It's back...

the humidity that is...
With the humid Okinawa summers comes the very hot sunsets...or should I say right after the sun has set.
This one is from Sunday night...

I don't have a view of the sea as there is a building in the way (but I can go to my roof for a great view). I usually see this yummy pink/purple/orange light coming into the apartment and that's when I say 'Kids, let's go to the roof, I have to check the sunset'. If it's a really good one, I will end up running back down, grabbing the camera and running across the street!

This one is from Monday night...

This one is from tonight (less dramatic tonight)...

On Saturday, the kids played dress up all morning...

until they got so LOUD, I had to go out. So, the kids and I went to the zoo and wonder museum. We quickly visited (it was HOT) all the animals...the bats with the massive bolitas (April's words), the rainbow butt monkey (Loubie's words) and the very close hippos...

This is very close. I only had my 50mm lens, so you can see I am not far away, in fact, I touched his nose! I just had to!

This is the 'fish head rainbow hair' doll I made inside the craft area of the wonder museum...

Talking of crafts, Loubie has been doing some culture classes at his school, here he is with his Star Festival bamboo. He's very happy and proud of it...although he looks so serious in these photos!

I am not sure what made me post all these random things, just wanted to do something personal. Plus, it reminds me that life in the moment is special. Sometimes I forget that. I wanted to say that I am thinking of my friend Shelia right now, she just lost a brother...you are in my thoughts, Shelia...

I heart Faces - Wedding Bells

I was lucky enough to photograph a Hong Kong couple's pre-wedding shoot a couple of weekends ago, so I am entering it into this week's 'I heart Faces' category...which is 'wedding bells'...

It was a hot evening here in Okinawa (what night isn't these days!). We managed to catch a real nice sunset too...This is my first (and probably only 'wedding'). I love this moment I have captured, it's very real. To me, at least. :o)

Kelly and the Great Typhoon...

Kelly, hubby Joe and gorgeous honey child Gabe are such a sweet family, I was so glad to get to photograph them connecting...

and enjoying their last days on Okinawa...

If you are on Okinawa, you may know Kelly, for two reasons:
If you read Okinawa Hai, she was until recently the TO EAT editor. Kelly's family are leaving the island heading Stateside very soon.
Kelly is also a children's book author. I thought it was really cool when she told my she was writing a childrens book about two Shisas. I love Shisas. Even before coming to Okinawa, I began to get obsessed with them. Now, I take them for granted because they are everywhere.

Just like the beautiful East China Sea...I try not to take that for granted.

and it was cool to photograph G's recreated traditional Korean birthday table...

Apparently, the food/item he chooses represents his future. I think Kelly told me he chose cheerios?! Whatever he chose, he looks so noble, doesn't he?...

Check Kelly's book out HERE. I have my signed copy and the kids really enjoyed it. April couldn't believe that her 'famous photographer Mum' (yeah, her words, she actually thinks I am famous LOL) knows a 'real live famous writer' (what she wants to be when she grows up...well this month anyway!)!!! Kids, you have to love 'em...
I had a great time the few times we hung out Kelly and the shoot was a blast, I hope you all laugh long and hard...

Safe trip :o)

Bisy Backson

It's been a busy few months to say the least. School's out, Albert's redeployed and time is flying.

The kids and I spent 4 days up at Okuma with our friends and their kids.
Sixteen of us in a 7 bedroom condo! It rained the whole first day, but we had good times and the second day we got to the beach. Some of us went jet skiing and later in the afternoon took a boat out for some snorkeling.

We didn't see too many fish, but we all had a blast jumping off the end of the boat. Even Carrie's mother. I always say if the Mums and Grandmas are last in the water when the kids have gotten out, then you have some very cool Mums and grandmas! ha ha

Thank you for everyone who has made the last couple of months so busy for me, I have been all booked out. I feel like Toguchi beach has become my second home (not bad, huh!). Thank you also, weather, for the pure luck I have had with missing the rain!

If you haven't popped in to see my photos up at Foster Library, they will be there for 5 more days. So, go check them out :o)

I will be shortly (finally) doing some traveling...LONDON, here I come! I haven't been 'home' for 6 years. Lewis was 9 mths old when we left back to San Diego. April still remembers everything though. But, she has lost her British accent :o(

I will be happy to take shoot bookings for September and beyond, so send me an email if you are interested and I will get right back to you. Whether you are crazy (like me) or traditional, we will get the shot that says YOU!
For those of you that have their 2nd part of the Motherhood session, I will be in contact as soon as I get back to Okinawa. I will be posting a few more images from shoots before I leave. I have three families, a couple and a pre wedding from Hong Kong! So watch this space!
In the meantime, I love Winnie the Pooh!

GON OUT
BACKSON
BISY
BACKSON
C.R.

Mary Maternity - Okinawa Photographer

Mary is eight months preggo with her first baby, so off we went to the beach...Mary, hubby Don and one lovely baby belly...It was another one of those is it or isn't it going to rain down kind of days, but it turned into a beautiful evening...

We got some of the gorgeous Okinawa turquoise sea in the background...

and some 'have to have' shots...

It was a real tropical feel shoot...

I love it when I can get some flare in just the right spot...

And then of course, it was time for a sunset silhouette of the most gorgeous of female forms...

