Superhero for a Day // WonderCon 2013

I was 8 years old. Wearing my Strawberry Shortcake plastic apron and hot-as-heck mask with the elastic bands and barely-there mouth hole (children of the 70s/80s... you KNOW what I'm talking about), but I wasn't simply wearing a costume. I WAS Strawberry Shortcake. For a few short hours on Halloween night, my pretend world became real, and I was her. It was the ultimate expression of what I loved and who I really wanted to be. As I grew older, and it became less acceptable to play in the pretend world, my toys and dolls were regulated to their shelves. Stuffed animals stayed on my bed a bit longer, but even they eventually got put away. I still decorated my notebooks with Hello Kitty stickers (because that form of expression was still "okay"), but most of the land of make-believe got left behind.

But I still looked forward to Halloween each year, because only then could I dress up and PLAY like I used to when I was a kid.

Till now...

Last weekend I took a trip to the Anaheim Convention Center, although for all intents and purposes I might as well have been on another planet.

Surrounded my space aliens, superheroes and cartoon characters alike, it was definitely a geek's paradise. And I loved every moment of it.

These are my people...

Welcome to WonderCon. For those of you who haven't ever heard of WonderCon before, don't worry. You're not alone.

WonderCon is like the kid sister of Comic-Con (which is the mother-ship of all geekdom). Here's the scoop: Comic-Con is a 4-day spectacle of everything comic, cartoon and pop-culture, including panels of actor interviews, sneak peeks at upcoming movies and tv shows, and a humongous tradeshow. But tickets are known to sell out within 15 minutes (no joke), so not everyone gets to play. So the people who operate Comic-Con did something pretty brilliant... offer smaller versions of the event at various locations throughout different times of the year.

Enter WonderCon. Now in it's second year at the Anaheim Convention Center, there are talks of making this a permanent annual event. (woohoo!) Yes, the tradeshow is nice, and some of the panels are pretty spectacular (Joss Whedon was there this year), but my favorite part of it all are the costumes!

It's like Halloween. On crack.

No, you don't have to dress up, but it's definitely encouraged. And applauded. The world of cosplay is pretty amazing like that.

So, this is me. As a steampunk version of Iron Man. (Costume designed by my husband and created by my mother-in-law. Yeah... they kinda rock like that.)

My husband (Tony) also got into the fun, dressed as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. (Most of this costume was also created from scratch by his mother.)

And then... we PLAYED. Tony and I met up with friends of ours (also in Marvel-universe steampunk costumes) and simply wandered the lobby area, enjoying the spectacle. (And many, many thanks to Tony, for tag-teaming the camera with me... to ensure that I actually ended up IN some photos for a change...ha!)

(Deadpool, Iron Man, Lady Deathstrike, another Deadpool and Wolverine)

(And Jack Sparrow, of course...)

There were plenty of pirates to go around.

And I found other members of my Avengers team... and nemesis Loki, as well.

There were also lots of other people there in Iron Man costumes, as well.

But none as cute as THIS kid, dressed as Tony Stark!

I headed back outside just in time to capture this fantastic photo-op... sooooo many costumed characters from the DC Universe posing all together. The rows of photographers lined up to get these shots were 10 people deep, so rather than wait behind them all for a glance at the scene, I wedged into the sidelines and shot from where I was.

But I got lucky. The person running the show spotted me in costume with my camera, and waved me over to the FRONT  of the group of photographers, and gave me a dead-center position!!! Which is how I got this shot below, as well as the first one in this blog post.

Words cannot express how much FUN this day was. So I'll let my photos do the talking for a bit...

Captain Hammer, Dr. Horrible and a person from the Bad Horse Chorus (Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog)

Plenty of players from the Star Wars universe

Cosplayers from the Batman world

Misc. others

And, of course, lots of Disney characters. How CUTE is this father/daughter dressed as Wreck-It-Ralph and Penelope Von Schweetz???

And a few personal favorites of mine... My Little Pony characters.

Wolverine and Wolverine. Too, too adorable!!!

Note to parents: this is a kid-friendly place, and makes for fantastic entertainment at a low-low cost. Meaning, it's FREE. While tickets to actually get into the tradeshow and panel area do cost a little bit (and are known to sell out ahead of time, as I learned the hard way), the front and lobby area of the Anaheim Convention Center are open to the public for free. And this is where the people in costume spend most of their time.

I highly recommend putting this on your radar for next year. I know I'll be there... dressed and ready to PLAY.

