Please Welcome to the World Our New Baby (That We Are Going to Eat).
Last week when I went out of town I asked my husband to harvest a zucchini from our garden. He did but not the one I meant and then an absolute monster grew. Yes, we are going to eat it but it's also our baby now, so of course we did a photoshoot to celebrate becoming a family.
We know it's unconventional BUT WE ARE COMMITTED, WE ARE A FAMILY NOW.
We've understandably have had lots of questions so I'm just going to answer a few of the FAQ's so we don't have to keep repeating ourselves!
Where are you registered?
Target.
Will you be having anymore?
We will definitely be having more children because we can't stop eating them.
Why do a photoshoot?
I love my family and want the world to know it.
Who does your baby look like?
Both of us. It has my eyes and it's father's hairline.
Are... you sure it's yours?
Fine, we used a seed bank. But we love it just the same.
Last night I baked 1/4 of our baby into Blueberry Zucchini Bread and it was freaking delicious. We have plenty to go around but just in case you are too far away to properly enjoy, here is the recipe. Just use any old mutant zucchini (or regular zucchini) that you have laying around.
I know, I know... this all seems a little crazy, but I'm a big believer in not taking life too seriously. And if you're going to take something seriously (like zucchini parenthood) you might as well give it 110% and have fun while you're at it!!! Look, if I am this committed to making a shoot with a vegetable happen just imagine how rad and committed I'm going to be to making your wedding look amazing!!! If I treat a zucchini like a prince just imagine how determined I am to lift you up and make you feel like a goddess when you walk into my boudoir studio. Trust me, my commitment to my zucchini baby is a good thing.
My husband is a natural and I'm so glad I married him.
My advice to you is this: When you're trying to find a photographer to document an important life event (or take hot photos of your cute ass) ask them HOW COMMITTED WOULD THEY BE TO TAKING NEWBORN PICTURES OF AN OVERSIZED VEGETABLES.
Then call me. The zucchini mom.
xoxo
-j
Albuquerque Skies and Deep Friendship
Hey-ho, beautiful humans! September is upon us and while the rest of the country is cozying up in flannels, puffy vests and pumpkin-spiced flavored everything, here in Los Angeles we are preparing for the hottest month of the year. Yup, in LA September is DISGUSTING. So I decided to jet-set to Albuquerque this past weekend to visit my bestie and escape the heat. Oh, Jenn... You sweet, naive, beautiful little baby! Turns out Albuquerque is ALSO hot as balls. But no matter, I had my friend and muse back in my arms and we managed to squeeze in the most EPIC power shoot in the last 30 minutes before sunset.
The skies and endless landscape absolutely lend themselves to imagery and it doesn't hurt that Kate is also the most beautiful thing ever.
While I didn't manage to capture any of it in the photos, there was lightning off in the distance all around us. "These skies a frickin' gorgeous!!!" I exclaimed. "WHAT ABOUT ME?!" She shouted back. I love her.
If you've ever met Kate you know that she can't be serious for more than 20 minutes at a time. "Take a picture of me with my dress on my head!". Again, I love her.
The darkness crept up on us quickly (again- 30 minutes) but we made that sh*t happen!! Of course, I'll be back. I'm gonna capture that lightning if its the last thing I do!!
That First Year...
Today marks one year since my husband and I walked each other down the aisle and exchanged our vows. We had been told over and over that the first year was going to be SO HARD but honestly, it's been the opposite for us. We certainly have had some stressful moments; many (too many) car repairs, personal goals not happening as quickly as we hoped and a couple of months where I had to tend to a brief bout of depression. But comparatively, those stressful moments were the absolute minority in an otherwise amazing first year. The warnings that this year would suck just didn't apply to us. I would say a good 95% of our first year has been spent laughing our asses off and making out. I wouldn't have it any other way.
My best friend Kate introduced us. She told me months before Josh had asked for my number that she thought he was the right guy for me. She was right and she is VERY proud of her rock-solid intuition on this one. I knew there was something special about him on our first date. We spent hours at the restaurant talking and I loved how quick witted and intelligent he was. Kate said she thought we would have great chemistry and would enjoy debating politics together. Check and check! When we said our goodbyes I was hoping for a kiss but the valet was... intrusive and... hovering. Josh pulled me in for a soft kiss on the cheek instead. My heart still flip flopped.
