Isabel Lawrence Photographers

A gift to the heart...

2012-02-03T11:57:00.001-08:00

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life."
~ Isadora James

Pozos, February's Print of the Month

2012-01-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

If you are a fairly new visitor to our blog, let me introduce you to our Print of the Month. Every month Larry and I offer a photograph from our fine art archive at a steeply discounted purchase price. We are offering this photograph in the limited edition of 30 until the end of the February. It's printed on museum fiber paper by master printer Robert Cavalli and is sized 8x10" for the price of $50.

For this month's featured photograph, we're taking you to a tiny abandoned mining town in Mexico called Pozos. Grand old buildings linger in ruin and its chief residents are packs of emaciated stray dogs. This may be the most dangerous place I've ever photographed - not because of said dogs, but because miles of barely covered mine shafts lie in wait for one misstep.

If you would like to add this to your art collection, please contact us at the studio.

A year on Instagram

2012-01-30T11:29:00.001-08:00

The day started innocently enough, another bat-mitzvah in the San Fernando Valley needed photographing and I was just the girl to do it. Things were going along swimmingly. As usual, Larry was working hard by my side and we were joined by David Robin, the super talented videographer of David Robin Films. Between the motzi and the horra, David casually asks me, “are you on Instagram?” I believe my response was “Insta-what now?” He then proceeded to explain to me that this was a really cool app like Twitter for iphone photographers. My first thought was, great, another vehicle designed to bring to light just how inept I am in the world of social media; but the part about the iphone photographers, caught my interest. Despite being a complete Luddite, I adore my iphone and especially making photographs with it.

Before I left that bat-mitzvah, I was completely hooked on Instagram. It was so much more than Twitter. Here was a place where extraordinary photographers were openly sharing tips, advice and a window into their corner of the world. The deeper I delved into Instagram, the more besotted I became. I was astounded at the sense of camaraderie and goodwill and the images flashing across my screen on any given day would be very much at home in an art gallery or fine bookstore.

I recently hit my one year anniversary on Instagram and wanted to share with you a little snippet of the images I've created over the last 12 months. Each photo recalls such a specific time and place for me. Some images were made on solitary walks, some on vacation with Larry and some on "Insta-meets" with my new like-minded friends. If any of you reading this love taking pictures with your iphone, give Instagram a try. The app is free so you have nothing to lose but a world's breadth of friendships and inspiration to gain.

Look me up when you join. My user name is #isabellawrence. But be warned, it could prove to be highly addictive!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

2012-01-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have a love hate relationship with Trader Joe’s. I love it for the obvious reasons: great products, reasonable prices and of course, those Hawaiian shirts… But I hate that it’s made a pantry hoarder out of me. I’m sure you’ve experienced this too – haven’t you fallen madly in love with one of their items only to have it disappear from the shelves forever? This is especially traumatic for me around the Holidays. The thought of getting through all the Christmas mayhem without a midnight binging of Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe’s is unthinkable! Every time I walk in there, I brace myself for disappointment. I know, not the healthiest of attitudes…
Well, I’ve decided to be the victim no more! When I recently searched high and low for their Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti and came up empty, I thought, this is ridiculous! I’ll just make my own.

All you need are a few simple ingredients. Most likely, you have these in your pantry right now.
They are:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Sift the baking powder into a large bowl with the flour and sugar and mix to combine. Add the eggs, vanilla, orange rind, cranberries and pistachios. Mix it into a smooth dough. I found incorporating everything with my hands worked best.
Aren’t these colors beautiful?

Divide the dough in half and roll each portion into even sized logs. I made mine approximately 4 inches long by 2 ½ inches wide. The dough will be sticky so dampen your hands a bit when forming your logs. Flatten them slightly and place them on parchment paper.

Bake them for around 30 minutes or until firm and you start to see color on top. As soon as they are cool enough to touch, slice the logs with a serrated knife.
Place your slices back onto the baking sheet and bake again for another 8 – 10 minutes or until they are golden and crisp.

See? Super easy and very delicious. Make yourself a cup of coffee and let the dunking begin!

If you're going to hit the dance floor...

2012-01-24T11:38:00.001-08:00

give it all you've got!

Brighter than a moonbeam...

