why I photograph childhood

little Michelle, circa 1994

When I was a kid, I was hyper aware of growing up. I dreaded it. I loved childhood. I was so in tune with the fact that it was fleeting and that my life would not always allow me to run and play whenever I wanted, that my imagination would never be quite what it was then, that circumstances and responsibilities change as time passes. I used to get sad about my peers being in a hurry to grow up, thinking “you have the rest of your life to be grown up!” 

This feeling never went away. I’ve struggled with my Peter Pan complex so much. How do I keep the things I love so much about childhood in my adult life? How do I hold on to the sense of freedom and innocence of childhood amidst responsibility and awareness of horrible things in the world and the tendency of humans to over-complicate life? 

baby Lauren, 2010.

I have been drawn to babies and little kids since I WAS a little kid. I started working with kids when I was 15, because it was the most natural thing in the world for me. I never stopped. I took on part-time nanny work at 18 and I still do it to this day because it fills me up so full of love that I could explode. It wasn’t far into my nanny years that I started picking up a camera for a different reason than I ever had before: to freeze the tiny little things that the kids I loved did so that I wouldn’t forget. The kids all grew so fast that week to week, everything was constantly different. So many of the moments I was inspired by were truly split-seconds that weren’t repeated, or they only happened for a few weeks and then they were gone. Sometimes I look back at the photos I took and I can see things that the same kids still do years later, and I LOVE that. 

toddler Lauren, 2011.

I fell in love with all of it. I fell in love with using my camera to make visual art from the moments that whisper quietly: this is childhood. The sense of wonder and the natural tendency to just BE. I fell in love with watching and playing and non-verbally training the kids to ignore my camera and just play with me. Childhood lifestyle photography. I just speak the language of it. 

Andrew & Lauren, 2011.

I’m sharing this because I want to share my heart and my perspective and what I love to do. And partly because I want to encourage people to slow down. To look at little things and let those things fill them up. Sometimes I’m so full of words and stories and emotions that I don’t even know where to start sharing because the attention span of social media doesn’t have a great reputation. 

I want to be there for your family. For this moment. Because it’s not going to be exactly like this again. I want you to remember how it all felt: the snuggles and the giggles and the personalities and the emotional drama of a toddler melt-down and the tiny-ness of them and all the love. It all moves so fast and I know that life is so busy, and to me that makes it even more important to somehow preserve it. To me, life and love are art, and I just want to create as much art as possible. 

me & Declan, 2015.

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.
See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

if you’re interested in a session with me for you and/or your kids in Orange County, CA, visit my website or email me! maryandluna@gmail.com

#yeahfieldtrip 3.0

Three weeks ago, I was in the middle of one of my most favorite experiences each year. Tucked away in El Capitan Canyon, just north of Santa Barbara, over 400 photographers gather to connect and to learn from each other and to play. We call it Photo Field Trip.

I’m having a harder time this year finding words for my week at field trip. I think I was more present. I was busy and I was over-stimulated with new information and socializing and the fresh air and the lack of sleep, but my mind seemed to stay quieter, in a good way. I focused on connecting with old friends and new friends and being comforted by the fact that these people are kindred creative spirits. I took some practical classes and some live-shoot classes. I scribbled notes and documented what I could while remaining conscious of the experience of it all. I navigated among the familiar settings and new faces with a little bit more ease. I laughed a lot. I took some deep breaths. I looked at the stars, guided by an astronomer. I talked to people about my hopes for my creative business and was greeted with encouragement. I asked questions. I listened and watched more than anything. There are so many options of how to fill your time at field trip, but even if you love what you chose to do, there’s always a trace of FOMO. But I very much enjoyed my time and the friends I’ve made through this wonderful community. The words and feelings I’ve collected from all three years at field trip have stayed with me and have deeply become a part of my business and philosophy. I’m so very grateful.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the week!
(click to view my posts from year 1 and year 2) 

the big dipper!

learning video from the cana brothers 

the magnificent yan palmer, doing her thang. 

family photography gurus: Brooke Schwab, Posy Quarterman, Yan Palmer, Becky Earl, and Kristin Rogers. 

live shoot with wolves! with Logan Cole

photo of me snapped by Amy Gray

photo of me snapped by Amy Gray

photo of me snapped by Sabrina Hounshell

photo of me snapped by Sabrina Hounshell

photo of me snapped by Sabrina Hounshell

I always wish I had more time. I wish that I was better at socializing. But I did my best to learn and I have good conversations with interesting people and get some images that I love. And that's more than enough.  

xo, Michelle

P.S. I did a little illustrated portrait project while I was there and I’m still working on it, so I will share those when I’m finished :)

