Wedding in Cape Cod

After leaving Maine we headed back to Massachusetts and onto Cape Cod for Luke's brother's wedding. It was held in Pocasset at Wings Neck Lighthouse. I didn't take that many photos on this trip as a whole because I was more focused on vlogging. I'll share those videos here once I have them edited! I loved Cape Cod and can't wait to go back. We stayed in an Edwardian house on Buzzards Bay which was gorgeous. I took in all the fresh air and greenery I could before going to back to LA. Photo of us by Kelly Cronin.

Adventures on Peaks Island, Maine

My pals Bethany and Dan (who are fantastic wedding photographers and generally epic and adventurous human beings) live in Maine and we spent a few days of our trip hanging out and exploring with them (and their pup Hattie). We took a ferry out to Peaks Island and rented a golf cart to check things out. It's charming as all get out and we explored the abandoned WWII fort with its underground tunnel that has basically become an art installation claimed by graffiti artists. I could have easily spent a week on Peaks just relaxing and kayaking but we only had a few hours before we had to catch the ferry back to the mainland. I'm always excited to get back to Maine to explore more islands and to enjoy the phenomenal scenery and the friendly folks.

Rainy Day in Boston Harbor

Here's my first batch of images from my recent trip to New England. On our first full day in Boston we went on a morning cruise through Boston Harbor. As you can see, the weather was pretty miserable. I wasn't able to get those beautiful shots from the top deck like I'd hoped. Instead I got these moody, quiet images from below deck. We nearly had the ship to ourselves. I could barely see most of the tour highlights because there was so much fog so I shot inside instead. There are more posts coming with pictures from Maine and Cape Cod. So stay tuned!

My Images and Reflections on the Women's March: LA

Yesterday I participated in the Women's March in Los Angeles. It was a beautiful, uplifting, and wholly positive experience. There were 750,000 attendees (far more than anyone anticipated) and not a single arrest. I've never experienced a friendlier version of this city. When people needed to get past me they said, "Excuse me." and "Thank you!". That's not exactly the norm in LA.
I began the day meeting up with friends at the rally in Pasadena. It was a remarkably family oriented event. At one point a few mothers had to sit down on the curb to breastfeed their babies and I saw nothing but pride on their faces. Not a word was muttered nor an eye brow raised over this. We planned to walk to the Metro station and take a train straight to Pershing Square where the march was to begin. However the trains were so packed that each one that arrived at our platform was stuffed like a sardine can. Two of our group managed to squeeze in before the doors closed but the rest of us had to get a car to take us as close to the march as possible. I've never been so delighted to see so much traffic in LA. EVERYONE was trying to get there. By the time we arrived the streets were spilling over the main route and there were shoulder-to-shoulder crowds as far as the eye could see. I was worried I wouldn't get any good shots because the crowd was so packed I couldn't maneuver much at all. Luckily things started to move more fluidly and I was able to move around enough to start photographing! 
The mood was determined, hopeful, wonderfully sassy, and remarkably friendly. It was overwhelming in every way. I laughed, I held back tears,  I talked to strangers, I felt united. I can only hope that we keep this spark alive. As one of the chants goes, "THIS is what democracy looks like." I've never been more proud of you, Los Angeles.

Portraits from the Renaissance Faire

Back in May I attended my first Renaissance Faire right outside Los Angeles. As a history buff, I'd always been curious about them. I wondered how people interpreted history and where and how they saw themselves within that context. It's a very interesting subculture that is made up of genuinely sweet and lovely people. The faire that's held here every year is a massive event that goes on for two months in the spring. I got such a kick out of walking around and seeing everyone in their costumes (period or not). There was an infectious enthusiasm that I found quite fun and refreshing. Not only did I want to go to see what these fairs are all about but I wanted to shoot portraits! Approaching strangers and asking to photograph them is still quite new to me. Fortunately I was met with kindness, patience, and curiosity by all of my subjects. Here are ten of my favorites! I'm already looking forward to returning next year.

Afternoon at The Getty Center

A few weeks ago we spent several hours walking around at The Getty Center. I wanted to see the latest photography exhibits: A Royal Passion: Queen Victoria and Photography and the Hiroshi Sugimoto exhibit. Both were excellent and they're on display until June so do check them out if you're in the area!   It was a windy and chilly (by LA spring time standards) day so there weren't too many people there. Always nice. I was happy to just wander around my camera. Here's what I saw.

Casting Shadows: Norton Simon Museum

As mentioned in my last post, here are the images I shot of the wonderful shadows being cast by some of the Hindu and Buddhist statues at the Norton Simon Museum. This small room is located on the bottom floor and has a huge window that looks out onto a beautiful statue in a garden grove. Due to the influx of natural light, the statues cast such incredible shadows from their pillars. I noticed this as soon as we walked in and became much more interested in photographing the shadows than anything else. In a way, it brought these deities to life more so than the statues themselves. Rather than seeing them stuck on their own individual pillars, isolated, their shadows mix and mingle and interact with each other.

Art and People: Norton Simon Museum

Today we swung by the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena to look at a few exhibits. The weather was pretty nice and we sat out in the garden for a little while between exhibit hopping. I also bought a Sunprint kit in the gift shop and am quite excited to take it for a spin. One of my favorite things to do in museums is to watch people experiencing the art. I'd been to the Norton Simon several times so I was already familiar with their permanent collection which meant I could spend more time people watching! There's something so quiet, reflective, and personal about photographing people while they're studying a painting (or just relaxing in front of one). Rather than disturb them I like to photograph them with their backs to me. It's interesting to see how posture and body language change depending on the piece of art. The way a person holds themselves in these moments tells me a lot about them and I'm fine to leave the rest a mystery. Stay tuned for a second post from the Norton Simon. I'll be showing some images of the shadows cast by Hindu statues!

Reaching back...

So, it's been awhile. I've been meaning to get back into my blog for a long time. This time around I simply intend to feature my own images which removes a lot of the pressure of creating perfect layouts of other people's work. I want to showcase more of my own photography here as I continue to rebuild my portfolio and website. That said, I wanted to give my neglected little blog a pretty flower and to let it know I still love it. 

Happy Easter, folks!

Happy Easter and Happy Spring to everyone! Enjoy a relaxing and (hopefully) sunny day with your favorite people. I'm off to find myself some chocolate...couldn't resist.


Instagram by Maureen Price