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Click here to see even MORE pictures from the day.

sneak peek: *NEW* products

I've been back from my Vegas/WPPI trip for a while now (recap coming soon), but my head is STILL swimming from all the awesome things I saw. After spending hours walking the tradeshow, visiting with new vendors (and re-visiting the next day), I am happy to be adding a few new products to what I currently offer.

Here is a sneak-peek of what's to come... (images are straight from my iphone; snapped of sample products on the tradeshow floor.)

Beautiful hardback books and albums. Thick pages, custom covers, and photos in matte (my favorite) or glossy. These books/albums are virtually seamless, allowing images to flow across both pages with little distraction.

Softcover books. Budget-friendly but beautiful, and made from 100% recycled materials.

Wooden prints, wooden blocks, and wooden calendar holder (with paper calendar). Wood items were HUGE this year, and I could see why. Beautiful and unique, they make for incredible display pieces. But while I love these, I'm haven't yet decided if I will be offering them or not. Let me know what you think... yay or nay? If there is enough interest, I will definitely be adding these to my offerings.

And perhaps my FAVORITE new thing to come...

Custom Photo Jewelry! Please flip through the catalog below to see all that will soon be available to you. I am so impressed by this company, and can't wait to order a few pieces for myself, too!

Ethan turns ONE // Orange County Family Photography

It seems like just yesterday that he was brand new. And now he's a little boy. There are likes and dislikes, movements and gestures all his own. His personality has grown SO much... and his dimpled smile can instantly melt your heart. I was happy to capture an afternoon with this family to commemorate this milestone of Ethan turning one year old. And more than happy to celebrate a few of their everyday moments so they would be able to remember all the little details of their little man at this precious age.

Ethan had recently started walking, and was still a bit wobbly. But that didn't slow him down one bit, as he is also QUITE the explorer.

In one hand, Ethan held his bottle. With his other, he reached up and played with his hair. Over and over he'd grab a piece and gently pull it through his fingers. I learned that his father makes the same exact self-soothing motion.

Vegas, here I COME...

camera? check.business cards? double-check. notebooks & pens? checkity-check. uber-comfy shoes??? triple-check on THIS one!

It's that time of year again... from March 7-14, 15,000+ photographers will be swarming MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the annual WPPI Expo. (WPPI = Wedding & Portrait Photographers International.) So if you want what happens in Vegas to STAY in Vegas, I would suggest NOT being there when we are. Cameras blazing, we're in full force, and it's a sight to be seen.

It's a LOT of fun, but it's also a fabulous learning experience, as well. Kinda like being back in college for a few days... early morning classes & late-night parties. Ha!

And it's one of the highlights of my year. This will be my 5th year in attendance.

I'm looking forward to the HUGE tradeshow, where I'll be meeting with my current vendors as well as scouting for some new ones. I'm BIG on comparison-shopping, to make sure my clients get the BEST products possible.

And of course, there are the classes. I'll always be a student at heart, so I'm excited about this, too. I'm signed up for 5 classes, and might even squeeze in one more if I can. From motivational speakers to better SEO and album design, I can't wait to soak it all up. But the class I'm looking forward to the MOST: learning how to put together stylized/themed shoots for children. Yup, that's right! I'll be offering THEMED mini-sessions VERY soon... so be sure to stay tuned for all the news on THAT one!

But for now I'm in still in the Vegas prep & planning stage. I've got my color-coded schedule printed out (yup, I'm THAT much of a dork), my new WPPI app loaded to my phone (crossing fingers it works with everyone trying to access it all at once), and just purchased my ticket to the best party EVER!

Now I just need to figure out what to wear...

Disneyland memories

It was a fun-filled day at Disneyland, where Tony and I treated our nephew to a day of play just for the 3 of us. We rode the rides, ate our fill of sweets, and posed for all the standard photos along the way.

But those aren't the images that stand out in my mind.

THESE are:

The moment where he excitedly skipped along Main Street, simply reached up and took hold of Tony's hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. Because it still is for him.

And the moment where he wanted to be picked up so he could see more, and then stayed to hug Tony and play with his ears.

But it's bittersweet sometimes. He's getting to the age where it won't be this way for too much longer, so we enjoy every moment of little-kid-goodness we can soak up. Before he's too big for kisses and cuddles, especially in public. And before he's too "cool" to hang out with us like this.

But for now, we enjoy. Moments like these are my favorite kind. The ones that you know are special, and wish could last forever somehow. And for this reason, I was incredibly happy to have my camera with me (as always), to capture these moments as they fly by.

