Crista Acosta Photography »

So I mentioned a fun secret project the other day… and here it is!

My good friend Christa of Dolce Photography and I have decided to take on a little pay it forward project.  We both belong to a local group of wonderful women, and often get asked questions on learning, or for recommendations in regards to photography.  So, after a flurry of emails and brainstorming,  thought it might be nice to set up a little online learning course where we could share what we know.

Every Thursday, we’ll post a new tip with some take away “homework” to give the readers a chance to try it out.  The courses will mainly be geared towards those with DSLR’s, but as we move past the basics of that, there will certainly be topics on more creative aspects that would apply to all camera users. 

We certainly aren’t the experts on everything, but we’re happy to share what we can.  I hope you’ll check it out and maybe follow along with us! 

Here is the the link to Talking Photography with C(h)rista. 

Meet a sweet little miracle.  Vincenzo was five weeks old when I met him, and despite out best efforts, wouldn’t sleep a wink while I was there.  He of course conked out the minute I put my camera away.  I had to pull out a few pictures last night when I got home to go through them… I can’t wait to finish editing this session, this little guy is just too cute.  J & A – I hope you enjoy your sneak peek! 

I just love the little swirly baby hair. 

When I saw this one, I gasped for two reasons – first, because I adore mother and baby shots, and this one might be my favorite so far.  The second reason though is I’m insanely jealous that J looks so fabulous just 5 weeks after having a baby.  Here’s hoping!

the nice thing about an “older” baby is that you get some great eye contact, and this little man has some beautiful eyes. 

1.  People often comment to me that L.A. is the most photogenic child they’ve seen.  Here, to prove that he’s not (and that I too can sometimes take not the greatest picture of my child), an outtake.

2.  I’m in the midst of taking on a very fun and special project with one of my good friends.  More information will be announced on this blog on Thursday.  Stay tuned!

3.  Most of my pregnancy cravings seem to have subsided, but I’m missing that second trimester burst of energy everyone raves about.  Ask C, I’ve fallen asleep on his shoulder on the couch the last 3 out of 4 nights.  P2 is sucking the life out of me! 

4.  C has been teaching L.A. to give hugs, so he usually says “Huuuuuuuuug” and L.A. looks at him like he’s crazy.  On this day though, he actually obliged.  In my haste to capture it, I didn’t have time to fix my camera settings, but sometimes it has to be about more than that. 

5.  I’m leaving here shortly to go meet a sweet newborn baby.  I love photographing all ages, but there’s something so perfect and right about newborns.  I can’t wait. 

6.  Over the weekend, a good friend came to stay with us and brought her pup, Stella.  L.A. was in h.e.a.v.e.n.  

though by the end of the visit, I’m not sure who was having more fun.  Stella thought it was fantastic that someone wanted to focus all their attention on her. 

7.  Oh, and here’s another outtake.  Mid blink – perfect! 

8.  This post is an awful representation of my photography.  That should have been a disclaimer at the top.  Blegh.

9.  L.A. is on his 1,842 nd cold of the season.  This means a lot of coughing, a lot of snuggling, and a lot of generally just being kinda grumpy in our house.  

10.  I have competition – even worse than in my own town, in my own house.  For the second week in a row, C has snapped a great picture for the 52 week project.  The full picture of this is a bit too artistic for my blog and public viewing, so here’s a much cropped version.  Since L.A. hasn’t been feeling well, I’ve been taking him in the shower with me, and each time I do, he snuggles up on my shoulder like this while the warm water washes over us.  I’ve wanted this picture forever, and the other night C captured it in a way I don’t think I ever could have.  

I tried last year to keep up with the 52 week project, and well… life got in the way.  I’m going to really try this time around to do it.  

Though I’m sure he doesn’t really understand what it means, if you ask L.A. “where’s the baby?” he immediately comes over and lifts up my shirt and plants a big slobbery kiss on my belly.  Understanding or not, it’s one of the sweetest things in the world.  

I love C more than words for grabbing my camera and capturing this last night. 

That’s L.A.’s nickname around our house these days since his practice steps always involve his hands either straight out in front of him or stretched way up in the air. 

Ugh… don’t you just want to squeeze that little tushy?

Oh, and here’s proof we’re still living in the land of incoming molars.  The hands are always in his mouth. 

I have some client sessions coming up in the next few days, so I’ll be sharing some things other than just my little guy.  Happy Friday everyone!

When I updated the blog and got the new revamped logo, I promised to share the story of the Butterfly.  There are some people who have known me for years, and would know that I’ve always loved butterflies.  My first car was a 1972 purple VW Bug and the interior was covered in butterfly stickers.  It goes further than that though.

My Grandmother - who we always called Grandma Jones (though that wasn’t her real name) – was diagnosed with cancer before I was born.  She had been told that she had just a few years at the most, and that she would have to go through extensive chemotherapy in order to continue her life.  She began treatments, and suffered unhappily through the effects that the chemo had on her body.  Eleven years later, much longer than anyone had expected her to live, she had enough of the treatments and decided to fulfill her own personal dream.

She contacted her doctors and advised that she would no longer be pursuing treatment of any kind.  She then packed up all her belongings, and bought a house on Martha’s Vineyard by herself.  Within a few months, she acquired a puppy to keep her company.  He was appropriately named Shadow.  Grandma Jones and Shadow quickly became a part of the island community.  She lived in Vineyard Haven and spent a lot of her time reading unique finds from Bunches of Grapes bookstore.  She got to know the ferry captain by name.  Most of all though, despite all odds being against her, she thrived on the Island where she continued to live for 8 more years – the best years of her life.  She was independant, and she was happy.

Grandma Jones was a beacon of strength in the face of her illness, and most of all she pursued her dream although it defied all odds.

When she passed away, we all traveled to the Vineyard to pay our respects and watch over her burial in an island cemetery.  It was a warm spring day, and after the services I went outside at her house to stand on the porch looking into the woods behind the house when suddenly a butterfly flitted over and landed on my arm.  I knew in an instant that it was her, just stopping by, just making sure we were all okay. 

Since then, there have been too many times to count where in a moment of turmoil, or on the crux of a tough decision my thoughts have been interrupted by a lone butterfly flitting in front of my face.  The butterfly is about pursuing my dream, and believing - despite the odds.  It’s about listening to my her when she said “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t”. 

In general, L.A. is a pretty relaxed, easy going little dude and I thought we’d totally lucked out and sailed through without hitting the separation anxiety phase.  Wrong.  So, so wrong.  In the past week or so, his mom clinginess has increased and I attributed it to the molars that have been working their way in and making our lives miserable.  We’re now at the level of complete emotional breakdown if I walk out of his line of sight.  I’m talking tears, choking-can’t catch your breath-sobbing if I dare to use the restroom or try to retrieve something from another room. 

I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that I typically love his attachment to me.  There’s something so sweet about those big eyes that are always searching for me, for reassurance.  This, however – is a little overboard.  Any been there-done that-moms want to give me some insight as to how long this phase might last?

In other family news, both C and L.A. woke up this morning with coughs and scratchy throats.  Awesome.  All the wives out there, go ahead and give a sympathetic nod of the head… you know which one of my boys will need more attention this weekend.    I love you C!