Monday morning bliss

How often do we wake on a Monday morning and think "Today is going to be GREAT!"? Given the nature of Mondays, probably less often than we would like to. I photographed a wedding in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday, so how bad could my Monday be by waking up in such beautiful surroundings? If that wasn't good enough, mid morning I headed about a mile down the road to photograph eight of the most fantastic people I know!

If you've been a follower of my blog for any length of time, you may recognize this photo. Tiffany and Charles were married in '08, and one of my favorite images of the day was this one of Tiff with all the "men" in her life! Over the last four years, Tiff has become a good friend, and I love any opportunity we have to see each other. One of the reasons our relationship has grown from client/photographer to friend status is that we both KNOW that blood doesn't make someone family. We both have people in our lives who we consider family and couldn't survive without! Here are her nephews of her heart-the five sons of her best friend, Lesley.

Fast forward from 5/08 to 7/12, and here is what Tiff looks like with her guys. A couple of months ago, Lesley called to ask me to photograph her second oldest son's senior portraits. As we were chatting about what the summer would hold for each of us, she told me that she was making her annual 4th of July pilgrimage to Tahoe with Tiff and the entourage that joins in on the fun every year. Knowing that Lesley and Tiff have been friends for 25 years made me think that while they were having their yearly celebration, they should have portraits done on the shores of Lake Tahoe. When I actually spoke those words, I'm not sure how I thought Lesley would respond. I could hear the disappointment in her voice when she said, "But, you're probably booked with a wedding that weekend." My response to her was, "Yes I am....but the wedding is in Tahoe!!!!". Talk about planets aligning!! Knowing that I was going to spend the night in Tahoe on Sunday night, it just made perfect sense that we should take this opportunity to do the portraits Monday morning.

As I packed up my bags and loaded up my gear, I was getting ready to implement the ideas that I had been planning for weeks. Let's just say that I should have known better...nothing about this session was going to be structured ;) Upon arrival, I was greeted with hugs from Tiff, her mom-Sue, and Lesley, but I wasn't sure how the boys would feel about having their vacation interrupted with portraits. The ladies told me when they said to the boys that they were going to have portraits taken, the boys moaned and groaned about it. When the young vacationers asked who the photographer was, and they were told it was Debbie Brown, they said "Oh, okay, we like her!". To say the nine of us had a great time, would be an understatement!

Every combination I can think of was put before my camera. Bare feet, sand, water, smiles, laughter, friends and fun make for INCREDIBLE images! What I love so much about these people is that there is NOTHING off limits when it comes to taking their portraits. These portraits involved ALL of us getting in the water, and I was completely surprised at how warm the lake was! As the session progressed, we pushed the envelope a little bit more with each grouping. We started off by everyone taking off their shoes, and ended with all the guys taking off their shirts. Not sure I've ever had that happen! Believe me, I didn't just say, "Hey guys, take off your shirts". Scroll down and you'll see what caused the end result.

As you look at these images, you're going to wish you knew these people; and if you do know them, you're going to wish you had been there with us!!! I absolutely adore these three ladies, and the young men who are lucky enough to be in their lives. You're probably thinking "Debbie, it seems like every time I read about one of your former clients, they've become a good friend of your's.". Trust me when I say that there are worse things that can result from one's job, and why do you think I love what I do!? It doesn't always happen, but if you ask anyone who knows me, it does happen fairly frequently :)

As you look at these images, you're going to wish you knew these people; and if you do know them, you're going to wish you had been there with us!!! I absolutely adore these three ladies, and the young men who are lucky enough to be in their lives. You're probably thinking "Debbie, it seems like every time I read about one of your former clients, they've become a good friend of your's.". Trust me when I say that there are worse things that can result from one's job, and why do you think I love what I do!? It doesn't always happen, but if you ask anyone who knows me, it does happen fairly frequently :)

Tiff, Sue and Lesley, thanks so much for a fun morning. I smiled all the way back to Lincoln!

To see more of their images, visit Debbie Brown Photography on Facebook.