You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Personal' category.
I know some of you are waiting patiently for your imagea and I I just wanted to post to let everyone that during this time of year I appreciate your patience! Every year my business grows in leaps and bounds. This year, has been no exception. Fall is the craziest time of year for me and my business. I’m finishing wedding season, shooting commercial client’s harvest & bottle shots, shooting some amazing Napa Valley events and I am trying to whip out all the summer weddings edits. It is also a busy time with Holiday portraits, album designs & holiday cards being ordered. In addition, the annual auction design & photography business has begun! Hmmm…do I sound a bit buried?
I am so amazed and thankful about the love, support and excitement my clients, friends & family have for my work. I value my work and quality more than you may know, so it is hugely important to me that my clients receive my best quality, and sadly, that just takes time. So…once again…thank you and please… know that your work will arrive soon and with my personal stamp of approval…I promise!
In addition, I may be slower than normal during this time of year returning emails and phone calls, but I assure you all, I am working my bootie off to get all caught up!
Currently, I am (almost) booked through November and have a few spaces in December, so if you still want to book a holiday portrait…please contact me asap!
I do appreciate all your love, patience and kindness!
a week full of small quiet moments. huge first moments (riding waves & no training wheels!) and plenty of wonderful moments of discovery…I invite you to enjoy the images…a chance for you too to enjoy some ocean breezes. Can you feel them?
View the slideshow
***** View the slideshow! *****
it was also a special time for me to photograph my children & play with light & joy! ( last photo was taken by Brian…I was playing with handstands and a flock flew by at that exact moment…wow! )
brandon & trevor were lucky enough to enjoy with their cousins…also shown in some of these photos
I really love my couples! No really… I do! I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to spend a day with someone…a day like no other in their lives…and then to receive words like these…so amazing! No really…thank you!
- OH my gosh or is the OMG in modern terms
WE LOVE THESE. You caught everything we wanted and have smiled all night watching these. Thank you thank you thank you. OK I have to go watch everything again. The slide show and music are amazing. We love the picture you have on the blog page – that one is worth everything. – K
- OH BRIANA! These are SOOOOO Fabulous! I LOVE your work! I was raving about you this afternoon. – S
- Ok. So I must admit I’ve probably watched the slideshow 50 times! There are not enough words to describe how wonderful you two are. You captured so many amazing moments I didn’t even know we did…and I was there…and sober! I might pee my pants waiting to see the rest! I know we want a copy of the slideshow. I don’t think I could have ever dreamed of more perfect photos. Thank you for being you and making this chapter of our lives so amazing and memorable. – S
- Wow!!!!!!!!! I can’t turn the waterworks off you ding dong! You are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! – S
- Wow Briana, these are great! The pictures are beautiful…you did such a wonderful job! We enjoyed working with you as well and appreciate everything…everything you did.
- I’m so glad that I checked my email this morning! What a treat to see these beautiful shots that you’ve taken of the wedding! Some of the images are just breathtaking! Thank you so much for the wonderful attention to detail. You and Brian were a pleasure to have at our daughter’s wedding. I will recommend you to any and all that might ask! You were professional in your style and you were both so attentive to the evening’s goofy and tender moments. With our growing family, I will look forward to having you take family shots as well….
- Oh my god, Briana, these are GREAT! We just watched the slide show together and were taken back to our wedding day. I got goose bumps. Amazing…. Thank you so much. We can’t wait for the disc.
- I can’t stop watching the beautiful slide show of Molly and Mike’s wedding! You are truly an artist and your pictures reflect your talent, warmth, creativity, sense of imagination and wonder. Thank you so much for capturing every lovely moment of Molly and Mike’s wedding celebration.
- Forgive the massive delay in THANKING YOU for the fabulous pics you got at our birthday/engagement weekend. They were incredibly special moments that you captured. You managed to catch the emotion of the weekend, as well as the events and people. It was remarkable. And I actually rarely saw you around – you were completely out-of-site. How did you do it? THANK YOU for your great pictures. My Dad cried when he saw them and asked for a CD of the pictures/slide show with music. I’m so happy you’re available for our wedding! We can’t wait!
Ok…can you see now why I love what I do??? 
kindness, real experiences & some quality Clark-Claudon Cabernet !
I’m always so proud of my family when things like this come out…
Clark Claudon on Wine Expedition
why would I want to shoot weddings? an orchestrated event where everything is planned. the characters . the events . the roles & the duties.
why?
because moments cannot be planned for. love never follows the rules. the characters crumble and the roles mean nothing when the magic of light & love dance.
if i trust the moments to happen . if I follow the love . if I am there…really there, to see those quiet enounters; the ones just before’and just after the ‘planned’ moments.
it is a most awesome gift that people give me and why would I ever give away the chance to return that gift. one image. of one moment. it can be everything.
