For The Greater Good

It is really exciting to see an organization grow from its conception.  This is Zafia's Family House's first year and it has been making headway to creating a sanctuary for families who's children are hospitalized in the Roseville area.

So when the Fyfe's asked me to take some photos for them at their second fundraiser, I said yes.  The event was held at the beautiful Flower Farm in Loomis, CA and included a silent and live auction.  We sat to a delicious dinner prepared by Chef Christophe Ehrhart and witnessed the brilliant auctioneer David Sobon entertain us while emptying our wallets.  It was a lot of fun.

Here are some of the photos of their Evening in Paris dinner/live auction.

The beautiful Flower Farm in Loomis, CA

The staff and volunteers worked so hard to make it an elegant evening.

Chocolate keepsakes in the shape of the Eiffel Tower

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Yummy wine

Registration volunteers, Barbara and Barbara

The program

Myself and the Fyfe's youngest daughter, Kaylor.

Left to right:
Myself, Wendy King and my mom, Patty

My parents.  Ahhhh....

The hors' d oeuvres were amazing!

Rebecca and Robert Fyfe, founders and CEO's of Zafia's Family House.

A moment with the family

At the silent auction tables prior to dinner.

One of the live auction items.  Guitar autographed by Carlos Santana and his band.

1st course
Wild organic baby arugula salad with toasted almond, piquillo peppers, artichoke hearts and herb marinated smoked duck in a mango lavender vinaigrette.

2nd course
Duo of lump crab meat encrusted chicken breast, olive oil poached salmon medallion and balsamic grilled asparagus with an orange saffron butter sauce.

The sun sets

One half of dessert

The other half of dessert

My plate.  It was delicious.

This patron walked by and I had to take a picture of his plate.

Robert and Rebecca Fyfe, introducing themselves and their speakers.

Our first speaker, sharing his experience with his son who had been hospitalized.

Dr. Jolly of Kaiser Permanente 

The live auction begins!

David Sobon of David Sobon Auctions as our auctioneer.

Chef Christophe coming to the stage

Auctioning a 10 course dining experience for up to 8 guests with Chef Christophe

Working the crowd

Ending the evening with stars.

If you would like to donate to Zafia's Family House, here is a link to their website:  Zafia's Family House

They Grow Wings And Fly

I have said time and time again that my children are my most powerful inspiration to pursue what I love to do.  So when I see them expressing themselves through the same craft, I won't lie, it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  Literally, as giddy as a school girl.  When my 7 year old asked me if she could take pictures with my SLR, I told her she could use my old Canon and have at it.  I put it on AUTO and showed her how to use the lens to zoom and that was the beginning of the end for its battery and the start of a collection of photos that I am very proud of.  She put together a set for my 3 year old and our new puppy, directing them to take the photos she wanted.  She went around the house, taking pics of random things that caught her eye.  She came with me to take photos of her older sister (because I do not have them take photos at school anymore and we needed to take her Spring pictures.).  Then she got to view her photos, beaming with pride.  Here are my favorites (no editing):

Her baby sister

Our new puppy is a common subject in her photos.  This is her E.T. moment.

Her bunny.  Doesn't go anywhere without it.  Has been known to sneak to school with her.

Our other dog and, obviously, tamer one.

That is the puppy in the weeds.

Took photos of my eldest in this field.  The following are my 7 year old's photos while we were there.

I see a dog chasing a rat.  You?

She was cold so I put her in my sweater'spouch.

This is probably my favorite.  For some reason, the composition grabs me.

I don't know how long her curiosity with the camera will last.  All my kids love art and as long as I can give them an outlet, I'm happy.  But I have to say, I'm excited to see them evolving as artists and finding new mediums that make them as giddy as a proud mom.

Here are some behind - the - scene photos of my daughter in the field while she was taking pictures.

I get this same look when I'm trying to get the shot.

In the wild

She had 10 more photos on the memory card and she was on a mission.

Classic photography stance :)

We had a great time...

Catch Me If You Can!

The sun decided to peak its rays out of the clouds for a little bit so I took my little one to the park with my husband... and, of course, I had my camera.  The park is my favorite locations to work with families on their portraits.  To me, the best photos are when kids get to be themselves and catching them in the act.

So proud of herself for climbing up like a big girl.  It amazes me how little she looks like a baby now and how much she is looking like a kid.

Not quite sure about the slide.

Still not sure...

"Swing, mommy!"

That's the face of happiness

"Higher!"

She really wanted to cross this bridge but found that it was uncertain under her feet.  She left it for another day.

Two of my favorite people

Inspiration... What aisle is that in?

Everyone has been asked where they get their inspiration from.  Are the creatives the only ones who need inspiration?  Heck, no!  Everyone needs some inspiration sometimes for various reasons.  The important, and sometimes difficult, thing is to find it.  It's not always easy, right?  There is writer's block, mommy burnout, a stagnant state that has us on a hamster wheel day in and day out.  But then you have that epiphany, that a-ha moment that changes you.  It might be something as small as hearing a specific song or as profound as feeling love for the first time.  Whatever it is, don't let it go by without first letting it into your heart and drawing that inspiration from it.  Sometimes we just have to get off that hamster wheel.

Coming home, I drove through this rural area and I had to stop to take some shots.  With the current rain, the clouds were just massive!  You can tell it is just pouring in the distance.

When there is nothing but wide open spaces and nothing but sky, you can't help but feel like an ant in this big wide world.  

That is downtown Sacramento in the distance on the left.  To think that miles away from this spot is a busy urban sprawl.

This shot is probably my favorite.  I've always been keen to the open road.  I've done a lot of traveling in my time and I haven't had the chance here as of late.  Maybe I just got inspired to.

Look What I Can Do!

This past week I have been working a lot with kids, so I thought it appropriate to talk about... well, kids.

I feel it is very important to keep art in children's lives.  Any child development expert will tell you that a child needs to express themselves and sometimes they just don't know how.  Most children are naturally expressive but have no outlet to do it.  Hence, the importance of art.  Whether it is fingerpainting or sculpting with play doh, in my experience, kids love to make something and then show it off.  It is that sense of accomplishment.

I run a Photography Club at my daughters' school.  It is part of their after school program and I love it.  I primarily work with the older kids and I am teaching them the basics of photography.  I bring in my extra cameras and they can bring their own, then I give them a challenge depending on whatever we are working on and then they get to shoot.  This week, they wanted to do a photo shoot.  We have been working on shooting in Manual mode, staying outside and focusing on shutter speed.  So I brought my gear and some accessories, set up a mini studio and then let them have at it.  We focused on lighting and composition while they shot in Manual, each student having a turn as the photographer and as a model.  Do you think they had fun?  I couldn't be more proud.

One of my kids wanted to portray a homeless person in their photo.  They talked about how some homeless are veterans and got into a full conversation about it.  That is what I love about self-expression.  It makes us think.

I also volunteered at the Crocker Art Museum for Homeschool Day.  They asked me to take some photos for them and I said absolutely!  The Crocker hosts a fun way for kids to experience art in a museum setting and I love them for that.  This time it was a scavenger hunt.  It was pretty cool and I was as excited as the kids to be a part of it!  I love watching kids look at these amazing pieces and become inspired.  I followed the groups and shot as I watched them find the item on their scavenger hunt list or find a piece of art that interested them.  Plus, I got to walk around and admire the Crocker's collections and exhibits.  It was a great way to spend a few hours out of my day!

Curiosity took hold of this little guy

One patron looking at the list for the scavenger hunt.

Children's curiosity never ceases to amaze me and makes me think that as adults we often forget to find the wonder in life.