Dawn M Photography
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Photographs I take for nobody, but me. Since my daughter was born, she has occupied most if not all of spare photography time.Tuesday / 8 July 2008
Happy 4th (appropriately 4 days late)!
No fireworks. Instead I give you the next best thing — a coneflower about to bloom.

San Francisco didn't happen. With Kendall on the verge of crawling I was already deeply regretting my decision to leave. Then my husband got sick (lay in bed for two days sick) and that was all I needed to cancel my flight. So, another time.

With no appointments scheduled I spent the long weekend hanging out with my favorite girl who was going through another round of heavy duty teething. Poor thing is not happy. Even the pup felt the pain. I think it concerns annoys her when K cries.

Thursday / 26 June 2008
Film Smells Good

Last time I was in SF, I shot a ton of film using my Lomo LC-A. For this trip I thought I had it all figured out by selecting which digital camera and lenses to bring. Then I saw these buttons on etsy by the fabulous Ms Supercacity. Immediately I was inspired to bring along my dusty yet trusty Lomo and a few rolls of film. That small bag I envisioned taking with is getting bigger as my departure date gets closer.
Here's an image my husband took of me loading film into the Lomo at Fisherman's Wharf in 2003.

Wednesday / 18 June 2008
Snacktime for a Photographer
An apple plus Annie's Whole Wheat Bunnies, in my favorite new flips, outside on the patio with K in tow. Oh and a camera! All inspired by today's unbelievably gorgeous weather.




Friday / 13 June 2008
The Process of Teething in Three Images


Please someone (anyone!) tell me it gets easier each time.
Wednesday / 11 June 2008
Casual Fridays

There's not enough time for a recent session post. Instead you get an image of our pup Bernie taking a snooze and a few links to help push forward to the weekend!
First up, since we are in a doggie mood, enjoy some gorgeous dog photography from photographers Erin Vey in Seattle and Anna Kuperberg in San Francisco. Both have an incredible talent in capturing a dog's liveliness and personality.
I came across the next link via swissmiss, which is a great way to spend a Friday all by itself especially so if you love design and a bit of geekery. Blank is Like Blank is self described as "analogies to live by" and if you're not living by them your missing out on all the fun! Here's a little selection from the site:
"Apologies are like monsters: They’re only real if you believe in them."
"Facebook is like a gossipy friend with no interesting information."
"Babies are like drunk men in bars: They only crave what’s in their immediate vicinity."
-Justin Feinstein
Finally saved from an issue of Real Simple, a few unique sites for summer travels:
roadfood.com "The most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America"
momsminivan.com "101 Car Travel Games & Road Trip Ideas for Kids"
thebathroomdiaries.com "Few would visit a country without some advanced information, yet our tender bits are exposed to uncharted territories with no help or assistance. At our most vulnerable, we are blind. Well, no more. "
Happy Friday!
Saturday / 7 June 2008
Look All Around
Last night after the sun started to set I went outside to photograph the lilac bushes that just started to bloom. For some reason our bushes bloom a good two to three weeks after every other lilac bush has lost their flowers. I took some pictures, but nothing felt right. I couldn't get the angle I wanted. The light wasn't there. The color didn't work. The shot I had in mind wasn't forming. I was about to give up entirely and go back inside when I took a look around and found these lovely things.


Sunday / 11 May 2008
Happy Mothers' Day
Before I was a mom, I thought being a mom looked hard. Now I know it's even harder than it looks. I am tired merely thinking about all of us moms swirling around everyday trying to do anything and everything we can to give our children the best life possible.
This mother's day is the first since my mom passed away and my first mother's day as a mom. Equal parts bitter and sweet. We will be celebrating quietly at home.
This mother's day I wish for all moms to receive all the love they have given and more.