Happy almost Anniversary to this beautiful couple. I had the pleasure of seeing them as guests in a wedding last weekend and it brings back all of the joy from their wedding! 
Jessica, one of my former brides, now a talented photographer is selling her work on Etsy. Her style is unique and very cool! Check it out!
Wow, time flies! Two of my previous couples emailed me this week to tell me they were expecting! I can’t tell you what an honor it is that my previous clients are now friends and they are sure to share big news with me! Just a few weeks ago I shot a three year old and it seemed like just yesterday when we photograped her amazingly tiny little toes. Hold on to the love & joy of today…because time moves on!
Clinica Verde breaks ground! Congratulations to all of you who have donated time & money to this amazing cause. What a journey…what a story! Meanwhile, last week I turned in my final application for the Getty’s Grants for Good to continue my photojounalism work in Nicaragua . Send me some positive thoughts, prayers, keep your fingers crossed, get out that rabbit foot…whatever works for you; I’ll appreciate your thougths.
Tall Grasses, Warm Breezes & Joyful Smiles; celebrating the return of Spring!
(All photos taken out the back door of my studio…gotta love that backdrop! )
Happy Monday…Bring on the Love!
As many of you know it has been a rough couple of weeks while we travel through the mourning of the loss of our dear friends. Their death has rocked this small valley and sent our entire community into a tail spin of grief . At Saturday’s memorial, there was a resounding message from all of their friends who credited them with taking life head on, embracing the good & letting the positive motivate everyone who was touched by them. Today, I am trying to take the warm sun, bright blue skies and this powerful message to heart. Whenever there is a tramatic event in one’s life, it puts many things in perspective. So, that is the challenge…to navigate loss, keep on with the necessary mundane and then rise to the challenge that they have given us. To live our lives a bit more like they did…taking the time to be there for people…really be there, appreciate the little things and get out there and enjoy this amazing world around us.
So today, back to work…how do I apply that to photography??? I read a great post from Project Wedding that puts Love back into the equation of wedding planning. Wow! That’s a concept! (Project Wedding is a fantastic resource for all of the myriad of details that go into planning your day…I highely recommend its goodness. ) But this morning, for 5 minutes…take a break from the details and go give your love a hug.
Read this post & appreciate…appreaciate it all. Life is good. Love is amazing. 
It is with a happy heart that I share with you a fabulous company called Borrow Lenses.com!
Enter Briana5 to receive a discount!
I’ve been wanting to try out the new Canon 50L 1.2 and yet the price tag is a bit wild so I wanted to try it out to see if it is really as good as everyone says. ( It is by the way…can I just say…butter baby!)
Borrow Lenses.com is an amazing company. It was SO easy to use them! For my first order, I just punched in what I wanted, when I wanted it, and for how long, and I stopped by their location in SF to pick it up. After a weekend of pure joy playing with the lens, I just shipped it back to them. Their box comes with a self addressed, stamped pack to use to return it, which couldn’t have been easier. Their website is super simple to use & they have an amazing selection of gear to try. In addition, their customer service is top notch…I’ve been pleased with every transaction since!
I always get the question from new photographers of what lenses to buy. Here’s your awnser… go rent a few and see what you love. In addition, they have many camera bodies for rent. I highely recommend them…and you know me…I’m a perfectionist at heart!)
Oh, and if you enter in the code Briana5 when you check out, you’ll save a few $$ off your order.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie (Thanks Laura for bringing this quote to my attention)
I love this quote…and looking over my December images brings my gratitude to the surface. Thank you parents for bringing me into your lives. Thank you children for allowing me in a little further. You make me smile. You make me laugh & you inspire me to do great work. Oh…did I utter “work”…I suppose it is work. Hmmm…Thank you for making it feel like it is not ‘work’! 
Did I mention that I was really busy during December…no? Well… the proof is in the pudding. Or in this case, the proof is in the slideshow. There were just too many amazing faces to blog them all, so I decided to share them in a little slideshow. The second half is still coming…more adorable faces coming soon.
Enjoy! done
ok… bear with me…a little low on sleep and high on life…it could lead to an intresting blog ramble… err…I mean post.
The New Year gives us a chance to reflect on the past and plan for the future… re-invent oneself right? Well, in my Yoga class last night, our amazing Jodi brought up a wonderful point. Yes, it may be good to take a gaze towards yesterday and a glance toward tomorrow but what we have…what we truly have, is this moment…right here… right now. The New Year’s ‘re-inventing oneself’ is really just a mindset and what we do with that mindset is where the power comes. I couldn’t agreee more Jodi. And in this moment, we can decide if we want to make a positive choice…for ourselves, for our loved ones… for those who are struggling in this world. It is our choice…we have the ultimate power. Sound lofty? Yeah…probably…but what’s stopping us? I have this great quote on my fridge… “Nothing is more powerful to propel or defeat you than the thoughts in your head.” I like it.
