Why I Want (and Got) a Point-and-Shoot

Those around me have become pretty accustomed to seeing me with my camera wherever I go. I simply hate the idea of missing a potential shot and as a result, I'm either lugging my big ol' dSLR camera with me or I'm kicking myself when I want to document a moment but have nothing to capture it with.

Even when I carry my big camera -- which due to its space-consuming nature precludes me from carrying cute little purses, darnit! -- I often long for a point-and-shoot in order to get decent images with me actually in front of the camera. A recent example:

My husband and I recently enjoyed a great dinner at Candlelight (great spot, for those of you haven't ventured over there yet) to celebrate my birthday. I really wanted to capture a shot of the two of us there but since I only had a fancy schmancy camera to bring, this was what I got when I asked the server if he would please take a picture of us:


Totally sweet. Great effort. But not so good. Ummmm, I'm sorry, could I trouble you to please try again?


Ok, a little better. But still blurry. I smiled, thanked him, and acted like he just took the best picture ever. And then I resorted to balancing my camera on an upside-down martini shaker (borrowed from the bar) and used the self-timer to capture this shot:


Not perfect, but definitely better. But enough is enough. It took waaaaay too long to capture this one image. If I had just had a point-and-shoot with me, I'm pretty sure I would have been more likely to get a decent pic on the first try. Needless to say, I was very excited when I learned that my husband had bought me a point-and-shoot for my birthday!

The Perfect Ingredients

I love it when the stars align and all the ingredients required to produce great images show up to a photography session. Today turned out to be one of those days.

What we had to work with:
- Gorgeous Southern California beach (check!)
- Perfectly comfortable weather - say, seventy degrees - not too warm, not too chilly (check!)
- The perfect dose of sunshine - not too bright yet just enough to cast a warm glow through the thin layer of clouds (check!)
- Relaxed, easy-going mom who totally trusted me and was more than willing to follow my lead (check!)
- Awesome, beautiful and fun kids in adorable outfits (double check!)

J, thanks for being such a sport and going along with all of my suggestions for today's session. I had a great time with you and the girls and hope you think this afternoon was time well spent.

Without further adieu, here are a few of my favorite images from today.




Lots of fun playing and digging in the sand:




Here's S trying to weasel some gummy worms out of me. And yes, she got one. Come on, give me a break ... would you be able to say no to this face?


I was fired up when little Miss A donned this tank top towards the end of our session. Some of you know that I had an itty bitty Hello Kitty obsession when I was A's age. (And I mean a serious obsession. We're talking borderline kleptomania issues here. My poor mom would constantly find all sorts of pens, pencils, erasers and the like stored under my bed and would have to hold my hand as I apologized and returned my hoard of treasures to the proper owners. But I swear I've recovered. And no, J, I got your voicemail. I do NOT know where A's Hello Kitty tank top went after our session ... )


Gorgeous!


Before our session, J took the girls to get their hair done by Maria at Classic Kids. Didn't she do an awesome job?


Awwwww, how cute.


And a few of Mom in the mix. I've actually got a great one of the three of you smiling and looking at the camera. But for those of you getting to know me and my style, I tend to prefer the moments where the family members are interacting with each other. I love it when you can see an image and practically hear the laughter between the family members. This series of shots fits that bill so I thought I'd blog 'em. (J, you'll see the other shots in your gallery.)