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Los Angeles Engagement : Laura + Carlos
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T hey met at an Italian restaurant. Not just any Italian restaurant, but Laura's family Italian restaurant. Carlos and Laura worked at the restaurant and they quickly became friends. He made her laugh, and when Laura went through a tough time, Carlos was there for her at every turn in the road. Laura invited him for coffee one night, and their friendship morphed into something they didn't expect. A love affair.
Carlos and Laura have bonded through the years and they attribute their beautiful relationship to their love the small things they admire. Carlos is patient, sweet, and loves when people laugh hard...Laura is kind, driven, and caring. At the center of their relationship is their passion for God and they've built their lives in such a way to share their love in small, poignant pieces.
They're marrying in May at Hummingbird Nest Ranch and I'm super excited to shoot there again as it's such a gorgeous venue. We met at Balboa Park in Los Angeles for engagement pictures and when Laura planned a vintage theme shoot, I was thrilled. Here are a few favorites from the day... |
| Laura, you're fabulous. No, really, you are. |
| The light at Balboa Park was just amazing last week and I was in love... |
| Go on wit yo bad selves.... |
| I was beyond thrilled when Laura and Carlos arranged for a vintage car for the engagement photos... |
| Laura, augh...........seriously. |
| I loved all the vintage aspects to the engagement pictures... |
    
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Irvine Engagement Session : Amy + Joseph
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O kay. So I tried writing a third person narrative of this love story (as I always do), but it got too hard. I didn't know how to begin and then the details got intermixed with my perspective...and then I got emotional. And emotional writing is hardly a good thing. There are all these commas and parenthesis and footnotes. It's ugly. In light of this, I decided to share two things about Amy and Joseph that makes me know they're some of the most amazing people.
Some of the fondest memories of Amy and her family come during my mom's battle with cancer. I've been friends with Amy since childhood. We swam in her pool during the summer, watched her become a UCLA cheerleader, and prayed for her when she became a missionary in Japan. When her family discovered my mother was ill, they made the commitment to bring us dinner every week. Every Tuesday for a few years we'd find dinner on our porch. Every Tuesday. Rain, shine, traffic, life. Every Tuesday. It's acts like this that made cancer's sting less painful.
I distinctly remember sitting in Joseph's office. Small, beige walls, multiple Mac computers. He said non-chalantly he'd never marry. Said he was okay living his life on his own, perhaps one day he'd become a missionary. Joseph is an assistant pastor at my dad's church, so we've become great friends through the years. He's just one of those people you can see from a distance who makes life a little more beautiful. That's Joseph.
When I heard Joseph flew to Japan to propose to Amy, I was shocked. And then I cried happy tears. Because this world just got better by the two of them uniting. They're amazing people individually, but together, they're magical. I'm bummed I can't shoot their wedding this January, but I was honored when they asked me to document their engagement session...
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| Gotta love December in Orange County...87 degrees and sunny... |
| Amy, you're gorgeous. That is all. |
| My favorite from the shoot.... |
| Joseph, you're my favorite when you laugh... |
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USC Engagement : Bree + Zack
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I t was the same every morning. He'd receive a phone call from her at 3am, on her way to work at 6am. Waiting for the subway to take her to work, Bree, a newly minted New Yorker, called Zack in California to help her make it through another day of working a very difficult job. In the darkness of morning and the warmth of his bed, Zack reassured her and promised things would get better. And they did.
After meeting in college at the University of Southern California, they became friends and took on leadership positions in the fraternity system, which basically meant they went to all the parties together. They were just friends--with their morning walks to Jamba Juice remaining completely platonic--but a strange thing happened a month before graduating: they became more than just friends. It was nothing, they said. Bree was moving to New York, Zack was staying in California, and, really, Zack swore he couldn't afford Bree's shopping sprees.
When Bree moved, they stayed together and the 3am phone calls began. She missed him, work was challenging, and she was losing her tan. When the opportunity arose for Zack to move to New York for a job, Bree was elated and their love took on a whole new meaning. And, just like Zack promised, things got much better.