Tuesday / 6 May 2008
The Road to Eating Better, Part 1
My husband and I have committed to eating healthier for ourselves and for Kendall. Over the past month or so we have found some great companies/products. I want to share them with you in case you are sick of eating chemicals and too much sugar as much as we are.
"HAPPYBABY was born when we saw the need for nutritious and convenient alternatives to highly processed baby food. We believe baby's first meals should taste and look delicious—and nourish baby's body."
Kendall recently starting eating HAPPYBABY organic brown rice cereal. So far this is her favorite. We especially like it not only because it's organic, but it's also made with whole grains. Two thumbs up in our household. We also started Kendall on their frozen fruits and veggies as well. They are a little more difficult to make than simply twisting the top off a jar, but they smell like real food. We couldn't believe how bad Gerber's Organic Bananas smelled when we took off the lid.
We found HAPPYBABY at our local Super Target. It's also available at Whole Foods and the cereal alone can be found at Babies R Us. Find HAPPYBABY products near you.
"Making natural food that tastes great is our job. And we love it. When you eat great-tasting all-natural food you won't miss the highly refined sugars, artificial additives, or preservatives. Our food is your ally in wellness, so everything from breakfast to dinner will make you feel healthier and happier."
Of course, Kashi. I couldn't talk about eating better without talking about Kashi. They have a wide range of foods available. My favorite addition to my diet is their shakes. I use the vanilla shake mix in my mid-morning smoothie. That's one banana, 1c of strawberries, 1tbsp of flax seed, 1c of soy milk, 2 scoops of Kashi Vanilla Shake Mix. It's full of protein, so it makes a great after workout snack. They also have a chocolate shake mix which I think would make the perfect chocolate-banana smoothie. Magically delicious! Kashi also has a wide selection of cereals and crackers for breakfast and snacking. My husband started eating Honey Toasted Oats in lieu of Honey Nut Cheerios which has its share of sugar.
Kashi is readily available. We've purchased ours at Trader Joes, Super Target and our local grocery stores (Jewel & Dominick's). Find Kashi near you. Kashi.com also has an online store. I ordered a case of the shake mix, because Trader Joe's is the only nearby place that had it and we don't have time to go there often enough.
"We at Annie's believe that there's something reassuring about knowing what's in your food and who it comes from. As nourishers, we see the world as one giant system, beautifully complex yet intricately interconnected, that grows organically with the care it is given."
I tried Annie's Homegrown Whole Wheat Bunnies when I was looking for a tasty cracker to have with lunch. They reminded me of the original goldfish. Good. They also come in cheddar which means Kendall will be snacking on Wholesome Bunnies instead of Goldfish.
Annie's Homegrown is another one that we've found pretty easily. Our Target and local supermarkets stock several of their products. Find Annie's Homegrown near you or shop online.
That's all for now, more to come.
Saturday / 3 May 2008
6 Month Wellness Check
You had to admire my blissful ignorance when I so enthusiastically said to bring your camera to your next doctor visit as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do.
Today was Kendall's 6 month wellness check.
It was quite different from her 4 month in that the exact second I put her down on the table she started to whimper. We are having our bit of separation anxiety these days! The whimper escalated to a cry, I soothed her, back to whimpering, crying, soothing. Repeat. Very different from her last visit. I nixed the documenting idea within a minute of walking into the doctor's office. A record for me, I think.
We still tried. We had to at least try. I'm so happy we did. My heart melts into a pile of mush when I look at those two images of daddy and Kendall. I could look at them together like that all day.

Friday / 2 May 2008
Passion, Obsession or Addiction?
People are often surprised that I take photos that don't have kids in them. I actually take photos ALL the time of just about anything. Take today for example. I was sitting in my office plugging away and I saw some special light coming through the window. I had had to grab my camera and capture it.

I got up close and personal with a micro lens. No method to my madness it just happened to be on my camera. The first shot I aimed my camera towards the sun. That big bright circle? The sun. Love it. The second shot was seconds later shot towards the grayish blue sky and technically underexposed a tad for effect.

Nothing special in the grand scheme of things, but enough to keep the photography juices flowing.