Through my lens: Part V - LIFE

"Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

So maybe Ferris Bueller wasn't a scholar, or a Noble Prize winner, but my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night ... that he might be on to something with that quote.

... I digress ...

Oh yes, about life. It does move pretty fast. There are probably 5 - 10 times a day when I am somewhere, whether it be the local produce market, the dog park, or just plopped down in my recliner watching Duke chase his tail in the middle of the living room for oh say 5 or 6 minutes when I regret that I am unable to Edward Scissorhand my camera to my hand.



(seriously how cool would that be?!)

But that is the tricky thing about life. It just happens, whether we are prepared or not. It sure as heck isn't going to pause, wait for me to get up snatch my camera, check the settings, get all Camillo Villegas style



and then begin again on cue. But sometimes, believe it or not, I am prepared! And when that moment happens and I get that shot I am floating on air!

"Life" isn't simple. It's not carved in to marble like the gorgeous Grecian statues at Villa Montalvo. It is fluid and evolving. So in some aspects my life photos bring an extra skip to my step and manipulate my silly grin a little bit wider. Below are just a few of my favorite photographs. Milliseconds of my life caught in the instant snap of my shutter.



I feel like I should add a disclosure to this photo. Something like "Animals in this picture are not as they generally appear. Some jumping, flailing and chaotic behavior is to be expected." That would be a more apt example of the wonderful, polite and loving dog known affectionately in this house as Dukey would be acting on a regular basis. I can't remember how I managed to get him to sit there without running up and trying to eat my lens, but I am willing to bet it involved Skippy peanut butter, or a giant knuckle bone. Or perhaps it was just Matt in the background grasping the nape of his neck and threatening him with his bark collar :) Either way, he looks incredibly handsome and well behaved which makes my day!




This little hearbreaker is Adrian. We met at the playground. I think I propositioned his mother with free babysitting until the age of 18 so we could spend everyone glorious sun drenched day at the park together. He loved the camera more then Heidi Montag. He would waddle over, scrunch down right in front of me and repeat over, and over, and over ... "CHEESE. CHEESE. CHEESE." It was adorable and so is he.



Have you heard the slogan "Great milk comes from happy cows, happy cows come from California." Well, this cow clearly didn't get the memo. He doesn't look quite so thrilled. I think he needs to get a lesson in etiquette from Bessie. I found him on the side of Highway 1 in Big Sur, and I will tell you what, if that is where I was living I'd be happy as a clam, ahem - cow. What he lacked in enthusiasm however, he made up for in persistence. He'd win any staring contest any side of the Mississippi. He glared at me the entire time, following my every movement. The piercing look in his eyes is incredible. I never imagined an image of a half ton steer, calf deep in manure could make me so happy, but this does!




If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And if you can't join 'em, or are an 'ol curmudgeon afraid of breaking every bone in your body like me, take a picture of 'em. This little girl could teach Tony Hawk a thing or two! She was up and down that ramp as if she was born with a skateboard affixed to the soles of her feet. What I love most about this photo is the focused look on her face and the shadow from the mid-afternoon sun on the metal pipe. She could teach me a thing or two that's for sure!