Mel and I were lucky enough to get an invite to help out our good friends and incredibly talented photographers, Bil Zelman and his wife, Megan Power, on a shoot they were doing to help out the Southern Sudanese Community Center (via Scott at The Glue Network).

The photos were for promotional and documentary use for the center. Scott and Dep (the center’s director) brought thirty or so kids down to the site to be photographed. The shoot went really well but wasn’t without its challenges. Mel and I are used to being on the coast where the wind dies down at sunset. Apparently inland, the opposite happens. We were using a 12′ square shade screen that became a very large and powerful sail once propped upright. Even with the heavy duty roller stands and sand bags, there was no way it was going to remain standing without some additional leverage.

Fortunately (and kinda randomly), Bil and Megan drive a car outfitted with a winch. (Sidenote: winchline.com is a very real website, and you guessed it… they just sell winch line.)

The kids were amazing. There was such an incredibly open and present spirit throughout. These were people who seemed completely lacking of hesitation, doubt, or fear that most of us carry into our interactions and relationships with new people.

They loved having their photograph taken, many of them were very big fans of America’s Next Top Model, and
I heard a number of them express serious interest in getting copies of these photos for their Myspace pages.

I can definitely say with confidence that we’ve never before spent five hours in the sun doing reasonably tiring work and left feeling more refreshed than when we started. It was a really incredible experience, and both Melanie and I were very grateful to have had the opportunity.

Mel’s role was chief child-wrangler. She was tasked with keeping the kids entertained and sending us groups to shoot. Turned out, taking pictures of them was a very useful distraction!

Curious about the outcome? Here are a few shots from Bil:

You can get more information about the Southern Sudanese Center of San Diego here, and the Glue Network here.

More of Bil’s work can be viewed at his site as well.

This weekend was long but incredible. Saturday and Sunday each consisted of about five hours of shooting. Both jobs were incredibly fulfilling, and we were honored to be a part of them.

On Saturday, we were invited to document the Canez family’s reunion. We were told it was the first time the entire family has ever been together in the same place! We couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon or for better subjects. In addition to being really great looking people, the entire family was made up of some of the most welcoming and loving people we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

As if that wasn’t enough, the camera loved this family! Such great looking people, and with an energy that was infectious!

It left me thinking a lot about our role as photographers at these events. I’ve seen a lot of photographers’ pitches that talk about how well they’re flies on the wall who stay completely remote and observational during the day.

Mel and I would be lying if we pretended we work that remotely from our subjects. The truth is that, by the end of the day, we know you pretty well, and you know us. We felt so welcome at the Canez family reunion, and it was an incredible gift to be a guest there. By the end of the shoot, we’d laughed and cried with the family and felt more than a hint of how it must feel to be the children or grandchildren of Cristina and Ricardo.

It was an experience we won’t soon forget, and we’re very grateful for being given the opportunity to share it with them.

A couple of weeks ago, Mel had the opportunity to second shoot for the lovely and talented Susie Linquist, who is based right here in our neighborhood. Kate and Sherman’s wedding was at the Temecula Creek Inn, and they first stopped at a gorgeous estate belonging to a family friend of Kate. Both locations provided all kinds of lovely places to take photographs. Here are some of our favorites.