portraits

The First Shiner

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Sam did battle with our coffee table the other night and lost. So he and Josh headed for the ER at the Children's Hospital. They left about 8 at night and got home at 1 in the morning. Josh said it was not a pleasant experience, but that Sam was up and playing the whole time. So of course the last couple of days Sam has been sleeping like a sailor recovering from a bender. They ended up glueing his cut closed rather than stitches. Josh joked that we could have saved a whole lot of time and money if we just broke out the Crazy Glue. But even I am not THAT laissez-faire. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Waterloo Revisited

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Here are some more Waterloo photos with the Gleinsers. I posted one already here. I love the one below of Tanya photographing Mia. I only wish I knew which shot she was taking. Maybe she can help me out with that one. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

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I have been giving this topic a great deal of thought lately. When I first starting photographing people in earnest, I was very severe about everything being totally documentary. I did not touch anything in Photoshop, not a blemish, a pimple or anything. I got caught on this idea that everything had to be real. And then after listening to many photographers and pulling from my previous education, I reminded myself that there is no such thing as 'real'. Photography is by no means an objective medium. There are so many decisions that the photographer makes, which therefore plant it firmly in the subjective camp. So I started correcting certain things like blemishes, snot in kids' noses etc. I started following the "if it won't be there in three weeks then get rid of it" mentality. And I think that served me well. And for the most part I still follow it. But I am also a big believer in people looking the best that they can, but more importantly to portray them as I see them. After all, the final image is really about my relationship with the subject(s)and so my interpretation in inevitable. So more and more I have been touching up crow's feet and smile lines. Not getting rid of them altogether, but softening them. Still keeping the texture of their face intact, but not having the viewer's eye be distracted by things that have no bearing on the image. Sometimes when I open a raw image straight out of the camera I am shocked by how harsh it can be. I will look at every nook and cranny of someone's face and think, "That is NOT what they look like. At least that is not how I see them." And so I begin to ask myself which is real or which is more honest. And does REAL and HONEST matter? It's like your friend who you have know for 15 years. They say they have gained 20 pounds and you have not noticed because that is not how you see them. You have a nostalgic image of them that is clouded by memory and suffused with the inner beauty that they have. Even with my clients whom I have known merely for hours. The bond that I develop with them colors how I see their physical image.

Ultimately I have decided that I want to show people as I see them. That this is the most important thing for me. To portray their years and their wisdom, but to also let that inner beauty shine. They are not supermodels. They are not meant to be flawless. But they are all imperfectly resplendent and magnificent to behold.

First Haircut

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Last month Sam had his very first salon haircut. Here is Ben's first one. In the first shot Ben is holding Bah (no idea how to spell it). For a few weeks Bah went everywhere with us and Ben even slept with him. Why so we have this bulldog sculpture? Gift from Josh's dad. Enough said. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Cookies

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I always wanted to be that mom. You know the one. She decorates the house and the yard at the holidays. She buys the gifts and wraps them early, beautifully and thoughtfully. She bakes cookies and makes candies for her neighbors and friends. And never shows up empty handed at someone's house. Unfortunately, I am not that mom. I am the other mother. The one who madly rushes around the day before for the tree, the presents and the wrapping paper. The one who slaps it all together in the wee hours with Christmas morning hours away. The one who has no idea where the menorah is and if we have candles so I buy more every year and then suddenly discover we have 400 already. So I was pleased as punch with myself ths year when the Simon kids, my kids, Geni and I baked cookies. Yes they were the 'mix out of the bag' kind. And yes the frosting came in a can, but it's a start. And although most people do not equate margaritas with the holidays, they were a necessity. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Amy's New Studio

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My dear friend Amy Perl has a new photography studio on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. I was able to squeeze in some time with her last month when I was in California and I fell in love with her new space and all that she has done with it. I have always been a big fan of Amy's work and she helped really inspire me to get into photography again after Ben was born. I met her when I took Ben to have his portrait done by her when he was a wee one of four months and we became fast friends. And she still shoots film, so it is nice to have a resource for all my medium format questions like how do I load the camera? Yep. I have asked her stuff THAT basic. As you can see in the first image, I have started inserting myself into photos to prove that yes, I do indeed exist. Here are some of her beautiful images and her amazing new studio. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Back Home Again

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Poor Josh had to go back to the hospital again yesterday because he had another episode at work. Our dear friend Jill (and Josh's co-worker) very kindly brought him to the ER as recommended by his doctor. Luckily this time they did diagnose him as having acute acid reflex. I know. VERY sexy diagnosis, huh? I didn't even know he HAD acid reflux. And YES we are married, but somehow I managed to miss that one. That's what happens when your partner is more stoic than you are. If I had acid reflux the whole darn world would know about it. Apparently Josh's reflux is so bad that it causes his heart to flutter and therefore his heart does not pump enough blood to his brain. No blood, no oxygen and you are down for the count. So I am happy that they at least know what is going on and that it is very treatable. And the boys are so happy to have their story reader extraordinaire back home again. Not to mention Lula. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Mmmm Crab

