San Diego CA Child, High School Senior & Family Portrait Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography » santa barbara family photographer

san diego family portraits | photo of the week | sweet love

Jules — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:29:04 +0000

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer

Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

san diego family portraits | just us twelve times | february 2012

Jules — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:38 +0000

This month we adventured up the coast to San Juan Capistrano to meet up with Allison Jacobs and her son Gavin for today’s ‘just us’ images. We’ve been there once before for our train adventure to the petting zoo. It’s a gorgeous area with a beautiful mission, old shops, and unique buildings … it’s also PACKED with people and photographers on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. :)

We didn’t stay long, but managed to come home with two images for today!

If you followed my ‘fifty two on friday’ group, you might have seen on my final post that part of my goal for the 2012 was going to be to take better care of me. The first thing I did was run out and buy this awesome blender! Brooks and I now head to our new favorite market, Sprouts, filled with local and organic produce and food. By the end of the trip, our cart is PACKED with the yummiest fruits and veggies that we work together to pick out. My new breakfast of choice is a green monster smoothie … 4 kale leaves, a giant handful of spinach, 1 mini cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 piece of celery, 1/2 lime, a big slice of pineapple, and protein powder. It’s seriously sooo good! What I’m most proud of is after just 3 days my coffee no longer was appealing. So shocking to anyone who really knows me! I LOVED coffee … and I drank a LOT of it. Every. Single. Day. Now I’m a tea girl! I’ve been loving the TAZO teas that they sell at Starbucks. Not only have I kicked coffee, but also my once a day habit of a Diet Coke. Gone. Another shocking change is that I’ve lost all cravings for sugar! Sugar has been cut out of my diet for 3 weeks and I haven’t’ missed it once. The happiest change with all of this is the amazing increase in my energy … from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. It’s just crazy! This little blender changed so much for me in just one month. I’ll let you know how February goes! :)

Please continue on with the circle with my friend Jayme Franklin | San Francisco Family Photographer.

Just Us Twelve Times

San Diego Family Photographer | Jules Trandem Photography on Facebook | The Bloom Forum

san diego child and family photographer | photo of the week | evening at the winery

Jules — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:47:52 +0000

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer | Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

san diego lifestyle photographer | what the magic of first grade looks like | january 2012

Jules — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:00:07 +0000

I’ve been lucky to have met so many incredibly talented and wonderful photographers during this journey. People who share the same desire to capture their own families in a real and beautiful way. I’m teaming up with eleven of these women on a very personal and meaningful project called, “What ________ Looks Like.”

Our goal is to capture our own families in a real and beautiful way. Some people call it “lifestyle”, some call it “real life”, some call it “unposed”. No matter what you call it, our desire is to snatch the moments that represent the relationships, the dynamics, the reality, the beauty, the truth, and the life of our families and record them here on our blogs as well as in print at the end of the project.

Each month we will each choose to fill in the blank with our word of choice. Some of us may choose to use the same word all year and some may choose to change it up each month. We will each link to the next photographer until our circle is complete.

We hope this project inspires you to take more pictures of your own families so that those unique moments that make your family unique will never be lost or forgotten.~ Wendy VonSosen.

Each of us will put our own spin on this project, making it more meaningful to us. I wanted my monthly post to be in the form of a letter to Brooks. When the year is complete, I hope to compile the monthly letters and images into a book. My gift to him and to myself. Here is his story of January 2012.

Dear Brooks,

This has been such an incredible month for you… one filled with many highlights. I know if I were to ask you what your favorite part of the month was, I’m sure you would tell me the Teddy Bear sleepover at school. Only problem … you didn’t have a teddy bear. We have stuffies of all kinds, just not a bear, so we went to Build a Bear to make a very special bear.

After putting in just the right amount of stuffing into your bear, it was time to add the best part .. the heart. You were asked to give it a kiss and make a special wish. :)

You were also asked to rub it on your forehead to make him smart, jump up and down 3 times to make him strong, and place it over your heart to show him how much he is loved.