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.
See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

if you’re interested in a session with me for you and/or your kids in Orange County, CA, visit my website or email me! maryandluna@gmail.com

happy 2015!

how it got to be 2015, I have no idea. I've finally gotten some time off since Christmas, and it was so necessary after such a busy Autumn. I'm quite relieved I can be really introverted again. I spent today journal writing, deeply reflecting on 2014 and planning 2015. Although it's daunting, I really love having creative control over my life. Dreaming and then building; it's a very natural process for me. I have what feels like a million goals and tasks for this year, both personally and professionally, but here's what I'm focusing on in 2015:

For Mary & Luna, my focus will always be growth and evolution. I will continue to create art that I love, and I will continue to capture childhood through my camera. I hope my art and photography reach more people this year. 2014 was very challenging for me to balance life and work, but for my first full year in business, I suppose it went considerably well! I had a list of big things I wanted to do for Mary & Luna in 2014, and I did 4 out of 5, so I'm happy with that! Onto planning the big stuff for each month of 2015 now!

I hope you all embrace the refreshing feeling of a new year and use it to build the life you're dreaming of. 

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

Meet the artist: a Q&A with myself!

 

I’ve been doing some major business organization and really focusing on what I’m doing in my business, how I’m doing it, and why I’m doing it. I’m constantly reading material & taking classes about creative business. In all of these venues of learning, they ask you questions to help guide your business. So I thought I would share some of them with you so you can get to know me better!

Who are you? 

I’m a wanderer and a daydreamer. I’m an artist and a photographer and a writer. Everyone calls me a baby-whisperer, and I now call myself that too. I’m a thinker. I’m a reader. I’m a frolicker. I’m a lover of too many things to keep track of. I’m an extroverted introvert & a hermit. I’m a major family girl; I'm a daughter and a sister. I’m a night owl. I’m a music lover & a spontaneous dancer. I'm an observer.

When did you start creating?

Art always came naturally to me, since I was a little kid. I always took art classes in between sports & school stuff, but I think junior year of high school is when I really thought I may pursue it. I firmly decided on being an artist after my freshman year of college ended.

What drives you to create?

Mostly my imagination. It needs to come out. I see things in my head and I need to put it on paper. And following that creative urge is good for my emotional well-being. I just really love to draw & paint & design! But further than that, I love knowing that things I made are in other people’s rooms, making their space happy & cozy.

Why are you compelled to do what you do?

It’s extremely important to me to do what I love and what I’m passionate about. It always has been. I’m motivated by my love for something, not by money and status. I don’t get things done when I don’t enjoy them (unless it’s for my business, then I know there’s a purpose for the boring business stuff- I have to do it in order to be an artist!). I want to live a creative life, something different and interesting to me where I create my own path and my own rules. I’ve always done things a little differently than other people, and I see now that I operate best that way- improvising. It’s never boring and I have a lot of control to change things I don’t like. I love possibilities! Being an artist in the way I’ve chosen to be works for me: I get to do what I love, put more beauty in the world, be a happy human (which always makes the world a better place), and I create a lifestyle that suits me perfectly. It’s a very powerful thing to know that you can make the life you dream become a reality.

What does the process feel like to you?

When I create art, it feels like meditation. Everything goes quiet around me, and I’m so focused, it’s almost like a trance. I focus on each line, each patch of color, one at a time. I pull back and look at it. Then I focus again. I become unaware of the fact that I’m even working. It feels like I’m allowing my thoughts to pour out of me.

What emotions does your work evoke?

To me, it evokes a feeling of quiet, simplicity, home, happy little things, freedom, whimsy, nostalgia, and wistfulness.

Where do you find inspiration?

It seems that it's everywhere when you're open to it. Ideas hit me at the weirdest times. But here's what I can pin it down to: photography, animation concept sketches, childhood, countryside, landscapes, travelling, stories, wild animals, weather & seasons, other artists, people I love, little moments and details, and light.

One last fun one: what do you fangirl over?

Too. many. things. Harry Potter, Taylor Swift, Disney, so many singer-songwriters and actors and TV shows. I'm really easily excited by many things.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this self-conducted interview! I've never really seen it done before, but I thought it would be a fun thing to do! 

xo, Michelle

Follow me @maryandluna on your favorite social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. See my art in my Etsy shop or on maryandluna.com. 

little pieces: my new way of doodling.

I came across this quote some time ago & wanted to write it because it felt so true for me.

And I quite like this little habit I've formed of making little 4x6 pieces as a kind of a doodle/creative release for me, to share with you in between the bigger pieces I make. I've categorized my past ones under "little pieces."

xo, Michelle

PS. Follow me on Instagram if you want to see my day-to-day creative life: @maryandluna & @michelleelaluna