I'm thrilled to be shooting their wedding next July and it sounds like it's going to be a blast! Bree and Zack decided to have their engagement pictures at USC, and as we strolled the campus together, I felt so lucky to meet them and document their love.... |
| On a personal note, I'd never met or spoken to Zack or Bree before the engagement session (we love email!), but I was incredibly stoked to chat with Zack toward the end of the session...he's really, really smart. Get him talking about finances, and the guy's a machine! He's kinda awesome. |
| Like I just mentioned, Bree and I spoke for the first time last Friday and...I...LOVE HER! She's fun, type-a, and a no-nonsense kind of girl, and just my cup of tea! |
| Bree and Zack specifically requested we stay away from traditional USC engagement pictures and shoot in places a little more urban, chic, and them.....yesssss! |
| Bree and Zack flew to Los Angeles with their dog, Reggie...named after none other than their football wielding classmate, Reggie Bush... |
| After a quick change, Zack pointed to a set a stairs and we climbed to a rooftop....I wish I had thought of it on my own! ;) |
| Bree, you're beautiful. That is all. |
| Many thanks to Zack's mom, Karen, for coming along and watching Reggie between shots...she taught me a few Cesar Millan tricks throughout the day! ;) |
| Gotta love the gorgeous November light and weather in SoCal... |
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Viceroy Santa Monica Engagement : Amy + Will
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S he stood by herself and scanned the crowd. The birthday party was in full effect, but Amy lounged by the bar and sipped on a beer, scanning the crowd for something of interest. Little did she know Will spotted her from a distance and decided she was someone of interest. In hopes of getting the low-down on Amy, Will did what any guy would do: he sent his friend to ask questions. With an askance look, Amy stared over the lip of her drink and politely said she had a boyfriend. Thankyouverymuch.
Undeterred by the grim news his friend later relayed, Will decided to approach Amy on his own. It was a good move. They spent the entire evening chatting and comparing the similarities in their lives...childhood neighborhoods, same friends, they frequented the same bookstore...it was as if they should have met a thousand times before, but hadn't. At the end of the night, Will asked for Amy's number, but she refrained, asking instead for his business card. They parted ways, and Will doubted she'd ever call.
And he was right. Amy didn't call. She emailed. After a week of delightful correspondence, they met for dinner and spent the evening falling in love. NIne months later, Will took Amy back to the exact restaurant and proposed. I'm incredibly honored to be photographing their wedding next April at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles...if their wedding day is anything like their love, it'll be nothing short of amazing.
We met at The Viceroy Santa Monica for their engagement pictures and had a blast enjoying the day! |
| I've phtotographed quite a bit at The Viceroy Santa Monica, so I wanted to try something different and start their engagement session in their ultra fab hotel room...Amy and Will rocked it out! |
| I love the way Amy's dress looks like it's a part of the room... |
| And, Will, you're looking quite dapper as well! ;) |
| Many thanks to some of my fav Los Angeles stylists, Tanya Bures and Tommy Cyr for making Amy look beautiful! |
| After a quick change, we walked down to Santa Monica beach for more engagement photos... |
On our way back to the hotel, Amy decided to flash me a little more fabulousness! ;)
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San Juan Capistrano Engagement : Brandon + Kristin
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T hey passed each other in halls, smiling as they passed long corridors of metal lockers. They'd IM each other late into the night, make each other laugh, and found excitement in every correspondence. It was perfect. Brandon and Kristin liked each other. A lot. As each day passed, life inched closer to their high school Homecoming dance, and Kristin impatiently waited for Brandon to ask her. Obviously. It wasn't until she asked him if he was going to the dance when she realized Brandon had no intention of going. I don't dance, was his short response to her question.
And that was that. Kristin went to the dance with another guy, and later developed a relationship that ended Brandon's late night IM's with the girl who stole his heart.
They graduated, went their separate ways, but every Christmas, Brandon called and wish Kristin happy holidays. And on her birthday, he called. He always remembered to call. It was during one such call when Brandon discovered Kristin wanted to pursue photography, and since starting his own business, he was more than ready to help. He planned a photo trip for the two of them on Santa Monica Pier and though Kristin was determined not to fall in love, she did.