See you two on the other side :o)

Jenny builds refined bodies - her own! - Okinawa Photographer

Jenny is one brave woman...she just spent many months training for the 2009 Pacific Muscle Classic figure building competition. That is long months of working out and not gorging on chocolate and the like. Plus, lots of other stuff besides. It's no joke. WOW. I need to get to the gym!...

Now, I have to say that when Jenny first emailed me asking about a shoot, I replied and asked her if it was (ice) figure skating LOL. She obviously didn't think I was too crazy as we went ahead and did the shoot a few weeks later. It was one of those mornings where it had been seriously raining (men!) all night, the sky looked ominous in parts, but it was 2 days before the competition. We either did the shoot now, or we didn't do it at all...Glad we did as we got some really nice shots...and of course the rain held off for us!

Love this B&W

This is on eof my fav's from the morning...

I have to say (touch wood) I have been really pretty lucky with my shoots of late. it really is hard to schedule shoots in the rainy season especially when the shoot has to be completed in a timely fashion, but I have gotten them all done with a few reschedules here and there!

The show is over, but Jenny could always kickstart a modeling career...

Thanks Jenny, I now declare the chocolate shop open!

I heart Faces - Boys

This week's 'I heart faces' is all about the boys. Well, I love this photo I took of Loubie (AKA Lewis AKA the Snugglebubble AKA pain in my bum ha ha).
He had been in the sea and on the water slide all day, it was his 5th birthday and I just grabbed this shot. And it came out just as he is, if you know what I mean? He's got some smiling (quarter) Irish eyes and the smile is all his. I can look at this in 20 years and I will be right there back at this time saying that's my boy!
Go check the other great boy entries out here...it's all for fun!

Happy...

...Father's Day 2009

Happy Father's day to my Dad, over in London, who is probably having his pint of beer followed by his nap on a Sunday morning...you knew this photo was going to be making a debut at some point (dontcha know I'm loco?)

A more normal photo!

Happy Father's day to the hubby who is probably on a ship in the middle of the sea on this Sunday morning!

A fun moment between Father and Son...

To Daddy, Happy Father's Day, I miss you, I really, really miss you, Love April...
To Daddy, I miss you, Happy Father's Day and I love you, Love, Loubie...

Heather and the Haunted Hotel - Okinawa Photographer

- OWhat do these 2 photos have in common?

Answer: Charlie and the boots belong to one fantastic teenager named Heather (nickname: Hayner). We headed up the the haunted hotel for her senior shoot. It was quite creepy up there, it was just the 2 of us and I haven't been there for a while, so it felt like a crazy adventure. We had a fabulous time and the rain held off for us (Never trust an Okinawan weather report). Plus, I got to see Heather's billion watt smile a number of times!

Don't let outward 'alternative' appearances fool you...Heather is a straight A student, speaks languages and plays musical instruments. (Translation: Genius girl!)...Here's some more facts...
Favourite food: Avocado
Favourite music: Classical, Industrial, Black Metal, Love Metal, Oldies
Dream job: Forensic Geneticist, Auto Mechanic
Most like to meet: Open Minded, Intelligent People
Unusual talent: Ambidextrous
3 things you would take to a deserted island: A Replicator (from Star Trek), Best Friend, and a Motor Boat (clever or what!)
If you were a painting, what would you be: An abstract painting with many hidden pictures.

I got to know Heather through her equally fantastic mother, Dasha. Dasha is one of those people you meet and you hope you will know them for a long time. We have a lot in common: we walk to the beat of our own drum (a rebel as hubby would say), we LOVE horses and we just love an adventure...Looks like Heather is a chip off the 'old' block...

Dasha had asked my about photos a long time ago. She thought me, Heather and the haunted hotel would be a perfect match and I have to agree: it went great...I just LOVE this wall we found...

There's that smile again!...

Thanks so much Heather! And Dasha, thanks for trusting me with you daughter :o)

Yes Yes Yo!!!

Remember this.
Well, I just opened my email and out of the over 120 entries in the professional category, little old me WON!!! 1st place baby! Little Old Me with my little old nifty 50 lens!!!
Check it all out HERE
Weeeeeee heeeeeeeeeeee. We are all excited in this house :o)
Thank you very much I Heart Faces :o)

OK, enough of me tooting my own horn...I will sign off with this photo...

One of my favourites from my Mum and Dad's visit here (haven't really got to any others yet...life is flying by...)...April looking at my Mum's locket of her photo. I think she was about 18 mths old. There is also a lock of April's hair and the locket is held together with some blu tack since the clasp broke. LOL.

She's like a rainbow...

colours everywhere!...
I just love it when I am doing a shoot and something so cool happens in my images. Here we are at the end of the shoot, splish splashing around and we get an image like this...

I just LOVE it! I was like a little kid in a sweet shop!
Hayley and Tommy were such a fun couple to photograph. It was a real international affair...me (British), Hayley (New Zealander) and Tommy (Japanese).

Hayley said it was OK if I did a blog post about the shoot if I told everyone how cool New Zealand is and that they should have beaten England in the rugby world cup (that's American football without padding LOL).

I would love to go to New Zealand one day and I am sure it is very cool! (I just added that so she would definitely be cool with me blogging ha ha!).

Gotta get the classic Toguchi shot, seems this is my second home lately and there's good reason why...

OK, you've been framed and blogged about, see you on the other side! Can't wait!