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ps: it doesn't matter WHAT camera you use, as long as you put it to good use. The above pictures were taken with my point-and-shoot camera.

Choose Joy

Eyes shiny with joyful tears, and lips curved into a smile that grew and grew... I listened to their stories. Stories of bravery. Of traveling an unexpected path. Struggling with infertility, and the possibility of adoption. Heavy decisions. Doors closed, windows opened.

The women shared stories that they hadn't previously shared outside of their inner circle. This was a safe place, filled with others sharing in their experiences. The joy, the pain, and everything in between. And comfort came in knowing they weren't alone.

I was there at the Choose Joy Event to help spread the word of Red Thread Sessions (complimentary portrait sessions for newly adoptive families). And while I shared the story of Red Thread Sessions with them... they shared their stories with me.

I met a lot of wonderful women who had made the decision to adopt a child. Some were at the beginning of the adoption process and it was all brand new to them. Some had gone through it before but were doing it again. Some women already had at least one biological child of their own, but wanted to add to their family through adoption. Some children would be joining their families from countries I'd honestly never even heard of before.

Each and every woman I met had a story of their own to share. And each and every one of them was absolutely amazing.

And I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. For being brave in the face of uncertainty. For sharing their stories with me. And for choosing to share their love with an adopted child.

Vendors there to share their knowledge, services and goodies:

And here was my own table set-up:

Even a fun craft for everyone to take home:

Some songs of worship were shared:

At the end of the night the event's creator, Emmy Blakely, shared her own story.

But my very favorite moment of the night was what followed. Raffle tickets had been sold for a lot of great goodies, but the grand finale was a jar of $2,700 cash that was given to one lucky attendee to use however they needed in order to help grow their family.

A ticket number was called, but nobody moved. Heads swiveled around the room, trying to locate the winner. A few moments later a noise was heard at a table, and the words "yes, that's YOU" drifted over to my ears. A woman stood and hesitantly walked toward the stage. Pure disbelief. She smiled and nervously laughed, but still didn't believe it was real. And happening to her. She asked for the ticket number to be read again. And confirmed it was hers. Then held out her ticket for someone else to triple-check. It was amazing and overwhelming and wonderful to behold. And it turns out that the amount in this glass jar was exactly the amount that she and her husband needed to reach their adoption fund goal. Click here to read her story, in her own words.

I am incredibly thankful I was present to witness this event, to meet these amazing people, and to hear their touching stories. My eyes are still shiny from happy tears, and my smile is still in place.

Choose JOY: the EVENT

Adoption isn't anything like you see on most squeaky-clean tv shows, where someone decides to adopt... and BAM... they've got a kid.  Adoption is a long process. It's complicated. And it's incredibly emotional for everyone involved, from start to finish... and beyond. For anyone who is considering adopting a child, there is an event happening this Saturday, February 9th which you may want to attend.

Full details can be found at www.ChooseJoyEvent.com. 

Created by Emmy Blakely (after her own experiences with infertility and adoption), this faith-based conference is geared towards women who are experiencing infertility and/or looking to build their family through adoption. There will be a luncheon and several breakaway session topics discussed, including the following:

Blending Bios and Adopted children & Transracial Adoption {Jamie Fink} Having a Heart of Hope: Overcoming the Hurt from Infertility {Lesli Westfall} God's Heart for the Hurting; Waiting Hurts, Waiting Perfects {Rachel Goode} Fundraising for Adoption {Kathleen Ellis} Infant Loss & Miscarriage {Julie Carson} When Adoption is your First Choice {Chrissie Rouse} Foster Care {Allison Dalke} Living Hannah's Prayer {Amy Srch} Living in 2 Week Seasons; Waiting in the Lord's Timing {Beth Lauder} When Adoption Fails {Dena De La Toree & Lisa Frattone} Open Adoption {Lesily Davis} Special Needs Adoption {Lyndsay Boulton} The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly of International Adoption {Vanessa Clairmont} The Ethics of Infertility {Scott & Marlo Kurz}

Emmy will be sharing her own story at the end of the event. And the grand finale for the night: funds will be raffled off to one lucky attendee to help their family grow!

I will actually have an info table on-site, helping spread the word of Red Thread Sessions (complimentary portrait sessions offered to newly adoptive families).  If you attend the event, please be sure to come say hello!

For more information about the Choose Joy Event, or to purchase tickets, visit their website at: www.choosejoyevent.com