I know I said I was taking a vacation, but I just can’t stay away  Yesterday, one of my favorite photographers, Jose Villa, tweeted “Photographers: Don’t ever stop shooting for yourself”.  It is such a great reminder.  Once you stop shooting for yourself it takes all the fun out of photography.  I think this time of year a lot of professional photographers are in a rut.  Well, at least I know I am.  There has been months and months of endless work with no break and major holiday deadlines to contend with.  And on top of that I was trying to get everything ready for the holidays with my family and make it perfect.  It seems like this time of year I’m just over shooting.  I need a break!  But, it’s such a good reminder to keep shooting for yourself.  Some people shoot landscapes.  Other people shoot abandoned buildings.  I shoot this little guy.

Canon 5D, 50 1.2

f2.0, 1/200, ISO 320

I do my best to record the little things that I think I will never forget, but I’m sure over time I will.  Like the way he has to hold ALL of his Crayons while coloring.  And the way he bites his tongue when he concentrates really hard.  I don’t want to ever forget those things.  Brayden is my inspiration.  After he was born I feel that my photography went to a whole different level.  I don’t know what it is.  Maybe that I can connect to families and kids better.  Maybe that as a mom I want to record other people’s kids and their quirky traits that make them unique.  Maybe after he was born I began to see the world differently.  I’m not sure.  Whatever it is I know that he helps me keep my passion for photography alive.  What’s your inspiration?  What do you shoot for yourself? 

Now I’ll be finishing my vacation until January 4th.  Happy New Year!

PS  A few people have asked if the UNposing Guide is going to be going on sale for the holidays.  I didn’t even think of it!  So, sure.  You asked for it and here it is.  The UNposing Guide Happy New Year Sale!  Enter in “newyear” in the discount code to receive 20% discount through January 1st.  Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

Dear Mom*togs,

I hope you not only have a very merry holiday, but also enjoy your time with your family and your kids.  I know we all want to record every single moment of our kids during the holidays, but also remember to put down your camera for a few minutes and live in the moment and make memories with your family.  Pictures will fade over time, but those memories won’t.

Happy Holidays and thanks for making Mom*tog such a fun place to be!  I’ll see you in the New Year!

Drew

PS  Did you get a DSLR for Christmas?  Have no idea how to use it?  Email me your questions drew at drewbphotography dot com.  I’m working on a new guide to be released in February that will teach Mom*togs how to use their DSLR and how to get the most out of it!

  *  Please read through Mom*tog first and make sure that your question has not already been answered.  Please also note that your emails will not be responded to.  They will either be answered on Mom*tog or in the new Shooting Guide.

When I was in college I was a nanny to the most amazing family.  Garrett was around 2 1/2 when I started watching him.  I loved him so much and I loved his family too.  They were so generous and treated me just like I was a part of their family.  I loved that little boy.  We would go on the ferry down in Balboa, we’d walk around Fashion Island and get ice cream and take the puppies at the pet shop for walks.  We’d go and look at construction sites.  He was so smart.  He knew all the airplanes and construction equipment by name.  What’s crazy is that he’s now 12!  I unfortunately lost touch with them when I graduated from college.  

Now we have our own nanny.  Laura lived in our old neighborhood.  Just a few houses from us.  Her parents would always tell me about their daughter and how wonderful she was and how great she was with kids.  I was hesitant to leave Brayden with anyone but family.  But, I soon realized that I needed more help than our parents could give us.  She started coming over a couple of hours twice a week just so I could get a shower or get a little editing done.  She’s now been with us for close to a year and a half and B just loves her.  She’s so patient with him and loves to teach him new things.  She reminds me so much of myself when I watched Garrett.  You can just tell how much she really does love Brayden.

One day when I was walking Brayden by our park he picked up a dandelion and blew it.  I know I didn’t teach him how to do that!  Chuck said that Laura had.  I just thought it was so cool!  I wanted to get a few pictures of them playing with the dandelions and just hanging out together.  Brayden gave me exactly 3 minutes and 53 seconds before he had a breakdown, but I still think I got some great ones

Thank you for everything you do for our family, Laura!  B loves you and so do we!  