Two days later on a rainy Saturday we had our second date. We decided to introduce our dogs because let's face it, if the dogs didn't get along there was no point in taking things any further! They sniffed butts for 2 seconds and then galloped off together. Our date lasted the whole day. After discovering that we both had the same favorite pizza (pineapple and you can go ahead and shut up if you hate it) we ordered one and killed two bottles of wine while sitting under a giant umbrella on the back porch. The dogs happily wrestled in the mud while we made out (I already warned you that we do this a lot).
Six months later I confessed my love to Josh for the first time while coming out of anesthesia after having my wisdom teeth removed. He filmed the whole hilariously embarrassing spectacle and STILL wanted to be my boyfriend after. He's so nice to me all the time.
Just shy of our 3rd anniversary of that first date, Josh proposed at a music festival. I knew a proposal was coming but I was caught COMPLETELY off guard. I never expected him to do it in such a public location.I laughed hysterically for a full minute, doubling over with giggles while Josh still on one knee stared with nervous expectation at me. I finally managed to squawk out a "Yes!" and the small crowd that had gathered around us cheered. We hugged and kissed and laughed together for a few minutes before we raced off to see Alanis Morissette. But first- I had to pee! I found an empty port-a-potty and sat down and promptly burst into tears. I was overcome with emotion and the disbelief of what just happened. I sobbed for a minute and then pulled myself together and opened the door. Half a dozen women were standing there, looking at me with great concern. "Are you ok, sweetie?" one of them asked. I smiled and thrust my hand out at them. "I just got ENGAGED!!!" We all shrieked and laughed together and I skipped off to join my fiancé.
We spent just 7 weeks being engaged before we jumped the broom. There were many, many reasons why we decided to elope instead of having a traditional wedding but the most important one ended up being the one we realized after. By eloping, we were able to spend our entire wedding day focused exclusively on each other. There was no drama, no interruptions, no stupid seating charts. Just our love. It was perfect.
My favorite walk I have ever been on was the one we took together down the aisle. I loved entering our wedding space together, as a team. It was the perfect metaphor for how I want us to face anything that comes our way.
After we exchanged our vows we held each other close and shared a first dance. It didn't matter to us that we didn't have a reception hall full of eyes on us... we wanted to seal our marriage with that moment. It's one of my favorite memories of all time.
Josh has taught me how to slow down, take my time and be intentional. I have taught him how to find the joy in going off the beaten path and to not panic when he sees a bee. We've taught each other how to listen to the other and how to move through the world while taking another human into constant consideration. This partnership is a privilege and we don't take it for granted.
Traditionally, the first anniversary gift is supposed to be paper. Tonight we are throwing it back to one of our first dates and ordering in some pineapple pizza to eat on paper plates. To us, cheap pizza and good champagne is the perfect way to celebrate one year of being husband and wife.
There is so much magic in store for our future and I'm so grateful that whatever comes our way, we get to experience it together. Happy Anniversary, Husband.
I love you and I like you.
Wedding photography and video by Love and Lemons Photography
In-Home Sessions and Squishy Newborns.
A few weeks ago I was asked to photograph baby Erik when he was just 5 days old. Newborn lifestyle sessions are a favorite of mine. They are done at the home of my clients and capture all the rawness, beauty and emotions of a family welcoming a newborn into their lives. Even better, I already knew sweet Erik's family very well as I photographed the wedding of his parents Sara and Ben, last year.
Every home with a new tiny human is draped with a veil of exhaustion. Sara had an exceptionally long labor and was running on adrenaline, love and sheer force of will. Ben, wide eyed and with a mix of shock and admiration spoke of his wife, "She went and had a baby for three whole days!" It was beautiful, hilarious and heartwarming.
Of course, Erik is a perfect little squish.... He wears the classic newborn expression that makes babies look both incredibly wise and innocently bewildered all at once. It's a magical expression.
It is important to note that Erik has a very special older brother. His name is Wally and he was the ABSOLUTE STAR of Sara and Ben's wedding. He is the gentlest, most sweetest and well behaved boy and he is head over heels in love with the newest edition of the family!
Sara's parents were also there to welcome their new grandson and provide a helping hand.
Even running on an hour of sleep, Sara is a total natural.
And Wally? Well, he's never very far away. Like...ever. <3
This sweet family has a lot of sleepless nights ahead of them but also so much joy. Sara and Ben know how to love and they are so supportive and respectful to one another. Erik is so lucky to have them and sweet Wally looking after him.
Jackie and the Bees
It should come as surprise to basically no one that I am deeply obsessed with my gardens and insect life. I've written a couple of different blog posts on the macro photography that I'm so passionate about. The whole reason I got into gardening was so that it would attract even more interesting insects to my yard so that I could photograph them. Way back in high school I took the most amazing environmental science class and ever since then I have spent thousands of hours observing and documenting the natural world.
