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shades of autumn pt. 1

martha — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:41:58 +0000

orange, yellow, browns, reds and golds...none of which i could choose as a favorite combination as they all make my heart sing, but the two colors together that set the mood for me each year are black and ivory. it's old, worn, vintage autumn. vintage autumn....positively delicious, don't you think? i dream of an old house, stained with history and memory, old mantles holding up pumpkins and gourds, wind shuffling the leaves around outside, cider mulling on the stove, while the old black clock ticks away the time....i live in an old house indeed....1926....however, it's spanish in style and located in sunny southern california, where even on the "stormiest" of days in the fall...the only rustle i hear is the trash blowing down the alley. so there are moments when i get to visit places that hold above said treasures, and i was lucky enough to meet a new friend who let me into her surroundings and photograph away. thank you linda - your treasures are my treasures too.

she moves with the tide

martha — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:58:27 +0000

i had the pleasure of photographing a sweet and spunky little girl by the name of ava. we met at the seashore with her beautiful momma, kelly, on a lazy and warm california afternoon. the two of them had flown in from the bay area that morning, and ava was ready to PLAY! we scampered through the waves, made sand castles, gathered shells and searched for mermaids in the tide. these two beautiful ladies swept through the water in gorgeous vintage dresses that caught the light. sounds so romantic, and it was....and then the tide came in and pulled us all in, vintage dresses, sand buckets, and all. i'm not sure what i enjoyed more....the beautiful light filled images, or the incredible time i had with these girls laughing, playing, and lamenting our soggy plight. thank you beautiful kelly and ava for such a wonderful session.

the gates of summer

martha — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:43:53 +0000

The gates of summer, once open wide like the arms of absent friends begin to close, haltingly, with rusty hinges creaking in cool mornings.

Summer's End by Holin Kennen

one of my last shoots of the "summer" was of a darling little girl named haddie and her baby brother ryder. i drove up to their farm and gasped when i saw the rolling meadows of purple thistles, weathered farm gates, tire swings, birch trees, and oh....the horses? did i mention the horses? this was more of a playdate than a session, as i followed haddie around while she showed me her playground. we caught the wind on the tire swing, gathered flowers in a bucket, looked at new kittens in the barn, fed her beloved horsie, and skipped down the gravel road in mismatched socks and a tutu. i met her new baby brother, ryder, who we gleefully "stuffed" in an old trunk and antique quilt. he was just as pleased to be there as we were to have him there in all of his 3 month old glory.

dee and family, thank you for such a wonderful afternoon. "playdates" such as this remind me as to how really blessed i am to have the job that i do.

oh summer.....

martha — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:07:03 +0000

as i wrap up all of my summer sessions, and move into fall and holiday sessions, i sometimes miss the warm and carefree days gone by. it's hard to believe how the "season" takes hold and how busy we all become. septemeber marks the beginning of the holidays for photographers, school resumes, homework begins, alarm clocks, laundry, dinner........

it's nice to "lose myself" again in this particular session with sweet elly and her brother austin. it was a day filled with summer peaches, watermelon, dollies, barley fields, and sunlit fields of wildflowers. one of my favorite sessions, i wanted to share some of the beautiful images from our day together.

hmm..i sense dissension among the ranks....

martha — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:17:36 +0000

"which of these kids is not like the other....?" lol! look carefully and you will see! thank you for a fabulous shoot muehlberg family! it was hot, and humid...and buggy....but we made it through. hoping the twins (or sox) have a great season, however, i'm an angel's fan and remain loyal. :)

and the greatest of these is love....

martha — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:28:20 +0000

mike and rachel - i cannot tell you enough how wonderful it was to shoot your engagment session. it's beautiul to see you together and your happiness is evident. i wish you all the joy and love in this life.

He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began. ~Leo Tolstoy

little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse.

martha — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:56:57 +0000

oh my darling ada ruth....how i fell in love with you. such a loved wee thing you are, and what a bag full of dresses you had! i quietly said to your doting grandmother before we drove away for your shoot, "goodness....i don't see how we'll keep her happy shooting all of those clothes!" - but we did. (although just a small sampling are shown here!) oh the fun we had! oh the grass you ate! congratulations to john and kimberly on a gorgeous baby girl to love. missing her as i write this, i hope to see you all again soon! xo

oh goodness...did i forget to add a picture of the girl with NO clothes??? i think i did! i shall add it below.... ;)

very cool...

martha — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:57:06 +0000

i had an awesome session with ty - a senior this year at ellendale high school. ty loves music, especially metallica, and i totally dug his red guitar. part of our session took place in his home town of ellendale, and i loved his funky old main street and endless locations that could have had us shooting for days. hope you love the pics ty - have a wonderful senior year and savor each moment.

christmas is just around the corner.....really! ;)

martha — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:02:49 +0000

ok....it's silly really how long it's been since i've blogged.....i had this grand idea that i would create a new blog, thus abandoning this blog....but alas....the new one is not yet finished, and i have a bunch of sneak peeks that i would love to share. so....onward and upward, and hopefully you will see a new and improved blog very shortly.

i had the pleasure of shooting a beautiful family for their christmas cards this year! we had a lovely evening on our family farm, and the light was simply splendid. such a beautiful family - all of them - and those blue eyes are to die for. crazy to think that the holidays are almost upon us, but in the photography world, the "season" has begun!

thank you weisenberger family for a lovely day!

on the edge of autumn

martha — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:47:56 +0000

i'm a little behind on posting (as usual), as we are moving into winter already, but i wanted to share some images from my recent trip back to north dakota. it was the first time i had been back for thanksgiving in about 30 years. i wasn't sure what to expect as the earth began to go dormant. as much as i adore the crimsons, golds and pumpkins of mid autumn, i found the dry, amber and silence of the edge of autumn, cusp of winter in the dakotas to be equally as inspiring and a true beauty in itself. i was just lamenting to myself today as i drove and drove around for several hours today looking for locations that "fit" with me here in california.....it's very difficult for me, as i could throw a rock in any direction in the midwest and find a beautiful place to shoot. so i'm offering all of my clients a special airfare package with their booking in the new year.....aw shucks...just kidding, but please let me know if ya wanna fly on out of here. :)

a side note on the orange boots.....they are my son's "pumpkin boots" (and 1 of 4, about to be 5 pair of hunter wellies that we now have -LOVE hunter wellies!!). - i was taking him to one of my favorite hidden spots to shoot and it was a bit cold. he wouldn't get out of the car, but instead took off the boots, handed them to me and told me to "pretend i'm there, mom". oh my john, i don't have to pretend at all....you are always there.