The Vallecillos Family

        I always tell families that when it comes to taking portraits, it's nothing more than family time that I am a guest at. You always know when they understand what I mean by that because then they relax and bam!, you have great shots and the family actually had fun in the process. Let me say that again... yes, you can have fun during family pictures. By the way...I loved 'hanging out' with you guys!

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The Miller Family

        How do you get 5 adorable kids to look adorable at the same time? If you're lucky my bag o' tricks (aka candy) will do it. By the time we were done my candy supply was reduced and they were on a sugar high. With a new grandbaby it was a time of celebration and with the whole family in town it was also cause for a new family portrait. 

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The Happiest Place On Earth

       That was in no way meant to offend Disney fanatics. But at the Brewster home, New Hampshire is our little happy thought. We have not forced this love on our children. We have always given them a choice: a trip to Disneyland or New Hampshire. Unanimously it is NH every time. (I will probably get many emails about how wrong this is.) Recently we went without the kids. Combining my two obsessions (NH and shutter finger) was a rather euphoric thought for me. I have long had a dream of publishing a book called, 50 Sunsets. Just a coffee table book of fabulous sunsets from each state. I'm sure someone will take this idea, publish it, and go out of print before I ever get around to it. But I did get some sunset shots. This trip was a learning experience for me. I learned that my husband is at his relax-est there (and that is a word because he is a relaxed kinda dude anyway). And smiles. Alot! I learned you can go through a few pounds of mussels at dinner. I also learned that I was not destined to be a wildlife photographer. National Geographic will be disappointed I'm sure, but portrait work remains my calling. Finally, I learned that no matter how many times you visit a place it is impossible to walk away from a quaint, little New England town and not get those cliche shots. 

                                                 (image by Carla Brewster)

And one more sunset shot to end with.

    

The Daniels Family

       It was time for a new family portrait and I have loved getting to know them. Jeanette has got to be one of the funnest moms I know. She loves playing with her kids and those kids know how much she loves them. How awesome is it that her children are best buddies.

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Sarah & Frank- Mt Calvary Lutheran Church

             Sarah and Frank are a couple who did not get caught up in the wedding details. Looking back I'm surprised they didn't elope. 
             My friend Kelli asked me to help out on this one. She and I were in school together and were fortunate enough to have Scott Lizama for our classes. I have always felt I've been surrounded by people who have pushed me to become a better photographer. Scott taught me the importance of studying the classics and masters such as Lange, Adams, Weston, and one of my personal favorites Paul Strand. Studying them and learning from Scott, helped me see photography more as art form. But more importantly, he taught me to trust my instincts. So, thanks Kelli. Thanks Scott. And to Sarah and Frank: here is some art of your very own.  

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Look Ma, No Hands

        If given the chance to be a kid again would you take it? Our ward (church congregation) had a pie eating contest at a fun, summer, family activity. And since everyone involved gave me permission to put these up, I guess I can't blackmail them. Sometimes it's just nice to do non-adult, kid-like things. I certainly enjoy watching others be silly. 

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Crack of Dawn

      I am not a morning person. You don't even have to know me very well to know I am not a  morning person. An emergency and photography are about the only two things I can move for in the morning. This morning, like every other M-F, I was dragging my feet.  My 8 yr old says to me, "Mom, get your camera. You gotta see this." I heard the word camera, and all of a sudden I'm awake. I grab my camera and he takes me to the kitchen window. I know we have fabulous sunsets here, but I'll admit I don't see very many sunrises. My percentages of seen sunrises go up a little in the winter thanks to the after 7 am sunrise times. As I'm shooting, he says, "It looks like a sunset. I love the pinks and it hasn't quite kissed the horizon."  Of course I'm thinking where did he learn that phrase? But it was true. It hadn't quite kissed the horizon yet, and it only lasted for about 45 seconds. He loves to build and create and will probably never be a photographer when he grows up. But this morning he saw and he knew and it was the same as saying, "I love you, mom." 

Summer 2009

           I'm getting itchy and ready to finish up my summer blogging. My niece, Tevah, comes and spends a week or two with us each summer. She gets passed around from house to house and she loves her cousins. She doesn't care if it's her boy cousins or girl cousins. She loves them all! 

