Rites of Passage

We photograph moments. They may be small or large, but the point is the same: we are freezing time as it rolls on by us, so that years later we can look back and say "oh I remember when he lost his first tooth! Or - what fun we had at the beach that summer!" 

Sometimes, the moments are so significant we take special time out to capture the memories. Recently I had the opportunity to do this for three families whose children were having their First Communion. We met at Santa Clara University, with the beautiful mission church and lovely grounds, and snapped away. Here are some of my favorites.

Over the years, I've photographed Ariana so many times. She is such a great subject - always willing to try what is asked of her and a natural in front of the camera!

I loved photographing this young man and his gorgeous familia! 

This lovely girl was a trooper - she went from sleeping in the car after an overnight with her swim team to all-smiles in front of the camera.

For the Dogs

A few weeks back, I got to photograph a meetup group of German Shepherds - some with their owners, but most without.  It was a lot of fun, and a chance for me to learn some new things about photographing animals. Here's what I discovered: Dogs are just like furry toddlers.

1. They won't want to sit still for their photos, but bribery helps.

2. Like toddlers, they will watch their parents. So if you want them to look at the camera, have mom or dad stand behind the photographer making goofy faces and silly noises.

3. If you have two dogs, good luck getting them to sit still at the same time. It takes a miracle.

4. You can't force a smile. In the case of dogs - it's all about the ears. (I did not know this! But apparently ears UP means a dog is happy.) Some of them were happy, some were not - you gotta just go with it.

5. The best photos are the ones that show connection. I've found this with people, and am finding it with animals now too. When there are two subjects, I like when they are looking at each other or interacting in some way - it shows how they feel about each other and tells their story just a little bit.