Black and White Photography – Mara Blom Schantz

Let’s Go to the Beach!

Mara Schantz — Tue, 24 May 2016 21:51:00 +0000

I know it is not that hot yet so it is harder to think about leaving Arizona and heading over to California to get some cooler weather and beach time. But, most schools are either out for summer vacation or will be out by the end of the month. So, now is the time to schedule your summer beach session. I will be in Southern California for the month of July and have some dates still available. It is a great time to have your family photographed. Such a fun and relaxed way to document your family. Whether you have small children, grown children or grandchildren, everyone has fun at the beach, even cowboys. It shows in the images. Here are some of my favorites from last summer:

Whether you are a cowboy or a hippie,

or have a very active little guy,

or littles and bigs and one in between,

or a sorority girl,

or an artist and a runner,

or are a father and son,

or a grandmother,

or sisters,

or a dancer,

are fun loving,

or contemplative,

or serious,

or are cousins,

or a family of five,

or a father and son,

or have a hard time paying attention,

or can’t sit still,

or you like to fly,

or like to laugh,

or you are a sister,

or a brother,

or have curly hair,

or a dog,

or like to run,

or walk in the water,

or feel a protective hand,

or you like to look toward the future,

or stay in the present,

or you are shy,

or still love to feel your mother’s hugs,

or like to walk your dog,

or hug your dog,

or you are intense,

or quiet,

or melancholy,

or calm,

or happy,

or a have a family of four,

or three kids,

or someone who lost his teeth,

or likes to run,

or stand still,

or can be calm,

or wild,

or feel the wind,

and get wet,

or have a pet,

or are family friends,

or best friends,

or three sisters,

the beach is one of the best places to have you family documented! Every family is unique and I am an expert at telling your story with the beach as your background.

My Little Boy Grew Up!

Mara Schantz — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:41:00 +0000

My little boy is 18 today. We are about to experience another transition. He will soon graduate and go off to college to start his independent life away from me. This is what I worked to prepare him to do and I am excited for him. But, I am not sure I am ready to have him not at home with me. I really don’t know where all the years have gone. They have flown by, really. I remember when he was just a couple of months old and a mother with older kids told me to appreciate every minute because the time would pass very quickly. Of course, I thought she was crazy because at that time every day seemed like it was 72 hours. I was exhausted and couldn’t wait until nap times and bed times. But, how right she was. I am so glad that I have these images to actually remember exactly what it was like to have him with me and be his mother.

He was the most cuddly baby. He used to just nestle into me. That snuggly front carrier was his favorite way to travel around – and mine too because I could do anything while I was wearing him – including cook dinner (probably not the safest thing). He still gives the best hugs and doesn’t ever get embarrassed to do so, no matter who is watching.

He was and still is curious and thoughtful about everything around him – as long as it was/is to do with nature.

He loved to be outside, preferably without any clothes.

He was a little moody when things didn’t go his way. That is because he feels deeply. I remember how sad he was when his gram (my mother) died. And he is still sensitive about it, and hugs me if I get emotional talking about her. When his uncle died a year and a half ago, he wept openly at the service and was so kind and sweet to everyone who was also grieving.

But he was/is quick to smile and laugh and was/is a fabulous big brother. He was so proud when he his little brother was born and told everyone that it was his baby. He has a great sense of humor.

Everything was a new adventure to him and he still has the most fun just experiencing life.

He loved the ocean – still his greatest passion.

That happy, happy smile melted my heart and still does.

Happiest at the beach and in the water.

Sensitive and kind to people. He gives of himself to others without any reason other than because it is a good thing to do. He has coached a third and fourth grade boys basketball team for the last three years (the first was for service hours and the last two were just because they needed more coaches).

He has the best smile in the world, even with braces.

Never cares about being cool, just does what he likes and treats others with kindness.

He loves quiet places, fishing and anything to do with water. He was always obsessed with animals – as a small child he would watch (horribly boring) documentaries all the time. He would always choose those over any type of cartoon or Disney movie.

He definitely has his own style, not caring what others think is hip or cool – he prefers old cars, bow ties, Hawaiian shirts, and old time rock and roll.

