Juniper Spring Photography

I love the Forest

Liza — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:53:20 +0000

This is probably pretty self-explanatory…

Wedding Photography | 2nd Shooting | Melanie +Jeff

Liza — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:17:22 +0000

Back in August I had the opportunity to 2nd shoot with my friend Kim Mendoza. For those not in-the-know on wedding photography, 2nd shooting essentially means that the client requested to have a second photographer (or, in some cases, the size / length of the event requires one) and thus the primary / hired photographer finds and hires a second. (Personally, I include a 2nd shooter with any of my 8+hour packages, though customers are welcome to request one for shorter packages as well.)

I’m always a bit wary about posting 2nd-shooter work, as it’s not necessarily representative of the work I do if I am hired as a primary photographer. Of course my style is similar, but as a second, I just focus on different things. I get to hang out with the groom and groomsmen and get their portraits, add a second perspective during the ceremony and reception, and capture *lots* of details. For all these reasons, 2nd shooting is a very fun experience and I enjoy doing it. I have a bit more freedom to play around and try new ideas.

And because I get to play a bit more, I do still enjoy sharing these – and so, disclaimer out of the way, here goes: Melanie and Jeff, at the gorgeous Crystal Springs Golf Course.

Sledding

Liza — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:29:20 +0000

In my last post I shared with you a photo shoot I did for my brother as part of his 19th birthday present. In this one, I wanted to share a bit of the fun we had during his birthday party. My family lives in San Diego, but (presumably because of our Russian roots) we all have a deep fondness of winter and snow. So for his Christmas-eve birthday, my brother Alyosha often invites the family and his friends out to Laguna mountain (about an hours’ drive from San Diego) for snowy sledding fun. And here it is, in all its’ silly wintery glory.

(I included the last image because of the funny story – I had set the timer on the camera for the group photo and, after bounding down the slippery snowy slope, I slipped and fell right as the shutter clicked. I’m that brown lump on the right. I guess you had to be there, but it makes me laugh every time I see it :0)

San Diego Portrait Photography | Alyosha and Taylor

Liza — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:26:18 +0000

As part of his 19th birthday present this year, my younger brother asked me to do a photoshoot with him and his girlfriend, Taylor. Well, of course, who could resist? Look at them! We took a walk in a San Diego canyon, during the perfect golden hour. These two are so adorable, and I am forced to realize that my “baby brother” is all grown up.
Happy Birthday Lyosha! :0)

Oakland Portrait Photography | Baby Sophie

Liza — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:16:22 +0000

One cloudy day this December, I got to photograph this beautiful family and their absolutely adorable little baby, Sophie. I mean, look at those big brown eyes, and those cheeks! My job is so fun :0) Thanks to Sarah, Tim and little Sophie for inviting me into your home and for picking me to do your photos!

San Jose Family Photography | Rupali, Andrew and Ronan

Liza — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:36:31 +0000

November and December are a great time for family portraits – weddings are less frequent, so I can devote all of my attention to portraits. In San Jose, it gets slightly chilly, but not so cold that you can’t have a nice walk in the park. This family – Rupali, Andrew and their little one Ronan were so great. We started out in their lovely back yard, got some cozy shots in their home, then walked around the beautiful Alum Rock Park, catching the soft autumn light. This park is a revelation to me – somehow, having lived in the Bay Area for 5 years now, I had never been there. What a beautiful place! Finally, we finished up with some simple shots of just Ronan, hanging out in his nursery.

I love when you can tell how much parents love their kid – and with these guys, you definitely could. (You could tell they love their kitties, too :0)

Rupali, Andrew and Ronan, thanks for picking me to be your photographer, and for generally being swell!

Los Gatos Portrait Photography | Katie and Pippin

Liza — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Back in October I did a short series of mini-portrait sessions to raise funds for my trip to Africa. This is my lovely friend Katie and her mom’s adorable pup, Pippin. Katie wanted to frame these for her mom as a birthday present, and as I hear it, they were a big hit :0)

Travel Photojournalism | Ethiopia

Liza — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:46:45 +0000

Most of my blogs here focus on work and work-related photos. I tend to be a bit shy sharing personal things and photos on this blog, though it’s hard to explain why. But I’m working on changing that, because I think it’s important for everyone, myself included, to be honest about who they are and what they care about. That’s what makes life beautiful :0)

Something that means a lot to me is humanitarian work. Finding a way to be useful to someone else, to help, to be of service, to share love and joy …..is such an incredible blessing. I want to share with you how I got a chance to participate in exactly that.

Earlier this fall, my hubby Sean and I got the incredible opportunity to accompany a humanitarian medical team to Ethiopia. The team partnered with an amazing organization, Project Mercy, in their local hospital and schools in the Yetebon region. Sean helped with tech support on some medical record-keeping software, while I was the team’s photojournalist – attempting to capture all of the goings-on. The team was sub-divided into two main groups: the hospital group and the clinic group. The hospital group worked at Project Mercy’s hospital setting up an un-utilized operating room and helping with surgeries, while the clinic group worked in local schools doing health assessments and treating simple non-chronic ailments.

It’s really very hard to describe such a life-changing 2-week trip without rambling and gesturing wildly with my arms. It’s even harder to limit some 4000 photos to a quickly-viewable amount. I’m not even attempting the first one – if you really want to know more about the trip, feel free to email me and ask – maybe we can grab coffee and I’ll tell you all about it (wild exaggerated motions included :0) With the latter, I’ve decided to focus on the photos I liked best – ones which show the land and the people and move me somehow.

(In case you’re wondering why there are pictures of Dubai – we had an overnight layover during which we managed to squeeze in a tour. )

Hope you enjoy!

The Whole Team

En Route

Sean and I, Being Silly

In the Atlantis Hotel, Dubai

Mosque in Dubai

Burj Khalifa in Dubai

Welcome to Ethiopia

Ethiopian Tukul

Project Mercy Campus at Sunrise

Dr. Fekadu, Yetebon Surgeon

Labor Room

Grain

Sisters

Project Mercy Kitchen

Project Mercy Beadmaking

Project Mercy Basket Weaving

Project Mercy Embroidery

Flowers, Of Course

Yetebon Taxi

Adorableness

School Kids

Surgery

Project Mercy Garden

Ciarra Teaches 9th Grade Chemistry

The Road to the Hospital

In the O.R.

The Joyful Staff

Midwives – Students in Our Obstetrics Class

The Countryside

Mountain Kids

First Flower of Olive Trees

Figs

Scenery

Project Mercy Campus

Food For the ….

Cows :0)

Rupali and Andrew – Sneak Peek

Liza — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:42:51 +0000

Hello World! I haven’t posted in forever – it’s been a crazy fall! Between travel, work, updating my website (!) and lots and lots of editing, posting blogs has sadly fallen by the wayside. I promise – there will be a lot of posts coming soon, but meanwhile, here’s a sneak peek of a wonderful family shoot I did the other day.

Check out this adorable, smug little guy :0) The expression on his face just kills me.

Van and Luke – Sneak Peek

Liza — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:38:30 +0000