Portrait Photography
I swear I’ve been keeping up with photography while I’ve been in DC, I’ve just been too busy to post! Now that I am T-minus one week away from moving back home, I guess it’s time to get back in the groove. What better way to re-introduce myself than with photos of one my dear friends who also took a leap to leave her firm job to embark on a new adventure as a psychedelics lawyer! Karina was looking for new photos that looked fierce, colorful, and fun. I think we delivered.
Obviously, I took my own holiday card photos. Fernando and I recently moved to San Jose, and we wanted to take our photos here to highlight the life change. While jogging one day, I came across San Jose’s rose garden and knew this would be the place. We came around 8:30 a.m. on picture day, and I’m glad we did because around 9:00 a.m. the garden started filling with other families taking holiday photos. Looks like we picked the spot! The morning fog provided the a nice hazy background and the softest morning light. In 30 minutes we had enough selection for the holidays, and beyond!
Marsha and I met through her twin sister years ago when I was working on Flavors of Oakland. Since then, Marsha moved to Hawaii, got her yoga instructor certification, and her massage therapy license. She recently moved back to the Bay and was looking to do some branding for her business so she reached out to me. We put together a concept for a serene, outdoor vibe, and I love how these turned out! S/o to Marsha and her model for getting up early for these sunrise shots.
Check out my photos in action at: https://www.marsharosenblatt.com
My co-worker wrapped up her term last week, and I cannot deal. As a parting gift, I offered to take some environmental portraits of her in her office and in the library, and let me tell you, I was shocked by how gorgeous the lighting looks in the office!
Thank you, Victoria, for an excellent year, and you all can look forward to her engagement photos coming Spring 2022!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Baby Lynnox celebrated the occasion with her first solo photo session. She brought four ‘fits and countless bows. After serving laughs and smiles, she had a snack break and took a nap before getting back to it. Lynnie is definitely a superstar baby model, so we have to start building her portfolio to become the next Gerber baby!
This past weekend was my little sister’s birthday. Obviously, we did a session to celebrate the big occasion. Looking at these pictures threw me my start in photography when she served as one my first models. Through my photos you can see her hair evolution, fashion evolution, and confidence evolution. I love seeing folks bloom behind the camera, and no subject more special than this baby.
Also, this shoot was a test of the Canon 35mm f/2. I loved the focal length, but definitely missed my low aperture. My Sigma 35mm f/1.4 should be coming in soon, so stay tuned to see those sample shots!
Fernando is notoriously camera shy, but he graced me with his presence in front of the camera because after months of bar studying I was itching to take some portraits. We headed to Indian Rock Park in Berkeley to get the rocky, bright light backdrop I was looking for. We also found some beautiful plants near by so we had to take advantage of those, too.
My last session before truly buckling down to study for the bar exam was Chanel’s maternity photos because baby Lynnox was not going to wait for me to pass the licensing exam. Chanel, of course, came through with tons of ideas but she also let me recreate THE most iconic maternity photo of all time (coming soon on my Instagram). I am so excited to meet her baby girl! And you know we are going to have baby model pictures coming soon!
Some photos of Edward that I took in January. Forgot how beautiful these were.
Karla is also a friend of mine from law school. She started law school when I was in my second year and serving as Co-President of the La Raza Law Students Association. As soon as you start talking to Karla you can tell that she is a super star. Beyond her intelligence and compassion that is off-the charts, she is also one of the most driven and hard-working people I’ve ever met. When I first her husband, Kevin, it was obvious to me that they were a perfect match.
Karla got pregnant in the middle of her second year of law school and I could not wait to take her maternity photos. It got more complicated when COVID came to the Bay Area, but we made it work with an outdoor, socially-distanced photo session.
As non-native Californians, it was important to Karla and Kevin to have the Golden Gate Bridge in the background to celebrate their coming Bay-by. Marshall Beach was the perfect location with the vantage point of the bridge, lots of San Francisco seagulls flying around, and, of course, that stellar sunset.
It wasn’t long after I began law school for the idea for this project to come about. Due to a history of exclusivity reinforced through laws and in the legal profession, law school was not always an option for someone like me. Despite Berkeley Law’s best efforts at increasing diversity and fostering inclusion, I did not immediately feel comfortable at school -- until I walked into my first Womxn of Color Collective meeting. The WOCC community finally made me feel like I belonged at Berkeley. Hopefully, these portraits and words make you feel more at home here, too.
WOCC members inspire me every day through their passion, resilience, and drive. This project is intended to add our vibrant colors to the halls of Berkeley Law. It is intended to show how diverse our diversity is and how our stories make us stronger. It is intended to show you that, even though it may feel like it, you are never alone.
Thank you to all of the chingonas who shared their time, faces, and stories with me. Thank you to three generations of WOCC co-chairs: Farrah Vasquez & Monica Ramsy who encouraged me to turn my into reality, Liv Gee & Sana Mayat who helped me organize and carry out my vision, and Jessica Williams & Maya Campbell for crossing the finish line with me. Thank you to Dean Chemerinsky and Dean Vanden Heuvel for getting these portraits on these walls. Thank you to my sister, because of you I will never be “the only one.” And thank you to all the revolutionaries who fought to crack open Berkeley Law’s doors; we will fight like hell to bust them down.
In community,
Anya (‘20)
While we were shooting the concept I had in mind, we figured we might try some other looks too.
Shot with Chanel again! I had in mind some very pink, sparkly beauty shots, and she definitely delivered.
One of my faves came back home over winter break! Sho texted me in December letting me know that she’d be back in town for break and we had to shoot. I scoped out this beautiful corner in West Oakland and boom! we had all the backgrounds we needed. Sho was a gem as always and we had a great time catching up and taking photos.
Edward's back! This time I was going for punchy colors and contrast that would make my photos jump off the page. Did I achieve it?
I am pretty happy with how these turned out. I used some of the tips I learned at the Dirtbag workshop and messed around a bunch with vibrance. My favorite location was the beautiful poppy wall! And my favorite shot is the one of Edward laughing in front of the brick wall.
Overall, it was great to catch up and hang out and Edward's outfits are always 10/10.
Sabrina and I argued in the Ninth Circuit last weekend and then celebrated by trying to visit the Conservatory of Flowers. We messed up and ended up on Treasure Island. We decided to cut our losses and go to Fort Mason and it was great!
I had been looking forward to taking photos here since I first visited last year and saw the beautiful blue water, red bridge, and green grass!
I was on a roll over spring break!
Hung out with my bud over break!
It took so much effort to get Eli to get out of the house and let me take some photos but I am so glad he did. These are some of my favorite portraits of him that I have ever taken! All it took was a prime lens and golden hour! I love how warm these are and the beautiful ring of light around his hair!
Also, in case you are wondering I rediscovered my VSCO presets and this is the Film series.
