Immortalizing Life’s Chapter’s

Capture this era of your journey in life with iconic analogue film photography

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Senior Portraits of Canela The Faery

Where do I even begin with this photoshoot with Canela….I love working with people who are stepping into adulthood and capturing this moment of mystery and promise. I appreciate so much that her Mother trusted in the process of film photography and as an artist herself knew that the Muse would run the shoot. To immortalize Canela as a faery was effortless. She wore a dress her friend made for half of the shoot and her Mothers wedding dress for the other half. So precious!

Thoughtfully crafted to elevate what matters most.

Celebrate Friendship

Kaye and Lynette have been incredibly close friends for years and have traveled many parts of the globe alone and together. It was an honor to capture them together in an adventure up to the Bald Hills. It was so cold that day yet you cannot tell from their smiles than they are anything but comfortable in their element.

Transformation In Elder Years

An older man and a young woman standing outdoors in a garden, holding a painted wooden rooster. The man wears a beige cap, dark sweater, and plaid pants, while the woman wears a black shirt and plaid skirt. There are purple flowers in the foreground, a large tree, and bushes in the background with a house and telephone wires visible.
A man wearing a flat cap reflected in a mirror with a decorative frame.

One afternoon after receiving an amazing massage from Cristina Menzie she mentioned her Grandfather Sid. I was immediately curious about him. She told me that his wife, her Grandmother and the love of his life of many decades died five years ago. Since then he started wearing skirts, growing breasts and whistling a specific song under his breath just as she had. I have often wondered about how our elders cope with the loss of their lifetime mates. I am particularly interested in the ones who were in a harmonious union build on mutual love and respect. What Christina described to me was a theory I have had that sometimes the two will merge into the living ones body when one departs and that they live on as one until they have both die. I asked her if I could photograph him when I was in Southern California and the timing worked out miraculously that we would both be there at the same time. It was an absolute honor to immortalize images of a man in his 80’s who has lived so much life. He has embraced his authentic self. He has been brave enough to reconcile and make amends with his family so that they can be close in his last years. I am forever grateful for my time with him.

An older man standing outdoors near a light green gate, wearing a gray flat cap, a dark long-sleeved shirt, a blue denim skirt or apron, and black sneakers. He is holding the gate handle with his left hand and standing in front of an arched opening with a view of trees and a street in the background.

Sid

Sid is brilliant. He loves to build. He has worked on his home for decades. He built an electric car that he would drive Christina to school in when she was young, long before they were on the market. He is capable of creating with his mind and hands just about anything one can name. He owned a cash register business back when they were a new and maintained them in many businesses in Southern California. He is very much the self made man of olden days. A living myth of what the American dream has sustained itself on.

Sid fell in love with his Elanor and became Father to her children. She owned a Folk Art import business. Their mutual love overcame their idealogical differences and they spent over forty years happily married.

Sid was historically also quite conservative and gruff. He has undergone a major shift and is now gentle, curious and kind. Throughout our time together he was very open and generous in self expression. At the same time he had very strong and clear boundaries. Such a force of strength I felt from him I could see a glimpse of how he could have been frightening in the past.

A woman in black leggings, a gray long-sleeve shirt, and a denim apron stands on a porch in front of a partially constructed house, holding a ladder. The house is painted light green with some unfinished wooden framing and construction tools and materials around.

Sid discovered skirts when seeking an alternative to building in the heat. He found skirts to be incredibly comfortable. He sewed pockets onto them to hold onto tools. Then he discovered fancy skirts and loved them for their comfort and beauty. His main concern was to not make others feel uncomfortable by being a man in a skirt. He shared with me that he has grown breasts and loves the way he looks like a fighter when he is wearing his winter leggings and goes topless. He has discovered his love of dressing up. He regularly dresses up and has his daughter take photographs of him.

