Has it really been over a year?
While it has been a trying time, I have to admit that my family really bonded and came together throughout this last year and a half. My kids got to spend WAY more time together than they ever had before, and I watched as their bond grew immensely. I documented all the little stuff, The tree blossoms in the first photo are from our walk the first day of quarantine. We took our time and looked at all the colors of the spring blossoms. A few weeks later, we drove to the foothills to enjoy nature. This last year, we have had front yard picnics, backyard dinners, read hundreds and hundreds of books, and just slowed down from our normal everyday hustle and bustle. Has it been hard? Yes. Have tears been shed? Oh, yeah. But overall, the slowdown of it all was kind of a strange gift that made me understand how much I should appreciate the life I get to have.
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With co-vid 19 quarantine and stay-at-home orders, I have only been photographing and documenting my family. However, our oldest and his family moved to our area right before the world turned upside down and they also found out they were expecting. We remained in each other's "bubble" during quarantine (watching the kids when needed) so we planned to take a few maternity photos at Thanksgiving. We knew the boys probably wouldn't cooperate with us, so we didn't expect too much and just wanted to make sure that baby Joy was documented. All images were shot on expired Focal film (it's what was already loaded in my Pentax K-1000) and developed and scanned by The FIND Lab.
It is always a pleasure to see the Alcala family. I went to high school with Robert and have taken portraits of his family over the last five years. His boys always make me laugh and his wife and I always love to catch up. Because the boys get bored quickly, we try to incorporate some fun into the session- the boys had a few races with their Dad to see who was the fastest! I can't wait to work with them again.
All images shot on film. Developed and processed by The FIND Lab At the beginning of 2017 I decided to make a goal for my personal photography- I wanted pictures of my family doing out everyday thing. Nothing fancy, just documenting our everyday life. I was sure it was a project doomed to fail. I've tried things like this before and never got to a half-way point... I'm not sure why I thought this would be any different, but it was. I documented our family with both digital and film cameras (waiting for film scans was torture but always worth it). Now, I am at the end of this project and I have this incredible amount of pictures from the last year. I haven't quite figured out what this year's project will be, but I know I want to do another one! The best thing that came out of this project are all the little everyday moments- that I might have forgotten about- are captured for me to remember. Here are a few of my favorites from the last year.
I met up with this beautiful blended family on a super hot July day. We couldn't reschedule because their oldest was due to go back to Washington, so we toughed it out and looked for some open shade, but man that sun was harsh! I still can't believe how big all the kids are getting... time seems to fly by these days.
Springtime in the Central Valley is always beautiful. Whether it's the blossoms or the new greenery, the shades just seem to pop after a long winter. I met up with these two and their Momma for a quick session in the orchards last month, and even though the kids were not exactly in the mood for pictures we got some great ones!
Shot on film with Mamiya 645J and Portra 400, and Minolta Maxxum 7000 and Fuji Superia 400. Lab: Pro Photo Irvine I have said it many times before; the best part of my job is that I get to see old friends from years past and meet their families! Stephanie and I graduated from high school together and I was so excited to meet her husband and boys. I brought along my film camera (a Canon EF) and shot images on it as well, and I must say that I loved the results that I got with it. Many thanks to them for navigating through tall weeds and brush to get to the spots I had scouted before the session.
Film images were developed and scanned by The FIND Lab So excited that I get to share this wonderful little family on the blog today! Brittany and Marc will exchange vows in October at a beautiful little local winery. Happy First day of Spring and Happy Birthday to my baby sister! Aren't my niece and nephew quite a pair? We took a quick trip out to the Fresno County Blossom Trail a few weeks ago to get pictures in the almond orchards. I live thid time of year, my only wish is that the blossoms would last longer because they are a such a pretty backdrop this time of year.
A few weeks ago I met up with my cousin, my sister, and their kids for a quick session in the blossoms. I'm always excited to see the beginnings of Spring come to the San Joaquin Valley. With all the fruit and nut trees blooming my allergies are horrible, but the view is one of a kind. The only bad thing is that it only lasts a few weeks. We took advantage of the weather and fit in a mini-session to update the kids pictures. And since today is my cousin's birthday I thought I'd share Miss D on the blog. Happy Birthday Kristi!
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AuthorHi, I'm Melissa. I am a wife, mother, step-mother, Gigi (step-grandma) and a photographer. I started out as the family member always asked to bring my camera along and it has turned into my life dream. I just love being able to capture moments for others that they can always cherish.This is my little corner to share my sessions, projects, and a little piece of our daily life. Thanks for stopping by! Archives
July 2021
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