Family Time at Balboa Island

View from the Balboa Island Ferris Wheel!














Ever have one of those days when you needed some precious refueling time with your family? We were so blessed to have one of those days today! This morning, we headed off to Balboa Island for some surf, sand, relaxation and fun! Today's weather was picture perfect, about 80 degrees or so, slight breeze. We started off the day with a boat cruise through the harbor (and almost into the ocean--by accident--BIG U TURN! Miranda drove like a pro and Livy managed to fall asleep in the boat, life jacket and all! After that, Miranda dragged Damion on the ferris wheel where he took the shot above (He bravely rode it without crying--he's overcoming his fear of heights :) and then off to the carousel for Miranda and I. We had a fabulous 50's style diner lunch at Ruby's on the pier overlooking the ocean and then burned off the calories by riding a four seater cruiser down to Corona Del Mar. Of course, Damion and I did ALL the work. Don't know why the girls didn't help pedal,...but I think it had something to do with them not being able to reach the pedals. :) Just consider it as adding 70 lbs to the workout! Poor Livy was so tired by then that her little head was bobbing because she was falling asleep as we were pedaling like mad back to Balboa! Lastly, after combing the beach for the most beautiful shells we could find, we snuggled down on the empty beach to watch the horizon meet the sun, admiring the beauty of the clear skies, the steady rhythym of the waves, the soft sand between our toes, and appreciating and loving our little family and how it's growing. To say that we are blessed feels like such an understatement!

We snapped a few photos with our point and shoot to capture the day, so we hope you enjoy them!

Hoodie Shoot

This past Saturday we had a nice 15 minute period where mother nature decided to drop the mother load on us...Rain that is. Once the rain ceased...my daughter had appeared in a new little hoodie. I couldn't help but make the association of the blue in her hoodie with the cool rainy weather outside.

Fortunately, our oldest is a child of spontaneous ideas. I for one...don't usually operate this way except while photographing weddings...but I am working to change that. Why not now!! So I flung the question her way to go outside for a quick little photo shoot. Of course...she was terribly shy and resorted back to her bedroom where it was safe and quite......NOT!!! She's an absolute ham just like me and she jumped to the opportunity right away!

We decided that since our street isn't really that busy, why not use the middle of it as our back drop. Miranda and I made agreements to watch each others back for cars and away we went. These are a few of our faves...mostly because it shows a broad perspective of her wonderful personality.

For those of you who are technical junkies like me...these were all shot with the ever so sweet Canon 85mm f/1.2 II. The top image was at f/1.2 and the remaining at f/1.8. All at ISO 100 on my Canon Mark IIn in Manual mode, shooting Raw. I converted my Raw's to Jpegs in Adobe Bridge and made my minor color tweeks and black white conversions in Photoshop.

The serious look. Don't worry...it doesn't last long! :)


















Ms. Cutie Pie!


















Lil' Urban flare fo ya!! I think she gets this from the Hip Hop dance class she takes!!


















She was Daddy's look out for cars!


















Daddy makes her laugh alot! :)


















Here's her lil' feet (well as least they used to be little)

Pictage Conference conclusion

Well the conference ended quite well. I really had such a wonderful time having the opportunity to meet new people. A year ago I felt kind of lost at this conference, I didn't know many people and didn't feel like I had much to offer to anyone. This year has truly been the biggest growth year for Julie and I and our business. It been amazing traveling down this path together watching our business move forward.

Sorry but I took almost NO photos while at the conference. I was having so much fun with all the new people!!

**Quick thought**
I must take this moment to really thank the wonderful people in our lives that have encouraged, supported, and made our jobs and this business such a wonderful experience for us. That goes out to all our Brides and Grooms, our friends and family, people on the technical sides of things such as our designers, videographers/photographers and all the wonderful fellow photogs alike!! You all have been such a blessing to us and we never would be where we are today without you! We love you!!

Ok...back to my original thoughts. This year I made the effort to really get to know people. When you go to these conferences you have to force yourself to be bold and seek out new people. There is always that moment when you walk into that grand ballroom at the hotel filled with 50 tables on the first morning for breakfast before any of the festivities begin. Which one do I sit at? Will the people there let me sit? Will they talk to me and let me into their conversation? Should I just grab the nearest empty table? Will anyone sit with me then? Fortunately for those of you that know me...starting a conversation with people or meeting new people isn't difficult for me. Its my job. I love people and I meet new Brides and Grooms all the time for the first time!! :)

Here is what I did.
I took two different approaches to take the opportunity to meet new people.

1. I would find a lonely single individual at a table and choose to sit with them to break the ice and grab that moment for a great interaction. It worked fantastic every time!! I met some of the most wonderful people this way

2. I would grab the first empty table and sit facing the door so I could see people coming in looking for a place to sit. I was determined to smile and make eye contact. If anyone came within two tables of me and made eye contact I would say "Good Morning" and tell them that "I had been waiting for them and I thought they'd never make it". "Here...I saved this seat for you!" The response was great. Who doesn't love being welcomed and accepted?

I just didn't want to put myself into a "box" and feel that I had to sit or interact with a certain crowd or type of people. Its just not fun that way.

Overall, the conference was filled with fantastic speakers and a time to learn new ways to better our business but more so....better the way to provide our clients with an even more amazing experience. There were many vendors there with incredible new products that we will be sharing later too!

I did win a drawing with a new company called Shoot-dot-edit. Its a company design to service the back end editing for photographers. I and another photographer the sweet Regina Holder won a lunch out on Shoot-dot-edit with Owners/photographers Jared Bauman and his partners Bronson Pate and Garrett Delph, and the sweet Sara France and awesome Dane Sanders. It was a fun time hanging out and talking a bit of business with them all. They have a lot of great things to offer and were very encouraging. I did manage to throw my camera out to get the group shot of us all below.!
Oh yeah..I have to post this....The totally awesome Garrett Delph during his presentation spelled out a phrase from my younger years that I dih'int think was possible. I was dying. I think I almost wet my pants when I saw this!!

