So Hilary decided she needed some blog love and I was more than happy to oblige. But no boring old headshots for Hilary. Oh no. She wanted to play “fashion shoot.” She put together several outfits, complete from shoes to jewelry, and we were off. We went to the Albany bulb around 4:00 yesterday. Since we were just playing around, I set myself the challenge to use only one fixed lens, the 50mm, instead of my usual zoom. That meant that to get in close or far away, I had to move myself in close or far away. It’s a different experience and I liked it. I also wanted to use a wide aperture and I like the softness it gives the images. And finally, because I always seem to shoot vertical, I wanted to get at least as many images in the horizontal orientation. Hilary really had to help me with that one. She’s a good remind-er.

We started near the beach among the graffiti covered concrete. (You can click on the images to enlarge them.)

And it was fine, but we weren’t really feelin’ it (as the kids say these days), so Hilary went back to the car to change clothes. You know how you can go by something again and again and never really see it? Well, suddenly the Golden Gate Fields parking lot looked so cool. There were funky old trucks, and corrugated containers painted in unexpected colors and covered in graffiti. And hay bales stacked up to there. And the afternoon light was amazing.

Yes, it’s entirely possible we weren’t supposed to go over there. But there weren’t any signs, and how could you refuse this:

Work it, Hilary!

Hilary changed clothes again and that’s when we both really hit our stride. How cute are these? I love the grungy environment.

And, yes, there had to be a head shot.

The sun was lower and warmer when we moved to this orange container. Perfect! This pose is so Hilary.

To finish things off, Hilary changed again into prom dress and wings. You know, like you do. And sunglasses, of course.

So. Much. Fun. Hilary, thank you. It was a blast spending the afternoon with you, as always.

You can see the rest of the shoot here.

I have a theory that you can’t fake an eye-smile. Your mouth can easily turn up at the corners when you don’t mean it. But when your eyes light up, it’s real.

I have said it before on this blog: I love eyes. I take environmental portraits, and 3/4 body shots, but the images I am drawn to the most are the close-ups. The eyes tell me stories. That’s why I like to take my time during a photo session. I want to find the light that will reflect with a beautiful catchlight. But my real goal is to get to a place with my subjects where the eyes light up from the inside. There’s just nothing like it.

Back in May, my daugher Grace and I went into San Francisco to shop for a college graduation outfit. I took my camera along, and the images from that day are a great illustration of my point. The morning was overcast as we waited for BART, and the light from the window on Grace’s right was soft and lovely. I jumped up on the bench to catch her from a different perspective. My girls are nothing if not good sports, so Grace smiled. But her eyes clearly say, “My mother is insane.”

Later that day we were in the Nordstrom Cafe high above Market Street, having a wonderful time and feeling for all the world like Ladies Who Lunch. We hadn’t found the outfit yet, but hopes were high and we were having fun together. Once again, beautiful light was streaming in from windows on Grace’s right. Her eyes reflected it, but this time there was a sparkle behind them as well. This image could be titled “Life is Good.”

We did find an outfit that was colorful and flirty and made Grace feel special. She modeled it for us out in the garden in the soft afternoon light, and I took some full-length images that showed it off. But for me this was a moment that had nothing to do with her clothes. She was getting ready to graduate from college. So I drew in closer.

And I was rewarded with that unguarded, authentic, soft, genuine moment that shows the Grace I know best.

Happy, content, kind. Beautiful.

It’s in the eyes.

I am not a big fan of crowds. The Bay Area is host to a dizzying number of fairs and festivals and concerts and street parties and I rarely go. As I get older, my first thoughts too often go to traffic and lines and hassles and I choose to stay home. Sad, I know, but there you are.

So when the Parks and Recreation Department in my little one-square-mile town decided to throw a street party just blocks from my home, I had to be there. For a few hours on Sunday, Key Route in Albany was closed to cars and open for fun. It was perfect. There were enough folks to make it feel like a party and enough room to ride a bike or play a game. Just my style. And — bonus! — it was a beautiful day.

There was a lot to draw the photographer’s eye, but I was especially attracted to the children. They were just being themselves, doing what they do.

Like riding a bike.

(FYI, you can click on any image to make it bigger.)

Or dreaming of baseball.

Or tossing a water balloon.

Or using the whole street as a canvas.

Or enjoying a popsicle.

Or my personal favorite, just sharing a good book with a pal.

What a fun, relaxed, really kind of charming event. Chelle Putzer, you did it again. Thanks to you and your staff for treating us all to a special summer day.

You can see more of my photographs from the day here.

Albanians, if you know the children in the images above, you can use the buttons below to share this post with their families. Families, if you would like a copy of your child’s photograph, shoot me an email using the link at the top of the page. I’ll be happy to send you the file.

It’s really nice when your kids choose to go to college in places you like to visit. I really lucked out in this department: Chico to the north and Santa Barbara to the south. Different girls, different destinations, both really fun to visit.

Chico has a small-town vibe that I love. Front-porch living, lots of trees, and an eclectic downtown. Since our bay area summer has been so gloomy lately, it was nice to experience a few hot days when I was up there last weekend. The plaza park near 5th Street is finished now, including a very cool ground-level fountain that invites a fancy version of running through the sprinklers.

