Winter is the New Summer

Way back in May when I first found out I was pregnant I thought, “Oh good, it will be cold when I’m big and uncomfortable. I can wear sweaters and jumpers to hide my bulk.” Boy, I was I wrong. In southern California it is hot hot hot when it is supposed to be cold. Here it is November and we are having one hot beautiful day after another. Gone is the fog, gone is the ocean haze… it’s just nothing but bright blue skies and color so vivid it almost hurts your eyes. All thanks to the dry Santa Ana winds that have blown every bit of moisture right off the coast and off to Tahiti or somewhere.

Toby and I walked down to Little Corona beach for these shots. It felt amazing to let the icy water wash my toes after the beating sun made my eyes squint and my body sweat in unmentionable places. And it was here, as we sat on a rock, that Toby gave me the best compliment I’ve had in ages. He said in a way, I’m a more sophisticated photographer than he is. This about blew me over since he is one of the most sought after photographers around and I’ve had some major screw up jobs in recent history that have made me want to hang up my camera for good.

He said it’s not how you shoot that’s important. It’s not equipment or knowledge of f-stops and film speeds and apperatures… (although that helps of course.) It’s being able to capture a moment instead of thinking of a photograph as an object. And then I said something about always wanting to be a photo journalist and he rolled his eyes like I completely missed the point. But I think I know what he means and I hope these pictures convey how beautiful and amazing it was to “just be” on a hot dry day like today.