A Spoonful Of …

seed |sēd| noun the cause or latent beginning of a feeling, process, or condition

I’d say I’ve been really fortunate to have made and kept friends from my early childhood years. Some if not most of my friends are people I went to preschool and elementary school with. I have a few acquaintances from High School as well as a few from College. Most of the friends I made in my early twenties, were co-workers. Many of them have come and gone. So although I think it says a lot to have a handful of childhood friends, I think the friendships I have established in my late twenties and thirties are the most special. These are much harder to come by. When I got to that point in my life,  I had weeded out the duds and only looked for the authentic friendships. The ones where you feel you can learn something, be who you are without judgement, make mistakes and know they still have your back, and talk about things that interest you both. I seek out the friendships that build me up, not tear me down, the friendships that make me cry because I’m laughing so hard, not because we’re fighting and hurting one another. I seek the friends that can get together and have a good time with no drama whatsoever.  These kinds of friendships have been my life line in this crazy life.

Six years ago is when Cindy comes in.  I met her at a photography workshop in Phoenix. We clicked after the workshop. Became friends, if you can believe it, on email and phone calls! We were both trying to establish ourselves in the photography world and felt each others pain, per se, when it came to understanding the business side of a creative outlet we both so enjoyed! Our styles are polar opposite, but I find we feed off each other better that way. We have both had our ups and downs in photography, but we have never given it up. Photography was the seed, but the things we had in common were the branches that helped grow our friendship more and more over the years. I met her husband, Brad, a few years after meeting Cindy, when I photographed the two of them on the Vegas strip. I clicked with him too, really fast. He’s a film maker and I love his aesthetic! I also love their relationship. So giving, so loving, so silly with each other. What is it they say these days?…. Goals!

About four years ago Cindy had come to visit Southern California and I asked her to photograph me with my best friends. It was a fun morning in Long Beach and those pictures are some of my all time favorites. Over the years the calls to Cindy were always for her advice in life and in photography. She has guided me down some great paths in both!  I was honored when she reached out a few months ago, to say she and the whole family were making a visit up to Northern California. She wanted some pictures. I felt excited and nervous. There’s nothing quite like photographing another photographer. It was fun. Most importantly, I got to meet Brad and Cindy’s daughters, Violet and Paisley. These girls I’d been hearing about and seeing grow up in pictures, for years, were worth the wait.  I found I related to both of them. Violet more reserved and quiet and Paisley a bit more rough around the edges and spunky.

It was a chilly morning, not unusual in San Francisco. I forgot even though it is cold in the winter in Oklahoma, their summers are pretty hot. So early morning  San Francisco, in cold weather, in the summer was not their cup of tea! We started out in the Presidio, on rocky and sandy trails, to a hidden little lane where I took some of my favorites shots of the day. I’ll mention now, that poison ivy laced those hills! Yikes, sorry! We ended at the beach by the Golden Gate Bridge. I forced them to touch the icy waters and playfully play around; some of my favorite candids of the day! It was a great morning. I’m looking forward to many more years to come of friendship.

I love you guys, so happy to have met the girls, and can’t wait till a trip to Oklahoma has you meeting my boy! Enjoy

“It takes a long time to GROW an old friend.”  John Leonard