We started at the Museum of Natural History, which isn’t a new spot for us, but is definitely a favorite!

What I especially loved about this visit was my Kindergartener’s interest in taking pictures of all the exhibits. . .

I got the only family picture of our trip with my timer while had a snack break outside the museum.

After our snack, we walked across the street to begin the new part of our adventure with a ride on the metro!

Our destination was iconic Union Station, with its art deco design and proximity to some of the oldest parts of Los Angeles.

We had lunch at another iconic locale, Phillipe’s.  Delicious French Dip!

Then, we walked a few blocks to Chinatown where we shopped for treasures (my 4-year-old found a fan embroidered with a dragon!) and enjoyed the architecture.

A few more blocks and we had a taste of a different culture at Olvera Street.

We headed back to Union Station to catch the metro back to Exposition Park, site of the History Museum (and our car).

Once back at the park, we strolled through the Exposition Park Rose Garden. . .

. . . and wrapped up our adventurous site-seeing day by flying the kite we bought in Chinatown earlier that day!

We had an amazing day playing tourist in L.A.!

10 on 10 is a monthly installment, 10 images (or maybe a few more!) posted on the 10th of the month, with 10 (or maybe a few less!) photographer’s playing along.  So, go check out Milwaukee Photographer Melissa Schuett‘s 10 for this month!

Fear & uncertainty be gone! Learn how to make your camera work for you & get amazing images of your own family!

Join me on Sunday, June 23 from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. The 4-hour class covers exposure–what it is and how to control it, camera modes, finding the light, composition, and more. It’s a hands-on class, so be sure to bring your camera (with the batteries charged!). There will be plenty of time for individual questions and practice shooting. You’ll be off [Auto] in no time!

The $149 class fee includes instruction and practice shooting time along with an AWESOME 46-page workbook full of the info covered, which will be a great reference once you get home. You’ll get yummy snacks and a fab goody bag to take home and I’m going to raffle off some fun photography gear.

You won’t want to miss it! Class size is limited so don’t delay — book your spot today!

Click HERE to register!

They also gave some other folks a great workout. . . Grandma and Grandpa!

This session was special for several reasons. . . Mom surprised Grandma with the photo session as a Mother’s Day gift earlier in May.  The grandparents were going to be visiting later in the month and it was a gift that Grandma truly would cherish.  Watching the magic between grandchildren and their grandparents is so fun.  So, twins, with their grandparents, and a surprise gift session. . . you can see why it was so special!

Even though it was a Mother’s Day gift, Grandpa got a little bit of sweetness, too!

And then they were off!  The girls were having such a great time, the only way they agreed to leave was with the promise of a return as soon as they went home to get bathing suits!

The Bird of Paradise really is paradise for a photographer, a perfect subject for my Fine Art Friday project this month.  The bright colors, glowing in the midday sun, and the beautiful lines just pull me in…

For more beauty and inspiration, please visit Laura Meeks, Albuquerque NM Photographer, who surely has a treat in store for this month!

While I’d love to come up with something witty and engaging to write here, I think it best if I stick to my strong suit — the pictures!

And I’ll leave the writing to the to the talent of Ms. Verducci! 

This is one family that loves to laugh and have a good time together!

And I mentioned how adorable these boys are, right?  Well, it’s worth saying again. . . I just love these smiles!

I mean, seriously, I just can’t stop grinning at these boys!

Last month, I participated in the most challenging running event of my career — Ragnar.  It’s a team relay race stretching almost 200 miles, broken into 36 different legs.  The traditional Ragnar team has 12 runners, each covering 3 of those 36 legs.  I did that last year and it was amazing.  This year, we took the challenge and craziness to a whole new level, doing it as “Ultra” team, which means we had only 6 runners covering the 36 legs.  So, we each had 6 legs to run.  My legs ranged from 4.7 miles at the shortest to 6.9 miles at the longest, and all told, I covered 34.1 miles for my team.

