Pina Zangaro

Pina Zangaro is a San Francisco based company that makes wonderful presentation materials. They have featured some of my work on their site, so check it out here and check out their beautiful wares while you are at it. I love the etched portfolio they made for me. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Potty Training

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My name is Bonnie and I have a four and a half year old who is not potty trained. Sometimes I feel like I should have a t-shirt made up that confesses that fact or I should wear the equivalent of a scarlet letter. I have read countless advice about the subject and we decided not to force the issue. But Ben has NO interest. And I mean NONE. We have tried everything, including bribery to no avail. Tears have been shed, mean things have been said. Quel nightmare. But there is light at the end of this tunnel. Josh found a solution that seems to be working and we have made great progress this week. He bought Ben a watch that beeps every hour to tell Ben to go use the potty. That way we are not the ones telling him, but the watch is. And he seems to like the watch much better than us. So here are some pics of the boys doing their duty (Sam thinks this is a cool pastime and should be potty trained any time now). And for those of you who feel compelled to offer advice, please restrain yourselves : ) Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Vote for Me {Pretty Please}

I entered an image in the Modern Photographers 'Best of Wedding Day' contest on Facebook. So if you like my photo, please take a minute out of your busy day to VOTE FOR IT HERE. It is in the sixth row from the top. And if you want to help me out further, also hit the SHARE button. Thanks and have a wonderful day full of coffee, sugar, cocktails and, of course, a nap. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

The Reader

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Every night before Ben goes to bed Josh read him three books. I read to him often as well, but Josh is so much better at it than I am. He does all the voices and adds in the dramatic pauses. Even I like to sit and listen to the performance. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

I Fought The Law and Guess Who Won?

I have been driving for about 26 years (rest your brain, no need to do the math--I am 42). In that time I have never had a speeding ticket etc. Until I came to Texas that is. In the last two years I have been a beacon for driving issues.First I get pulled over on the way home from San Antonio (after a shooting a wedding) for speeding, but I get off with a warning. Then I go back to California and get a ticket for taking a left turn at 8:25 on a Monday morning. Apparently there is a little sign that says you cannot take a left on Mondays between 8 and 8:30 am. Can you BELIEVE that? I get a ticket. I promptly forget about it. Back in Texas I lose my wallet with my California license in it. Then it expires. I try to get a Texas license. I go through the initial pass through at the DMV, wait two hours and am then told I need a current passport. I order a passport, it takes two months. I go back to the DMV. They tell me I cannot get a license because California has suspended mine for not appearing for that turning left ticket. I pay the state of California $500 to strike that off my record. I go back to the Texas DMV and take the written test which I barely pass because I am unsure if you get your license suspended for 120-180 days or 180-240 days for your first incident of drunk driving. They tell me to come back the next day to take the driving test. I do. I wait in line. Five minutes after they open they tell me all the driving test spots are full. I come back the next morning one and a half hours before they open at 6:30am. By the time they open the doors there are over sixty people in the queue. I luckily get a spot and then drive around the corner four times and pass the test. So I figure I am DONE with the driving bureaucracy. I thought wrong. I was driving back from a networking thing the other night and I got pulled over. My lights were not on. I am daft, but I think I will just get a warning. Then I turn the lights on and she says that my front right headlight is out. Again I am daft, but I think I will just get a warning. Then she notices my registration has lapsed. I am daft and I am screwed and EXHAUSTED.

Baby Kai | Austin Child Photographer

I photographed baby Kai and his beautiful mother Gale the other day. Kai was a natural in front of the camera, but big brother Che wanted nothing to do with it. That was fine since Kai was the star du jour, but I couldn't resist a challenge and snapped a few quickies of him at the end. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Mollie's Girls

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Two Fridays ago I had both boys at home and NOTHING to do. It is so damn hot here that going outside seems like a perilous endeavor. And then Mollie and her girls came to my rescue. Thank goodness. I was saved and we had fun to boot. I was especially surprised to see how Ben and Sam reacted to baby Eve. They were kissing and tickling her and Ben was making funny faces to entertain her (see second to last pics). Who would have thought? Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Summer Days

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A couple of weeks ago we went to Katherine's to hang out and play in the sun while Josh and Ben were in New York visiting Josh's mom. Finn and Sam had their first popsicles. To say they enjoyed them is an understatement. Check out Katherine's beautiful photos here. And also check out her Bastrop camping photos (especially love Sam's leaf bath) here. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Downtown Bastrop

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On our way out of town from camping last weekend we stopped for some grub in downtown Bastrop at the amazing Maxine's. After we stuffed ourselves I took a couple of photos. I was trying for the umpteenth time to get a good photo of Josh and the boys and once again it was a bit of a disaster (see last two photos). Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Camille

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I met Camille for the first time in a mother's group in Berkeley. I never thought we would be friends. She was outrageously beautiful even though she had given birth a short two moths before, and she is French. I must admit that French women and I have never been close. I have lived in their country a few times and although I feel completely at home on their terra firma, my awkwardness and disregard for anything approaching femininity has always made us oil and water. I realize I am hugely exaggerating, but there it is. But Camille and I did indeed become fast friends. I tease her that she is more Californian than I ever was, even though I was born and raised there. And I am so grateful for her friendship, it is one of the most important in my life. She, her husband Jason, and their two children, have become like family.I took some photos of her, Jason and their friend and colleague Nicole for their production company website (that I am supposed to be designing right now, rather than writing this blog entry) when I was in California last month. They are documentary filmmakers, which I think is one of the coolest professions around. Camille is still one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. And her beauty is even outshone by her warmth, her humor, her creativity, her generosity and her intelligence. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

Engaged: Jody and Heather | Austin Wedding Photographer

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When I met Heather, her best friend Sarah and her mom Libby for the first time, it was as if we had known each other for years. We gabbed for ages like a bunch of old friends. It is just that way with some people and Heather is definitely one of those people for me. I headed to Fredericksburg to meet up with Heather and her fiance Jody for their engagement shoot. Jody is as laid back as they come and a true gentleman to boot. We had a great time hanging out and taking pictures and they were up for any crazy idea I had. It was a lovely morning.Edited to add: Melissa just asked me where the flower sequence was shot. It was done at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg. Bonnie Berry is an Austin, Texas child, family and wedding photographer.

If I Were More Eloquent...

...I would have described my work almost exactly how one of my favorite photographers, Julie Blackmon, describes hers:“I believe there are moments that can be found throughout any given day that bring sanctuary. It is in finding these moments amidst the stress of the everyday that my life as a mother parallels my work as an artist, and where the dynamics of family life throughout time seem remarkably unchanged. As an artist and as a mother, I believe life’s most poignant moments come from the ability to fuse fantasy and reality: to see the mythic amidst the chaos.” Although our work is very, very different and I am no where near being her peer, I think her words are an amazingly accurate description about how I feel about my process as a photographer. If you are not familiar with her work, you should definitely check her out.