The other day I photographed the Redlands Rotary Bike Ride and for those of you patiently waiting to see the pics, here are just a few. There are some 350+ images all together and are available on

www.photoartbymarie.instaproofs.com.

There is also a short slideshow some of the highlights for you viewing/listening pleasure:

www.photoartbymarie.com/redlandsrotaryride09

A couple of the images, I photoshopped to look a little like posters (HDR). I can do it to any image, but some just look better this way than others. Take a look and tell me what you think:)

For the last 25 years, Redlands has hosted the longest running road race in the country, the Redlands Bike Classic. How cool is that? It’s a great time of the year for this beautiful city; the  surrounding hills are emerald green, the scent of orange blossoms is intoxicating, and for about an amazing week, our population grows by about 500+ with some of the best athletes anywhere. These guys (and gals) rock! Part of the festivities includes the Redlands Rotary Bike Ride, which include a 6 and 12 mile fun ride, and for the truly hardy, a 30 (fun?) and 60 (gasp!) mile rides as well.  I don’t know what other “fun” rides are like, but Redlands is hilly. But no matter how long or tough a hill, riders would always smile when they saw the camera pointed at them! Awesome.  I recognized several of the riders from last years event, and I suspect some will be back again in 2010. Perhaps, I will join them next year, if for no other reason than to sport those really cool outfits they wear. Congratulations riders, you truly inspire me!  I best get going, seems like I have a lot of shopping to do…..cool bike, nice shades, gnarly helmet, tight shorts, jerseys, matching socks, shoes……perhaps I should stick to running.  All I need is shoes;)

I’ll be posting a link in the next day or so for those of you who may be interested in viewing the images. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  For now, here is a sneak peek:

Let’s face it ladies, we all want to look and  feel beautiful, especially in the eyes of our special someone. What better way than to give him the gift he will always remember! If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have a boudoir photo of yourself, here is your chance! You don’t have to be model thin to look beautiful–all you need is a playful attitude, a little moxy,  and trust that I am going to take good care of you;) You’re worth it!

For the next two weeks, PhotoArt by Marie is offering a Valentines Day Special: Boudoir Photo Session for only $300! Your session includes:

• 1- hr completely private photoshoot (location of your choice)*
• 1 -9×9 Portfolio
• $100 print or book credit.
• Refer a friend and receive an additional $50 credit towards your next portrait session
•  Personal stylist will also be on hand to help you ensure that you look and feel your best.

* Travel fee may apply

So come on, what are you waiting for? Here’s a couple of ladies that did and had a lot of fun in the process!

Three short  years ago, a little girl came into my life that would change me forever. Her name is Erin but we call her Sissy. Sissy is my younger sister’s little girl and she honored me by entrusting  me to be  her Godmother.  I don’t know how it is in other cultures but for Hispanics, being somebody’s godmother/godfather is a big deal. She calls me “Tia Mama” which translates to Auntie Momma, a name which we made up letting her know that even though I’m not her momma, I’m the next best thing.  I adore her, just like I do the rest of my nieces and nephews but it is quite nice being almost as good as her momma:) Happy Birthday, my darling.  Thank you for blessing me with you!

Erin Isabella….even her name is BEAUTIFUL!

Sissy, Dora, and Tia Mama. Say Cheese!

Sissy and her real Momma…isn’t she wonderful!

Ok, so part of my duties are to bake a cake for Sissy’s B-day. This year, I bought the cake mold as usual except it was missing the cute little photo that showed what the cake is supposed to look like when it’s done. All I can say is that Dora the Explorer got into something she shouldn’t have! Kids, don’t let this happen to you!

Erin’s brother, Aiden.  He calls me Tia Mama too! It’s good to be loved:)

The Usual Suspects. 