2012-01-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

Brighter than a moonbeam, warmer than the sun, from the moment he first saw her, he knew nothing would ever be the same again.

Collide...

2012-01-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

"Even the best fall down sometime
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find you and I collide"
~Howie Day

And the winner is...

2012-01-19T08:54:00.001-08:00

Thanks so much to all of you who entered our Teavana giveaway. I'm happy to announce that the winner of the Classic One Cup Infuser is... Leen Isabel!

Here's what she said...

To take the stress off at work, I bring my tea set with me! Just my loose leaf tea, my favorite mug (with little black cats all over it), and an awkward little mesh strainer.

It's like bringing home to the office and the fragrance it creates while steeping is wonderful. :)

And to cope with office place madness, I drink a fantastic mix that has ginseng (for energy), St. Johns Wort (for stress and anxiety), rooibos, apples, lemongrass, cinnamon, and other lovely fruits and herbs.

Congratulations Leen! Contact me at info@isabellawrence.com to redeem your prize. I believe your 'awkward little mesh strainer' may be put to rest once and for all. :)

Teavana Giveaway!

2012-01-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

In these wintry months, nothing soothes and refreshes like a steaming cup of tea. We all know by now the many benefits of drinking it. All those antioxidants keep our immune system in check and studies have shown that drinking tea can help control the free radicals that can lead to heart disease and cancer. A more surprising fact however, is that it's a rich source of flouride. In fact, green tea has more flouride than flouridated water. Who knew?? So in addition to doing good things for your insides, brewing a cuppa can do wonders for your smile too.

Because I want you to start off the new year in the best of health, I am giving away this wonderful Classic One Cup Infuser from Teavana. I recently bought one of these for myself and loved it so much, I thought you might like one too. What makes it really great is that the openings are teeny tiny - virtually no leafy parts or stems can get through. If you're like me, you love loose tea but hate the twiggy bits that can escape a traditional strainer.

If you would like a chance to win this infuser, share with me your favorite way to enjoy tea in the comment section. I'll choose a winner on Thursday. One entry per person please. Don't leave an anonymous comment and only folks living in the continental U.S. will be eligible. It's not that I don't love you, readers in other lands, it's just a shipping thing.

We're teaching a workshop at Julia Dean

2012-01-12T09:54:00.001-08:00

Here's your chance to learn the ins and outs of wedding photography. Larry and I will be teaching again at The Julia Dean Photo Workshops in Hollywood. Our course is called, "The Big Picture: Fresh Approaches to Wedding Photography". This 4 day workshop will encompass everything from marketing to shooting with a story in mind. We'll be photographing a real-life couple on the third session giving participants a chance to add fresh images to their portfolio while learning how we pose and interact with clients.

If you love taking pictures but aren't ready to enter the trenches of wedding photography, Julia Dean has wonderful beginning and intermediary courses. Her roster of instructors is truly stellar, we're talking some serious luminaries here. We are honestly dumb-struck every time we are asked to teach at her workshops.

For a complete list of courses and more information about our class visit her website.

Sweeter words have never been written...

2012-01-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Buy 1 get another half off. Have sweeter words ever been written? Not even the Bard himself could have conjured up a phrase more melodious and filled with promise.

I went in for something sensible and practical and came out with something altogether not.

Hope you indulge a little this weekend!

Charlie takes flight!

2012-01-06T10:01:00.001-08:00

The weather was clear and spirits were high. It was the perfect day for adventure...

Charlie's mission - take his plane where it had never been before.

Of course, a co-pilot is absolutely mandatory.

Before he knew it, his plane was flying over the entire city!

Once back on land, Charlie received a very warm welcome.

Being so adventurous can sometimes be exhausting...

Charlie turns the camera on the reporters. His reviews were obviously, awesome.

For the ride home, Charlie wisely chose a more reliable mode of transport.

When faced with the unknown...

2012-01-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

When faced with the unknown, hope is just as reasonable as fear.

Mom's Kahlua Trifle

2011-12-31T20:18:00.001-08:00

If you've made the cake featured in my previous post, then you will have found that you are left with perfectly good but extra pieces of cake from the tops that you cut off. A trifle is the perfect way to save those extra bits.