Happy Birthday Nick! You are a great person and I can’t wait to see what you will do in your life. You are kind and sweet and smart and funny. It has been a pleasure watching you grow.

Celebrate Yourself, Celebrate Your Beauty

Mara Schantz — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 21:19:00 +0000

This Valentine’s Day, I would like to help you celebrate yourself – not as you wish you were or with some crazy Mattel retouching, but exactly how you are (maybe with your hair and makeup done) – because that is perfect! I photograph in a way that enhances your best assets and lets your unique personality and inner beauty sparkle.

We women are so hard on ourselves. I feel sad when I think of all the flaws the women that I know can point out about themselves (me included) while overlooking the tremendous accomplishments they have achieved and beauty they possess. I just had a conversation with a woman who runs her own business and has a two small children. She works incredibly hard and is a terrific mother but all she could focus on was how she needed to lose ten pounds. And, while I am all for self improvement and fitness, I also know that, in the big picture a woman’s beauty and happiness has little to do with being slightly plump or perfectly thin and much to do with self confidence.

I believe that beauty really does come from within. I would love to help you celebrate your beauty and help you to see how perfect you really are. I would love for you to be able to leave a legacy of that for yourself and others to appreciate. These are not cheesy boudoir sessions but art photography sessions that celebrate the essence of you as a beautiful woman. These are images that you will be proud to share, not embarrassed about later.

I would love to help you create a this gift for yourself or the one you love. Please call the studio so we can talk about it. 602.263.5098 We look forward to hearing from you!

This season let us help you Create Your Heirloom

Mara Schantz — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 00:46:00 +0000

This time of year is very busy for me as a photographer. I have 15 family portrait sessions scheduled for November. Fifteen sessions might not sound like a lot, but for the time I put in to each one, planning, executing and helping to choose just the right images and portrait products to meet expectations, and then following through with orders, I am almost at my limit.

You see, I like to give you what I value myself – excellent service, individualized attention, and creativity that produces an heirloom for you and your family. I can’t do that by photographing 10 families in one day and shoving them into 20-30 minute time slots. And, frankly, I don’t want to. I would quit after just a couple of years of that because I would hate it. I would rather spend time getting to know you before your session, establishing your goals and helping you to choose exactly the portraits that will fit in your home, with your life.

It is important to me that you have an heirloom for your family – beautiful, classic, timeless portraits that you will never “switch out” or remove because they have become too trendy. It is important that I follow through with service, helping you to choose just the right images, in just the right sizes and finishes to compliment your home. It is important that I follow through and make those portraits for you (instead of handing you a cd and telling you to go to Walmart or wherever). It is even important to help you find the perfect frame so that you can take them home and hang them instead of shoving them under your bed in the box they came in. It is important that you give your children a better legacy than rotating images on a digital frame, your screen saver, your phone or your apple tv.

Life moves so quickly these days. Our children seem to age ten years in one and then all of a sudden are applying to colleges and leaving home. My goal in creating these portraits for you is to help you stop time. To give you something that will make you (and your children) stop and remember – classic portraits of your children and family that will transport you back to that time you loved, time you were all together.

Yes, I am very busy this time of year. But not too busy to create heirloom portraits for your family.

Not too busy to create something more than just some holiday cards and gifts.

Not too busy to create a true gift for your entire family, even if you are the only one who understands what a gift it is…

Remembering TT

Mara Schantz — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 00:08:00 +0000

Life is fragile. Time passes too quickly. You can not plan everything so make the most of the what comes your way. Celebrate those you love and have fun. Dance and eat and laugh and hug. Dress up in fun clothes. Be nice to each other.

I stood in the front of the church with tears coming down my cheeks and tried to speak in a strong voice, despite my sadness. I had stood in that same spot and spoke in a strong and happy voice almost 23 years before at the wedding of my two friends. Who could have imagined on that happy occasion that we would be back in the same spot all these years later for their daughter’s funeral?