 While it is good to have friends, it is even better to have friends who are involved in their community and who feel strongly about making a difference. I have such a friend; her name is Jan Stephens. She works for the Inland Empire Labor Management Cooperation Committee, a job that keeps her uber busy though that didn’t stop her from volunteering to chair the Inland Empire Women’s Conference for this year!  The event took place at the magnificent Mission Inn in Riverside, Ca. The IEWC ’s motto is “Today’s Strength, Tommorow’s Legacy” and is geared toward empowering women financially, spiritually, and healthwise-ally(!). I’m the committees official photographer plus I also sat on the logistics committee.  I have to say that I have never sat with a more impressive group of women before and often found myself wondering if I had walked into the wrong meeting! Thank you ladies for the pleasure of your company. It was a lot of work but I think the conference was amazing! And Jan, you are a Rock Star!!

Here is a photo of my vendors booth.  My wonderful friend Lisa and my awesome son Peter helped me thought the day since I had to shoot the event. Good thing I wore flat shoes!

I took quite a few shots of the event and have compiled a couple of the highlights from the day. Not only was it fun and informative, it was also a great opportunity to make new friends.  My new best friend is the guy at the registration  desk who was  kind enough to give me a band aid for  my blistered heel.  Thank you, whatever your name was, you’re my hero!

Aren’t these a great looking group of women? Rock and roll ladies, you inspire me:)

Aside from the speakers, breakout sessions, awards ceremony, raffle, and expo, there was also a fashion show featuring Coldwater Creek  clothing plus a Zumba exercise dance demonstration. If that wasn’t enough, we had cream brule for desert! All in all, a very good day:)

I finally got the slideshow of my adorable babies up and running! Check it out and bring a tissue……so sweet!

Here is the link:   www.photoartbymarie.com/stewartbabies

 You can tell a lot about a couple by how easily they laugh together, especially when asked to do something  silly just to make their partner smile.  Morgan and Cory are such a couple. The love they feel for one another is obvious; you can see it in their gaze and in their touch, and of course in their shared laughter which accompanied us though most of our time together. Though their wedding is almost a year away, they are anxious to announce to the world their upcoming union, as if to exclaim, “Here we are, come share our joy!” Having someone love us for who we are, exactly as we are, is nothing short of miraculous and should not be taken for granted. Thank you Morgan and Cory for reminding all of us that love is grand and really does make the world go ’round:)

 Here is the link to their slideshow: www.photoartbymarie.com/morganandcory

The other day I got a phone call from a client whose baby I had photographed when she was only 7-weeks old. Sosie had just celebrated her first birthday and her mom thought it would be fun if we photographed her and her two best baby girl friends, who were only weeks apart. Sounds like a party, I said.  And a party is was! We chose a sunny and bright Saturday morning, made sure everyone had a full belly and clean diapers and let the fun begin! I have to tell you that it was one of the hardest shoot I have ever had to do, only because they were soooo-ohhh adorable that I would forget that I was supposed to be shooting and not playing with them! After an hour and a half of non-stop activity, it was nap time…for me! The babies kept playing;-)

This is Megan. She will be graduating next summer and hopes to become a vetenarian one day. She is as extraordinary on the inside as she is on the outside:  she loves animals (she has several fish tanks in her room!), adores her younger brother Wyatt, is best friends with her mother, is an awesome student, loves her community…and is as sweet as the day is long! For Megan’s senior shoot, we selected three different outfits to wear and photographed her both outside as well as inside of her home. She and her mom had laid out several wardrobe choices, complete with shoes and jewelry, which made our session more fun since we did not have to worry about what she was going to wear!

Thank you for the privilege of hanging out with you for a couple of hours, Miss Megan. It was a lot of fun:)

To view Megan’s slideshow, please click on this link: www.photoartbymarie.com/megan

 When you want to have fun outdoors and take some cool photos in the process, a great place to go is the beach. I recently spent an afternoon with Chausa and Daniel at Balboa Beach celebrating their engagement. They are going to be married in January ‘09 and could not wait to have images capturing their love for one another! I really love engagement shoots, it’s a great way for me to get to know couples such that by the time we get to the ceremony, we are old friends!

Here is the link to their engagement slideshow: www.photoartbymarie.com/danielandchausa