Hmmmm....

Thinking about moving my office out of my house and into this space (maybe I'll be less of a workaholic???):

Slurp

The Least I Could Do

When I was eleven, I met Elizabeth at a pool party where we bonded over being the only two attendees who didn't want to swim–except, well, I got thrown into the pool by the birthday girl's older brother and then decided it wasn't so bad. I'm not sure Elizabeth has ever forgiven me for swimming after we made a pact not to, but we did remain friends after that. Actually we remained the best of friends. Elizabeth and I grew up together; we shared everything one would expect two best friends to share; we went to jr. high and high school together; we had each other to lament about the first time we had to wear a bra; we got in trouble together (yes, there was the time that involved the cops); we had each other's support during the hard times; and we had each other to celebrate the good times. We both eventually began the course of our adult lives. I went on to work towards a career in photography and she went on to get her master's degree (this is when I should mention that Elizabeth is an astoundingly impressive person, and to say that I am proud of her accomplishments in life and her beauty inside and out would be an understatement). As we have grown into adults (which is hilarious to say because when we're together, we still act like a couple of kids), we have stayed the best of friends.

And now, 25 years later, my best friend is having a baby girl! Since she loves baby animals and I'm on the planning committee for her upcoming baby shower, this invitation is the least I could do for my Bessie:

Beautiful with Only Three Legs

Meet Uma. She's a four-year-old sweet, funny, lovable, and beautiful Great Dane. And one of the many dogs with cancer. Uma's story hits close to home for me because my dog, Avery has had cancer for 3 years now. Initially we did radiation and chemotherapy becuase the mass cell tumor had metatstsized, but now we keep it at bay by removng her lumps when they pop up (now that we know what to look for, catching them early is the best plan). We hope to give her as many years to lay in the sun and go on walks as we can.

So when my friend Jeiran told me they found osteocarcenoma in Uma's leg, I understood the pain and worry. Because of how aggressive osteocarcinoma is in dogs, the veterinary oncologist highly recommended taking Uma's leg off. A desision I know was not an easy one for my friend and her husband. Having gone through everything with Avery's Cancer and fighting to save Simon on many occasions, these are the decisions that make pet ownership so hard. Playing God, I call it.

So, after thinkng about it and being advised by the vets that dogs adjust very well to only three legs, Uma's cancer leg was removed. I saw her a week or so after and was really encouraged by how well she seemed to be getting the hang of it–she wasn't all the way there, but she was getting there!

And now, a month or so later (and pictured here in this post) she seems to have it down as beautifully and gracefully as ever. Admirable, don't you think?

Me + Liberty of London

I photographed some animals a few months ago for Target, and while I knew what my objective was for the shoot, I didn't really know too much about the end product. The Art Director attempted to explain his idea for placing patterns of a new line they had in the works over the animals, but he didn't have completed comps for me to see, so I had a hard time imagining what on earth he was dreaming up. Fast forward to last week when my best friend dragged me to every Target in Los Angeles to find "this bedding" she had to have. Apparently it was sold out online and in most stores. Good news, we found it! And while we were on this mission, I was able to see in person what came of that shoot several months back. Sometimes in this business, you wrap a shoot and move on to the next one, and there just isn't time and energy to chase down everyone to see the results of your work. So, I was glad I got to see this. Kudos Target!

Handsome Buddy

And now back to regularly scheduled shyness!!!

Etsy Portrait Video, or as I like to call it, jumping out of an airplane.

You always hear about the importance of facing your fears; doing things that scare you whatever they may be. Many people might do things like bungee jump, jump out of an airplane, or maybe even run with the bulls in Pamplona. But for me, it's being in FRONT of the camera and talking about myself that scares me most! I'm an open book around the people I love and know well–to be honest, I'm sometimes downright sarcastic and bold. But out in the world, I tend to be private and shy.

While I don't have fears associated with showing my work (I got over that one long ago), revealing myself, well, that's another story. So in a million years, I never thought I'd EVER agree to anything like this video. When Tara from Etsy first starting emailing me about doing an Etsy Portrait video (about a year ago), I put her off for as long as I could by telling her that my shoots take a lot to put together and I just didn't see how I could make it work at a time she would be out in LA. But when I realized this girl wouldn't take no for an answer (she was VERY persistent), I figured I'd better just do it and face my fears. So, I invited her to come film me photographing a Baby Giraffe.

So here I am....jumping out of an airplane:

*and, don't forget to go to Etsy and comment to win a LARGE 17x22 Limited Edition of Baby Giraffe No. 3.

Thanks to Tara for being such a talented storyteller. I can't think of a better person to face my fear with!