Tiara Jeanne Goff (TT) was a beautiful free spirit who was not afraid to dance and sing, not caring who was watching her – in fact, the more cheering the better. She loved to play basketball, jump on the trampoline, color with her crayons, eat guacamole and hummus and listen to music. I was blessed to know her and get the lessons she unknowingly imparted to everyone she met.

TT in 2005 – age 6

Tt had a ready smile when she was happy and let you know when she was not.

TT in 2007 – age 8

She was not self conscious or pretentious. She loved sparkly, shiny jewels and pretty clothes.

TT in 2014 – almost 16

She loved to laugh and when she had enough of you, she would tell you it was time to go.

I have known Tiffani, TT’s mother since I was 16 years old. She is one of my very closest friends and watching Tiffani and her sweet husband Lou and her two daughters struggle with the illness of their daughter and sister was heart breaking. However, Tiffani and Lou were inspiring in the way they drew closer together in their marriage, supported each other and took care of their family. Despite their daily struggles, they always managed to sincerely care about what was happening in the lives of those they love. In fact, when my mother was sick and I would come to visit her, I would stop by to cry to Tiffani and she would always make me feel so understood in my sadness, despite the difficulty of what she was facing.

Tiffani had called me in November asking if I would be out to CA soon. Like most mothers Tiffani had a tremendous intuition about her daughter and her health. She knew that TT was getting worse and she sensed that TT did not have much time left. As it happened, I was going to be out and we arranged that I would do a portrait session of TT and the family.

TT in 2005 – age 6 looking sly, probably planning an escape.

TT in 2007, so happy and ready to dance.

TT in 2014, with her sweet smile.

Sisters forever

The family in 2007- grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

The family in 2014 – grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Family in 2007

Family in 2014

My friends Tiffani and Lou first found out that their little girl Tiara (TT to her family and friends) had an incurable and severe genetic disease called Tuberous Sclerosis Complex when she was just a baby. This disease is characterized by seizures and tumors. It is more severe in some people than others and for TT is was devastating. However, she was a fierce fighter and her spirit refused to give up for 16 years. TT passed away at the end of January 2015, surrounded by her family. Please consider learning more about TSC and supporting the foundation. You can read TT’s whole story on Tiffani’s blog.

Let us help you Celebrate your Beauty!

Mara Schantz — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 23:48:00 +0000

How will you be remembered?

Women are beautiful creatures and deserved to be celebrated for who they are – on their own, not defined by a husband, children or job. Here are some of the recent portraits I have created to Celebrate the Beauty of Women. Why not celebrate your own beauty?

Mari is beautiful,

and fun,

and sensual.

Sally is intelligent and caring,

kind, and beautiful.

Jules is artistic, funny,

loving and beautiful.

How about you?

Look Books are Here!

Mara Schantz — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 22:32:00 +0000

We are so excited to get our hard copies of The Look Book (Fall 2014) in the studio today! They will be going out tomorrow so look for them or ask if you would like one sent to you. We had seven beautiful, talented, intelligent girls model clothes from the best local boutiques in the area! Thank you so much to Brooke, Madeline, Hannah, Kali, Carmel, Darby and Sasha! And special thanks for clothing from Muse Apparel, Mombomb, Alixandra Collections, Frances Vintage and Kitten Retro. You can see the online version here.

What is the value of fine photography?

Mara Schantz — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:50:00 +0000

Last month I had the pleasure of photographing this loving family again four years after I first met them. They had moved to San Diego from Phoenix and time just got away. But something happened this past spring that made them call me again. There was a fire. They had to evacuate their home. As the mother related the experience to me I could only imagine how terrifying it must have been to leave everything you own behind and not know if you would be able to return. She explained that her girls were safe at school so she only needed to gather the dogs up. And she had time to gather a few other things that she said were the most valuable to her – her portraits of her family and children from our first session together. She said that she saw those every day and they helped her to remember the time when her girls were so small. It made her happy to remember how it felt to hold them, love them and nurture them. Thankfully, the fire did not touch their home.

I love that I can create portraits for people that help them remember. I love that they are printed on archival fine art paper and printed in a way that will stand the test of time. I love that this mother, who loves her children so much, will be able to remember what they were like as little ones even when she is an old lady. I love that someday her sweet girls will be able to show their own children and grandchildren these portraits hanging in their own homes.

