San Francisco Family Photography Session: Melissa + Hai

       The holidays are a wonderful time, and for us, it means being able to spend time with our families. Not only that, as photographers, we get to see our client's families again who we haven't seen for a whole year. Last Sunday, we got to hang out with Melissa + Hai, for a "Hai is growing up so fast" photo session :) Hai's spunky side has definitely bloomed since our previous meeting. Melissa says it probably has something to do with being in kindergarten.

       The last session we did with this adorable duo got featured on Off Beat Mama - check it out for one of our fav photos of Hai practicing his lion's roar. What a coincidence it was that we were able to find a lion statute for him to sit on in Golden Gate Park and reprise his role, from The Lion King, as Simba. Hai loves the story and, by the way, gives Julie Taymor's Broadway production rave reviews.

Big smooch! © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Family Photography in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
 

Purrrr....purrr  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Family Photography in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

By the big palm trees. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Family Photography in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Soooo adorable. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Family Photography in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Hai and the magnolia flower. Magnolias are one of the oldest flowering trees in existence. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Family Photography in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Pure happiness!! © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Family Photography in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

       It's photo sessions like these that make us appreciate being photographers, and thankful for the chance to meet all the beautiful families - like this one - that enrich our lives.

       We hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving, and are able to spend some good time with the ones you love.

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam

Monday: Finding Focus

       Remember being a kid and waking up real early, when the whole house was still asleep, and racing to catch the start of the morning cartoons?  Shouldn't every day begin with such child-like enthusiasm?  Sometimes, when we feel like slugs, we find it just takes a moment to stop and reflect on what's really important to bring the week into focus.  Each Monday, we thought we'd share a quote or an idea that inspires us, and that hopefully resonates with you as well.  Today, we feel propelled by love.

       "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."  - Maya Angelou      

       When we were in Kaua'i, we met up with Kore and Matt, who were there to celebrate their honeymoon... and yet still wanted to spend the day with us.  To use another childhood analogy, it felt like lining up on the soccer field at recess and getting picked FIRST to be on the team.  We felt honored to see them. 

       When we asked Kore and Matt about their honeymoon, they talked about the beautiful, secluded beaches they visited in Molokai.  But the story that stuck with us most, was how they spent their mornings together.  This is a couple who knows how to connect and find their focus, every single day.  Each morning, Kore would lead Matt in his very own yoga class.  How sweet is that?  Talk about two people who love each other!  They exemplify Maya Angelou's words perfectly, demonstrating the magnetic, energizing power of love.

       After hearing about these yoga sessions, we just had to ask Kore if she would teach us as well.  That's how we got our own custom yoga session on the beach with these two love birds.

Private yoga lesson on Poipu Beach with Kore + Matt. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Travel Photography, Kauai, Hawaii.

Warrior one! © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Travel Photography, Kauai, Hawaii.

The honeymooners! © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Travel Photography, Kauai, Hawaii.

Post yoga class, relaxing on the beach. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Travel Photography, Kauai, Hawaii.

       Who's down for taking some yoga classes with us this winter?  Give a holler.  Also, check back here every Monday morning, for a little inspiration and beauty to energize your week.

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam

The Aloha Spirit, and Living a Broad Margin

       In Walden, Henry David Thoreau confessed: "I love a broad margin to my life."  What an appealing sentiment, not only in the visual respect, but also as a sensible design philosophy for whole-hearted living.*  What it means to make room for a wide margin, invites digressive, unhurried daydreaming.

My straw hat hangs in a tree overlooking the ocean. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Straw hat, Kauai, Hawaii

       Spanish culture embodies one of my favorite expressions of the concept.  When Ariel and I lived in Andalucia, the margins were many.  We took siestas in the sizzle of the day, and later, took casual strolls at midnight, stopping at cafes to sip tinto de verano (literally, tint of summer).  While this schedule required a bit of getting used to, with practice, each day grew fatter and sweeter with the ritual.  Most of the modern world shuns this type of laziness, but when studies show that a short nap can increase cognitive function, memory retention, and mental resilience, on balance, those busy-bodies may have got it all wrong.

       Yet, as small business owners (here in America, where taking naps is for cats) the temptation to work is relentless.  The fact that we enjoy our work, and don't stop until we see our reflection in the high polish we insist upon, makes it even harder to find an excuse, and the time, to stop and take a breather.  Our weekends are booked with photography sessions, and our weekdays are spent editing and attending to the endless have-tos of keeping a business running.  We joke that we clock in after brushing our teeth in the morning, and clock out after flossing at night.  It's what we call, "good business hygiene."  Of course, anything worth doing, must be done all out, and we feel blessed to have a business where we are able to do three things: (1) work together, (2) enrich the lives of others through art, and (3) give back to our community.

       Through the miracle that is California, we can eat locally grown strawberries in early April and juicy watermelon through late October.  Our wedding season parallels the almanac of our sunny state's long, abundant growing season.  Spring through fall are the busiest seasons.  Although we have weddings here and there in the winter (and do plenty of other photo sessions besides), this is our season to rest.

This monk seal is just waking up for a short scratch before another nap.  A privilege to document, monk seals are on the endangered species list.  This one happens to sport a nice coat of green algae -- it's not easy being green.  I photographed the seal in Poipu, Kauai.  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Monk Seal, Kauai, Hawaii.

       Just as the earth needs time to lie fallow before bearing new crops, just as a note is heard more clearly after a rest, just as animals and even insects require sleep and rest (even if only sleeping with half their brains at a time like dolphins so), so we too need to rest well to work well.  Artists find inspiration in rest.  A blank canvas is a pillow to dream on.