The next stop was a quick bath and a scrub.

It took you about 2 seconds to pick out the Darth Vader costume for your sweet bear.

On the morning of the sleepover, you raced into my room, at 5:30, and exclaimed… I can’t believe this day is finally here. I’m so excited!

Swoon!!!

One of the best parts of the day was making ‘bear bread’.

At the end of the day, Darth Vader was happily tucked in and given lots of goodnight kisses.

When you were out at running club, I walked into the classroom the next morning and discovered the bear friends were a bit naughty during their sleepover. And as you can see, Courduroy (from your K teacher’s class, Mrs. S) had joined the party and had a duel with Darth. I thought he looked great in his Jedi robe.

I couldn’t wait for you to find him.

After looking through your own room for your Darth, you finally came into mine. This set is absolutely priceless to me. It is all about the true magic of first grade.

You paraded through the classrooms in your PJs and cuddling your bear before you sat down to enjoy the Teddy Bear picnic.

That night Corduroy came home with you and created a bit more mischief with Darth. Before you went to bed, you set all of your pets up to play school. You planned for a busy night filled with math and writing.

The next morning, you woke up at 5:30 again to this mess! You came running and bouncing into my room shouting for me to come see what Corduroy and Darth did during the night. We kept the TP up for the day and you played and played in your room.

You’re growing up so fast! I’m very thankful to have this project so I could document this special time in your first grade life. I know this magic won’t last forever … but I’ll embrace it and run with it for as long as it’s here.

I love you so much and I couldn’t be more proud of you!

xoxo
Mommy

This month I’m so happy to continue with my talented, dear friend Nichole Van | Utah Wedding and Portrait Photographer.

I want to welcome Becky Earl and Shalonda Chaddock (of Chubbycheek Photography) to our group.

If you missed the beginning, you can catch up on…
What Responsibility Looks Like
What the Last Days of Summer Looks Like
What Almost 7 Looks Like
What Making Memories Looks Like
What December Traditions Looks Like

san diego beach photographer | photo of the week | bff

Jules — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:07:55 +0000

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer | Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

san diego family photographer | 26 weeks of inspiration {2} let’s get close

Jules — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:41 +0000

Let’s get close … at the San Diego New Children’s Museum.

The winter cold and flu season finally caught up with both of us. We have been sick for the last 10 days … yuck! Last weekend we needed a chance to get out of the house and do something other than hang out in our PJs. So we spent the afternoon at the Children’s Museum (loaded with kleenex and hand sanitizer) and had so much fun. We haven’t been since we had a membership the first year it was open. It’s a beautiful space for children to grow and explore. But, as you can see, toward the end of the outing Brooks (me, too) was done.

This week, our technique is still unique lighting and our theme is “let’s get close”. After you see my picture, be sure to continue clicking through the different photographers links so you can see the complete circle. Be sure to come back in 2 weeks to see our next theme, you don’t want to miss it!

In case you missed my first post of this new project, here is a little information about it.

As photographers, we are always looking for ways to challenge ourselves. This year I am taking on an exciting new challenge, a 26 week project. It is similar to the 52 week project most of you are familiar with, except this year we are working on techniques along with our themes. Our themes for our 26 week project will be more thought provoking, so it will be fun to see the different interpretations. I am working along with 11 other AMAZING photographers, 6 of my favorite photographers from my last group and 6 crazy talented news ones, who will be challenging me as the year goes on. Each month we will have a different technique we are working on, and each week we will have a new theme.

Please continue on with Aubry Startin | Phoenix Family and Wedding Photographer.

family photographer in san diego | photo of the week | flying high

Jules — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:54:36 +0000

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer | Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

san diego family portraits {elevate} a fine art photography exploration | january 2012

Jules — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:40:46 +0000

On a very warm New Year’s Day, Brooks and I went down to the beach for a late afternoon visit. After the sun went down and everyone was leaving, I turned and saw Brooks standing all alone out in the ocean on this little rock, surrounded by water. I wish I knew what he was thinking about out there. So Brave. So strong. He looked like he was ready to tackle the world.

