Cheers to Great Farmer Market Finds... | Long Beach Photographer

One of my favorite past times is to go to the Farmer's Market! 

 I have always loved to shop @ any and all farmer's markets! You may think they are all the same, but I love them all for their uniqueness! Some of my all time favorites are in Santa Barbara and Long Beach! 

Long Beach has multiple markets on multiple days; you probably could go to one a day! This Friday I went to the downtown one! It has always been a huge fav of mine because of the crazy, unique cheap finds!!!! I know I can always find eclectic jewelry, handmade scarfs, big sun hats, cheap sunglasses plus the usual organic eats!!!! Sure you can find flowers just like most markets, but this one has the BEST deals!!!! One of my favorite reasons to go is to spend time with friends and cheers to our great finds for the day!!!! 

Cheers!!!!

Puppy for sale- $50- really- I wanted to buy him so bad...I didn't, so if you want him- contact me I'll give you the number! Mika and her $4 rosemary plant... Orchids for $8 Happy Oranges!!!

Free Engagement Session- "Are you Lucky in Love?"

Sisterly Bond Between Cousins | Long Beach Lifestyle Photographer | KrashingMotions Photography

Well this was a 1st- my sister Karlee let me have my niece Aubree over for a 2 night slumber! My daughter Kruiz was so excited to see her! These 2 are just like sisters; they love, they fight, they make up! It's been a special week for Kruiz, 1st with her getting her ears pierced and now a 2 night stay over with her cousin! I look in awe @ them. My have they grown and the conversations they have between each other make my heart melt! One day these two are going to be teenagers and I can only foresee some real fun and real trouble! Yesterday we made cookies and they fell asleep in each others' arms watching a Barbie movie. Today we went to the park and they wore themselves out so much that Aubree fell asleep in the hallway on her way to see me. I'm not sure whats in store for tomorrow, but I can tell someone is starting to miss her mommy. Shortly after falling asleep she woke sobbing and there was little I could do to console her; I could see the "I need my mommy" look. Luckily her exhaustion calmed her down and put her back to a sweet slumber. Thanks Karlee & Scott for letting us have some time with our Sweet Aubree- we loved every moment!

My baby all grown up!!!! | Lifestyle Photographer | KrashingMotions

My Little Girl is growing up! I'm so proud of her; what a brave soul she is, not because she got her ears pierced but because this was ALL her decision!

I know lots of BABY girls get their ears done before they can even hold their head up & this may not seem so amazing to many moms, but to me it was a pinnacle point in my daughter's life; again she expressed independence!

She has asked, me on many occasions, when she could have her ears pierced; I told her when she was ready & I meant it! I didn't mean when she was old enough to date or when mommy was capable of letting go, I meant when SHE was ready.

Yesterday, my baby grew up! She was sitting having her breakfast as usual then she looked over to me and said "I think I'm ready to get my ears pierced.".

I said "really?".

She said "Yeah, I know it's going to hurt a little but they're just going to stick a needle in my ear and it's going to hurt. And then they're going to stick the needle in my other ear and it's going to hurt too. Then they're going to put earrings in and I'm going to be fine. The pain will go away. Oh and I want purple and pink earrings for my choice."

Shocked I was, my baby has grown up!

Of course it hurt, but I told her to take a deep breath. When we got back in the car she told me, "Mommy you were right! If I take adeep breath it helps me to stop crying & the pain is going away!"

Here she is showing off her bag!

Here are those amazing pink earrings! Purple will have to wait...

Looking @ her grown up ears dazzled with pink diamonds!

What little lady! My grown up almost 4 year old!

Bull Dog Beauty Contest | Long Beach Critter Photography | KrashingMotions

Today was the Annual Bull Dog Beauty Contest hosted by Justin Rudd!  What another exciting display!  I can't believe how many people, dogs and photographers there were!  I have volunteered for Justin a few times, contributing my photos to his events. This time I was astonished by the amount of photographers that showed; this event brings so much positive attention- I love it!  My family & I of course truly loved all those adorable faces of every "bull" species- boston, terriers, English, French, pugs, etc!  I'm quite taken by the bostons and the pugs- their smushed little noses and big round eyes just take you in!!!!  I am begging my hubby to allow me to adopt this one special pug "Magnum"!  He was the sweetest thing that has gone through so much- I love rescue dogs; they appeal to me!  You can visit the LBPost to see Ryan's story of the contest!

