Temescal High School Senior | Bonnie

This was a special shoot for me – I met Bonnie when she was three years old – Haven’t seen her (or her mom!) in years! We must have met her right when Jessy was born…This Bonnie in the pictures was named after my dear friend Bonnie :)

This also carries a funny story – I’ll write it at the end….

We started out at Perris Train Station – it closed :( - we couldn’t get to the good parts so we left…..

then we found an awesome field with yellow flowers….doesn’t she have beautiful eyes?

…then we kept driving and went to an old fruit stand near Heritage High School….pretty light and rustic wood…

These next pictures are near Dani’s softball fields… Sweet find huh? We probably were where we weren’t supposed to be but how cool is it? There were old trucks, tractors, cool fences etc….The right picture is the truck bed of an old blue truck filled with hubcaps! It was just sitting on the ground by the barn!

Found another cool field on the way home…we were looking for lupines and found these instead… I found some lupines in Canyon Lake today so we are going to take a couple more next week. Her mom has her photographed in the lupines as a 6 month old so we have to do it!!!!

I love when the mom’s come so I can get mother daughter pictures :)

Bonnie and Lesa – awesome to see you again. I had a great time and it was SUPER fun exploring with you both!

Okay…so my story – I was going to shoot her at an abandoned house – I went to walk around it after I picked the boys up from school. I parked –left the car on and started walking toward the property…To my left I hear a really LOUD –

“Hello there!”

I startle and look in panic and there is a man leaning against a tree …. kind of older and well…a little concerning looking. He looked sort of like the man who stole the wallet in Bedtime Stories – or like Pat Wilkes as a Miner in Old Town a few years ago…

He apologizes for startling me and here’s our conversation in bits…

me: Do you live here?

him: No, I just come here to drink.

me: Oh is that so?

then the conversations heads to the land and why I was there…

me: I going to shoot a girl

him: WHAT?

me: take pictures

him: what do you want a picture of this old building for?

me: not the building, a girl! (how stupid for me to say huh?)

him: Does the girl want to buy the land?

me: no

him: do you want to?

me: no

a little more conversations happens about me and my camera...

then I think I asked him about the property and he told me the house was built in 1942 and that he is a contractor – or was but was in the war. Told me about the homes he has built. All this part was interesting until he got annoyed that he couldn’t hear my answers…

him: ….I am a vietnam vet – I just got back from physical therapy. I am sorry I startled you, I won’t hurt you.

me: Oh you were in vietnam?

him: yep – got my knee shot. I have a titanium knee….

then he moved his knee back and forth so that I could see how good it was fixed up….

then he told me: come closer – I can’t hear you – I’m NOT going to hurt you!

he said that three times or so… I didn’t go closer – I just yelled louder!

Honestly he seemed pretty harmless and nice but I decided I would never shoot there :) It’s funnier to hear in person ….Ask me if you see me!!! He said some other things I didn’t write in here!

I did actually think that the Lord had me walk around it first to know that it probably is not a safe place to shoot at…the buildings are off the road and people would not be looking in that direction. The boys were bummed I wasn’t going straight home but I told them I kind of wanted to see it before we showed up. We had actually driven by it the day before as well but I had a strong feeling I should walk around it – I thought I was just checking the light but I really believe the Lord had me go there right then!

I was safe talking to him so don’t panic!!

As we drove away I pointed him out to the boys who had been waiting in the car – they could not see him talking to me – but as I drove off they said he was totally talking to himself. I felt really sorry for him :(

Then I called Robert and told him the story and asked if he thought I should NOT go back there and he started laughing at the absurdity of my question – of course I shouldn’t!

I guess I will stick to cool buildings that are out in the open!

Flickr Tags: Temecula,Temescal,Seniors,portaits