A Day With Peggy Bray

It was the morning after the first big storm of winter in Southern California…. you could see the branches and puddles/lakes everywhere on the road. It was cold still. Everything looked clean and colors looked more crisp after being pressure washed by the storm. As I drove down to Carlsbad to meet Peggy, I couldn’t help but smile to myself…. for many reasons (the rain, the smell of wet pavement, the view of the ocean as a cruised down through the cliffs of San Clemente, the fact that Christmas is coming…etc.), but mainly, I was smiling because Peggy inspires me and I couldn’t wait to spend the morning shooting spiffy new pictures for her website.

I first met Peggy about a month prior at “my office” (Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) where we talked… and talked… it was surprisingly refreshing given we’d never met before. She told me a bit about herself….. about her husband who’s doing big things… about their business in the auto claims industry and how it’s taken off…. about her kids and how much she loves them… and about her life which has been quite blessed. Then she told me the reason she wants portraits…. she’s a screen writer. So cool!

We discovered that we have something very important in common…. we’re both pursuing our dreams. She told me she was attracted to my work, not only because she loved my style, but because she identified with who I am as a person/photographer…. what a cool compliment! And I have to say, she’s sharpened me as a person as well…. she inspires ME. She’s the kind of person I want to be… and I love her determined enthusiasm for what her passions are. Despite all the responsibilities she has as a wife, mother, and business owner…. she makes time to chase her heart’s desire. So I hope these portraits do her justice, inspire you too…. and I hope you can catch a glimpse of the peaceful beauty and graceful confidence I noticed in her when we spent the morning together at Leo Carrillo Ranch.

This place was AWESOME to shoot at because there were so many COLORS! Not only that, but there were a ton of antiquated historic buildings with a colorful southwest style that just begged to have their pictures taken… so I obliged.

Oh. And there were peacocks…

So we spent some time shooting with them, since they begged us to….

These pictures make my soul happy… I couldn’t get enough of all the color!

This is one of my favorite shots from the day…

Another favorite… ( I know… I have a lot)

Peggy brought some sweet antique books as props for the shoot… they were her husband’s Grandmother’s books. I’m totally keeping all my books now so my grandchildren will have cool antiques like these…

Honestly, I couldn’t have hoped for a better morning to shoot. The clouds acted as a beautiful softbox for the sun… and the colors just stood out brilliantly because of the storms the day before. I loved spending time with you, Peggy and I just know you’re going to do great things with your writing! I can’t wait!!