It’s tough to be a kid…

Just came across this incredibly charming series of photos taken by Lisa from Angela and Tyson’s recent Palos Verdes wedding. Enjoy!
xRebecca

Henri Cartier Bresson part 2

On the way to the MoMA from my hotel, I stumbled upon a park that has lived in its spot on E. 53rd Street since 1967, Paley Park. It had rained that morning and the sun was just beginning to come out again. I stopped to finish my coffee in the park before continuing on to the museum, something a little out of character for me these days as I’m always rushing somewhere or another. Something about Paley Park, though, was so inviting and so surprising, a little sanctuary in the middle of a bustling city. I struck up a conversation with the groundskeeper who gave me a little info about the history of the park and some of its more noteworthy visitors and patrons. Nice guy, great smile. It wasn’t until I was about to leave that I was inspired to take a few pictures to document that experience. Normally I would take a photograph of a person associated with a particular space to remember it. People tend to exhibit more character and aura than inanimate objects for me and I always call myself more of a portraitist. This time, it was totally the place, its longevity, its ‘old soul’, the ‘sun after rain’ lighting and its incredible design and symmetry that I am always so drawn to. I often take photos of inanimate objects, but rarely show them, sometimes never even look at them again. While I took these ‘portraits’ of this little moment in time and this incredible park and a few more grab shots on the way to the museum, before seeing Cartier Bresson’s exhibit, it was absolutely the Cartier Bresson exhibit that taught and reminded me to revisit and take pride in the simpler things.
xRebecca

Paley Park

A Moment In Time, Worldwide Photo Shoot

May 2nd, 2010. 8:00am.

from Laura:

Laura's daughter, Willa, watches her favorite 'doggy' shows on youtube with Dad on Sunday morning.

Willa engrossed in the 'doggy' shows.

From Juli:

Ocean view from Hermosa Beach

From Rebecca:

Power lines and palm trees in Palm Springs.

From one of our favorite clients and fellow photographer, Jen Pollack Bianco:

photo by Jen Pollack Bianco, Artist Paul Pletka painting in his home studio in Santa Fe, NM.

Did you participate in this past Sunday’s Worldwide Photo Shoot? Have you looked at the New York Times ‘LENS’ Blog to see what people all over the world were doing at 8am on Sunday? Check out the submissions here.

Real life. A family journey documented and shared on Time.com

I was so excited to get this link a few hours ago from my editor at Time Magazine.  Last year I had the incredible honor of documenting the story of a young father, Matt Hinerfeld, receiving a new kidney from his cousin, Alison Winter. The family profiled in the story is particularly close to my heart as Matt, and his wife, Ryan Larson are some of earliest and dearest friends in Los Angeles, and now, through marriage, cousins. (After my first date with my husband, Ryan said, “I think you just went out with Matt’s cousin,” adding “if you marry him, we’ll be related.” And alas, our kids now share the same last name. It really is a small world.)

Last winter, as I was taking pictures of Matt and Ryan leaving the hospital after the birth of their second child, Ryan mentioned for the first time that Matt needed a new kidney. I couldn’t believe my ears, she literally had a newborn in her arms as she said this. Several months later, after much effort, they had a donor lined up and I found myself frantically jumping through hoops with Cedars Sinai Hospital so I could photograph the surgery itself. The photographs are a result of the openness of Ryan, Matt, Alison and the doctors and staff at Cedars Sinai hospital. Thank you for letting me get so close and allowing me to document your incredible, uplifting journey.

The strength they exhibited as a family was nothing short of heroic. On a daily basis, I try to keep Matt’s bravery in mind and not sweat the small stuff. And I don’t think it could have happened without Ryan’s perseverance and grace. I watched in awe as she ran her business, guided and supported her husband through surgery and his recovery, all while taking beautiful care of their newborn and now five-year-old son as he struggled to transition to his new role as big brother while also coping with the knowledge that his daddy was sick. I couldn’t be happier that this experience is behind them, and I can say, without a doubt, they are all stronger for it.

Click here to see the audio slideshow (the moving interviews were done by my husband, and Matt’s cousin, Daniel Hinerfeld.)

Worldwide Photo Shoot!

Earlier this month, The New York Times ‘LENS’ blog invited their readers to participate in building what they are calling ‘A Timely Global Mosaic, Created by All of Us’. This ‘Timely Mosaic’ will be made up of thousands of image contributions from people across the globe of photographs simultaneously captured at exactly 15:00 hours (Coordinated Universal Time, formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time) on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010. For our fellow West coasters, that’s 8:00am. All image contributions will appear on the LENS blog in slideshow format so that all can see what this specific moment in time looks like in all different parts of the world.

To learn more about how to participate, click here.

I am going to be waking up in Palm Desert that morning after photographing a wedding the night before. Where will you be at 15:00 (U.T.C) on May 2nd? Laura, Juli and I plan to participate and will post our photos on our blog and facebook page for you to see. If you’d like to share your photos with us, please email them to the studio at mail@docuvitae.com with a brief description and we will feature our favorites on the Docuvitae blog.

Looking forward to seeing what you all have to share!
xRebecca

iPhone polaroids. A cool new App.

The New York Times has a relatively new blog called Lens that is worth a look if you enjoy good photography and keeping up with current affairs. A recent post shared a lighthearted story about New York Times staff photographer Todd Heisler’s experiment with a new Polaroid iPhone app on his recent trip to Russia.

The story resonated with me. I often run out of the house with my family, without a professional camera, and I end up taking photos of my daughter, husband or whatever unfolds in front of us, on my iPhone. But I don’t love the quality of the images created and up until now, I have not been intrigued by the many iPhone photo apps in existence, but after seeing Todd Heisler’s photos in Russia, I was inspired to shake things up, so to speak.

The app is called ShakeItPhoto. It turns any existing pictures in your iPhone ‘camera roll’ into a polaroid, sound included. ShakeItPhoto does deliver – your photos will have the ever familiar Polaroid color palette and the classic white border. And suddenly, you’ve made a little gem.

On a side note, shooting important family photos with a camera phone is something I often advise clients and family against. The files are too small (the quality really falls apart on any print above 4×6) and the lens is not great, so if this is your only means of documenting your kids, you may regret it later. However, if you are sans camera, and a great moment unfolds, go for it, it’s better to have a picture than no picture, no?

Click here to see the NYT blog post. May you also be inspired to make art this Easter weekend — on your phone!

Laura

Here are a few photos taken over the past few weeks of Willa, my daughter, on my iPhone.

Here are some photos I made after stumbling upon the Venice Penguin Swim Club New Year’s dive. It looked so exhilarating I almost considered trying it next year. Almost.

Docuvitae Journalism – James Cameron Supports Environmental Action with Avatar

Laura was stretching her journalism legs on Monday night at the 20th Century Fox Studios here in Los Angeles. The Natural Resources Defense Council hosted a special screening of clips from the new Oscar nominated James Cameron film, Avatar. Following the screening, Cameron was interviewed by Elvis Mitchell (host of KCRW’s The Treatment). Mitchell and Cameron focused their conversation on Avatar’s strong environmental message. For more information about the event, check out the Huffington Post’s article here with Laura’s photography included. Our favorite photograph from the event is below. Have you seen Avatar? Does the environmental message come through for you? Let us know what you think by clicking the ‘comment’ button below!

Avatar director James Cameron and his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, watch excerpts of Avatar at a screening to benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles on February 22, 2010. photo by Laura