PS  Laura says she’s not photogenic.  I couldn’t disagree more!

We had a very positive and successful Santa experience last night.  It was the same Santa we’ve been visiting and actually the same Santa from last year.  B wasn’t sure at first, but once Chuck and I were dancing behind the camera he finally smiled.  I was so excited!  Not the best picture in the world (I wish his pants were pulled down), but I’m so darn excited that he smiled and actually sat on Santa’s lap!  All my hard work and visits to the mall paid off!

Dear Brayden,

I feel like I’m writing these letters way too often.  Time is literally flying by!  

This month you have really turned into a boy.  You are not a baby.  You are starting to speak in sentences, which is just crazy to me.  You’re learning new words every day.  Just today you said “heart” and “goat” for the first time and we haven’t even been working on them.  This past weekend you said “dog” and “cat”, which we’ve been working on for awhile.  Until now you’ve always just said the sounds.  You also said “shoes”.  I love how you say “hot” when you actually mean “bright”.  While you’re learning tons of new words you also still have a secret language, which I LOVE!  You say, “I love you, Mama” as “E O eyes, Mama!”.  It’s my favorite  

Your Daddy turned 30 and we practiced singing happy birthday a lot.  At the end of the song you pretend to blow out birthday candles.  When we finally sang to Daddy you helped him blow out his candles.  I can’t wait for your second birthday to see if you’ll do it on your own!

You still say “ha” instead of “yes” and everyone (including me) thinks it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard.

You are still obsessed with choo choo’s.  It’s all you talk about.  You wake up talking about them.  You go to sleep talking about them.  You think there is going to be a choo choo every new place we go.  We went to Irvine Park and got to ride the train all by ourselves.  It was so much fun!

You went to the snow for the first time.  Let’s just say you didn’t love it.  You learned the word “cold” very fast.  You liked to put the hood of your sweatshirt on and cover as much of your face as possible and say “Cold! Cold!”.  Every time you saw snow you would also say, “Cold!  Cold!”.  We tried to get you to play in the snow, but you cried the whole time.  The only time you laughed was when I hit someone with a snowball.  

You’re eating so much better, but you have to be able to dip whatever you’re eating.  Preferably into barbeque sauce or ranch.

You are obsessed with your Papa and Pop Pop and talk about them constantly.  Whenever there is someone at the door you think it is one of them.  Sorry Grandmas!

I’m just so proud of you, Brayden Bittel.  I’m proud of every teeny, tiny accomplishment you make.  If I’m this proud when you say “dog” or “heart”, how am I going to feel when you start preschool?  Graduate from Kindergarten?  Score your first goal?  Get your first A?  Graduate from high school?  Get accepted into UCLA?  No pressure!  :)  Graduate from college?  Get married?  I can’t even think about that one!  I just can’t imagine being any prouder of you than I am today, but I know we have so many more fun and exciting things ahead of us.  

The fact of the matter is, I will always be your number one fan.  Cheering you on if you’re the best at something or the worst at something.  As long as you are happy and having fun I will be there with you supporting you all the way.   

E o eyes, Brayden Bittel!

Love,

Mama

Remember how much I told you I love my Pixel Pocket Rocket?  And how much I love my Airstream rolling bag?  Well, the awesome people at Think Tank saw how many Mom*togs were visiting their site and asked me to become an affiliate.  What does that mean for you Mom*tog’s?  If you go to http://www.thinktankphoto.com/affiliate and enter the code AP-384 you will get a free gift with your purchase of over $50 or more!  And guess what one of the free gifts that you can choose is?  My very favorite Pixel Pocket Rocket!  How rad!  There are also several other cool bags to choose from as your free gift so be sure to check them out!  Who doesn’t love a free gift?

Happy Monday!