An elderly man wearing a gray flat cap, black long-sleeve shirt, and camo shorts sitting on a park bench surrounded by lush greenery and trees.
A man wearing a gray hat, black sweater, plaid kilt, and black shoes is standing in a living room, adjusting a mirror on the wall. The room has wooden walls, a wooden floor, and a doorway leading to another room.
A man sitting on a white garden bench near a pond with greenery and trees behind him. He is dressed in black leggings, a camouflage cloth wrapped around his waist, a long-sleeve dark shirt, and a beanie hat. The scene appears to be outdoors on a sunny day.
Two men wearing flat caps looking at an ornate decorative object or mirror, with traditional tile patterns visible in the background.

Sid is living testimony that people can change. Some become less tolerant with age. Sid became more tolerant which opened up whole new worlds for him and instigated healing within his family. When Christina was a child he was her main abuser. He was steady with his love towards her. And he was quite cruel. This is unfortunately common in families. It can understandably drive them apart. It takes immense strength and vulnerability to confront and heal. Each individual can decide what is a line that crossed beyond repair. In Sid’s case he was able to acknowledge the harm he did and be present with it. This way there was repair and he has the immense benefit of being with and knowing the generations of his family. This is one path for generational healing.

A man sitting on a maroon sofa near large windows, wearing a cap, black shirt, and plaid shirt tied around his waist. The scene appears to be inside a building with natural light coming through the windows.
An elderly man wearing a gray cap, black turtleneck, beige pants, black leggings, and black sneakers, standing outdoors in front of a large bush. The man is surrounded by various stone and concrete statues, including religious figures, animals, and decorative sculptures, arranged on the ground and on small platforms. Some potted plants are visible among the statues.
A model ship with white sails on a concrete driveway, surrounded by rocks and plants, with a statue of a young boy on the left, and a wooden house roof, trees, a wooden fence, power lines, and a clear blue sky in the background.

Sid Is Living Testimony That People Can Change

A shirtless man with short hair is walking through a garden with dense green foliage, backlit by a shining sun. The setting appears to be outdoors near a structure with a roof in the background.
An elderly shirtless man in black pants standing in a garden with small statues of religious figures and children, rocks, and some pink flower petals on the ground, under a partly cloudy sky.
An elderly man is standing outdoors shirtless with his hands on his hips, surrounded by green bushes and plants.

Direct Healing Of Wounds Within A Lifetime

An elderly man dressed in a black shirt, plaid skirt, and hat standing next to a wooden display shelf with various decorative items, seen in a room with cream-colored curtains and a mirror.
Three women and one man smiling and looking at each other inside a house decorated for Christmas, with a wreath and a door with holiday decoration in the background. The women are wearing black shirts and plaid skirts, and the man is wearing a black shirt and plaid shorts. The woman on the right has tattooed arms and is wearing a necklace, the woman on the left has long blonde hair, and the woman in the middle is wearing a cap.
Three people sitting at a table in a cozy room. A young woman with blonde hair in a beige sweater, an elderly man with a gray flat cap, and a young woman with dark hair and a statement necklace. The room features decorative elements like a mirror, traditional artwork, and a colorful cabinet.
Three people standing outdoors in a garden, with purple flowers in the foreground, a large tree, a house with a window, and power lines in the background.

Bonds Forged Outside Of The Bounds Of Blood

Three people smiling and standing close together outdoors, with a tree and house in the background, surrounded by pink flowers in the foreground.
A reflection of two people, an older man and a woman, seen through a glass window with purple flowers and greenery outside. The background shows trees and a building under a bright sky.

It was an absolute pleasure photographing Sid and being allowed in his world. Knowing firsthand that sometimes elders are incapable of confronting the past I found him to be an inspiration. When these things are not faced it leaves a person trapped and unable to evolve. I love that he has found his evolution. With this evolution he found a new way to dress, a new song to whistle, sweet love with his family and an appreciation of his physical form.

It is my hope that humans can love their bodies and reflections as they age. It is a privileged to get wrinkles. There is beauty in all our ages, shapes and forms.

I used Lomochrome 100 and Candido 800~ either end of the spectrum seemed appropriate for this shoot.

Growing up every once in a while out of the blue Sid would say to Christina “Beautiful brown eyes, you got them from me.” Sometimes he would sing it like the song. She always felt chosen and loved by him as if they were bonded by blood.