Someday your hard drive will fail. Someday cds will be obsolete. Someday your smartphone will break and the cloud will experience a technical issue. Someday you will wish that you had portraits like these to remember your babies. Someday you will regret that you did not invest in fine photography with a true professional who gives you beautiful portraits that will hang in your home for your lifetime and beyond. Or, you will be happy that you spent the time and money to create a legacy.

Fine photography is an investment. An investment just like a great pair of shoes you will wear forever, or a beautiful handbag that will last many seasons, or a great car that you are excited to drive and that will keep your family safe, or that sofa that will make a room, or a classic piece of jewelry that you will someday give to your daughter. But unlike all of those things, fine photography will transport you back to that moment and make you feel the emotions of being part of a family, of having your children with you, of what it was like to nurture those young lives.

In a world where everything is so quickly obsolete, where people seem to spend more time on their phones than with their friends and family, portraits like these can help us to slow down and take a breath, to remember what is important to us.

There are many, many photographers for you to choose from. Every third person with a digital camera is a photographer and that is fine. It is a great profession that I have had the pleasure of working in since I was just a teenager. But, if you are like this mother and don’t want to leave your memories to chance and would like to have actual fine art, archival, hand printed, beautiful portraits to hang in your home, hire a trained professional who can create that for you.

I’m dreaming of this place…

Mara Schantz — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 23:47:00 +0000

A place where you drift in a quiet wooden dory boat at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, taking in the breathtaking sights, listening to the history of how the canyon was formed, flying through the rapids,

stopping to explore and play in various caves,

hike up to side canyons to jump from cliffs,

sun yourself on a rock in the Little Colorado,

take in a great view,

chill by the Little Colorado,

hike up to a side canyon to listen to Roger tell us the geology of how it was formed,

take a nap,

take in the cool formations that have taken millions of years to form,

relax by the river after a day on the dories,

go fishing,

and fish some more.

I am missing the quiet and slowness of our time on the river, being together as a family with no outside distractions; no cell phones, iPads, laptops, Facebook, twitter or instagram. No worries about who is bombing who, or care about what player is going to what team, who is leading the pennant race, or who is ahead in the polls. Being disconnected from the outside world allowed for us to connect with those around us, our family and friends and ourselves. It allowed us to connect with the river and the canyon, those who have come before us and those who will come after us. It allowed us to listen without thinking of what was coming next.

In trying to keep with that simplicity, I took one camera with me – my plastic $20 Holga. I love the simplicity of the Holga. The fact that there are 12 frames per roll and that you need to think before pressing the shutter. It was the perfect camera to have on the river, simple and slow – giving me time to think. Coming back to reality was a bit shocking but I have taken some of the slowness and quiet of the river with me and hopefully it will stay with me until we have a chance to get back there and float the second half in the simple and elegant wooden dory boats with our favorite guides from the Dale Family.

Happy Father’s Day!

Mara Schantz — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 20:21:00 +0000

Today is the day my mother died – five years ago to the day. I miss her every day. But, I am so lucky because I still have my dad here with me. He is a great father. He has taught me so much, not just about photography and business, but about life and living and loving. He loves life and could so easily have shut down after his best friend and wife of 40 years died. Instead, got out. He joined a various groups, started working out every day and took a trip. He lost 30 pounds and went on a river cruise to Russia. He said yes to every invitation that came his way. He decided to live and enjoy the rest of his life. He decided to be happy, and he is. He met a lovely woman who is now his wife. For many people happiness is a decision. Most of us don’t wake up feeling happy and great – maybe because of all the stuff that can and does happen in our lives. However, those who make the decision to be happy, despite what has happened, are an inspiration. My dad is one of them.

Me photographing my Dad on his graduation day from Brooks Institute of Photography, 1975.

I have had the privilege of photographing some very special fathers this year as part of my book project, A Celebration of Fatherhood. These fathers come from every walk of life but each takes their role very seriously and their love for their children and commitment to fatherhood is obvious. In this month of Father’s Day, I would like to recognize all of these great dads! xoxo