bright bright bryton

if you live in utah, you might know that alpine, the home town of this adorable family--has been up in flames the last few days. when i sent the lovely bryton her images of her family in their perfect little cottage home, she said she was so greatful to have their cheery little space documented, in case anything happened.... luckily we were blessed with some rain for most of today, and bryton's home is safe--but it kind of makes you think--

don't you want your home, however lovely, or however not so lovely--whether its a tiny cramped space, or a huge expansive loft--don't you want your home -- with all its little stories, the place where your heart goes to relax, documented so that you never forget?

i grew up in the same home from birth until college. it was unfashionable, and smelled like my brother brett's too many pets--the downstairs bathroom didn't even have a proper cieling and at one point there was an iquana living in the bathtub (brett again). there were ten of us total (not really under the same roof at the same time) -- but still -- 10 of us who tore through that place and left our mark--and the mark wasn't pretty. it looked like awhole lot of carpet stains, and a number of punched holes in the walls. but i loved it. it was my home. my favorite place to be.

sometime after i got married my parents moved out of that house. and now, whenever i'm back in boise and have the time, i drive by our old place, and i cry. which if you know me, you know i don't cry a whole lot. but i do when i see the shell of all those memories. i cry and i ache, and i wish i could go inside just one more time even though i know that with a new owner, probably nothing is quite the same.

the images i have to remember that home are mostly in my head. and though they look quite lovely there, what i wouldn't give to to see my memory in print--the way my mom handled all of us crazies from the day to day without losing her mind--the playhouse my dad built us in the backyard-----and yes

this is obviously leading up to a sales pitch, you caught me. but if you want someone to capture you in your home (and i'm telling you your house doesn't have to be stylish or fancy), by golly, i'm your girl. personal spaces inspire me more than endless fields of wildflowers, i kid you not. because the stories are so rich--the meaning and soul of a family bouncing off of every surface--

okay okay okay. i'm talking too much now, but here are the morse's -- in their home. thanks so much for looking.

what his heart looks like

so some of you may or may not remember uncle marty -- you know, the guy i'm married to?

settle down, he's not really my uncle, but when i first met him, before we were even dating--he would refer to himself as uncle marty in this endearing, quirky way, that made me think, "why would anyone ever call themselves that?" but also charmed me into at least wanting to know what he was all about.

and by now, after 8 years of marriage, i have a pretty good idea. because everything uncle marty is about, i'm about too. in face i am his about and he is mine, and all of the things we share in between, our 3 children ranking pretty high on that list.

what you  are about to see, if you are so kind as to click on this video is an amazing song written and recorded by uncle marty. the camera work and editing is, you guessed it, by me. cuz we like to mix and mingle like that. what i love about it is that a lot of the footage is just little snippets of our life. it is this perfect blends of how we each see artistically--him through music, and me through imagery---and because of that its one of my favorite things

he's

i've

we've created.

 

if you liked the song, be sure to check out marty's album Birds, Beaks, Bones on itunes (under the band name Quail).

now be sure to go check out my talented friend, stacey woods' take on what her world looks like right now

 

the canlas fam

when one of your mentor’s/someone you admired way before you even picked up a camera/world renowned film shooter/all around nice and beloved guy says, “your hired to do our family photos.”

you freak out a little . a lottle actually.

but then you play it cool. play it down. no big deal. taint no thing. until you remember.

he has SIX kids.

then you start to sweat in earnest. you email his charming wife, digging for inside info on how to charm the littles–you can’t think of a location that fits the family in a meaningful way–so you put it off—-until

your mentor saves you one last time. and comes up with a plan that is so “them” in a way you didn’t even realize, that you never could have come up with it yourself. everything you see below? within a mile radius of the canlas home. my fav? the family shot in the back of the HUGE family canlas van. my secret victory? getting callie canlas to let me shoot her in a way that shows her how pretty she is. can i say that without sounding like a huge jerk and as though i’m giving myself too much credit? probably not.

oh and the secret to these six amazing children?

……wait for it…..

the old standby

 

…….candy……

lots and LOTS of candy.

thank you so much jon and callie. you don’t know how much it means to have had this chance to capture your rad family.

MY DATES FOR TRAVEL SESSIONS THROUGH OCTOBER 2012

hello? is this thing on, is there anyone out there listening? boy i hope so. i've been pulling my hair out trying to juggle my summer schedule to meet the demands of travel sessions i have had requests for--- while still you know, remaining something other than a ghost to my kids and uncle marty.

sadly this has meant i can't go to every destination i originally would have wanted. i want you to know that truly depresses me. when i know there are spectacular families out there who could take up a new special place in my heart that i don't get to meet--well i hate that. but there's always october and spring 2013 i always say! ;)

a few things to bear in mind:

-these dates do not include the previous travel dates i announced awhile back as all slots for sessions have been booked.

- i have had a good amount of interest expressed in each of these places so if you think you wanna make it happen, book fast! this isn't even a sales ploy, its the cold hard truth!

-how much does it cost and how do you book? the flat rate for all travel sessions is $950 and includes a full res disk of your edited images with a print relase to go hog wild. Fee is due upon booking, just send me an email to photography.yan@gmail.com and i will send you  time slot choices and an invoice.

so without further ado, travel dates through september are as follows:

 

Seattle/Porland: July 12-14

Washington DC: August  15,16

NYC - 1 SESSION ONLY THE EVENING OF AUG 17TH

Chicago: August 30-31st

Utah County: September 13-14 

Charlotte: September 27th -29th

added new dates!

Atlanta: October 12-13

(NEW) Boise: SEPTEMBER 19-21

thanks y'all. i hope to hear from you!