Day 1: Busy as a bee.

Having just returned Wisconsin (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?3971-C-Withers-Media-Nice-weekend-for-a-white-wedding.) and being inspired by some fans to make this a daily journey, I decided to go ahead and get started sharing what I see through my lense and share a little bit about the people I meet and see.

My day started fairly early converting my living room into a studio to shoot baby portraits for 9 week old Zippy Martinez. The set up is fairly quick, my sliding glass door provides ample light for shallow DOF shots and I use some studio lighting if necessary. Zippy arrived on time and his gracious parents were prepared with multiple outfits. Zippy wanted no part of a photoshoot today, so we did what we could to get a quality set and made arrangements for future shoots over lunch. The Martinez’s are great clients who entrust all of their special occasion and important photography to me, so finding another date for them is not a big deal at all. They are first year baby package pre purchase customers, so they have the benefit of calling on me at their convenience.

After a delicious lunch and great conversation, I was on to my next shoot with Todd Johnson. Todd is an up and coming photographer in San Diego who had asked me to come along on a shoot with him to consult, help out, and work with his model who was a minor on her first shoot. We met at Windansea beach in La Jolla, California. A recent hurricane off the coast of Mexico resulted in a tide that was very high with 8-10ft. crashing waves.

Completely soaked after being hit by one of the said waves, upset because my mother dumped my camera bag into the sand trying escape said waves, and freezing from the ocean breeze as sunset neared, I pulled it all together and managed to get some shots of the young girl we had been working with.

After finishing up and sharing results with a pleased fellow photographer, the models mother, and the model, I decided to get a few shots of my mother while we were at one of Southern California’s most pristine locations. It’s easy to take it for granted when you are there 2 or 3 times a month, but it truly is amazing. Ruby, my mother, has had some pretty severe medical problems in the past but has just as much piss and vinegar as she ever did. Some folks believe I get a little bit of my “craziness” from her. A former painter, and interior decorator, Ruby has a very high standard of what she considers art. The problem is often her delivery. She reviewed the photos I took and said, “yeah, they’re okay”. Knowing how my Mom is, I took it as a compliment and look forward to the day I can meet her photographer.

It was late, I was tired, and still had more work to do. We stopped off at Little Caesar’s for some pepperoni goodness and made our way home.