little miss. audra

Every time I visit Miss. Audra she gets more and more cute! I'm telling you ... it's so fun! I got to play in the backyard with Audra recently and then it was getting a little close to dinner time so we went inside and she got a little snack ... she really really wanted that artichoke!!

nicole and wesley

Yesterday's wedding was so so so much fun! Parting until midnight ... Nicole and Wesley had such a beautiful event. At their families winery in Apple Hill, the evening was a perfect summer evening.

Here a are few images from the day ... more to come in a slideshow ...

OK .... soooooo I have to share something so sweet it makes me cry ... I cry at EVERYTHING ... really, but this touched my heart right to the core.

This evening, Mason, the same little boy who said (very loudly ... I might add) while waiting in line at Nordstrom ... and I quote "You are a bad mommy" , told me as I was tucking him in to bed ... "Mommy, you are so preeeetty" ... OH MY GOSH ... I'm in love!!!

I hope I remember that moment for the rest of my life ... it was just so cute to hear him say that with his cute little smile ...

photos like the dentist

OK ... Sooooo, I don't love the dentist ... I have a great one ... but I don't like going ... AND ... I don't like getting my picture taken ...which is kinda funny being as my passion is taking photographs ... it is rare that I'm in a photograph without my tongue sticking out or a funny face ... I just like being goofy and then when the camera is in front of me ... well ... it just brings out goofy ... you know???!

This past weekend I did a fashion shoot for Quite Contrary and Georgina ... who is near and dear to me grabbed some photos while I was working ...which I was actually thankful for ... but it was still painful!!! Enjoy! I'll post some of my images shortly.

moms workshop announcement

Hot dog! It's finally here! I'm so super excited about this! Many of you have asked both photographers and moms if I was going to do a workshop and I kept saying that its in the works ... well my friends ... it's here!!! This first workshop is designed specifically for moms ... not professional photographers ... the photographers workshop will be announced shortly ... I promise!!!

So .... are you ready .....

The moms photography workshop is Saturday, September 27th. Registration is $99 which will include your lunch. Please email me at penny@pennysylvia.com to register and get more information.

summer sanders

Finally! The new issue of Kidaround is out and I can blog about my wonderful trip to Manhattan Beach to photograph Summer Sanders ... who, by the way, is super sweet...which I'm sure if you've met her before is no surprise.

One of the reasons I was excited to photograph Summer was because she is from Sacramento and we are around the same age ... so my best friend from high school, Jenny, who swam competitivly in high school knew who she was ... so Jenny thought it was pretty cool that I got to meet her ;-) as did I! Also, Manhattan Beach rocks and I would move there in a heart beat ... the place just buzzes of wonderful beach life and I've never seen so many volley ball nets in my life on the beach!

Summer's dad was at the house and he was so so so nice and warm hearted ... he made me feel right at home ... he came down to the beach with us to help with the stoller ... we got a great photo of him on his cell phone and pulling the stroller in the sand, all the while with a burp cloth over his shoulder ... like every good grandpa! I love that photo!

Anyway, the trip was awesome and so was Summer! Who I have to say has the most fabulous arms ... when I'm at the gym I envision that one day, soon, I'll have those kick butt arms!!!

Thanks so much Summer!

vacation slowly ending...

It's the last night of our wonderful vacation at "Da Big House" and it has been so great! We really just hung out and had a nice time ... hence I haven't been blogging or really working this past week ... I promise once we return lots of fun updates are one their way.

Now, I'm off to watch a movie with the honey and enjoy the evening.

the present

There are many things that I love, big dogs, chocolate ice cream, warm jeans from the dryer, belly laughs, children's giggles and movie quotes ....

We recently took the kids to see Kong Fu Panda, which is a kick butt movie ... the animation, the colors ... oh my! It rocks! Mason was signing the song all the way to the theatre and home! Really great.... I bring this up because I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately and there was a quote that I really thought hit the nail on the head in so many ways for me ...

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift ... that is why they call it the present"

I LOVE THAT!

sexy

The other day I got to photograph Ms."A" for a hot mama shoot and it was so fun! Now, I can't share them all with you ... but this one ... I love it! I absolutely LOVE the 1940's and the nostalgia of black and white grainy film ... oh-la-la! This image grabs that for me ... many that we shot did ... I'm so excited to share the rest with Ms. "A"!

peep-a-boo Ana

Oh my! I had so much fun with my little friend Ana! She is too cute! Here are some of my favorites... I just love photographing her because she is so full of life! I love her smiles and when her mommy and daddy sing to her she dances so cute!!!

What a week!!

This past week I booked a wedding that I'm so excited about I can't stand it ... I love color and I've wanted to photograph a Chinese wedding for as long as I can remember! I'm photographing my first this coming October and I'm so excited! The bride is so wonderful. We hit it off instantly! She is so kind and beautiful ... I honestly have the most wonderful people in my life! Today she sent me this quote ...