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I was lucky enough to have a brief visit with my friends Camille and Jason and their two adorable boys when I was in California to see my grandparents. They made cracked crab and I was in heaven. Here are some shots from our evening. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Waterloo

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Yesterday we passed a very pleasant morning with Tanya and Mia at Waterloo. I love that place because anywhere that combines bloody marys and playscapes is fabulous in my opinion. And I got to go from coffee straight to alcohol and that always makes for a good start to the day. As you can see Sam was a big fan of the tube slide. He couldn't get enough of it. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Some of the Best of 2008

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Like most photographers I know, I have also done a little slideshow of some of my favorite shots from 2008. I had to go in and cut several times in order to keep it under three hours. So if one of your favorite shots is not there, do not despair. It will be in the redux version to be released at a later date. And that version will be six hours long.

Happy New Year 2009

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I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve last night. Our friend Gale brought us some yummy dinner and then we had a drink at Geni and Kell's. In bed by 10. Yep. We are THAT sad. Here are some pics from Christmas day. Bonnie Berry is an Austin based child, family and wedding photographer.

Home on the Range

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Josh is safely back home from the hospital now. The verdict ended up being pretty much what we thought it would be. After a multitude of tests they basically said that they do not know what happened. I am terrified to see the bill. Luckily we have good insurance, but I am sure we will still have to pay something. Listen to me. What a cynic. Mostly we are of course so happy that Josh is fine. I am not done with that boy yet. I still need him. It has been a tough couple of days and I have had no patience with the children. I end up snapping at them and then think that I have permanently damaged them. Ben is incredibly sensitive and since I was that way as a child I am hyper aware of being short with him. I feel like crap about it. I often wish I could be a different kind of person and mother. But I am having one of those "I am going to eat some worms" days so I won't go on too much about that.Sara saved me yesterday when I sent out a plea for help. Luckily she took the boys BEFORE I had to call the 'I am going to give my children away' hotline. She and hubby Russell AND Sara's dad took the boys for the afternoon and for a pizza dinner. I was going to go see Twilight because I really needed something mindless and entertaining, but the theater did not have a 4:15 showing like Yahoo said it did, so I was at a loss as to what to do with myself for a couple of hours. I always pray for free time and then when I have it I can't quite remember what I used to do for fun. So I did what every woman in my situation would do. I went shoe shopping. And I SCORED. Five pairs of shoes for $50. Three from Goodwill and two from Ross. Woohoo! I am so grateful and appreciative for all the kind words and thoughts we have gotten over the past few days, not to mention all of the help. In addition to Geni, Kell, Sara and Russell, much gratitude to Melanie for taking them this morning when she already had a very full house. And to Melissa who organized a care calendar to give me aid. With no family here in Austin, I have no idea what I would do without the wonderful support of my Austin friends and the O'Mamas. This is starting to sound like an acceptance speech, so I will stop. But first I would like to thank my mother.

Because I am Too Darn Lazy to Tell the Story More Than Once

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As some of you know by my cryptic twitter/facebook updates, Josh went into the hospital early this morning. Everyone wants to know how he is doing, which is SO sweet. Instead of telling the story many times, I am opting for the super duper technology of blogging to keep my repeats to a minimum.We were awoken at about 6:30 this morning by our rotten, rotten children. We were both lying on our L-shaped couch and then Josh sat up and tilted his head back. It looked like he had fallen asleep but his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. In order to avoid going into gory details, I will just leave it at saying that he was unresponsive for the next minute. So I called 911. They came and found that his blood sugar was at a very dangerously low level and so they took him into the ER where they ran some tests and found that they still could not find the problem, but they were concerned enough to keep him overnight to run even more tests. So he has been in the hospital all day and will stay there overnight. The boys and I just went to visit him and they ate ALL of his chocolate pudding, which just may have been the worst thing that has happened all day. I keep accusing him of simply wanting to get a day away from the kids and I and reminding him that a room at the Four Seasons would be cheaper and nicer than his accommodations at the North Austin Medical Center. So he is doing fine and we have our fingers crossed that it will turn out to be an aberration. We miss him at home and feel SO happy that he is safe and being cared for. A big shout out to our dear friend Geni, who was ripped from her warm bead this morning to come and watch the boys while I rode in the ambulance to the ER with Josh, which I am ashamed to admit was a bit of a thrill for this sad suburban mom. Geni then had to endure being directed by a three year-old on how to make 'toad in a hole' before even having her morning coffee and her husband Kell had to withstand having six children, rather than his usual four, for the day. That could NOT have been fun. Geni and Kell very kindly gifted us a night of babysitting so we could have a night on the town which we have not had since the first Bush presidency term. Josh mentioned this morning that perhaps their having taken care of the boys today should count for that. I said "No way. I am going to see a movie in the theater and go out to eat without my children BEFORE the end of Obama's first term". Get well soon Josh. We miss you terribly. I will keep you all updated. Thanks for your concern.