Dear Chuck,

Happy Birthday, old man!  When we met at 16 and 17, 30 sure seemed a long way away, didn’t it?  I would have never thought that at 30 we would be where we are.  You an optometrist.  Me a photographer.  A house.  A dog.  A crazy kid.  Just as in love as ever.  And you’re still my best friend.  Thank you for that.  For keeping your promise.

I am so, so, so unbelievably lucky to have you as my husband and Brayden is just as lucky to have you as his Dada.  You are such an amazing man.  So kind, intelligent, funny, patient, and selfless.  Thank you for being such a great Dad to B and for giving him such a good example to look up to.  

I don’t know how this next decade can ever top the last.  So many great things happened to us in our 20′s.  But, I’m excited to see what our 30′s (although I still have a whole year left of being a 20-something!) have in store for us.  As long as we’re together I know we’ll have a ton of fun, laugh a lot, and be as happy as ever!

143,

Drewbie (and Brayden and Hauggy!)

I have a love hate relationship with shooting newborns.  I hate them because they are so, so, so hard!  I love them because babies are so dang cute when they finally do fall asleep!  Here is what a lot of patience can get you:

Keys to getting these shots:

1)  Great light!  I shot these in my home office.  It has two big doors and gets amazing light.  It’s just a teeny tiny bit small.  I wish it were bigger so I could have shoots here all of the time!

2)  A HOT room.  A space heater placed not too far away and a heating pad was used to warm up the blanket in the top shot (put the blanket on the heating pad before shot was taken so it was warm and to avoid having to clone out the cord).  I placed the hammock in the dryer to warm it up before that shot.  Well, I also had to do that because he peed all over the hammock in attempt number one

3) A new baby.  I only shoot newborns in the first 10 days.  I’ve just had bad experiences after 10 days.  Liam was 8 days old in these shots.

4)  A very patient Mama and an even more patient photographer.  It pays to wait until the baby is really asleep.

By the way, this is my friend Jamie’s baby.  You’ll remember Jamie because I posted pictures of her baby shower here.  Liam was born on November 30th and was 8 lbs, 12 oz and 19.5 inches long!  BIG boy!  Congratulations, Jamie!  Liam is absolutely gorgeous and perfect and so much fun to photograph!  I hope he’s getting used to having a camera in his face because I will be there photographing all of his big moments for years to come!

I might be a little late posting this.  I got the email this morning that Borrow Lenses is having their annual used equipment sale, but I’ve been out shooting a cute newborn and haven’t had time to post  They  have some great equipment at great prices and I’ve told you all how I think buying used is great when you know where it’s coming from and how it’s been treated.  Check it out and see if you can buy yourself an early Christmas present!

I also got another email from Kelly this morning asking if I thought it was better to buy a new 50D or a used 5D from Borrow Lenses.  There are pros and cons to buying either of them.  I personally think the 5D is far superior camera to the 50D.  However, the new 50D will have a warranty on it while the used 5D won’t.  That’s a risk you have to be willing to take.  The shutter could fail tomorrow or you may never have a problem with it.  I would contact Borrow Lenses and ask them specifically how many clicks the 5D has on it (obviously the less clicks the better) and ask them if anything has been replaced on it.  That will give you a better idea of what you’re getting.  Personally, I would feel more comfortable buying lenses used versus camera bodies used.  Or if I were to buy a used camera body (which I have) I would buy it more for my backup camera than my primary camera.  However, I bought a used 20D way back in the day and have never had a problem with it, but it was only used as my backup body.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m sick of hearing everyone talk about being done with their holiday shopping.  I haven’t even started!  I can’t even start to think about my Christmas shopping until I get done editing my family sessions.  Almost done with my work for the year!  Woohoo!  I plan on doing most of my shopping online because I really can’t think of anything worse than taking my almost 22 month old to the mall.  That’s just torture!

One of the places I plan on doing some of my online shopping is Stella & Dot.  Not only do they have super cute jewelry, but it’s also affordable!  I love this

This

And this

Actually maybe I’ll just treat myself to an early Christmas present  Happy shopping!