I have to chuckle at the gazillions of advertisers that are reaching down deep into our egos, our pocketbooks & our self-conscious thoughts trying to fill us up this time of year. Fill me up Toyota…Dell…Banana Republic… hmmm? It didn’t work…we tried that last year didn’t we?
I don’t know about you, but I can’t help myself right now…my optomism is overflowing…maybe because I feel that if we aren’t optomistic, what are we? Maybe because the alternative is just too dark. Maybe because I know that I’ve seen amazing things happen when people “point positive”. ( It’s something I learned when I used to white water kayak…when you are going downstream rapids, you always point your boat towards the direction you want to go. In addition, if you are lead, you use your paddle to point ‘positive’…point towards the line they are supposed to take.) If that isn’t an amazing metaphor for life! Always look towards the positive way you want to go and help your friends to do the same for themselves. hmm… now that’s a good new year’s resolution.
Personally, I have a variety of resolutions; some petty, some grand…most revolve around increasing organization in an era when we have too many gadgets to help us. Oh, don’t get me wrong…I’m not above it all…I do love my new Blackberry. But I want to decrease screentime, increase facetime, decrease sitting, increase moving, thinking & reading. Most of all; I want to inspire & be inspired. I just know it’s going to be an amazing year. I have some awesome weddings with really special people coming up & some wonderful clients who continually let me know how important they are to me & vice-versa…what could be better?
Oh and I have lofty plans…I can’ t wait for some amazing destination weddings and more opportunities for non-profit photography in this wide world.
So that’s the challenge I suppose…to balance lofty goals with being here in the moment. Right here. Right now. Ahhhhh… 
hmm…well… thanks for being here with me. I’m eager to share more images & ideas in 2009.
I leave you with some backyard photography…since we’re in the Zen mood…
Isn’t that a tough question? Some of my work was recently accepted into a publication and the editor wanted to know a bit more about me. (I’ll give more details about the publication once it goes to print.”) They gave me a variety of questions…thought I’d share my response:
I am a photographer and I am a mother…the two seem inseparable at times. Both challenging my inner drive, inner child & the ability to balance it all.. I think that deep down I always knew that I would be a photographer, but becoming a mother gave me an excuse to look at life with the freshness and wonder of a young spirit and find joy in the details…looking past the obvious, to know someone deeper, to trust my instincts, and to push the boundaries of what I am able to do with my life.
I have never been published and I suppose it’s one of my guilty secrets that I have always hoped I could some day. Maybe it’s vanity…maybe it’s the possibility that if someone else puts my work in print, then just maybe, it will make me real.
My hobbies are anything that brings me outside…kayaking, yoga, biking, backpacking & travel. I find that as I get older, my desire to travel has become more intense; a profound longing to feel connected to others in this world. Lately a list-topper has been just going exploring with my boys in the forest. I think all therapy should begin with a hike in the woods with small children…puts life in perspective. Oh, I have many bad habits…though most pretty tame in the grand scheme….I love staying up late,potato chips, bad dance music & a great margarita. Add good friends to the occasion and I set!
I am most proud of the fact that while I juggle many things as a business owner & a parent…my boys still have contests of who loves me more. Once they are tucked in tightly for bed, I look forward to my work. I can’t imagine a life of feeling the drudgery of work each & every day. I am so proud that I have created a life that I can enjoy living.
I shoot many things and sometimes it is for joy, sometimes for money and on a good day it is both.
Well, if you haven’t heard, now is the time that I announce my big news…I’d better before it becomes old news. I now have my own studio / gallery space!!! Needless to say I am thrilled about my new digs. (Photos to come soon…) But look closely at Justin’s post and you may note the yummy light & colors surrounding him. Yep…you guessed it…my new studio space! (And the awesome outdoor space surrounding it.) You can find me at 3111 North St. Helena Hwy. (The St. Helena Marketplace, aka, St. Helena Outlet Center, aka: The Cement Works. aka: Nimbus Arts new location.) Whatever you call it, I call it wonderful. I am now open for business; (appointment only at the time, but hopefull will have regualar hours soon.) If you are in the neighborhood, give me a call 707.965.2294 or stop on by. I’d be thrilled to have you visit. I have fine art for purchase as well as a fully funtioning studio space. Fellow photographers - you now have an upvalley studio location to rent! Keep your eyes & ears open for an upcoming Open Studio Party!
It’s been a crazy last few weeks. The ripe wonderful smell of harvest is the air. Busy-ness is pervasive from the fields to the wineries and the wedding season is still going strong. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some awesome families, couples & businesses and am looking forward to filling you all in on my on-going work.
Thanks to all of you who continue to support Briana Marie Photography…thanks for always dreaming with me…our dream has become a reality! And thanks for my kids who have been oh-so-patient with their busy mom. You boys rock!
Brandon (age 5) finds a ‘heart’ shaped rock. Love you too babe.
