hot/pink • the davenport-paysinger family • manhattan beach, ca

little ones, outdoors, we are family

Finally some real summer weather, & I got to enjoy it outdoors with Coleen & Vonzie! It was a gorgeous, SoCal Saturday, & a three-day holiday weekend. I haven’t had the pleasure of doing portraits for their family since Christmas two years ago, so this was a real treat, especially to see how their two girls, Reina & Maya have grown. What beauties! And such dynamic & distinct personalities. Coleen & I got to marveling at how daughters from the same two people could have such differing ways of approaching and processing the world. (I don’t know why I still find this so mind-boggling; after all, I didn’t think that my kids would just be clones of us or each other…did I?)

I’ve known Coleen & Vonzie for many years, having “grown up” in our teaching careers at the same school. It’s been so wonderful to stay in touch & share the trials & triumphs, tears & laughter about parenting. They are both very athletic & have careers in sports education; their students are so lucky to have had their guidance & care for many years. Reina has been channeling those genetic talents into dance, & Maya is going to be chasing her big sister & giving her a run for the money soon!

Despite the hot sun, this family turned on the charm & snuggling, & it was a great kick-off to their well-deserved summer vacation!

four of five • the uslander family

little ones, outdoors, studio, we are family

Another wonderful family I’ve met through Riviera PlaySchool…& another family on the move…Sandy & Bob are headed out of Los Angeles to points south for new adventures, but before they leave, we celebrated with some new headshots & family portraits! Their two gorgeous sons were at the session, rough-housing like loving brothers & lighting up the day with their big grins; but we missed having their daughter here too. Hopefully she’ll enjoy seeing her family together in these pictures–she was mentioned all through the shoot. I so enjoyed the inspired conversation we shared while clicking & in between set-ups; we talked about the real need & desire for all people to truly & deeply connect (with others & with ideas, through every type of vocation) & to create. Well, I feel very lucky, because I got to do both on this day with them.

pizza party • father’s day 2011 • redondo beach, ca

little ones, personal, we are family

Our friend Shannon is one of the most warm, funny, down-to-earth women I have ever known. I have been so lucky to spend time with her while we try to creatively keep our kids entertained during so many afternoons. She & her husband Chris invited us to celebrate Father’s Day with them at their gorgeous, sun-filled home. They hosted a gourmet pizza party, complete with DIY dough-rolling (& flour scattering) for the kids–as well as some impressive dough-tossing by Chris. The party was also graced by the presence of Chris’s sister, Angelyn, her husband Mark, & their adorable son Luke. And to end the evening, Shannon’s brother Chris made the most decadent popsicles (from a Bon Appetit recipe)–who knew a kids’ treat could be so rich & grown-up? Thank you to them all for the delicious dinner–& wonderful company!

non-traditional school pictures • riviera playschool • spring 2011

little ones, outdoors, preschool

My girls have been attending this amazing, unique preschool for the past couple years. I call it a “Paradise for Preschoolers,” because it encourages children to do all the things that most parents won’t allow at home: dig in the dirt, paint with their hands, splash around in the water, run barefoot through the mud–in short, get good & dirty experiencing the world around them. It’s not that I don’t allow my kids to get messy at home–it’s more that it stresses me out, because, you know, I’m the mom; I have an agenda, & that usually includes trying to return things to a tidy & clean state at some point today, or at least sometime this month.

Riviera PlaySchool‘s program is a combination of constructivist & humanist ideas; but most importantly for me, their curriculum includes a lot of work on communication & conflict resolution. They have a very good teacher-student ratio (1:4), which allows teachers to really spend a lot of time guiding kids through their struggles & frustrations. Let’s face it: Life is at least 50% difficult situations & emotions, right? We really need to help our children acquire & practice the skills that get them through that “shadow” half of living–not just teach them to obey, comply, & be nice. They will experience failure, heartbreak, & disagreements. They will witness cruelty, unfairness, & betrayal. How they respond to those things will determine their ability to succeed and be happy–which is what every parent prays for. Their ability to get through disappointment, confusion, & pain is going to be far more important than their grades or their test scores. I truly believe that–& I was a high school teacher for 11 years.

I love this school & its mission–& I have learned so much from the teachers &, as a result, improved my parenting. I feel so fortunate to have found this community for my kids & myself, & I love contributing to it in any way I can. This month, I did the student portraits, & in keeping with the spirit of PlaySchool, we kept things spontaneous & fun. I hung out & let the kids get to know me & my camera, & then one by one, we invited them to have their portraits taken. I also snapped lots of candids of them exploring their world & enjoying the PlaySchool environment–creating art, investigating bugs, communing with friends. Traditional school portraits are always so stiff & rarely show children genuinely smiling, so I hoped to create something different–lively portraits with kids authentically relaxed & being themselves–making funny faces, studying the camera contemplatively, expressing their personalities. It was a joy to get to know them all through my lens!