Who is Sonny Says Hello?

I'm known as Cindy to friends & family & the owner of the multi-faceted creative project which I've named "Sonny Says Hello".  

Originally from Chicago, Illinois & spent much of my time there being creative & rebellious. In 1972, my family packed up the little red VW bus for a road trip that cut through expansive landscapes & breathtaking sunsets. We arrived in Arizona at the beginning of an amazing & thunderous monsoon season. 

I had never been on a road trip that I could then remember; Yet there I was with my 3 little sisters.  We were miserably hot that summer, but that didn't stop us from giving each other more misery.  That's when my then nickname, 'Sonny' arrived in my little teenage head.  I liked it. My sisters laughed.  "Who would Sonny be then?" they asked?  I replied, "Sonny is vibrant, happy and the sun always shines on her. She is joyful, creative and always growing." "Growing into what?" they retorted as they elbowed each other.  At the time, it was all I had. I'm a shiksa. What do you want?   There's a photograph we took at one of our tour de-restaurant ala sight seeing moments.  I'm wearing a funny pair of white shorts (I hated shorts at the time but it was ungodly hot)  ... and I'm smiling ... in the sun.  Yeah, I need to find that photo.  I hated it then.  I love it now.

I hail from a well creative family.  My Mother was an artist; She worked during the day at the newspaper.  She sketched, painted & created every other spare moment of her days.  My father was the photographer; He was also the second tenor in the Chicago Lyric Opera!.  Dad worked at the utility company during the day & often pulled 24 hours shifts in the dead of night & in the frost of winter.  During his spare hours and weekends, he sang.  He immersed himself in photography.  The darkroom was the most mysterious place in the house ... I loved it there & so the seed took root.  One day I hope to shoot with my father's most favored cameras from ages past. 

Many, many things have occurred between then and now, as does in most everyone's life.  But the truth is, Sonny was born in the 1970's and almost forgotten until a creative resurgence flooded  my life & propelled this idea forward.  Within this time I've married, had children, divorced, remarried a wonderful man; And my children have graced me with 9 amazing grandchildren.

Yes.  Life happened.   But the creative life, always present, had never really been built upon.  It needed a foundation.  That foundation came slowly by learning who I was.  My life defined me.  Now I define  my life. I'm joyous & creative. The sun always shines on me. I'm in the moment. I love to be vibrant, creative, brilliant, funny ... Sonny has become 'Sonny Says Hello' -- 40 years later.

Today I mostly shoot with Canon. 

I began Sonny Says Hello Photography in 2009.

Thanks for visiting me here!

You can also visit me at SmugMug and on Etsy!