mother love = true love

My mother's day was... A free pass to sleep in a couple of hours, yummy breakfast cooked by daddy, fresh tulips, a stroll around the Mission district in San Francisco, and a tiny photo session in the yummiest afternoon light. All that, but the best part you can see right here: chubby legs :) Oh yes! And that intense look too.

Sometimes I forget she is just a baby and we have a whole life ahead of us to get to know one another. I love her so much. And when I mean love, I mean that kind of love only mother's know. True Love. I do get it now. The love that sees deeper and that transcends any difficulty or imperfection. There is really nothing like it...

That is why I keep coming back to this one polaroid. Even though there is no smile, the color is uneaven, and there is a chunk missing at the top, it represents a very honest and beautiful slice of motherhood for me. It's not always picture perfect, but endlessly rewarding. Ever precious. It's a day we shared and a day I never want to forget.

So, how was your Sunday? Whether you are a mother or a daughter, please share with us a slice of true love from this year's mother's day or from year's past.

Looking versus looking away

Capturing our subjects looking away from the camera is one of the oldest tricks in the book to achieve dynamic interesting photos.

On the other hand, a deep piercing look is pure magic, isn't it? I love the fact that a tiny moment can have such intensity, and I can also appreciate that there was a strong exchange between subject and photographer, that then gets passed along to all viewers, causing emotion and reaction. Because of that evidence of connection, the look straight at the lens represents in many ways why I love photography so much.

So today why don't you join me and share those shots of deep connection between you and your subjects? Let's see how you looked at them and how they looked back at you!

Laughter

I keep looking at this outake from a recent portrait session and I can't stop thinking that I need more belly laughs, more fun and more lightness!

My client had insisted to drive almost 2 hours to see me even though it had been raining hard for a few days straight. I worried about finding the right location, about what she may be wearing (yep!), about those dark clouds that wouldn't move away, and I also sincerely hoped that our chemistry would make this a worthwhile session for both of us. The result: everything worked out for the best. In the last minute we even had a hint of sunshine. In fact, we had such a great hour and I couldn't have been more captivated with her smile. I mean, look at her energy! Finding this shot today was such a delight as it reminded me that I need (perhaps we all need) to keep things light, because in the end we do the best we can, and the rest unfolds without our control and just as it should.

So today, why don't you share some laughter and lightness with us. Show us those lit up faces that will remind us that everything is going to be okay.

Looking up

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky." Jimi Hendrix

Perfect Blue. Fiery Red. Filled with stars. Dark. Bright. Cloudy.

I believe the sky is a portal into our divinity.

It reflects our moods, it shows the uncertain nature of our existance...

It holds us all together under the same dome. All the same.

All granted the same beauty, the same immenseness...

Vast. Far beyond.

*

Today, take a break from your daily hustle and from the pressure to stay grounded.

Do yourself a favor. Stop everything and just look up and marvel.

Then of course, shoot some pictures and share them with us, please.

Capturing a place in time

I´m spending some time at home in Brazil, and believe it or not, even though it all feels really familiar to me, I´m still feeling nostalgic towards the life I left here over 15 years ago. Things have changed a lot since then. The streets and beaches are more crowded now, the open fields gave in to more buildings, small business were bought by coorporations... Isn´t it like that everywhere anyway? Don´t take me wrong, Brazil is still as vibrant as ever. (No matter what happens, there is always going to be samba playing and a wild force driving everyone and everything here.) But as I try to trace my steps along a path that has long faded, I keep thinking that I wish I had taken more pictures back then. Don´t we always shoot away and then inevitably, still wish that we had more pictures? Especially those images that tell our story and show us where we have been. We can never have enought of those...

So today I invite you to be your own memory catcher. We usually focus on special moments, but today, let´s capture and share places. Show us where you are and how you want to remember it 15, 20 years from now.