Ariel holds a lei she is about to give me. © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Kauai, Hawaii.

       Sensing that it was a good time to take a trip (no more local watermelon), we made the short hop to Kauai'i (with plump papayas hugging the trees like pink pandas!).  This green island is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Hawaii.  Talking of the cyclical nature of rest and work, the isles themselves are the product of long periods of work and rest.  The Hawaiian hot spot pushed magma up, forming land, and as the tectonic plate shifted, new land masses formed between oceanic gaps, creating islands.

       Ariel and I are island people.  Tropical sea breezes are in our blood.  My mom grew up in the back of the only grocery store located in a small village in Taiwan, where the townsfolk would come to take phone calls and even get their disputes judged and decided by my highly-respected grandfather.  Ariel's grandparents grew up in Puerto Rico, and owned a coffee farm.  Little surprise that Ariel's dad constantly touts the virtues of coffee, and even when she was a toddler, nudged her to sip from his mug, drinking the black mixed "like candy."**  While some people may feel stir-crazy on islands, we love them for the chance, at every turn, to look out and rest our eyes on the great expanse of the sea.

After a run and a swim, Ariel decorates me with an orchid lei.  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Orchid lei, Kauaii, Hawaii

       Hawaiians understand what it is to live with a wide margin.  It's in their vowel-spacious vocabulary.  Take, "Aloha."  You've heard it a hundred times, but do you know what it really means?  Don't grab for the dictionary, because translations fail.  Everything you hear about Hawaii (think: hula girls, surfing dudes, and cocktails served in coconuts) sounds cliche, until you actually arrive.  Suddenly, wearing a loud, floral-designed Hawaiian shirt feels as good and natural as letting out a long sigh.  The Aloha spirit is not a travel ad campaign, but is a part of the culture.  It's saying "I love you" to the clerk at the supermarket as you count out your change.  "Aloha!"  An invocation of the divine.  Using this word zooms you through the fast track version of spiritual liberation and interconnectedness, and you come out as if you've lived through the 60s, joined a naked hippie commune, and owned a VW bus - and still have a nice tan to show for all of it.

       I'll admit, we did bring the laptop and spent a week… working.  But can you really call it "work," when you get to sit outside on the patio, drink endless papaya smoothies, and watch the sun paint a new masterpiece on the horizon, in purples, pinks, and oranges, at dusk every night?  The important thing is we also had a lot of time for no responsibilities, just bring a towel, kind of fun.  We'll post some sun-soaked photos in our blog in the weeks to come (featuring, among other things, a dramatic waterfall, an ode to tropical fruit, and a catalog of cute animals.)  Now that we are back to work, we are just excited to look back and rest our eyes on the images taken on our vacation, and remember the joy and fruitfulness from taking a darn break from time to time.  We hope that as you read along, you too feel encouraged to take some time off for yourself, and, allow a few pages of your life to be written with a wide, wonderful margin.

"Aloha!" © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Travel Photography Kauai, Hawaii.

       How do you keep a broad margin to your day? Feel free to comment and let's start a conversation!

Aloha,

Sam (and Ariel)

*Not to mention, as a lawyer, who appreciates room in the margin for footnotes and gloss that make a text more comprehensive.

** Stay tuned for photos we took of wild coffee plants growing under the jungle shade and in the high altitude of the Na-palis.

San Francisco Maternity Photography Session: Lex + Grant

       Natives to the Bay Area, Lex and Grant appreciated the fog that swept in from the S.F. Bay for their maternity photography session.  It brought a beautiful closeness and quietness to these photographs commemorating the couple's first passage into parenthood.  We walked along the beach at Crissy Field with them, the inevitable future location of innumerable picnics and birthday parties, and stopped at the pier to take photos: a wonderful scene with the boardwalk extending out into the horizon, a symbol of their future together.  We can't wait for little Catherine Leigh to grow up and see these photos of herself still in her kangaroo pouch, and her parents, who, from their adoring expressions, are obviously head over heels in love with her.

Expectant parents at the pier.  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Maternity Photography at Crissy Field, San Francisco.

A mother's love.  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Maternity Photography at Crissy Field, San Francisco.

Her parent's hands.  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Maternity Photography at Crissy Field, San Francisco.

Almost ready to pop! © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Maternity Photography at Crissy Field, San Francisco.

Adorable!  © Bowerbird Photography 2012; Maternity Photography at Crissy Field, San Francisco.

       We're so happy to have documented this most wonderful of beginnings for this family.  A new chapter of history (the illustrated edition) starts here.

xoxo,

Sam + Ariel

Darling Wedding Directors

       Behind almost every great wedding, party, and celebration are the fabulous people that keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.  These amazing individuals are variously called wedding/event planners, coordinators, or stylists and we are so lucky to have made friends with some of the best.  At a recent wedding in Mill Valley, we worked alongside Alex Barranco and Suzanne Schwind, who, with the type of cheerful service we love, were always there to meet everyone's needs.  Before the guests arrived at the reception, they made sure the flowers were in place and the decorations strung; as people started to mingle, they ensured that everyone had a glass in their hand and the wine was flowing; when the lights went down and the music pumped up, they brought out glow sticks on silver platters.  We highly recommend having a wedding planner at your wedding, even if it's just for day-of coordination.  Leave the last minute details to the pros so you can relax and have a blast at your wedding!

Wonderful wedding coordinators! Image © Bowerbird Photography, 2012

xoxo,

Ariel + Sam