He continues to inspire me to be a better person … through his strength, his laughter and his love.

A perfect way to start the new year.

We have 12 amazing photographers in our group today, so please continue on with the always inspiring Andee Tate | Crave Photography | Utah Photographer.

Here is a little background on {elevate} a fine art photography exploration.

‘I love art. It’s been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I wanted a world that was removed from the mundane simplicity of everyday life.

But of course, life comes in and we grow up and move on. There isn’t enough time in the day to even shower, much less indulge in artistic flights of fancy. We have children, get a job and acquire debts. We cheer soccer games and kiss booboos and wash that same cup for the thousandth time. We forget the past and become “adults.”

And then one day, we pick up a camera. And take that first shot.

And all that youthful longing comes rushing back—it’s as if we have been drowning all these years and someone finally pulled us back to the surface. Color comes back to the world, color that we had never noticed was missing.

Coming up for that first gasp of air is exhilarating. For me, I couldn’t get enough of photography. It consumed me as I was suddenly able to express everything inside, all this longing that had been pushed aside for so many years. I would stay up nearly all night working on a new project or a fun idea. I would read everything and had a huge list of photographic concepts I wanted to try out.

But of course, again, life comes in. We want to share our newfound gift and now there are photography debts to be paid too. So we leave that list of concepts and turn our passion into our job. It’s fun and rewarding and exhilarating in a different way. But appointments and editing and deadlines leave little room for personal expression.

But I’m still that hopelessly romantic girl. And I still have a list of creative ideas a mile long that I would love to complete. Henri Matisse stated, “An artist is an explorer.” I often feel like that, though perhaps it’s just a journey of self-exploration, understanding myself a little more. So I decided to take a little time each month to explore photography as an art form, to elevate my understanding of both art and myself, and allow that deeply artistic side of myself a chance to spread her wings.

Created by Nichole Van, I banded together with a handful of other photographers to create a blog project focused on exploring the fine art side of photography. Each month, we will post a photo or series of images focused on art and photography. There are no rules. Just post what comes from the heart and allow the inner artist a chance to explore and fly.

So welcome to {elevate} a fine art photography exploration’ ~ Nichole Van

San Diego Family Photographer | Facebook | The Bloom Forum

san diego family photographer | photo of the week | big squeeze

Jules — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:17:16 +0000

Jenny Watts – Dallas TX Photographer | Maureen Wilson – McComb MS Photographer | Jasmine Sargent – Bismarck ND Photographer

San Diego CA Child and Family Photographer | Photo of the Week

san diego family photographer | 26 weeks of inspiration {1} view from up here

Jules — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:03 +0000

For the month of January, our technique is unique lighting and our theme is “view from up here”. After you see my picture, be sure to continue clicking through the different photographers links so you can see the complete circle. Be sure to come back in 2 weeks to see our next theme, you don’t want to miss it!

Last weekend Brooks and I took off to the beach for our last day of Christmas vacation to look for ‘unique lighting’ and try to shoot something for our theme today, ‘view from up here’. I love using light and often look for backlight for my images. On this day, I tried for something different, I waited for the sun to go down and looked for more unique lighting … shadows and different light sources. I ended up really enjoying the challenge and will continue to look for unique lighting in my sessions.

With this one, I know I’m only ‘slightly’ above him … but it’s my ‘view from up here’ and ‘unique lighting’.

And by now it was completely dark out so we wandered around to find a different light source.

It was fun to explore and look for something different. I appreciate this challenge so much and look forward to the months ahead.

Please continue on with Aubry Startin | Phoenix Family and Wedding Photographer.