Teri Genovese Photography Blog » Los Angeles Baby, Child, and Family Photographer

i wish i could paint my name on the purple one. just putting it out there.

[Photographs taken in Big Sur, California, March 2009]

if i had to pick a favorite place in LA, it would be this spot
above the city where i stand, catching my breath after a steep climb.
i can’t count how many times i’ve stood here,
and yet only now and then do i sit on this bench
and swing my legs, fully realizing how far i’ve come.

[photographs taken with my diana camera, June 2009, at Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles]

There is a still, quiet beauty all around us, every day… if we are open to seeing it. Photography is a gift that has inspired me, since I was a kid, to take notice and appreciate life’s subtleties…those heart-wrenchingly beautiful moments in ordinary life that make you pause and feel utterly grateful.
Those are the moments I strive to capture.

i have been on inspiration overload lately, a combination of a lot things coming together and helping me makes sense of the world, or at least my teeny tiny sliver of it. the combination of solitude with daily hiking and walks, weekly yoga classes, and a lot of writing. it’s amazing how suddenly a burst of clarity can arise after months of diligence, stillness… and nurturing of one’s self.

as i was re-discovering my intention with photography and refining my artist statement above, i realized there are so many photographs i have taken over the years that are collecting virtual mold in their plain yellow folders stacked on my c:drive. so i am going to make a point to share a few now and then, those moments that have made me pause and take notice of the beauty around us.

[photographs taken at Malibu Creek State Park, March 2009]

“i am at the beach alone, quite literally.
pondering why i haven’t done this before.
listening to the waves as they pound in
unexpectedly, yet like clockwork.
as i look down at my page,
the sound intimidates me
and fills me with a rush of energy.
‘i’m alive,’ my heart says.”

-excerpt from my journal

i went to sit and write at the beach this morning following a yoga class i took at Bhakti Yoga Shala. a happy and peaceful friday, indeed.

do something nice for yourself this weekend… you deserve it.

[photograph taken in Carmel, California, June 2009]

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”
~ Gilda Radner

Yoda came into our lives almost 16 years ago, a miracle in so many ways. I never thought he would leave us and it is so very hard to say goodbye.
(r.i.p. Yoda: around Thanksgiving 1993 – September 3, 2009)

This was an evident theme in my yoga class this morning taught by Govindas (an amazing, amazing yoga instructor at SMPY). He also spoke of playfulness: letting ourselves go, letting go of worry, and letting go of self consciousness. As adults, we so easily lose sight of what it’s like to just be… to feel such pure, simple joy that can come only from letting go and fully experiencing a moment..

I think there’s so much to be learned from children. They own playfulness. They know, without even knowing, what it’s like to be enveloped in the joy of life. I think we should all start taking notes from the children around us, like this little 6 year old who had me smiling constantly.. and laughing and running from the waves coming in to shore.. the cold water tickling our toes.