cole carter

A few weeks ago, I posted a picture to Instagram of the first set of photos that I was mailing out from a newborn session.  My cousin's good friend, Blair, saw the photo and reached out to see if I could do her newborn pictures.  She was due in less than a week.  Of course I would love to document such a precious time for such a dear friend.

Blair and I met a few years ago. We were both going to be bridesmaids in my cousin's wedding and knew of each other but had not yet met. A month or so before the wedding, I was working at Simmzy's {aka delicious} and in walks a blonde asking for quarters. I look at her and say "Blair?" She looks at me and says "OMG, Erin?" We squealed and hugged and our friends and co-workers looked on in confusion, "Wait, you two have never met?"  Clearly we were meant to know each other.

For Cole's newborn session, we spent a sunny Sunday in their beautiful home full of dreamy light.  Blair and her husband Amir are such a warm and loving couple who know how to enjoy life, and Cole is a very lucky little man to join such a wonderful family.

Introducing Cole Carter, at five days old.  Handsome little heart-breaker.

oh hey, ojai.

Ojai. It’s a little slice of heaven. Before moving to LA, I had only heard about Ojai on Brothers & Sisters. Remember that show? Rob Lowe, Sally Field. I don’t know why I love it, but I do. I love Ojai even more.

Nestled in the hills just inland from Santa Barbara and only two hours, give or take, from LA, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is a breath of fresh air. Literally. People ask us what we do up there, and I just can’t explain it. The weather, the food, the pool, the light, everything always seems perfect.  We spent a New Years there, we got engaged there, escaped for a mini-moon immediately following our wedding. It holds a very special place in our hearts. We finally got to return with the kids, and somehow it was even more amazing.

Kenzie was particularly enamored with Casper and Annie, the resident Australian Cockatoo and African Grey Parrot and can’t stop talking about them. Much like how Annie can’t stop talking. Hopefully we get back again soon.

grandma candy

No, not special candy for grandmas. Grandma Candy.  The baker of cinnamon rolls.  The mender of clothing.  Give her a sewing machine, and she can stitch up just about anything so fast that sometimes the sewing machine catches on fire.  Seriously. She came to visit in September shortly after I finally opened up my new camera and took my first family session without it. A little less terrified and a lot more determined to get to know my Canon 5D, I kept it on the kitchen counter while she was in town, and this is what happened – magical creamy deliciousness.  And I’m not just talking about her cinnamon rolls.

i can do hard things.

So this is it. In July I finally bought the camera I had dreamed of for nearly a decade. The box arrived quickly but sat unopened for over a month. I was scared. What if I don’t use it enough to make it worth the cost? What if I take ugly pictures? I’m so out of practice with manual cameras, where do I start? I can still return it, right?

Thanks to the unwavering support of family and friends, in particular one friend who insisted that I get started by doing a family portrait session with her husband and kiddos over Labor Day weekend. I was completely terrified. How do I take natural, beautiful photos of this amazing family? The day of the shoot, I opened the box, dug out the camera and charged the battery. I can do this. I can do hard things.

Within minutes of charging the battery, I realize, with panic, that something is wrong. Very wrong. I can’t focus the camera on anything closer than 10′. I also realize that I’m beyond the 30-day return/exchange policy for defective equipment. With mounting terror, I wonder how I can explain to B&H Photo that why yes, I have had the box for weeks, but I didn’t open it because I was too scared and could they pretty please help me with my new and very expensive broken camera? Total panic. I can do hard things.

Thankfully it was just the 50mm lens I had bought three years ago in anticipation of buying the Canon 5D. But I had never used the lens, so now I was mad. And still panicking because I needed to get to the photo shoot. On my way out the door, another friend let me borrow her Nikon. I don’t use Nikons. Never have. I had no idea what I was doing, what file format I was shooting, nothing. But I had a family excited to romp around the park and the beach, so I had to get out there and just hoped the camera was set on automatic. I can do hard things.

At 3pm, the day was still too hot, the sun was way too bright, the kids were hungry, so was the husband, but you know what? I got out there, I got some snaps, and after weeks of studying Lightroom, I now had something to edit. It all starts somewhere, right?

I can do hard things.