A Day At The Missions

Today I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a debut shoot with my friend John Garcia of JG Photography and my daughter, Clarissa, got to tag along. Clarissa is a budding new photographer. I may have mentioned before that I passed down my first digital camera to her, my Kodak DX6490. Well the Kodak has sense bit the big one and Clarissa is now using a cheap little Vivitar that I picked up with my Citibank ThankYou Rewards points (thank you Citi!).

To be honest, Clarissa’s skills are more than that little Vivitar’s can handle but I had to follow through on a parenting lesson which is to help her understand that you have to take care of what you have because if you don’t, you may not be able to replace that. After having to use the Vivitar for a few months I think she has more than learned her lesson and I’d rather her photography education move forward rather than backwards so she will start using my Canon Elph PowerShot very soon. So, onto our adventure at the missions.

After we got done with our quince (in Texas we call debut’s quince’s which is short for quinceannera) shoot today we decided to head out for a little photography field trip. Recent renovations on Mission San Jose have been completed so I decided we should check this place out as I knew my daughter would enjoy a day of history. We get there and as I am explaining why there is this several hundred year old rock wall surrounding the place my daughter steps through the gate, sees the mission and exclaims, “Oh my gosh, it’s beautiful Daddy!” and I had to agree. It’s been a few years since I visited this place. As a matter of fact I would have to say more than 5 years so to come back was a real treat. Clarissa is old enough now to enjoy trips like this and both of us having our cameras was just too much fun. I enjoyed explaining the history of the place and showing her several great angles and she enjoyed being with her Dad and getting undivided pro-photographer advice.

I am including some pics from our little excursion and I encourage you to do what we did. Photography to me was always about my art and a way to bring happiness into my life. I’m sure that photography is the same to you and I encourage you to take some time and reconnect with the reason you enjoy your craft, the simple act of creating art. Taking time for yourself that isn’t devoted to a client can be reenergizing and can help you refocus so for your next client you are a better photographer. Take the day, take the weekend, enjoy your craft and share your stories. I’d love to hear them.

Until next time, Happy Shooting!