Even though most of us don’t get a “school’s out for summer” kind of break any more, the warm weather and long days still make summer special. We get outside more, gather with friends, and — if we’re lucky — maybe visit a place away from home. I always look forward to trips and vacations as an excuse to take lots of pictures. But I notice that my taste in subjects has changed over time.

I really like photographs with people in them. Or creatures. Even people and creatures I don’t know.

It used to be that I would go to great lengths to be sure I didn’t have any strangers in my shots. I would wait patiently and compose carefully so I got the picture-postcard image of whatever landmark I was shooting. But those images don’t interest me much anymore. Yes, they prove I was there and saw that thing, but that’s it. Now I like images that have more personality. And that comes from people.

And it’s true that I wish I could go to exotic places to take pictures of exotic people — in India or Egypt or Kenya or Peru. I follow the blogs of some amazing photographers who make those places come alive for me. But guess what? There are people everywhere.

So this summer I resolve to get out and about with my camera on a personal photo safari in my own back yard. I may send out some spontaneous shout-outs to see if anyone wants to come with me. It’s always fun to have a buddy.

As the World Cup winds down, I remember this moment from 2006 when the girls and I were in New York. World Cup fever was everywhere, including under this bridge on the Brooklyn side.

And in the past year I have joined some photo tours run by Light Fantastic. Gale Perry is a wonderful guide who doesn’t hesitate to invite local folks to be part of the fun. Here she convinced a man-on-the-street to become a living part of this mural in the Mission District of San Francisco.

And later that same day we heard music and followed the sound to a schoolyard where a Cuban conga drum band was practicing. The mural-covered walls provided both an echo chamber for the beat and a colorful, interesting background for photographs. Gale signaled to the bandleader and got his nodded permission for us to enjoy the music and take pictures. It was a perfect, spontaneous experience. It’s hard to pick just one image to show you, but I’ll choose this one.

Then there was the moment on the Santa Barbara pier where we watched two young fisherman valiantly trying to protect their catch from some pretty brazen pelicans. I caught this moment of stand-off.

This kind of shooting helps me hone my skills as a portrait photographer. And it’s just fun.

Next week I’m off to Twain Harte for the annual Buchanan/Armstrong clan gathering. That means lots and LOTS of photographs. But when I get back, I’ll start this personal photography project in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.

I mean it.

Wanna play?

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my dear friend Lisa and her family. Lisa and I met in kindergarten and, come September, we will have been friends for fifty years. That alone is something to celebrate. And so is her beautiful family, including darling grandson Niko. Lisa’s daughter Tiffany wanted a portrait of her family, and Lisa wanted a group shot of her family, so we met at the waterfront in Benicia to make it happen. Only Lisa’s son Kyle couldn’t be there. We’ll get him next time.

Tiffany has grown into a lovely young woman, so proud of her young son.

Niko was very interested in investigating all the puddles.

Tiffany’s family and her brother Matthew were game to climb out on a big driftwood log.

My beautiful friend and her beautiful daughter.

I caught this image just before Lisa was almost strangled by a very squeezy hug. Niko loves his Grandma.

And, finally, the whole group. I love this picture.

What a great day at the beach! Lisa, Steve, Tiffany, Crick, Niko, and Matthew — thank you!!

You can see the rest of the photoshoot here.

Todd and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a quick weekend trip to New Orleans. It was a chance to be together in a city we both find fascinating, spend some time with friends, and relax. But I always have my camera with me, and this time I wanted to concentrate on bringing home some better-than-snapshot travel photos. I have a new appreciation of just how difficult that is. So many things have to come together — the interesting scene, the right moment, the right light. It’s quite challenging, but it’s also a great way to really see a place. Here are a few of my favorites. (You can click on an image to enlarge it.)

The French Quarter is full of buildings built around courtyards. In the early days the streets were dirty and smelly and sometimes dangerous. Life was lived in the courtyards. Not many of them are open to the public and I wanted to hint at the mysteries they contain. I love that this door is just open a crack. Believe me, I was dying to get in to some of those courtyards.

We stayed at a little hotel on Dumaine Street called the Biscuit Palace. It is charming and funky and not at all fancy. That’s why I like these two pictures. We stayed in the “Royal Suite” and this is what it looked like from the courtyard. In my opinion it was so much better than staying at the Marriott. You are more likely to run into someone like Stanley Kowalski than royalty, but that’s the way I like it.

Jackson Square is a wonderful place to hang out. The street theater is constant and ever-changing with musicians, artists, tarot card readers, locals and tourists. There was the usual Silver Man posing for pictures and also this person. I’m not sure what exactly s/he represents — something voodoo-inspired I guess. But she fascinated me. She had quite a crowd around her when I first arrived, so I just watched them snap their pictures. She usually posed with her eyes downcast, but I knew she was watching me as I moved around to find the least-distracting background. Just as I was focused and ready to snap the shutter, an oblivious tourist walked between us. Voodoo Lady dropped her persona for the briefest instant, rolling her eyes and dropping her shoulders in a perfect “Can you believe that?!” expression. We shared a moment without saying a word and I got this picture.

Across from the square is the famous Cafe Du Monde where we enjoyed the traditional beignets and cafe au lait. Fried dough and sugar. What’s not to like?

I wanted to come home with a wall-worthy image and I fell short. But just having that goal helped me see the French Quarter in more detail. Sabrina Henry, if you’re out there, you set the bar for me. Your photographs of tulips, for example, take my breath away. So I studied the lacy cast-iron balconies but never quite captured them the way I saw them. I guess I’ll have to go back.

What I captured instead was this moment when Todd is relaxed and happy, laughing at the antics of a determined terrior just outside the window.

And after all, that’s what the weekend was really about. Happy anniversary, my dear. Here’s to twenty-five more!