They've been making pictures ever since, and I'm thrilled they'll be doing it for the rest of their lives together. Brandon and Kristin are getting married in January and I'm honored to document their love...here are a few favorites from their San Juan Capistrano engagement session... |
| Bradon can say almost anything and make Kristin laugh...they're so beautiful together... |
| Have you noticed Brandon's skin?! It's impeccable, like porcelain. He has my vote to be the next Proactiv skin care model! ;) |
| After a quick change, we had a little fun at a nearby park...perhaps a little too much fun because we got kicked out by a park ranger, but not before capturing a little of their fabulousness... |
| They don't need it, but a good luck charm never hurt anyone... |
| ...but I like Brandon's reaction more! |
| Kristin, you put the awr in RAWR. Seriously. |
| I love my clients....they didn't even bat an eye when I suggested posing in front of a bathroom. Love them! |
| Okay, so, a lot has changed since high school for Brandon. He's now, apparently, a dancer. He claims to have smoother moves than me, but we're gonna have a dance-off in the future to prove he's wrong. Until then, I challenged him to show me some poppin' moves...and I think he and Kris rocked it out! :) |
| As we ended the session, we chased the light to find the last bit of sunset...and it proved to be gorgeous...I love Orange County! |
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Manhattan Beach Engagement Photos : Erica + Brian
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It's just kinda what we do...I think it could be really bad, then flashed a knowing smile. Erica tried explaining the love affair she and Brian share with life's sweet blessings, namely ice cream. Scoops, bowls, a pint. They share it and enjoy the delectable remnants of sugar that somehow remain in the small crevices lips are so prone to have. Erica ordered a cookies&cream milkshake and explained their penchant for sweets as a lifestyle, asking the boy behind the counter for two straws before settling in an ornate chair at Manhattan Beach Creamery.
Just one block away from the Creamery rests The Shellback, a local hangout for beach professionals and life-lovers, which proved to be a place where Erica and Brian's lives changed. They knew each other at UC Santa Barbara, both undergrads who shared friends in similar collegiate circles. They were friends from a slight distance, but not too long after graduation, their paths crossed again at The Shellback. There, one fine day in Manhattan Beach, they struck a conversation that changed their lives.
Erica and Brian shared the milkshake--the one with two straws--and relaxed as they watched the world float by on Manhattan Avenue. The cars, the flashing lights, the sounds of FM radio whizzing by. Inside the cool of the Creamery, they enjoyed the delectable remnants of the sugar that remained in the small crevices of their lips. Together.
I'm thrilled to be shooting their wedding next year at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes...I suspect it'll be ultra fab and an epic party! Here are a few of my favorites from their engagement session in Manhattan Beach... |
| One thing I love about shooting at Los Angeles beaches is the abundance of random walls, urban fare, and uniqueness...Erica and Brian just make it extra fabulous! |
| Why, yes. Yes, I adored Erica's shoes. |
| There was a part of me that was nervous asking Erica and Brian if they wanted to, oh, HANG OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, but they were total troopers and made things extra fun... |
| We caught the last bits of sunset and the light was simply amazing... |
| We hung out on Manhattan Beach Pier for a few more engagement photos and had a blast... |
| I was lucky enough to meet the third member of Erica and Brian's family...Marco. I completed loved him and thought it'd be so cool to have him play with my dog Polo. Because, you know, it'd be pretty epic to yell "Marco...Polo...Marco...Polo!" |
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Michele and Emin : Engagement
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S he was living in Los Angeles--by way of Washington--as a grad student at USC studying physical therapy. Life was good, and Michele was happy. Happy studying, happy going out with her friends, happy living in a city where the sun always shines. Just when life couldn't get much better, it did. Exponentially.
Emin was equally as happy, but would soon realize how beautiful life would the night his friends met up with Michele's friends out one in Orange County. The minute he saw her, Emin knew wanted to spend the entire evening talking to her. And probably the rest of his life getting to know her. And that's just what they did. And that's what they're planning on doing for the rest of eternity.
After their first date at Gulfstream in Newport Beach, Michele quickly adapted to life in Orange County, so when Emin proposed, their lives went from happy to happier. Together. They'll wed next March at Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach and I'm so excited for their special day! We met in Laguna Beach yesterday for their engagement photos and had so much fun! |
| We roamed around Downtown Laguna Beach for their engagement photos and I loved finding new nooks and crannies to shoot in... |
| The soft, golden light made me melt a little on the inside.... |
| After a quick outfit change, we walked to the beach to have a little more fun... |
| Michele, really?! Can you really be this fabulous without trying?! LOVE it! |
| A quick run to the ocean before we lost too much sunset light... |
| Clouds rolled in and we lost light pretty fast, but I couldn't resist shooting a few photos by the illuminated Laguna Beach trees...they ended up being some of my favorites from the session.... |
2010
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