This is my mother's recipe. She made this at every big family celebration when my sister and I were growing up and now our husbands love it as much as we do. Being a busy mom, she made hers with store bought ingredients so to keep the recipe authentic, I did too. (Except for the cake in this instance, but by all means, if time is tight, buy yourself a small chocolate cake at your local supermarket.)

Your ingredients are:
Kahlua, chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, chocolate chips and canned whipped cream.

All you are doing is assembling...
•First break up a few pieces of cake and place them in the bottom of your trifle bowl or cup. By using a cup, you can omit the Kahlua if you are serving this to children.
•Pour a splash of Kahlua over the cake bits
•Plop a bit of chocolate pudding over the cake
•Sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the pudding
•Spray a layer of the whipped cream
•Repeat all of these steps until you reach the top of your serving dish.

I'll usually finish my trifles off with a sprinkling of grated chocolate but chocolate chips would look really charming too.

I hope you'll try this easy, delicious recipe. This may just become your family's favorite!

Featured on Seasonal Wisdom

2011-12-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

I'm doing my very first ever guest blogger post on Seasonal Wisdom today! If you haven't already heard of it, Seasonal Wisdom is a gorgeous blog written by Teresa O'Connor. Teresa writes beautifully about gardening, food and folklore. She's also a wonderful photographer!

She knows I'm an avid home baker and asked if I would bake and decorate a cake for her readers. Please head on over to Seasonal Wisdom to see how easy it is to make this wintery, whimsical cake. But be sure to check back here tomorrow, I'll be sharing another simple, yummy recipe for a dessert made with items you most likely have in your pantry right now.

A wish for the new year...

2011-12-31T20:11:00.001-08:00

May the new year bring you lots of happiness!

Kasra

2011-12-28T19:40:00.001-08:00

It was so nice meeting little Kasra. He really seemed to enjoy being at the park. As soon as his parents took him out of the car, he was smiling from ear to ear. Maybe it was the crisp weather, or the quacking of the nearby ducks - it could even have been Larry's theatrics behind the camera that had him in stitches; Whatever the reason, Kasra's adorable smile was utterly infectious. Have you ever seen a more endearing grin? We are so thankful to Janet and Nishad for introducing us to their new little boy.

A sweet gift...

2011-12-26T16:46:00.001-08:00

I hope all of you had a warm wonderful Christmas. I just had to show you one of my favorite gifts that I received this year. My friend Kathy gave me this beautiful antique pair of tongs wrapped in this delicate handkerchief. I have a feeling you'll be seeing these lovely things pop up from time to time in my posts. Aren't they a gorgeous addition to the prop collection?

Thanks again Kathy!

A holiday wish...

2011-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! We hope the New Year brings you all lots of peace, love and joy.

Sweet baby cheeks

2011-12-14T11:51:00.001-08:00

I love baby cheeks! And Miles has some of the cutest ones I've seen. He was looking pretty dapper for his first official photo shoot. Take a look at the video slide show below to see how he steals the show at every turn!

Not even a crashing wave...

2011-12-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Not even a crashing wave could stop Rod from expressing his love for his bride-to-be!

Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, Kauai

2011-12-14T11:14:00.001-08:00

Have you ever heard of Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens? Neither had we, so we were delighted to discover this incredibly pretty place when we traveled to Kauai to photograph Rod and Heidi's wedding.

The day before the big event, the newly weds to-be slipped away from family and friends to do this photo session with us. Rod and Heidi rented out the entire 240 acres just for this shoot and it was amazing to have the entire place to ourselves.

We ended the day on a lovely private beach where many wedding ceremonies take place. If any of you reading this are looking for an unusual but stunning location for your destination wedding, you should definitely contact the folks at Na Aina Kai.

Come back tomorrow for some more adorable shots of Heidi and Rod.

Together...

2011-12-07T15:02:00.001-08:00

Together, there isn't anything you can't do.

A day in the park

2011-12-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

The air was crisp and golden leaves lay at our feet. It was the perfect day for a photo shoot with our dear friends Sylvia and Victor and their adorable daughters Chloe and Gabby.

Even though the girls looked so precious in their pretty dresses, they were still up for scampering around trees and throwing leaves. They looked like two wood sprites from a fairy tale.

If you'd like to see images from our last shoot with this gorgeous family, click here.

Lakes and rivers...

2011-11-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books."
~John Lubbock