Happily Ever After

There a moments in a person's life when they witness something truly beautiful.  One of those moments was the marriage of Jenoh and Amber.  These two are meant for each other and I had the great pleasure of photographing that day.

The Ringbearer was very protective of his precious cargo.  I almost didn't get this shot!  lol

Walking down the "aisle".  Jenoh and Amber were married in the Redwoods.  We were surrounded by beauty.

The girls

The bridal party

Their first few moments as husband and wife.  I snuck this pic.  They thought I was setting up.

The bride's shoes and purse in her seat.

I watched the bride and groom hold hands throughout the day.  They are a beautiful couple!

The happy couple

I really liked the Maid of Honor's dress :)

and she caught the bouquet.

The Happiest Place on Earth

My family and I recently took the trip to SoCal and visited Disneyland.  I've always had a soft spot for the park and was so happy to see my kids enjoy it as I did when I was their age.  

I would have liked to take more photos but trying to keep up with three kids at the most popular theme park in the western hemisphere is a bit challenging in itself, let alone when you're trying to take pics.  I say, oh well.  I would much rather not have to find that they have run after a character and have to explain to security that I was taking pictures and wasn't paying attention to my kids.  lol.  But truly, spending time with my little ones was worth the exhaustion.

One thing that didn't change for me was the excitement of walking through the gates and into Main Street and feeling like an 8 year old again.  I couldn't wait to go on the rides and see my favorite characters.  It's like traveling to my childhood.

So here are some highlights that I'm sharing.  Most of the pics are from our first night in the park which was the Halloween Party.  Lots of fun!  :)

My two oldest in costume for the party

My youngest.  This was her first trip to the park.  I think she might have been a little overwhelmed.  lol

The gate all decked out.

Oh yea

The Buzz Lightyear Dance Party

My mom and I.

The best parents ever

Tomorrowland 

Miss Piggy bringing up the rear of the parade!

I love the characters!

Yes, Tinkerbell, I am three.

Radiator Springs was awesome.

I wish I had taken more pics but there is always next year :)

Epic Fail... and other such nonsense

So I was supposed to do a 30-day photo challenge, forcing myself to go out and shoot.  
Obviously, that did not work as a month has gone by and I've only had one photo.  

Does this mean that I need to slow down my schedule?  Maybe.  Or just slow down enough to smell the roses...  or to photograph them.  What kills me is that I will go through an entire day watching photographs go by.  Most of the time I'm in the car, which can be a bit dangerous since I'm usually driving.  But do I stop?  No.  Why?  Because I'm usually driving somewhere that has a specific time in mind for me to arrive.  

In speaking with others in my field, it seems to be a common occupational hazard, this lack of time to be the artists we started out as.  Instead we have to grow up and become the business person we have to be in order to make a living doing what we love.  

But this is no excuse.  Naturally, our creativity will pounce on our clients like a hungry jungle cat.  It's what we do, we are creative people in a creative industry.  But there is something about the freedom of shooting for ourselves.  

I'll have to stop my venting there as my oldest has a presentation due tomorrow that she needs to finish and I still have other projects I'm working on that is in need of my attention.

I did photograph one more photo (and will continue to do so at my own speed, which I will try to pick up for my own sanity).  
This one was for "Simplicity"

Enjoy

Challenge... It's Not Just Butter

It is known that you have to challenge yourself to grow.  Whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, the lessons learned from the experience shape who you become.  

I have been seeing these quotes from Albert Einstein a lot here lately and I take it as a sign...

1. Imagination is everything.  It is the preview of life's coming attractions.  Imagination is more important than knowledge.

2. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.

3. Information is not knowledge.  The only source of knowledge is experience.

 I have noticed that my own work has dwindled into fleeting moments of inspiration only to be filed away for another day so I can take care of my clients.  It is a common occupational hazard for photographers to get busy with work and not make time for their own passion.

So, I've decided to start a challenge.  30 photos in 30 days.  The exact amount of time that it takes to start a new habit and time to keep my creative eye keen.  I understand it's the end of the month, but I've waited too long to make time for myself and I am starting now.

