How do you maintain your love for Photography...

and not let it turn into a job you hate?

I've been asked this on numerous occasions. It's true sometimes when you take something you love to do and turn it into a job you can become "over it" fast.

I personally have kept my love of photography by always taking time to shoot for myself. When I shoot for myself I don't worry if it will be a perfect shot, or if "they will love it" or if it will get chosen for an album/card/canvas or anything else. When I shoot for myself I shoot to please ONLY myself .. and if anyone else likes it then that's cool too. When I shoot for myself I shoot with whatever camera is handy and don't worry about the "professional quality" of it. This goes for all my Iphone images (not the best resolution ever -but they capture images that mean something to me), my various Polaroid cameras (although they are quite often requested by clients) and mostly I say this for my Holga camera.

It looks a bit umm "ghetto" .. but seriously it's my FAVORITE camera!



and as such the Dreamy images it produces are often my favorite and are the images I love to share here on what once started as "film friday" but turned into "film friday on saturday.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy taking them!

The following images were taken in July at a street festival in downtown Campbell, CA. If you are the owner of one of these beautiful images and would like a complimentary copy please drop me a note (info@marianamaya.com).

*these images have only been altered by the reproduction of the scan and the addition of a watermark. I hope to print these in the dark room soon...







So if you've turned your love/passion/hobby into a job maintain the love for it by remembering to set aside some time to do it for YOURSELF! because in the end YOU are the only one that matters to YOU!

Miguel & Elda: Sneak Peek of the Wedding

Hi everyone! This post will be a Bi-lingual for all my paisanos! (Paisano= someone from your same country.)
-Hola a todos! Este sera bi-lingue para todos mis paisanos. (disculpas por la falta de ortografia)



Sorry it's been a while- I've been crazy busy.
-Perdon que desde hace mucho que no escribo- he esta tan ocupada que casi me vuelvo loca.

I am very tempted to leave you only this image as a sneak peek.
-La tentacion de solo ensenarles una foto es DEMASIADA!

However I know if I did Miguel & Elda would hunt me down and torture me for being such a Tease. So ... I will give you a few more images.
-Pero, se que si lo hago Miguel y Elda me buscan y me dan coscorones por ser tan mala onda. Y entonces ... Les dejare unas cuantas fotos mas.










And say nothing else but ..a full posting will follow!
Y no dire nada mas... pero les prometo mas fotos seguiran!

Miguel & Elda: the Engagement

You know when you just "click" with someone? That is exactly how I felt when I met with Miguel & Elda for the first time. I drove up to Sacramento to meet with them. Elda is mid college career at Sacramento State and while living up there she met Miguel.

They are both from Mexico, like me, and bilingual, also like me. It's funny but every time I meet someone from Mexico I ask "oh what part are you from?". Always hoping they say my random small town- um they never do.

So Miguel says hes from a town in Jalisco ( that's the state Guadalajara is found in - in case you

are geographically challenged - like me). I lived in Guadalajara so we talked a little about that.

Then I ask Elda where she's from. And she answers oh a small town in Guanajuato. I then proceed to ask which town? She answers oh it's small noone has ever heard of it. SO Excited I tell her. I'm from Guanajuato ( um yes - please note this is like telling a Californian from Grass Valley I'm from California and being from San Francisco or LA) so anyways she tells me the name if her town and low & behold: I KNOW WHERE IT IS!!! I then proceed to tell her I'm from the town right by hers and she giggles and says "oh I was born there, in there hospital." EEEK! Seriously and I thought noone knew where my town, Acambaro, was.

After this exchange I knew I had to shoot their wedding. The rest of the wedding details are just a bonus. IT is going to be so amazing with many of my favorite things in life involved. But for that you will have to wait. ;-)

We shot the engagement session in Monterrey, California. It was an awesome time. They were up for ANYTHING!!! We played under the pier in the ocean (although it was kinda stinky),

rolled around in the sand,

then headed over to the BREATH TAKING 17 mile drive.

I would like to thank Elda's sister & brother who came along and ended up helping scout locations (read here check the rocks to see if they were safe to climb and make sure we didn't fall into deeper water than needed- although we were all up to our hips in the water) & provide outfit assistance to the couple.

Miguel & Elda I look forward to your wedding! See you soon....

Doug & Grace: Congratulations!!!

I know you have been on your edge of your seats! Ever since the sneak peek.



This couple was a blast during their engagement session! I knew without a doubt they would be just as fun to be around on their wedding day.

This might be my favorite image from the day.



and I LOOOVED these shoes!!


The day was filled with so much love.







I always love all the feelings that are captured during the "Getting Ready" part of the day!

The very touching ceremony was held at Our Lady of the World in Bay Point, CA

and later we all drove to beautiful Walnut Grove to the reception at the gorgeous Grand Island Mansion.

It was a scorching hot day, but everyone remained cool!







And a Got LOW!!

Jose & Angela +paint + family tree addition = Baby Bump!

A few weeks ago I gave you guys this sneak peek. If you've been following my blog for a while you might remember them from here.
As I look back I'm amazed at how quickly time goes by.

Anyways.

A new baby is on the way!! WOO HOO!! I was so excited when mommy called me to book her maternity session. She might have been maybe just a few weeks pregnant. ;-) And many many months later... here we are!!



This session had many parts to it, we had a fun family finger painting session to involve big sister! Although dad might have had the most fun. ;-)











Aha! That is how those hands (from the sneak peek) got purple!!



A four generation of women portraits!





& the awesome "family tree" session which took place on the grandparents property. Which might I add is amazing!










Here big sister is discovering the magic of a polaroid. MY favorite thing to show kids!!



although at first she didn't get what the Hype was all about



I can't wait until the baby is here to do the newborn portraits!!



one last picture of big sister. She is soo cute. I didn't tell her to do this- she busted the pose on her own!