A couple weekends ago, the kids and I headed over to Caine's Arcade to check it out. If you weren't one of the kazillion people who saw the little movie that went viral, you must see it. So adorable. I think it appealed to us all for so many reasons -- with it's beauty, love, creativity and old-school simplicity. I think it was just what the doctor ordered in this time of tech craziness and, quite frankly, an overall time of global uneasiness.

I am part of a Meet-Up group of Hiking Photographers who put together outings (often hiking) but also of other interesting events around LA to check out and photograph. We were also able to photograph in the Auto Parts yard of Caine's Dad's business. Such a treat too!

I spoke with his Dad and they had just returned the night before from The Exploratorium in San Francisco. If you are ever in San Francisco, it's a must see. So this freak little viral movie got the attention of the interactive museum there who flew the entire family up to San Francisco and sent a truck to bring all Caine's Arcade there for a special showing! How cool is that?? He told me that Caine got a lifetime membership to the Exploratorium and they commissioned the original "claw machine" for permanent installation there (he made a new one for the Arcade in East LA -- we played it!).

So three cheers for Caine for bringing us this simple joy. Cheers for cardboard boxes and all their possibilities. Cheers for kids and free orange and grape sodas and bags of treats, labeled with a Sharpie instead of corporate logos. Thank you, Caine Monroy.




Open for business! We were the first ones to play that day and, duh, yes we bought a fun pass. :)

Wow it's been a few weeks and I've been crazed on some project and family business but wanted to share some images from a GREAT show I attended and shot for the producers of The PLUSH SHOW in Los Angeles on June 5th. It was Amazing!

So this was the deal -- this amazacrazy entrepreneur Jina Park  came up with this idea to put together LA's grooviest luxury baby vendors for parents who want to find out about all the lurvley things available for babies in Los Angeles -- interior decorating, organic  toys, photography, party planners -- you name it. (See this beautiful Mama in purple below with celebs and her super-cute family!)

This was their first year and it was so beautiful and -- SHOCKER -- in LA, the weather was great too. I got a little sunburned snapping all the cute babies and their cuddly cute parents.  E! News came out to cover it along with some attendance of celeb moms. Check out our day and all the gorgeous things for little ones who don't even know how cool their life is yet...
 

Yay! One of my shots was featured on the cover of LA Parent Magazine, out today, for the October issue. Thanks to editor Carolyn Graham for taking a shine to my work and giving me a shot. I wrote her a note after we moved, introducing myself that I had just relocated and was a children's photographer and how much I used the magazine to find all things kid and family in LA after the move. They were great to work with and hope I get an opportunity to do it again.

If you are in LA, be sure to check them out online at www.laparent.com or on Facebook, for regular updates of groovy things to do and see around town!

Meghan Pinson! Hooray for Meghan's baby daddy! Enjoy your gift and your day and same goes for all the other fabulous Dad's out there, doin' that Dad thing you do so well. Thank you.

I am loving my new Birdznest Facebook Page for sharing shots and information and happenings with all my FB friends. I've been up for just a few weeks and have my first 100 Birdznest FB fans. In celebration of my launch here in LA and of Father's Day, I'm doing a 24-hour contest where you can win my Father's Day Mini package OR $250 credit toward the big package AND STILL GET A WRAPPED PRESENT FOR DAD IN TIME FOR SUNDAY!

The packages are detailed in the next blog entry (scroll down to see or click here)

Here's all you have to do to enter:

Get FIVE (or more!) of your parental-unit Facebook friends to "LIKE" the Birdznest Photography Facebook Page. I will give you one drawing chance for every five of your friends who "like" the FB page. 20 friends = 4 chances. Please be cool and don't send people you don't think would be interested in the photography page. I don't like posting for people who aren't interested (and neither do they).  

Email me the names of your friends who joined the club (just names, I don't need emails or anything). Tell them they can do the same thing for a chance to win. Any Birdznest FB fan can join in the contest.  But you need to be done and send me the email by 5:00PM tomorrow when I will do the drawing! GOOD LUCK! SoCal residents only.