So here is my first photo.  The theme is 'Morning'.  I know when people think of taking a morning picture, they might think of the sunrise or the sun shining through tree branches or some serene beautiful idea of a picturesque morning.
Well, my mornings are pretty hectic and I refuse to wake up at sunrise to take a picture of the rising sun if I don't have to.  My mornings consist of getting myself and my two school aged kids (I can't wait to see what happens when my 3 year old starts preschool) out the door on time to get them to school and myself to work.  I could have taken a picture of blurred subjects running to the car but instead I chose to get a shot of their morning line up at school.  It's when I spend just a few still moments with them, as they prepare for the day and I kiss them on the forehead before they walk to class.
To me, this is morning.

Thank you to Florabella for putting this challenge out there!

Tomorrow is 'Simplicity'...  hmmm...
  

And don't forget... challenge yourself :)

Being Pretty

I am so sorry to those few readers out there for not posting in awhile.  Life has a way of making you forget certain things by keeping you busy and I have experienced this first hand lately.  But busy is good when you are self employed, and the balance of family and work is always one of compromise.
But I had an experience that I had to share because I think it is something that I think all women (and maybe men, too) struggle with.

So, not too long ago, I was convinced by friends to take my own portraits during a boudoir session with said friends.  While I at first hesitated, I decided to take the chance.  I have to reiterate that this is not something I'm comfortable with, being of a heavier stature.  But I had posted about another boudoir session that I had shot and had talked about how women need to, and should, feel sexy.  My friends used that to convince me, that I had to put my money where my mouth is.

So there I was, getting glammed up and sporting outfits I thought no one other than my husband would see.  I am, by nature, a goofball so sexy doesn't come easy for me.  During most of my shoot, we were all laughing.  Call it my defense mechanism.  But with the encouragement from my friends, I gave fierceness and got through it.  I felt empowered after that shoot.  It could have been the makeup and hair that I had (I was sporting a faux-hawk on the way home), or just the knowledge that I did it, but I felt good about myself for being brave enough to step in front of the camera.

Today I finished editing the photo session.  My friends look amazing, of course, and I have to say, I am quite happy with how mine turned out.

I also surprised myself.  Women have been conditioned to be critical of themselves, to never be happy with the moment and to continuously look for features to improve upon.  I am guilty of this.  I will admit it.  But getting in front of the camera, I proved my own point to myself.  Sexy doesn't mean you have to be size 2 and flawless.  Sexy is a mind set.  It's believing you are beautiful and not letting anything or anyone make you forget it.  Would I do it again?  Don't know.  Sexy also doesn't mean skimpy lingerie or nudity.  Boudoir is not for everyone.  But in the end, it was the release of that conditioning that made it fun.

I'm sharing one of the photos here... but only one.  As with my clients, I feel these sort of photos are personal.  But for you women out there... if I can do it, you can do it.  Find your inner goddess and never let her go.

Hair by Stephanie Thrasher-Collins (who also took the picture!)
Makeup by Valorie Taylor and Flawless Air Cosmetics
(my peeps :)

Dirty Up The Dress - The Sequel

This is our second installment in our Dirty Up The Dress project.

We are so pleased to see an idea grow into something we could not have expected.  When Julie and I agreed to start a business venture together that would use her skills as a graphic designer/creative director and my skills as a photographer, we thought we were just expanding on the traditional portrait service.  Instead, we see our work becoming more like art than a provided service.  

Our models are having a blast while we expand our portfolio and we see the photographs becoming more and more editorial and photo-journalistic than glamour or posed portraits. 

Between her style and mine, we've come up with something different.

Our model this session was the wonderful Adrienne Hollowell.

More photos can be seen on my Facebook Fan Page:

www.facebook.com/soniahidalgophotography

and check out our website at:

www.dirtyupthedress.com

Killed By Curiosity

Ashton is one of those kids that you want to call an over-achiever but can't because she has such a great personality.  Instead you sit back and admire how much this young lady has accomplished.  

Among many different projects and roles this girl plays, clothing designer is one of them.  

I had met her at the Zafia's Family House fashion show back in March, where she had graciously agreed to be one of our featured designers.  I knew I wanted to work with her after seeing her passion for her designs and the thought process in her presentation.  

So we scheduled a shoot and these photos are the product of our collaboration.

During the course of the shoot, we found out that we both loved Alice In Wonderland and we both love what we do.
These are all her original pieces...