There were so many beautiful dogs- I couldn't post every individual pic, so I put them into a slideshow... please enjoy!

The New Nuvula

I was fortunate enough to shoot the Fall Nuvula line a few days ago. You are the first to view some of the fashions available this upcoming fall! Rebecca (the designer) has a unique, fresh style! Her line is eclectic, romantic and fun! Keep an eye out for her and be the first to grab some of this collection; it's going to go fast!

Belly Envy | Pregnancy Boudoir Photography | Long Beach Boudoir Photographer

I'm so thrilled I was able to shoot an old H.S friend of mine; she's over 8 months pregnant and ready to pop soon! Cathy I'm so happy to have found you on facebook because this shoot was a blast! 

I don't know what it is, but pregnancy shoots are one of my favorite! Maybe it's because they're not as prevalent as all the other sessions; maybe it's because I absolutely LOVED being pregnant,; maybe it's because I know I'll never be pregnant again. Whatever it is I cherish these shoots and I'm always so thankful that you ladies entrust me with such a special moment! More to see on my Intimates blog...

Wow @ What Age?.... | Boudoir Photography | KrashingMotions Photography

Well what can I say? This woman ROCKS! She is fabulous @ "?" Whatever age you may think she is she's probably not! Twenty year old girls rarely have this body! To find out how much more Eva rocks check out my Intimate's page...

My Top 8 of 2008

Ok so I said I would post things that I love or recommend.... many of my recommendations come from friends- especially Charla Here are my top 8 of 2008 carried over... (many are related to photography, gadgets, shopping, etc)

1. flickr for $25 you can have unlimited photos hosted/back-up via the web. If you are an aspiring, amateur, pro photographer this is especially nice because you get great advice and much support...plus a place to network
2. flock is a free browser that does so much more- it links almost all of your media, facebook, flickr, myspace, twitter accounts to a sidebar where you can view everything going on all at once- (an absolute time saver for media addicts)!
3. cool iris another free- I guess browser addition that lets you view photos and much more with an amazing quick, futuristic, artistic view. Described as able to "Transform your browser into a lightning fast, cinematic way to discover the Web"- seriously check it out- it is awesome especially for displaying your portfolio of work to clients! I also like to se for shopping on amazon- it saves me so much time!
4. etsy a very cool, artistic online company that sells homemade stuff- all kinds of stuff! Everything is artistic, unique and well made. Much of the "stuff" is one-of-a kind! I keep saying "stuff" because you can buy almost anything there! I even have a couple of paintings on there...hint, hint.... just kidding- actually I do; I'm not mentioning it because of my merch- but because it's such a great site with eclectic "stuff"!
5. MOO a phenomenal place for anyone to order unique, 'green' business cards, postcards, stickers,etc- check them out- I love them! I get my business cards there and I opt for the recycled ones; their printing is amazing. They are located ot of London so shipping takes a bit longer, but well worth the wait!
6. PhotoWorks a great place to sell personal product- ie. calenders, mugs, shirts, prints, etc. If you arent interested in selling, no worries you can produce your own items for yourself!
7. Picnik is excellent for creating fabulous images with pazazz! If you want to beef up your photos and can't afford the more expensive software- this company has free software and upgraded software to make artistic edits and collages for only $25 per year! It's so easy to use and create one of a kind pieces of work! There is one downfall- not good for pros who need to mass produce; it's an online software and consumes a lot of time due to the drag of the server.
8. blurb excellent for photogs who want to publish there work and sell beautiful coffee style books for small profit. Anyone can create an account do the same or you can use this sight to create gorgeous, personal, professional memory books.

Hope you all enjoy my 2008 Fav's!