(disclaimer... this may be a long one... bear with me!)

A while back, a friend of mine, who is a pretty well known and influential dude in the photography world, asked me what I was doing for the upcoming weekend.

I felt like I needed to give him some big impressive answer, then I came to my senses.

Did I have any high profile sessions coming up?
Any big jobs?
Lots of family beach sessions?

No, even better: I had my son's soccer games ALLLLLL WEEKEND!
I was really happy with my answer because I was looking forward to Mat's tournament.

My friend's tone was one of surprise.
"You're just going to do the 'soccer mom' thing on such a gorgeous weekend?" he asked.

"ABSOLUTELY!" I replied, "And I'll have perfect light for great action shots of the boys, too, if I decide to take pictures"

He paused for a while, and then said "GOOD FOR YOU!"

That was a few months ago, and I've enjoyed every tournament and every game since then, too!

This past weekend was Mat's last tournament of the year with his team -- Chula Vista Rangers U9.
They played HARD all weekend up in Anaheim, and they brought home 2nd place!

GO RANGERS!

At the tournament, Rory and her pal Garrett, played Mat's Ninetendo DS the whole weekend:


Mat had more awesome corner kicks:


He got his medal with his teammates:


And I FINALLY got the shot I've been wanting to get allllll season!
I was SO excited when this situation lined up right in front of me, perfect lighting and all.
I will love this picture forever because it is such a perfect image of youth soccer:

I love how the families' hands are rimmed with sunlight!

This image also brought me clarity.
I am often asked to do workshops for other photographers. I'm always flattered, humbled, and surprised.
I'm also tempted, I just don't feel drawn to things like that.

This image of the parents from my son's soccer team reminded me of what I'm passionate about:
teaching moms how to get the images they want using their own cameras.

What mom is going to hire a professional photographer to come to her son's soccer game to take a picture of the parents' high fives after the game?! All of those naysayers who tell me & Mera that we're just training our competition can bark up another tree, cuz we believe in what we're doing, and we're not stopping!!!

If you haven't gotten Mera's DVDs yet and you want to learn how to use your digital SLR more effectively, check out Refuse to Say Cheese .com and get your copies! Also, consider signing up for our San Diego workshop in May! Slots are filling up quickly, and you won't want to miss it!

~Carey

WOW!
You guys rock!

I have gotten the most lovely pictures of your favorite decorations.

I feel like I've been let into so many of your lives.
Thank you so much for sharing the stories behind your favorite decorations
and sending such beautiful pictures.

In addition to Becca's adorable growth chart, we have....

Stunning family heirlooms


Delicate porcelain villages


Trees filled with years of memories


Ornaments hand made by loving grandmothers




Childhood stockings



Those precious gifts made by little hands


And nativities from all over the world


One of those nativities is our winner!
Congratulations Eileen!

Maybe you can buy some Christmas music with your iTunes gift card!

Thank you again, everyone, for taking the time to share these pictures!

Have a great weekend! I'm off to cheer Mat on at his soccer tournament.
I'll be back next week, and I'm going to do my best to post some a photo tip or two.
Feel free to bug me if you don't see one -- I need a kick in the booty sometimes!

~Carey

I've been getting such great pictures of your favorite holiday decorations!

Becca's is really cool.
She says:
"My most treasured Christmas item is this growth chart that I made when my kids were three and one (thanks to a Family Fun article).
Each year they pick an ornament that reflects their interests (this year it is Barbie and Star Wars) and I sew it at their height.
It’s fun to pull it out every year and think back over the years prior."



How cool is that!? I want to make one!

You have until 9pm pacific time TONIGHT (Thursday, Dec 13, 2007) to get your pictures in!

Email to carey@barefoot-memories.com

I'll choose one entry randomly, and the winner will get a $10 iTunes card via email.

And don't forget to send in your cards to win your iPod Touch!!!

~Carey

No Remedy for Love
by Susan Ashton

There's no remedy for love
Nothing can change the way I feel
I'm hopelessly head over heels
For worse or for better
There's no remedy for love
But I'd have it no other way
The symptoms are clear, I'm yours
For now and forever

December 10th, 1993
Jason graduated from Pepperdine


Then the next day,
at Malibu Presbyterian Church,
Jason & I were married


It poured rain, and there were massive mudslides, but it was a wonderful day


Then we were off to Yosemite for a snowy honeymoon



I am determined to get my family back to Yosemite so THIS FABULOUS PHOTOGRAPHER,
Shawn Reeder, can take our pictures there!

14 years later, I still sing that Susan Ashton song.
That song came out a few months before our wedding.
I remember belting it out at the top of my lungs,
driving my little red Ford Escort through Malibu Canyon Road.

The car is now a mom-mobile,
the song is on my mp3 player instead of a CD,
there are a few more pounds around and many more gray hairs,
but these lungs still belt out that song, louder than ever!!

...And I know there'll be no cure for me
But what sweet malady!

~Carey

I just adore this time of year.

In our family, we enjoy decorating the Christmas tree and bringing out all of the decorations we've collected over the years.

My most cherished decoration is a gift that Jason & I received as a wedding gift 14 years ago.

A family friend had a ceramic/porcelain studio in their home, and they created the MOST BEAUTIFUL nativity sets. They gave Jason & I one as a wedding gift, and it is the most beautiful nativity set I've ever seen.

There is a beautiful angel, demure Mary, proud dad Joseph, cows, shepherds, sheep, donkeys, camels, kings, all perfectly created and covered with a stunning opalescent shine. It's so stunning in candlelight, I could sit and stare at it for hours.

It's also a small miracle that all of the pieces have survived so many years without damage -- even the donkey's dainty porcelain ears.
(KNOCK ON WOOD!)

I'm sure you have a favorite decoration of your own, and I'd love to see it!

So, I have an assignment for you!
Take a picture of your family's favorite holiday decoration and email it to me!
It could be a special ornament, a public display in Balboa Park, your heirloom stockings, an antique menorah,
whatever warms your heart the most when you see it this time of year.
I'm going to make it hard on you and only give you a few days to get this done. (most of us thrive under pressure anyway, right?)

Email me at Carey@Barefoot-Memories.com
SEND YOUR IMAGE by 9PM PST ON THURSDAY, DEC 13
Send a small (100-200K) image of your family's favorite holiday decoration. I'll collect them and put them together for everyone to see.
I'll choose one randomly to win a $10 iTunes gift card delivered via email.

I can't bring myself to pick a favorite or manage a voting system, so I'm going to just make it a random drawing.

Here's a picture of mine:



I took this with my fisheye lens on my 5D, but please don't think you have to use fancy camera equipment for your picture.

I would have preferred to get this at night by candlelight, but I wanted to get this game started!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's pictures!

Now get shooting!

~Carey