturally we had a smooth shoot.  

Aside from being a great model, she is a fantastic stylist!  She styled both shoots based on simple ideas I described to her.  I said, "let's do an autumn theme."  And the above is what she brought.  I love a model that is a great stylist!  I mean, just look at that green coat!  Gorgeous!

Alexandra is sadly back in Romania :(.  And it's a huge big sad face! Maybe I'll have to go to Romania and photograph her there... either way I miss her because we became friends in the short time she was here.  

And.. this just goes to show that photographs are irreplaceable.  She is a friend, not just a model and I have these photographs of her to remember her by.  Which in turn give me a happy face.

Chelsea is a make up and hair stylist with

Fuse Hair & Beauty

,  that is usually running around on the weekends preparing brides for their big day.  But she wanted to do something different.  Something fun, colorful, and really stretch her skills.  She contacted me and we set a date.  

I couldn't be happier with the results!  The girls had never modeled before and it just goes to show how with some fun make up and wardrobe, a model can be born!  They were naturals!  We had a fun time and can't wait to do more of these shoots in the future!

Happy Friday! 

A little preview of last weekends wedding!  More coming soon!

A little preview of Jax and "hot mama" Stephanie!  Loved this duo and we had some amazing light at the UCR Botanical.  Jax is 1 and boy is the little guy ready to start walking!  He was exploring and really enjoying the gardens.  

Thanks Stephanie for choosing me to photograph your family!  I had a great time and girl, you are one hot mama!  Be on the look out for an email from me soon :) 

Happy Wednesday!

A little fall preview and will show more soon! 

A little preview of what's to come from a cool collab with a make up and hair stylist!  

Happy Tuesday!

Analicia and I go back.  Waaay back.  Back like high school back.  However, we didn't run in the same circles, didn't hang out, and we didn't call each other to have movie nights.  

But as fate would have it, when I posted a bulletin on MySpace in 2008 offering $50.00 sessions to help raise money to pay my tuition, she was one of the first who responded.  Presley, that pretty girl in the yellow, was 6 months and needed some photos for her baptism.  Then, in 2009, I photographed Analicia, Chris, and Presley for their Christmas portraits.  And this year, I was honored to photograph their wedding.

In between the fundraiser, the family portraits, and wedding, Analicia and I would get together for coffee and talk.  I got to know her on a deeper level and in retrospect I would have so been in her circle in high school.   I learned that their wedding was themed "Day of the Dead" in honor of her father, who had passed on.  I listened and couldn't help myself smile at how meaningful this wedding would be.  And it was nothing short of it. 

We talked about how her wedding was a DIY wedding and that day I was so amazed by how great of job she did!  All the paper flowers, every invitation, the murals around the reception, the table settings, photo booth, and down to the party favors they made them.  It was a lot of work but each piece has their special touch.  

Analicia + Chris + Presley: Thank you for having me photograph your wedding!  I am truly honored to know you and have been there to capture your wonderful and beautiful day.  Being your photographer and your friend is more than I can ask for and I wish you all the very best!  Now, we are in the same circle :).  Love you guys!