A picture is the expression of an impression. If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it.

-Ernst Haas

I'm so honored to work with such wonderful people who love and value the art of photography.

I also got to goto Manhattan Beach and photograph the fabulous Summer Sanders! Summer is so sweet ... I felt like I was part of the gang while I was there. And her arms totally rock! I crave to have arms like Summers! Look for the next issue of Kidaround in July to catch some of the images.

And I got to meet a most wonderful family of three little girls this evening where the hugs were non stop! It was awesome! I love hugs! I honestly can't get enough of them! Thank you.

I suppose tonight I'm sorta in a personal paradise as I reflect on the week and think ... wow, when you really love what you do ... you are blessed. I work with the most wonderful people, and I get to do the most wonderful job ever ... because truly I don't work ... I enjoy life and I happen to get to feed my family with the art that I love .... how awesome it that?!!

Lunch at Manhattan beach

Relaxin' before a shoot!

Meet Max

Yesterday I got to hang out with Max and his family and we had a great time. Max has an awesome backyard with great furniture ... so we had fun putting Max in all kinds of chairs! My favorite was in the bedroom with him M! Max is such a happy baby ... instantly when I met him my heart was warmed by his sweet smile ... and lots and lots more sweet smiles that followed! He is such a sweetheart and his parents were super too!

back to school

Last Wednesday Isabel got to host the family to her back to school night and she was so excited! She was so nervous ... it was really cute. The Kindergarten class was giving a concert and she really had the jitters like I've never seen before ... so to take her mind off it a bit ... she got some lip gloss on ... sassy shoes and we went out front to do a mini shoot ... above is a collage ... I just love these! I threw the feet in because she just loves ... I mean loves those shoes and they do not look comfortable in the least and yet she wears them everywhere!!!

Haley and Jeff

Oh my ... I had such a good time hangin' with Haley and Jeff! They had a vision of incorporating local public murals in their engagement session and it was so fun! Sacramento is so colorful ... it was really great to capture that color and their love!

If you click on the image above you can see a slideshow from their engagement session!

I also had the honor of meeting Finn ... their most awesome cat and I'm in love ... I had to come home and tell my cat Harris I've been cheating because Finn was just too cool!

He, of coarse, got to get photographed too!

Hot Spring Nights

Oh my goodness! Let me just say it was so HOT Friday! Not only the weather ... but Torrey and Calli are so cute, fun and loving ... I had such a good time photographing them Friday ... while we were melting!

We started off grabbing a cocktail and then we were off to brave the heat. One of the highlights was as we were walking by the train tracks we heard the train, we were sorta joking about it and then there it was ... I nabbed a few as they smooched and the train passed ...... so romantic.

Click on the image about to view a slide show of my favorites from the evening .... Enjoy! I can't wait for the beautiful wedding in September!

Dante & Erin

Part two of Dante & Erin's engagement session ... I tell you ... these two are so super sweet! They totally entertained my ... oh, oh, let's stop here ... or hummmmm, where are those great doors I saw yesterday? They are so fun!

ice cream ... oh so yummy

Day with Thomas

This weekend was a blast! We took the kids to see Thomas the train and go for a ride ... it was so fun! I love surprising the kids ... so we didn't tell them what we were doing and when we pulled up to the event Mason was so excited! Soooo cool it brought tears to my eyes! Anyway, here are some images from the day.

drip ... drip ... drip

I've been crazy busy this last week, not only with engagement sessions and cutie pie session, but just life in general ... images to come soon ... I promise. I had to post this one of Ava ... I get to visit her every 3 months and I just love this one!

... she's sooooo telling me ... "that's a wrap!" ... I love it!

Today, though, was one of those days that just rocked! I haven't blogged in a while and so I thought that I would tonight to add to my list of good things today! I got so much accomplished and Tony did too! He installed my drip system for around the pool today and I am super excited! I'm heading to the nursery to plant shop tomorrow for sure!!! I've had my eye on several unique plants for some time now and I have a feeling like I'm going to go crazy! I love plants ... well, honestly, I love to go to places like Sea World or Disneyland where the plants are so well manicured and dream that one day I will have that in my backyard ... a girls gotta dream!

Anyway,

A while back I mentioned the great book The Go-Giver and the first law of stratospheric success which is the law of value "your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment" ... I bought another copy last week because I gave my copy to my good friend Barbara and I wanted to share the second law ... the law of compensation "Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them" ... how true that is. Not just in monetary income, i think that is a bit obvious ... but emotional income. I've really been thinking about that a lot lately ...

Oh yes, and one more cool thing for today ... today my brother Scott called me and told me he loved me and really appreciated me. I'm sure I've mentioned it before ... my brother is one of my very best friends ... we talk every day on the phone ... we alway say I love you ... but today it just made my whole day ... maybe even month that he called just to say I love you ... that was so cool!

Well, off to get the kids in bed and do a little reading....

Nice

....waiting for my client ...and its beautiful out!