April and I have only one child, Kelly, and she’s not really a child anymore! Almost three years ago, Kelly married Andrew Hartman, her college sweetheart, and they live and work in Orange County. Truth be told, they are some of our closest friends, and we really enjoy hanging out with them on a regular basis.

We made a decision earlier this year to open a gallery/office in Orange County to be closer to our kid, and also serve our ever-growing Orange County clientèle. We are not going to have an actual studio space in which to photograph people, but will be using our client’s homes as a backdrop for the creation of their art piece.

The gallery is small, but will serve our need to have a meeting place for our clients. I’ve had fun getting it ready, and I’m excited about showing it off. We went with a very modern look to the space with dramatic, dark walls, and great lighting! Give us a call, and we’ll meet up with you for a tour… it shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds!

I’ve had a number of fun, creatively challenging camera studies lately, but the one we did for Chris Lancashire’s family in Santa Barbara really stands out. Chris has beautifully restored an older house in the Santa Barbara Riviera area (just down the road from my alma mater, the Brooks Institute of Photography). Not only is the home a wonderful experience, but Chris has excellent taste in art, and an incredible collection to prove it! I had a hard time pulling April away from the art to help me with our work!

I find that creating work in the environment of our client’s home makes me struggle at times, but that’s a great thing. It pushes me outside my box, and has resulted in unusual images that are specific to our client. Along with the images being custom tailored for their desires, our clients have a wonderful experience working in the comfort of their own home, where the dressing room is just down the hall!

At Brandes Portraiture we try to get involved with many great charitable causes in the community to help support them financially. It’s a way we can use our talents as artists to benefit so many needs. Close to my heart are the people who work with Christian Associates International, a group that focuses on starting new churches in urban European cities. If you have ever visited a church in Europe on a Sunday morning, you have seen first hand how spiritually dead Europe really is.

We have friends who are a part of CAI who are working in Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Florence and other cities to become part of the fabric of the culture, and help others to see how a person who loves Jesus lives out their life. I admire their dedication to loving the people with whom they come into relationship. I’ve heard great stories of our friends hosting groups of 50-75 locals in their small flats to celebrate holidays. Buying a Thanksgiving turkey in Paris isn’t cheap…$80 per turkey!

Two years ago we held an event at our Westlake Village studio to support CAI, and this year we are planning an even larger event. One Light will be held in both our Westlake Village studio, as well as our new Orange County gallery. For more information, please see the web announcement at: http://onelight.brandesportrait.com