Bike to Finish MS

I don't know how many of you have been touched by Multiple Sclerosis or know someone who's life has been changed by this crippling disease, but here is a chance to contribute towards benefiting those who have MS.

You might remember one of our previous posts on Baby Jay. His dad and our very close friend, Jim Villa was diagnosed with MS last year. It has been a challenging year for Jim and Christy and their family, but luckily Jim is able to manage most of his symptoms through reducing stress, getting enough rest, and eating a healthy diet. Although Jim is succeeding, you can see the effects of this disease even on his everyday activities such as working in the yard, attending church, and going places. The great news is that Jim, his dad Marty, and his buddy Josh are doing a 100 mile bike ride to benefit MS. Here is what Jim had to say about the MS Bike Ride:

"The ride will take place on October 13 and 14 and will start in Irvine - finishing in San Diego California. The National MS Society does this ride every year to raise money for people that are living with MS. The funds help patients receive education, in-home care, medication, physical therapy, and other equipment needed such as motorized wheel chairs. Many people with MS who have poor insurance or no insurance benefit greatly from these funds.

I am blessed that I do not need some of the benefits that the MS society provides because I have great insurance, and am very healthy. My medication alone would be over $1,600 per month if I did not have the insurance that I have. I feel that I can use my health to benefit others who wouldn't be able to do the ride because of the progression of their MS."

Jim's team goal is to raise $10,000 through this MS Bike Ride. If you would like to help the National MS Society achieve their goal by donating $$, please click here. If you would like to help them achieve their goal by participating in the ride, please visit the National Multiple Sclerosis homepage!

Oh yeah...and stay posted because Damion will be giving you his update from Partnercon soon!

Checked in...Armed and ready!

So I have arrived at the Sheraton here in Los Angeles and have geared myself up for the running of 4-5 lectures a day along with vendors, networking and fun! Of course to maintain good energy you must have the right snacks right! :)

Tonight is just a laid back night...a little chatting with other photographers around the hotel as they arrive and relaxing in the room.

I just finished dinner with about 10 other photogs from around the U.S.. I can't begin to say how incredibly nice everyone is here. Seriously...I was sitting here working on this blog post when another photographer just came over and asked if I wanted to join them for dinner. From that offer I got to sit down and meet some really incredible people.

We'll its off to bed soon so I can refresh and be ready for lots of chatting and listening tomorrow. See you then!

Pictage Partner Conference Sept 12th & 13th

Tomorrow I will be heading to Los Angeles for the 2007 Pictage partner Conference. Its going to be two solid days of incredible speakers, networking, leaning and seeing some of the latest and greatest products, as well as the opportunity to learn new and better ways to provide our clients with the most incredible experience possible.

I'll try to post some photos from each day and I definitely plan on putting some video together as well when I return!

See you then!

Nice Surprise!

It's such a small world out there! Our friend Louis Palos recognized Damion's picture on a blog post from another Harvest Crusade photographer, Rowena Curtis. Rowena was kind enough to send us an email introducing herself along with a link to her blog post about the Harvest Crusade photographers. Click here to see photos of Damion and the other photogs from the Crusade. You'll have to scroll down the blog to see Damion caught red-handed!

We can't be serious all the time!

Something fun to break the norm! Did you know Julie and I used to dance in the 1930's?
Neither did we...but we can now with the aid of this marvelous thing called technology!

Labor Day & Dad's Visit

Happy Labor day to you all. We hope that you had a nice "HOT" relaxing day to hang out with your family and loved ones and that you made it back and forth from your destinations safely! Of course if you live in So. Cal you are aware of the incredibly hot and sticky weather we had this weekend. It averaged 110 to 112 degrees here in the Inland Empire. A bit toasty for most people's taste but as we thank the wonderful man Willis Haviland Carrier for his beautiful invention the "Apparatus for treating air", otherwise known as the Air Conditioner, we are all cool and happy as can be. I do have to say...I don't know the man...but I sure love him alot!! :)

We were fortunate enough to have my father Larry Hamilton come and visit us for the weekend from my home town of Napa, Ca. He came sporting his 4 month, long awaited custom 2007 Mazda Miata. Since I've been alive, I believe there was only a short 5 year period in the mid to late 80's, where my father did not own a little two seater convertible. From his 1971 MG Midget, to a variety of other Miata's, and before seat belt laws, I have so many wonderful memories of me and my sister climbing into the front seat of that MG at sunset and going for long summertime drives with the top down. I've been addicted since. (See #4 from our previous post.

Yesterday as the sun set, my wife and I got to sneak out with Daddy's car and go for a wonderful summer evening drive.(Video to come!) I admit....I think I almost cried! :) It was a wonderful time and as soon as we returned we had about 20 minutes of sweet light remaining in the early afternoon. So, we decided at the very last minute to do a quick little photo shoot with Dad's car and all the girls......oh and me too! I went ahead and threw a little slideshow together of our quick mini photo session that you can watch at the bottom of this post.

Dad left this morning to head back to Napa. His visits are incredibly special to me and my family, especially since my mom's passing this last January. My father has always captured a special part of my heart, especially being the hero he is to me in watching him stand by my mothers side for 30 years. I am so glad that he is willing to make that same investment in my children to allow them the privilege of getting to know him. They all adore and look forward to his visits which never seem to be frequent nor long enough for them! You just can't get enough of the guy!

Thanks Dad for the your time and helping us make such special memories for our little girls.
Enjoy the show below!