The Saturday Farmer’s Market is a long-standing tradition. There is a nice mix of vendors selling fresh, local produce and specialty foods. People are friendly and nobody seems to be in a great hurry.

I particularly love all the fresh flowers for sale.

I think every Farmer’s Market must have a character; the vendor you like the most. For Grace and me, it’s Chris the egg man. I just love a Yorkshire accent. It makes even the corniest lines sounds charming. And Chris the egg man is full of corny lines. But he knows his customers and he seems to love his job. You just leave his stall happy.

Saturday was perfect for an afternoon visit to Bidwell Park. We love the area known as One Mile, where the creek has been dammed to create a wonderful swimming hole. Everyone was in a good mood. Kids were doing cannonballs into the water, people on bicycles cruised slowly by, there was music playing somewhere, and this puppy tried valiantly to keep in step with his owner.

Oh. And there was a juggler.

So yeah, I really like Chico. Happily for me, Grace will be there for another two years while she gets her Masters. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get up there again, but it is really beautiful in the fall . . .

(Note: you can click on any image to make it larger. If you would like to share this post, use the icons below to post to Facebook, Twitter, or email the link to a friend. Thanks for stopping by!)

Albany, California has a new online newspaper called AlbanyPatch and I’m going to have a weekly feature! Editor Emilie Raguso has asked me to focus on San Pablo Avenue to showcase the people who work there and the people on the street. My first photo essay appeared today!

When Emilie and I talked about this idea, I knew I wanted to start with Mary & Joe’s Sporting Goods. Todd and I moved to Albany 21 years ago this month, days after our older daughter’s first birthday. We lived in next-door Berkeley before that. When I was pregnant with Grace and needed some comfy sweatpants with room to grow (I was a very fashion-conscious pregnant lady), I went to Mary & Joe’s. When our younger daughter Hilary was 8 years old and taking synchronized swimming lessons at the Albany Pool (too cute for words, by the way), we bought her goggles and nose clip at Mary & Joe’s. It’s just where you go.

As my last post demonstrated, I am feeling nostalgic and sentimental these days. I grew up on the Peninsula in Burlingame. I crossed Burlingame Avenue every school day for eight years as I walked from home to elementary school and back again. I visit my hometown frequently, and today “The Avenue” is nothing like the main street of my childhood. Arthur’s Toy Town is an Anthropologie store. Woolworth’s (with a real soda fountain) is The Gap. And the beautiful Fox Theater with the terrifying gargoyle water fountain upstairs is now Fox Mall with several upscale boutiques.

I suppose postcards may exist of that earlier street but I haven’t been able to find any. And photographs of the interiors of those old establishments are very rare. I wish I had some.

That’s what I thought of when I got this assignment. Albany is changing and will continue to change, as any thriving community will do. Places that are familiar to us now will become fond memories. I really look forward to recording San Pablo as it is today, capturing as much detail as I can. Cities, too, need to leave a trace.

First it was Mary & Joe’s Department Store and then it was Mary & Joe’s Sporting Goods. It has been a part of Albany since 1921. This is what it looks like today.

There has always been at least one store cat. This is Jinx.

But, most important, there is Pat Neylon. He married Mary Carlavero in 1956 and has been a fixture at the store ever since. Pat is 89 now and you can still find him at Mary & Joe’s most days.

Again, you can see the entire feature here.

This town has stories to tell, and I am so grateful to Emilie Raguso and AlbanyPatch for giving me a reason to get out and record some of them. Exotic destinations will always tempt and beckon, but there are surprises and treasures at home too. I’ll post links here when new features are published. I hope blog readers far and near will enjoy exploring Albany with me.

P.S. You can also Like me on Facebook here.

My father would have been 91 today. I’m thinking about him. He died in January 1994, when he was 74 years old. Much too soon.

I am the middle daughter in a family of five girls. Most of the family photographs we have from my childhood are group shots. This is one of very few of just me and my Dad. I am three years old. I love this picture.

And I love this one.

When my Dad was ill, my daughter Hilary and I used to drive to Burlingame every week to visit him. She was two years old. I would carry her in the back door of the house I grew up in. She would struggle out of my arms, run past my mother and anyone else in the kitchen, and turn the corner to find Dad in his recliner in the den, waiting for her. She’d climb into his lap and administer a full-body-contact hug. My father was never a very demonstrative guy, but anyone could see he loved those hugs. Then they began their little rituals. She would wear his reading glasses. At lunch she would sit beside him in the kitchen and stir his coffee. They had a little game involving toothpicks. Their special relationship was a tonic to him and to me.

Hilary is 19 now. She doesn’t have her own memories of these visits, but she knows the stories and she has seen this photograph. She remembers Grandpa Art this way.

I love family photographs. A picture of you can say “This is who I am right now.” It can also say “This is who I love,” and “This is what is important to me.” And when you think about it, a picture you take can say those same things. It is so important to have those photographs. They help us leave a trace.

I worry that, in this digital age, many of us are taking our photographs for granted. We have hard drives full of them, and we share them readily on Facebook. But are we safeguarding them? Computers crash, technology changes.

So, please, back up your images. Do it today. Then maybe print some of them. Share the stories that go with them. Celebrate your life and your loved ones.

Remember.