Teams start early in the morning on a Friday and don’t get to the finish line until Saturday afternoon.  Our team took 34 hours to cover the nearly 200 miles through SoCal from Huntington Beach to San Diego.

The fun (or crazy, maybe?!) part is that your team is responsible for getting each runner to and from the exchange points.  So, you rent a big van and after your runner takes off, you drive to the next exchange to get the next runner ready.  Repeat that 35 times, non-stop, throughout the night (along with over 600 other teams!) and you get one crazy fun event!

Runners are a fun, spirited, encouraging group.  And we’re a little wacky.  Ragnar is not complete without goofy team names, decorated vans, tracking “kills” (other runners you pass during your legs), fun outfits (like tutus and costumes), and more.  It’s kind of like a good-spirited, fitness-minded college frat party (minus the booze — that’s not til the finish line!).

Before we get to the finish, though, we have to start.  Our team start was at 6:45 a.m. on Friday morning.  I had the pleasure of being Runner #1 for Team Hexagon[e] (a nod to our 6-person Ultra status, and that we’ve “gone” a little cuckoo for attempting it!).

Our lovely team captain and driver made us some pretty sweet tutus to sport. . .

And we chugged through the miles in good spirits and with no injuries, even in the scorching afternoon heat of Corona!

The going gets tough once the sun sets.  The fatigue of the miles you’ve already covered sets in and with darkness all around, you just want to curl up and fall asleep.  But, there are miles ahead and mile to tick through, so you deliriously chug on. . .

And once the dawn comes on Saturday, it brings a renewed hope that you’re through the tough part and that you will actually make it to the finish line!

But you still take every chance you can to catch some zzzzzz’s.

When you hit your last leg, it’s a crazy, exhilarating, humbling, and joyous experience.  Proud to have not let your team down, proud for pushing your body to the limit and proud to have done it with such an awesome group of people.  One last hug to send our final runner off on Leg 36, bringing it on home. . .

Alas, 34ish hours later, we reached the finish!!!!!

We enjoyed some pizza and beer, headed back home, slept like babies and woke up the next morning with Ragnar withdrawal. . . wanting to pull on those running shoes and pink and blue tutu for just a few more miles!

Now, head over to Spokane Photographer Creatively Yours for a little more “10 on 10″ excitement!

• dozens of tips and tricks from the pros for taking better photos with your mobile-phone camera
  
• a handbook of 60+ photography app reviews for iPhone and Android, so you know which are worth your time and money*
  
• dozens of project ideas for getting photos off your device and into your world
  
• interaction with 32 experienced iPhoneographers and Androidographers, and hundreds of fellow students in a private classroom and on Instagram
  
• giveaways, contests, discounts, bonus downloads, and fun fun fun!
  
  
  
  
  *Note: Many of the reviewed apps are available free in the App Store and Google Play, while the rest average about $1.99 each. App purchases are not required for participation in the class.

I am thrilled to be one of the 32 instructors for this course!  These days about 80% of the personal pictures I take of my own family are taken with my phone.  You just can’t beat the convenience and ease of always having a pocket-sized camera with you.  And I am just blown away by the image quality I get with my newly upgraded iPhone 5.  It’s definitely not the same as my DSLR, but for the ease and convenience of capturing silly kiddo moments in the grocery store, at the park, on our walk to school, I’ll trade out a little in the quality department.  I’ve captured SO much that I would have missed if I solely used my DSLR.    And here’s a little confession:  even if I do take along my DSLR, I always take a few pics with my phone, too!

So, join me for this FUN and INFORMATIVE summer class!  I promise you’ll have a blast, connect with some great people, and pick up a few life-changing tips

Be sure to register NOW while the introductory pricing is available!  Go HERE to be among the first to sign up!

And then watch this cute little promo video

Join me on May 11th for a fun, sweet mini-session.  I’m so excited to be including this brass photo necklace (with your favorite image from your session) with each mini-session booked.

Contact me TODAY to book your mini-session for May 11th.  Limited spots will fill quickly!  amy@amyshertzerphotography.com  |  424.261.2691