I bought a new camera last year and wanted to rigorously test it out before the Wedding Season got under way, so I brought it to my Aunt Krissie’s graduation. Krissie got her Masters degree in clinical psychology, and we all went to Boise to surprise her and support her!

My Aunt Krissie actually lived with us when I was growing up. Even though she is my mom’s sister, she is 17 years younger than Bobbie and only 8 years older than me, so really, she’s more like my big sister than my Auntie.

Krissie and her husband live in a home with tons of west facing windows, the light pours in and I was just having a ball. I was also in a really big B&W mood, and since this was all experimentation, I had a blast.

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When I gave birth to my son Zen 2 years ago, something snapped inside of me. I went from being a very laid-back person about all things baby, to being crazy protective of this little guy! I took thousands of pictures of him each month, wanting to document his every movement, only to decide that I couldn’t possible share them with anyone but family.

I mean, there are psychos out there who will see my beautiful son and try to take him!!! [I blame this on paranoid mommy brain]

But as he tried the potty today, it suddenly hit me how quickly he is growing up.  I sat down to write today’s blog post, the only pictures I want to share with you all are the ones of the person who has affected my life more than any other – my son. Tonight, I didn’t want to bring you someone else’s story.  I wanted to tell you mine.  I hope that’s OK, and that you enjoy your Moment of Zen.

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My Grandma passed away 2 weeks ago.  We had a funeral and everyone flew into town and it was supposed to bring about some closure and peace.  For me, it didn’t.  So I wrote a very long post on my blog, this blog, about my feelings and everything i was thinking, and basically coming to terms with the fact that I didn’t really know this woman and so I found it difficult to mourn her passing.  I wrote that, and I felt a bit better.  Somehow airing out my dirty laundry very publicly, really helped me.  And then the emails started.

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Its weird to see your name on a tombstone.  Besides the dead body in the room, nothing seems as final as this.  I’ve actually never seen my name on a tombstone, and to be fair, it’s not my personal name, it’s my family name, but still.  It’s weird.

I don’t know if it’s as weird as bringing a camera to a funeral, but i am a photographer, and it helps me to remember, so I brought it.

The funeral was a couple days ago, but it’s taken me since then to try to piece together how I feel about it and how I want to frame my public eulogy for this woman.  I still don’t know how to do it.

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Hi guys.  I thought I would be writing about the fun I had in New York for Bridal Fashion Week or about all of the amazing weddings I’ve been able to photograph in the last few weeks, but I can’t right now.  I’m in Minneapolis [where I grew up] doing a horrible job of falling asleep.  I’m headed down to Davenport Iowa in a few hours to attend my Grandmother’s wake.
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Today Pepper and I held our girl’s head in our hands as she sighed her final breath – resigned, peaceful even, but finally, inexorably…final. We bit our lips and held her gaze until the light left her eyes and in so doing we fulfilled the hardest, most bitter clause of the contract one makes when one accepts responsibility for a beloved pet:  love us; live for us; and in return we will do our best to give you a life of love worth living, and allow you a graceful exit…even if we are not ready to let you leave.

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Mitch and I decided this week that after giving her humans almost 14 wonderful years, that it was time to allow Minx to continue on the next part of her journey.  Although maintaining a healthy appetite to the end, she had been not been herself for about 8 months now.  The vet’s office, normally not her favorite place [especially with the numerous visits of the past month] was a quiet and restful place this final time, and I’d like to think that she knew that after all this time we were finally ready to say goodbye to our clown.

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Hello everybody! I know it’s been about 6 months since I last blogged. I’ve had some fun adventures, and you know, I think I learned something about myself. I learned that blogging in the middle of the busy season is a pain in the butt!

But after hearing rumors of my untimely demise it was time to learn again how to post all the doings of us here at Pepper Nix Photography. I’ve got 25 weddings from the last 6 months to share with you, as well as several dozen family sittings, engagement sittings, and bridal sittings, some fun trips, and not a few incredible stories! This has by far been our best and busiest year yet, and with 2008 already halfway booked up, I can promise that the stories will not stop next year!

In fact, I saved the best news for last…

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Mitch & I just came back from the 2007 Pictage PartnerCon in Chicago!!!! MANY thanks to everyone that came to our presentation ( and a dirty scowl to all those who didn’t….YOU know who you are!!! We’re keeping an eye on you…).

The conference was packed (SOLD OUT, actually) and everyone we spoke with seemed to really get a lot of information and ideas out of it. If you didn’t make this one you should seriously consider gettin’ your butt over to L.A. for the one in September!!

These dont’ relate to our presentation….actually here’s not really any rhyme or reason to these pix and flicks at all, but we thought we’d share a few of the impressions that we got with our new point-n-shoot:
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The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind and now Pep and I have actually split up to divide and conquer (she’s in Salt Lake, I’m in New York). We’ll fill you in on our adventures a little later, but one of the highlights was the time that we were able to spend with Signe and Nick Adams and their beautiful kidlings, Landon and Bella! The Adams are such a cool, loving, supportive family and it was just a warm, wonderful experience to be in their presence. They seem to be in dire need of dogs however, as they are overrun with cats. Please, everybody – dig deep.  Send them a dog. I’m sure they would be just tickled with a gift of dogs. (more…)

Today the photographic community learns of the passing of a legend, Monte Zucker. Monte was one of a handful of photographers whose work defined portraiture and lighting in the 20th century. His influence reverberates today through the literally thousands of students with whom he shared his gifts over the course of his 50+ year career. Many of today’s most celebrated photographers credit Monte for helping them ’see the light’, literally and figuratively. We are diminished by his loss, yet have been enriched to such a greater degree by his presence that it seems most fitting to celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing.

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I have been blessed to have spent a fair portion of my formative life in the presence of Erik Griswold – pianist, omni-instrumentalist, composer of New Music, occasional somnambulist, and true Friend. Oh, and he’s a tall drink of water. He is both brilliant and genuine and the source of some of my fondest, funniest memories as well as many of the more profound concepts of art that I hold dear. But Erik moved to Australia some 10 years ago chasing a skirt (whom he later married – the percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson – nice one, E!) and a dream. It’s been far too long since I have seen him. Our touring schedules coincided this past week, so we made arrangements for the four of us to spend the afternoon in San Diego’s Balboa Park, choosing to meet at the Museum of Photographic Arts. A perfect day, in my estimation. (more…)

My brother Roderick [who by the way is the bestest brother in the world] finally at long last got what he always wanted for Christmas, a brand new puppy. And not just any puppy, but a Rhodesian Ridgeback!
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