On flickr.com, my most viewed photo is this one of my grandmother taken in August of 2005.  It comes up on search engines and is linked to by unjobs.org in reference to work in the town of Zacoalco de Torres, Jalisco, Mexico.   It makes me happy when I look at it and I think this is how I will always remember her.

Yes, just three and a half months after writing about my grandfather’s death, there is another one to reflect on. Maria de Jesús Gutierrez de Rodríguez was born on August 21, 1916 and passed away early the morning of May 13, 2010.  There are no words to describe my feelings at this moment.  All I can do is remember her spirit, her singing and her terrific belly laugh.  She was kind and sweet like a grandmother should be and also strong and brave like every person aspires to be.  She went through  a lot with her husband and her family of 10 children, two of which she had to grieve in recent years.  There are too many stories.  There are too many adventures.  There are too many sweet memories of her to be sad.  I am here because of her and I am thankful.

A few weeks ago, we were asked to share in class something which represents our culture, i.e. who we are. This was the one thing that came to mind:

Photo courtesy of Hillary Rosa

Te quiero mucho, Mamá Chuy.

Que descanse en paz.

Abraham Rodríguez passed away early this morning, two months shy of his next birthday. He lived and loved a long and eventful life–the kind many people only write stories about. He fought in wars, worked as a jailer, served as mayor, fathered many and gained the respect and admiration of even more. For me, he was a man of strength, honor and good-heartedness. I think of him today with awe and with pride.

En paz descanses, Papá Abraham.

I’m off to Mexico for a brief vacation. My trips to Mexico aren’t margarita-swirling dance fests. No, they’re visits to my grandparents’ house and it’s been that way for as long as anyone can remember.  This year is extra special because every child, grandchild and great-grandchild will be there to celebrate my grandfather’s 100th year on this earth.  The photo above was taken the year World War II ended, a.k.a. the year of my father’s birth and my grandfather was in his late thirties then. He may have thought he’d already lived quite the life, but there were actually many more ‘lives’ in him than he ever dreamed.

I’m packing up my gear right now, as I plan to take a formal portrait to commemorate the occasion. I want to capture him as he is now–so wise, so tired, so amazing.

This past Saturday afternoon we went shopping in Orange County and took the opportunity to stop by the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.  It’s a very popular place for runners, walkers, bird-watchers and photographers alike.  I got some pretty good shots.

We got there about an hour before sunset and there wasn’t much light, but I still managed to capture some good scenes.

This Snowy Egret captured my attention as it was enjoying the sunset in the distance.

We too enjoyed the sunset and were glad to have made the trip out to visit our friends on the wetlands.

To see more shots of the day, visit my Bolsa Chica Wetlands gallery on Flickr.

For the past few months I’ve been working with my cousin Saul on his headshots and website. We both have full time jobs, so it’s been a slow process. Scheduling conflicts aside, we have managed to put a gallery together and I’ve learned quite a lot about outdoor posing and studio work.

For our first session we planned for three to four wardrobe changes in two different locations–Downtown Riverside and my home studio.  This seemed like a good start for both of us.  The shots around the downtown area were fairly straightforward. Areas like that are really nice because you get an infinite variety of backdrops for no money. The day was clear and fairly sunny, so we stayed in the shadows in order to avoid squinting.  In retrospect, I do wish we’d gone in the late afternoon to catch a bit of that light just before sunset.

Back in my studio we set up in the late afternoon, but because it’s a home studio there were some problems with light streaming through windows and casting shadows.  Luckily, Saul was patient and in about half an hour the sun was low enough to let me work. Overall, I was able to get some good studio shots.

You can view a sample gallery up at www.saultejeda.com.  The site and the gallery are both in progress, so check back for updates.  We hope to have his resume, bio and some performance videos up very soon.

Jessica allowed me to be her holiday photographer yet again this year. I strongly believe it’s because she has fallen in love with the quality of work and not because I’ve been her personal photographer since birth.

This year I learned a lot more about dealing with a toddler in a portable studio. Equipment used during this in-home shoot included my Canon EOS 5D, Speedlight flash unit, a tripod, a tungsten light, some background fabrics and some stands. All of this is important because you have to keep track of all of these items a lot more intensely when there’s a toddler scurrying about. Kids will be cooperative for about 20 to 30 minutes tops. Beyond that the session becomes a game of patience and control. Luckily Jessica’s parents and uncle were around to help and were able to provide some entertainment for a while. Of course, when that wasn’t enough we did resort to letting her wriggle her fingers in some feeder fish. Sound gross?  Maybe, but it was great for some giggles and that made for some nice shots.

Who needs backdrops?

The right props are key!

Jessica and friends.

On July 19th I had my first Quinceañera client. I was excited and nervous because I accepted to take it on alone.

Ruby is a very dear cousin’s daughter and I made sure to plan for everything.  All my gear was checked and charged, I took a ladder for some of the outdoors shots and I made sure to have cold water and snacks on hand. I learned how to deal with large groups of people that day.  I posed them and ordered them around and was a bit more assertive than usual.  I was the only official shooter, but my assistants helped me out with extra cameras all over the place and in the end I ended up with over 1800 photographs.  Yikes! It was great to have every angle covered, but it was a tremendous amount of work to try to get through.  I don’t recommend anyone do this at every event, but if you want insurance, grab some capable assistants and GET THAT SHOT! Also, you have the benefit of having some pictures taken of you in action.

On the morning of the 5th I drove over to orange county to take team picture for the O.C. Impact girls’ softball team.  They were a fantastic group.  I took this fun team photo that they plan to put on their banner at Nationals.

The girls all came prepared with the order slips I’d emailed out ahead of the event and were very easy to work with.  I set up a canopy for my on location studio and  took pictures of each girl.  I do wish I’d faced a different direction but it turned out okay after a bit of cleaning up.

After a couple of team photos they had their practice session.

I got some shots of them showing off their stuff! I enjoyed this team photo shoot quite a bit.

Thanks, girls!

We went on a photo outing for Memorial Day, this time to Big Bear Lake. It was slightly overcast when we set out, but cleared up beautifully by the time we got up the mountain.  After a wonderful afternoon snapping photos, I couldn’t help but feel revitalized and refreshed. Here are some of my favorite shots of the day.

This great riverboat probably gives the best view during the annual Fireworks show at the lake.

Waves and rocks are where you can find the pulse of the lake.

This dock with its boats was beckoning to me!

To see more shots of the day, visit my Big Bear Lake gallery on Flickr.

My friend Mark Lopez asked that I be his second photographer at a beach wedding. Of course, I jumped at the chance and the challenge.

The day started out quite a bit overcast, but for photographers it’s ideal–there are no harsh shadows to deal with. It makes shooting a lot faster and I feel like I can get a bit more creative without having to make constant adjustments. Weddings on the beach are beautiful, but there certain challenges to shooting on a location without readily available to climb. Mark thought ahead and brought a ladder for just this purpose and boy did it help. We were able to get shots of the seating area with it was used for some larger group shots. However, one thing to consider, especially on location is the need for an assistant. I had none this time, but I know at my next big event I won’t be caught without one.