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Lauren & Bryce- Troon North, Scottsdale

            Have I ever mentioned how much I love shooting weddings? Which is funny, because at one time I swore I would never photograph weddings. Yes, I ate my words. 

            Lauren and Bryce were married at the Scottsdale Bible Church with a fun reception at Troon North. But the best part was the unbelievable sunset right over the 18th green. I wish I could take credit for that sunset. Thanks to Marriott Photography for letting me get in on this one and don't forget to click on the images to see full size.  May Lauren and Bryce always remember why they fell in love. 

   

Ed & Chris and The Bucket List

Ed and Chris decided to each write their bucket list. It turns out that both of them had scuba diving on it. So at their final open dive for certification, they asked me to come document the occasion. Ed and Chris are known in my world as mom and dad. I was so proud as their daughter to watch them accomplish this and it was my pleasure to be there. To celebrate, they planned a diving trip to the Florida Keys. Here are a few spreads from their album. Remember the albums are flush mount, so when opened it is a 16x8 spread. Congratulations mom and dad! 

(click to see any of them full size)

Jessica & Joshua- Regency Gardens

(summer entry)

       There's nothing better than the unexpected with a positive twist. I was shooting this wedding with Mike from Dusey Photo. Jessica and Joshua were married on a hot, HOT day. As we are trying to do their pictures, like manna from heaven, we hear the familiar sound of an ice cream truck. AND YES I DID. I outran that ice cream man (thank goodness they only go 1 mph) and flagged him down. Ever seen a bride with brain freeze!?! I'm sure down the road, whenever their kids ask if they can get something from the ice cream man, Jessica and Joshua will tell the story of how that's the first thing they did after they got married on that hot, HOT, day!

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Arizona Highways Magazine

(another summer entry)

I absolutely love portrait work. But every now and then I need to do something to get my fix outside of the usual. Once in awhile, it's nice to slow down your work, not have a deadline, and work something over. Peter Ensenberger and Jeff Kida of Arizona Highways Magazine headed up a night at the Desert Botanical Gardens photographing the one of a kind glass installations of Dale Chihuly. Dale Chihuly is world renowned for his pieces. We went in at sunset and had the park to ourselves after closing. Shooting at the Gardens, late and empty, lent itself almost a reverenced feeling. Typically in work of this kind, I tend to be a purest and like to leave well enough alone. I rarely do much if anything to the image. So, straight from my camera, bypassing the editing table, the following two images are my favorites from that night.

Okay, I lied... I played with one.

Marriott Photography- Scottsdale

    Sometimes you are fortunate enough to receive the kindness of an incredible artist. As a photographer, there's nothing better than getting to work with someone of this caliber. Marriott Photography is simply one of the best in the industry. I'll admit, the first two shoots I only assisted. I was simply too nervous to pick up my camera. Third time's a charm. Take the time to view their incredible work here. 
    I am grateful to Marnee for allowing me to tag along and shoot at this incredible venue. 

Amy & Brandon- Villa Siena
(another summer entry)

Elizabeth - Shenandoah Mill

 It's funny, I thought my summer had been pretty slow. No one likes to say cheese when it's 110 degrees out. But when I looked at my list of summer shoots that I thought I would catch you up on, it was a decent sized list. Here's the first.

I love Elizabeth. I adore her mom. No princess here. I'm pretty sure she is known as Queen Elizabeth at home. I did Elizabeth's newborn pictures as well. An hour and a half later, 3 outfit changes, and 800 frames, editing became a full time job that week! Although my sessions are about an hour long, I shoot until I'm sure I have what I want. In the industry I would be known as a "heavy shooter." After 800 frames to wade through I decided maybe it's okay to not be quite so heavy. 

                                     Click on each storyboard to see full size

Here We Go

Put me behind a camera and my heart starts to race... the excitement, the ideas, the exposures. Talk to me about having a website or blog, and my heart starts to race for entirely different reasons. I'll admit it... I'm completely out of my element. But I'm afraid the time has come that I can no longer avoid not having something. Gone are the days of only concentrating on just the camera. So, here it is. My first baby step into the unknown. Check back often. There will be an official website and updated blog in my future (actually, it's already in the works) but for now, this is all my heart can handle.
                                                                                Andrea