Seventeen year-old Jenn's drawings and observations.
I recently discovered that I share a passion for science and the natural world with one of my beautiful brides, Jackie! Remember Jackie? From the most amazing Big Sur Wedding? Holy crap, that was a great day. Anyways, Jackie also has a huge interest in science and for some time has been wanting to find a hobby that is both altruistic and could be done with a sometimes chaotic schedule. Jackie is an actress and her audition and rehearsal schedule keeps her busy. It is equally important for actors and artists (ahem, photographers) to find hobbies. It is super easy for us to get lost in our craft and forget to tend to the parts of our brains that aren't creating art. Given our planet's dwindling bee populations, Jackie decided that the best hobby for her that would also give back to our world was beekeeping! She enrolled herself in apiary classes and a few months ago, acquired her hive. I was ECSTATIC when I found out she was doing this and even happier when she invited me out to her and Colin's Topanga oasis to document her bees. I photograph honey bees in my yard as much as I can... I love offering exhausted bees a little sugar water so they have enough energy to find their way home.
A honeybee using its proboscis to drink sugar water.
As a boudoir photographer, I'm often found taking pictures of boobies but I jumped at the chance to take some pictures of a whole hive of bee-bees!!!
See what I did there??
After suiting up, the first thing Jackie did was smoke her bees with a bee smoker. The smoke encourages the bees to move further down into the hive so it's easier for Jackie to inspect them. The smoke also masks the bee's pheromones so if some of the bees start to get a little agitated the rest of the hive doesn't notice!
Jackie has a Langstroth Hive which is made out of layers of boxes and frames that make it easier to collect honey when the bees start producing. An active hive can have anywhere from ten to sixty thousand bees! Hives are truly like miniature cities... every bee has a job and a purpose that supports the health of the hive.
A hive needs access to clean water (Jackie keeps a flowing fountain in her yard), proper ventilation, access to morning sun but protection from harsh afternoon sun, and security from animals looking to steal their honey! Jackie keeps a heavy brick on the lid of her hive to prevent greedy raccoons and she greases the legs of her hive to prevent ants from invading underneath.
I'm pretty obsessed with this image. I love the way the light bounces off all the fuzzy little bees.
Jackie carefully removes each frame to inspect them. Each active hive consists of one queen, hundreds of drones (the only males in a hive), thousands of older foragers, thousands of younger hive bees, thousands of capped brood, thousands of uncapped larva and thousands of eggs! She inspects them to make sure she can find evidence of all the inhabitants so that she knows her hive is healthy.
You mayyyyyyy be wondering why Jackie isn't wearing gloves and there is actually a really good reason for that! When she is gloveless it's easier for her to feel where the bees are when she is removing the frames. She tries very hard not to squish or kill any of the bees and when she's wearing gloves it can desensitize her to their movements. Honeybees are fairly chill by nature and remaining calm and collected around them helps them stay the same.
One of my favorite moments of the hive inspection was getting to see this bee being born!!!! I've wanted to do birth photography for what feels like forever.... have I finally broken into the market?!?!
Some of the frames were positively dripping with bees and I was so impressed with how confidently and precisely Jackie would flip the frames around to inspect her ladies.
I mean... come on. She's a brilliant, beautiful bad-ass.
While I was documenting, I did not have on a bee suit but I did have on many layers of protective clothing. Most importantly, I had on large socks that I could tuck my jumper into so the bees wouldn't accidentally get inside my clothing. Even with the protective clothing, it is impossible not to get any bees on you! You just have to remain calm and gently shake them off as you go.
This little cutie landed on my leg and was quite the model until I shooed her away.
Once the hive has been fully inspected Jackie carefully reassembled the hive. While the older foragers are experts at finding their way home most of the hive's inhabitants are a bit directionally challenged. As the smoke encourages the bees to get as low as they can many of them spilled out and got stuck underneath the hive or on the ground. Jackie assisted them in finding their way back by stopping them up by hand!
I had to put my camera down to help so I didn't get any photos of it, but I also got to scoop up the bees! It feels like your holding dozens of slightly sticky vibrators.
This entire experience was absolutely magical for me. My husband has a pretty severe bee allergy, so keeping my own hive is not in my future. I feel a sense of commitment to support my local apiarists and to continue documenting bee behavior in my own backyard.
Bees are crucial to our ecosystems. Make space for them, respect them. Find joy in observing the creatures that help keep our species alive. M'kay, loves?
xoxo
-j