Find Beauty in Simple Things

Was surprised by a friend today with a huge bag of homegrown cherry tomatoes.  Still in the fabulous honeymoon phase with the new 7D, aka Big Momma (as *this* Big Momma is not so big anymore.. woo!) and couldn't wait to use these perfect little niblets with selective AF and the 50mm.  

Oh my nerdy photo habits.. sigh.. just wanted to document these before they were devoured:)


& thanks again Stephanie!

Adventures in Scouting

When looking at a photographer's workload, we commonly assume it's something like.. schedule, style, shoot, proof, edit, deliver and that's the end of it.  Oh my friends, if you only knew how long some of us spend scouting for new locations.. and how much of a bummer it is when a "gem" spot of yours is destroyed.

I always visit the site of a planned shoot a few days before the shoot itself, just to make sure all is well.  Sometimes fields are harvested, trees are cut down, or gorgeous peeling wood planks are painted over... in today's case, I discovered that one of the spots I had planned to use this weekend had been taken over by a group of partying kids. They were as surprised to see me show up with my camera as I was to see them there.  I guess I can't really blame them, it is a secluded area, but it's still frustrating when you've already visualized the entire set.  Back to the drawing board!

Some random photos from my travels today... (17-40mm lens for all)
 

Father & Son

Good morning from little Left Coast!

 

Gebhardt {Sibling Sesh}

Hot dang this family has some good genes!  Look at these little loves!  I have had the pleasure of photographing the Gebhardts for a couple of years now as their family has grown -- I am so humbled that I've been invited back time and again to capture these sweet faces.


These little guys (and gal) braved some pretty serious Bakersfield heat, prickly plants, and even an impromptu climb, led by Daddy, into the cab of a huge combine tractor!  Troopers.


This set marked the last of the June Summer Mini Sessions -- thank you to everyone who participated.  Enjoy!
LK

Sheffield {Mommy & Me}

Sometimes when I shoot a session, I can't hardly wait to get home and start editing.  This was one of those times.  This evening's "Mommy & Me" session was almost too good to be true.. adorable baby girl, gorgeous Mama, beautiful nursery and stylish threads?  Love, love, love.  I'll take it.  We started off at the Sheffield home and then made a visit to the edge of town to get some of that unbeatable golden hour light.  I love my job:)

Special thanks to the Saechao family for allowing us to shoot in their strawberry patch.

Enjoy!

"Birthography" Giveaway

Left Coast Design Studio will soon be offering Birthography coverage!  Due to the often unpredictable nature of delivery dates (aside from the scheduled C-Section, of course), we will be limiting Birthography clients to one per month only.  To kick off the new package offering, we will be giving away the first Birthography session to *one* special Bakersfield family.  Please consider this an "open call" to all 3rd trimester Mommies in Bakersfield.  If you are due prior to July 31st, 2011, we want to hear from YOU!  Also, we would really appreciate your help in spreading the word by "Sharing" this post on your Facebook page.

Entries will be accepted via email from the time of this posting until midnight on June 21st, 2011.  

The recipient will be chosen at random (via random.org) on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011.

**Update!!  Deadline extended 'til July 1st, 2011**

Birthography Giveaway Q&A:

• What is a Birthography Session?  Available-light (flash free) tasteful documentary photography of labor, delivery, the first moments of your child's life & your first moments as a family.  Rest assured that no graphic photographs will be taken during this process.
• What does the Birthography Giveaway include?  Labor, delivery, and first moments will be covered as much as your Hospital's photography policy will allow.  30-40 high resolution (printable) images along with a print release form will be provided to the client on CD at no charge.  Prints and albums can be ordered la carte if desired.
• I'm pregnant & due soon!  How can I be considered for the Birthography Giveaway?  Send an email on over to lindsey@leftcoastbydesign.com with your name, contact number, expected due date, name of the Hospital where you plan to deliver, planned method of delivery, and a brief note on why Birthography coverage is important to you and your family:)
• Important notes:  
• Many Hospitals and Doctors restrict the use of photography during delivery- ask your Doctor and your Hospital's Birthing Center attendants to find out what they will allow.  Be aware that your Doctor and your Hospital may have different policies and both need to be considered before committing to Birthography coverage.
• In addition to verifying the official photography policy, find out if your photographer is going to count as one of your "Support Persons" during labor & delivery as the number of people you have in the room may be limited.
• If you have a C-Section, scheduled or emergency, it is not likely that the photographer will be permitted in the OR.  Coverage will resume once we are cleared to do so.
• Above all, safety is most important.  Coverage will be completely non-intrusive and your photographer will ultimately be seen as a silent recorder so as to prevent any disruption to your labor process or to the duties of the Hospital staff.  Should any complications arise during the L&D process that require urgent medical attention, your photographer will most likely be required to leave the room at that time.  Coverage will resume, if possible, once conditions stabilize.
• To be eligible for the Birthography Giveaway, client must be delivering in a Bakersfield Hospital prior to the end of July 2011.
• All that we ask in return is for your permission to display (again, tasteful) images from your Birthography Session on our website, www.leftcoastbydesign.com 

To help spread the word and "Share" this Giveaway on Facebook, please click on the Facebook icon directly below this sentence.

2011 Summer Mini Sessions

Making the Time

Welcome to the new Left Coast Design Studio blog site.  If you're looking for old posts and previews, you can access the previous Blog here.  Change is good.

Speaking of change, 2011 has been quite the whirlwind for us so far.  Thank you so much to our clients, friends, and families for all of the love and support as prepared for and welcomed our first baby into the world in April.  Thank you especially to my clients who had a sense of humor as I stubbornly completed their photoshoots while 9 months pregnant:) 

We had not yet had the chance to take family photos yet, and as a photographer I really am ashamed to say that.  It's not that we were really waiting for anything, just as new parents I think we lost track of time.  We have plenty of portraits of Memphis, but only a few snapshots of us together as a family.  It seemed that every day our baby boy looked totally different and so much older, I started to panic when all of a sudden it didn't seem appropriate to refer to his age in weeks anymore.. I woke up one day and he was 2 months old.  He was double the size of our little 6 pound lovie we brought home from the hospital.  The longer we waited, the less he looked like a newborn and the more he looked like a little boy.

I was reminded of an extremely touching post by Austin Photographer Michele Anderson (Pinkle Toes Photography) that I had read a while back.. I can't find the permalink for the post right now, but I will post it if I can find it.  She shared a story about a friend who had suffered the loss of her husband in an accident and shared that she felt so fortunate to have been able to capture their last family photos together for her.  She explained how those last few photographs of all of them together went from just family portraits to priceless memories -- and how all too often we keep putting off sessions like that for one reason or another (the hope to lose more weight, waiting for a certain milestone, or just plain getting caught up).  The main message behind her post though was this:

"If you have not had family pictures taken within the past 3 years, promise me right now that tomorrow morning, you will find someone to do it. I don't care if it's a neighbor, I don't care if it's a portrait studio, I don't care if it's a tripod and a remote. Just do it. We have no guarantees in life, but at least we can have the photos to prove that we were here, we were together, and we were happy."

So, armed with my camera, a tripod, the self timer setting, a pair of boots to help me set & run in the field, and a very small window of time before Memphis needed to be in bed, we pulled over on the side of the road yesterday at sunset and took 15 minutes to document our family of three. 


I feel better now.  Just thought I'd share.

Happy Saturday,

LK