One Camera. One Lens. One Photo a Day.

The tree…

In the late afternoon light, the tree glows in our home.  The blue light in the background is the light coming through the window.

A late afternoon playdate with the gang…

Despite the chilly weather, Nicki and Jodi and Katie all got the kids together to play before the sun set.

They were at a park we call Marlee Park because it’s a nearby park that Kate has played with her good buddy Marlee since she was tiny.  The park where she learned to swing on the swing, hang from the  bars and go down a slide.  It all happened here.

Air Hockey at the movies…

While waiting for the movie Tangled to start, Kate and her buddy Marlee (out of camera) played a mean game of Air Hockey.

This was an afternoon with the Dads as Marlee and her Dad Jeff joined us for the movie.

At first I was a bit hesitant seeing the movie in 3D.  Boy was I wrong to be hesitant.

What an amazing experience — beautifully executed and the 3D was perfect — and the movie was funny and tender…It reminded me a bit of the feeling of  ”Up” and now I wish I had seen that in 3D.

I used to think it was kind of a gimmick.  And perhaps for some movies it is, but while I was sitting there watching it, I couldn’t help but think that I had witnessed a bit of a watershed event (though some would say that happened with Avatar) but I really think that 3D will eventually be how we view many if not most of our movies in the future.  And because of the size of the screen, the experience — and of course the popcorn — it may help keep theaters viable for quite a while.

And Kate loved the story.  As I was watching it I couldn’t help but think of my Mom who back in 1939 sat in a movie theater in Philadelphia and watched “The Wizard of Oz”.  Disappointed that the first part of the movie was in b & w, she went up to the usher and wanted her money back because the movie wasn’t in color.  The usher chuckled and sent her back to her seat, telling her to be patient, the color was coming up.

And of course, the color on that movie was simply profound and perhaps just as astounding at that time as the 3D productions such as Avatar and Tangled.

Despite the technology the story is still at the heart of the movie and the characters and that has been true since 1939 and true today.  Making that technology as seamless as possible for the viewer to experience  – to simply be in the moment of the movie, is still the key.

Decorations on the tree…

It was a crazy day and yet somehow we were able to get things done while still getting the tree up and decorated this afternoon.

Last year he was pretty much a sleeping beauty during the holidays, so this year he’s beginning to get a handle on what it means.

He was very helpful as he and Kate hung ornaments (well he didn’t really hang things, he kind of just layed things on branches…hey, he meant well!)

Manhattan Beach Pier after sunset…

This afternoon Nicki and I took the kids up to our old haunts of Manhattan Beach to photograph our dear friends Diane and Steve and their kids and the grandkids, too!

Their daughter Jade is now a freshman in college up in Santa Barbara — we were marveling at how much she has grown since we first moved to Manhattan Beach in 2003 and rented a two bedroom apartment from Diane.  We used to hear her play the piano through the window and it always made Nicki and I feel very good because we both studied piano when we were that age.

Sean and Jessica brought their little ones — the year old twins — and they did quite well considering it was a bit chilly and a bit windy down by the pier.  It was busy down there — we weren’t the only ones doing family portraits for the holidays — though everyone seemed to get what they needed.

I hadn’t seen Sean and Jessica for a couple of years (at brother Steve’s wedding) and it was great to see them.  I photographed their wedding up in Carmel in 2007 and great to see them healthy, happy and just glowing as parents.

It’s great to be able to see them and share my photography with them.  They have been such a wonderful part of our lives and we’re always glad to see them and catch up — since we’ve been down here it’s just not enough.

Thanksgiving…

I’m thankful for being able to witness the joy of this little guy, being pushed by his big sister, while we were at Jeff & Nicole’s for Thanksgiving dinner.

Dear Santa…

It’s about that time and this year is a year that Kate has been super excited about the upcoming holiday.

It’s not like she didn’t get excited about it last year, but maybe because we had the new baby around, it wasn’t at the forefront like it seems to be this year.

Now she watches television, sees an ad, and chimes in:  ”I want that Mommy”.

It was probably just like that when we were kids, I’m certain.  Though we had less stuff coming at us most likely — less channels, less messages.

This morning Kate sat down with Nicki and she wrote out her list to Santa:

Cashed out…

This is what happens when you don’t nap.

You fall asleep in your high chair and go right to bed, no stopping for a bath.

Arriving for sleep-over…

Kate could not wait to get to Eva’s house for her sleep-over tonight.  We decided to take a family jaunt up to their house to send her off.

Latest reports:  they were up late and having a fantastic time watching movies, playing games (within minutes they were both in princess dresses, we’re told).

Leaves and Back light…

The storm broke and the sun came out and the day ended beautifully.