This week I'm in San Diego visiting with my dad and his family and my aunt and uncle that live out here. It's rare that I make it all the way across the country (8 hours of travel!) so I try to take advantage whenever other circumstances send me this way.
Here are some people I'm related to:
My little brother and sister are a very talented pair of individuals. Not content to play just one instrument or sport each, they are constantly taking up new pursuits. Like unicycle.
My oldest brother is an auto mechanic that lives in the Bay Area. He fixed my stepmother's Jeep. That was nice of him.
Now ponder, if you will, the Cassandra-like fate of the photographer hanging out with her family, or even, in most cases, her friends. Imagine the ability to see fantastic, amazing, beautiful, flattering light and becoming ecstatic at finding said light. Imagine for a moment this photographer is so thrilled to find such amazing light, and wants nothing more in that moment than to make a beautiful picture with the beautiful light. She has a temporary flash of a lovely bride in a long white dress, carefully styled hair and classy, understated makeup standing in the very pool of light, positively radiating in the bubble of soft, amazing light, complete with just the right twinkle to throw catchlights. And then this photographer must turn to her brother and ask him to smile. And she must be satisfied with this (on the left). Woe to the photographer! My dad is positively mocking me.
More from San Diego to come - Balboa Park (the best place for portraiture I may have ever seen - damn you San Diego wedding photographers!) and even a hotel self-portrait from the U.S. Grant.
This suite (free upgrade, sucka!) had some of the best scenes for photography and great windows with lovely diffuser curtains. Unfortunately, I was only there for two nights - one of them an arrival at 10:30pm. There were other places I could have worked my self-portrait mojo, but I loved this chair-against-frames-on-wall look. So here are a bunch of outtakes for your viewing pleasure.
I might change my mind and make this last one here my official selection. I can do that; I have the power.
