Cristy

Keali'i

You know, what I love about taking pictures of kids and teens is that they give more freely of themselves. They are not as weary of a camera as most adults are and they are simply more willing to be themselves, tell stories, talk about their lives, and look the camera straight on no posing needed.

So when I post their pictures on my blog I always try to post at least one picture I know they will like. These first two shots are ones I love, the third is for his mother (moms always want a smiley shot) and the last is for Keali'i. He doesn't really like to smile for cameras and he loves his hat. Thanks for your patience Ke.

Sasha

Son of Hurrell

I did this photo for my brother Jason.

It's actually a tribute to one of my all time favorite photographers, the late George Hurrell, who created the standard for the Hollywood glamour portrait. You'd recognize his work if you saw it. He shot Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, James Cagney and all the big names of their day.

I don't think he ever photographed dogs, but if he did maybe it would have looked a little something like this. I think this pooch looks like he belongs on the MGM studio lot.

Happy Fourth

A Face So Lovable

What are the definable qualities that make a face so lovable?

I couldn't tell you, but I can tell you this sweet boy has them.

I just wanted to scoop him up and take him home with me.

The Girls

We had some darling friends come visit us. We felt their stay was entirely too short. My daughter cried when she found out they had left and she hadn't a chance to say goodbye to them.

Preston and Becky

This is my baby brother Preston, and his beautiful fiancee, Becky. We had a wonderful shoot yesterday. As I was looking through my lens, it was then that I saw him as the man he as become. It's so strange to think that this boy who not so long ago used to ask me to smell the arm pits of his shirts is now preparing to take a wife. He hasn't asked me to smell his shirts for maybe a year. Through these pictures I see how he's grown and what he's become and I think he's ready as he can be for the challenges of marriage. My best wishes to them!

Summer Sun II

Comments

To comment or not? That is the question I've been harassed about (mainly from my relations). I took off the comment feature some time ago but enabled it again recently. Sometimes it's just nice to be able to say something and it's always nice to hear it what other people have to say, especially when it's nice and if it isn't I should be able to delete it.

Summer Sun

This is one of my favorite places to take pictures. To the north of our house we have over a half of acre that is just wild. I call it our own natural "xeriscaping". The homeowner's association calls it "non-complaince".

My daughter just seems to be growing so quickly so I was grateful for a moment to be able to capture her before she changes again.

Baby Breyson

Breyson was born yesterday afternoon to two of the most fabulous people I know. He is joining the kind of family every child should be born into.

Welcome to this wonderful world Breyson!

The Love of a Parent

Sunday on the Court

My brother, Preston, on the court with my nieces and nephews. If you look closely you can see my nephew in the background sitting in the ivy watching.

This last shot is my dad, who is sixty four, with my brother Mike, who is forty-one. They played against my youngbuck newphews who are fourteen.

My dad and brother won two out of three...barely.

Eden

This is what I get for trying to get my niece to smile.

Baby

Star Trek Goupies and Wanna Be Stars

Okay let this be a lesson, when great opportunities come by, do not pass them up. A classmate of mine announced he was doing a Star Trek parody commercial and needed some extras. How could I not go? When would I get a chance to be in such a situation again? Probably never ever. All my grown up friends had real jobs, car pool, or volunteer work so I grabbed some of my younger friends and we headed down to the Tower theatre in Salt Lake for a day of shooting in the rain. The extras were a mingle of actors, sci fi fans, and friends of the production team. We had a fabulous time. The next day I was sore from laughing so hard.

An unknown extra (she was very nice).



This is my friend Ashlee.

And this is my friend Tink, short for Tinkerbell. Standing at a height of six feet two inches with red hair, it's a perfect name for her. I don't know how this dog fit into the picture. Hopefully he got paid.

I do not remember the director being this happy.

This is the producer, my friend Brady, dancing with some of the younger extras. I think he wore that ant headpiece during the entire shoot, he wasn't actually in the shoot though.

Haircut at Clark's Barbershop

Living Traditions

Our heritage tells the story not only of who we are but more importantly of our ancestors before us and the lives they lived. The Living Traditions Festival held in Salt Lake City every year is a three day event that strives to honor, promote, and share the diverse traditions of our community.

My family has a special love for the people of Polynesia. My husband, having lived in Hawaii for a number of years, is convinced that it is the home of the gods. I have to state for the record that I feel an amount of prejudice towards the Maori culture. That may not be politically correct to say, but it's true, it is by far my favorite of all the islands. It is not only their singing which blends with such harmonic purity, the details of the traditional longhouses, or the designs of their tribal tattoos that thrill me, but it is the Haka that captivates my soul. The Haka is a traditional war dance that is performed with intense chanting, chest beating, horrific facial gestures, and tongue flicking. The purpose of the dance was to to psychologically motivate the warriors and inflict fear in the hearts of their enemies. It is formidable to see. My son, after watching the men dance turned to me and said, "I want to learn how to do that". "How about baseball?" I asked in reply. "No thanks, just that". This is my nine year old who since he was two has been obsessed with knights and castles. Samurais, Alexander the Great, the Romans and the Aztecs have also been of great interest, but not cars or balls, which only goes to show that warriors recognize one another.

I love this shot not because it has any great qualities alone, but for the moment that it has captured. On stage are three generations of Maori males. And the youngest, who was maybe five, kept turning to the others to know what to do. I thought is was a beautiful example of what his life could be. Hopefully this boy will grow up knowing who he is with pride and respecting the traditions of his forefathers. As he matures, he will be surrounded by a community of strong men to which he can turn to and emulate. Shouldn't every young boy have such a life?

In a time of economic challenges, it seems to be so easy for the American public to categorize and dismiss the contributions and beauty of all those who have made America what it is today. This child will not be ignorant of these truths, but unfortunately many others will. That's why this festival and others like it are so important for our communities.