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Korey and Josh : Wedding
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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T heir story began in college and the plot thickened over time. Korey and Josh fell in love a few years ago, but they love as if they’ve been together since forever began. Korey looked forward to the smallest pleasures of their wedding at Rancho Las Lomas—like Josh wearing a wedding band for her, and his pledge in front of their friends and family to love her until the end of time—and was certain their life together would be perfect.
Korey is an absolutely articulate and well-read girl who explains love, marriage, and finding a soul mate as something you don’t not know. And, yes, she’s fully aware of the double negative. I don’t think that one day you just know that the person is right for you; it’s that you slowly begin to lose every bit of protest within you and accept that the person is less and less wrong for you, and then you know.
It’s with this mindset and the acceptance of lesser wrongs, that Korey and Josh stood before their loved ones and said I Do. They are perfectly suited, matched, and molded for each other and their lives are destined for great things together.
Korey and Josh…I can’t thank you enough for sharing your day with me, meeting your amazing friends and family, and showing me people from Detroit really know how to party! :) I wish you nothing but joy and happiness in your lives together and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! Enjoy your honeymoon in Mexico and I hope you’re staying true to your promise of eating truckloads of burritos for me! Much Love and Appreciation…J*
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| I loved the story behind Korey's Monique Lhuillier Swan Lake Wedding Dress. She never expected to fall in love with it, but once she saw herself in the mirror while shopping for her dream wedding dress, it easily became The One! :) |
| Korey and Josh opted for a First Look and met each other before the wedding ceremony for pictures. Their moments together were beautiful and intimate...I love when clients see each other earlier for pictures because it makes the day so much more fun and relaxing! They wanted to spend as much as possible with friends and family, so taking pictures beforehand achieves just this! LOVE IT! |
| As Korey's bridesmaids walked her across the Rancho Las Lomas bride, I immediately started shooting because the light was insanely gorgeous... |
| ...and then I asked Josh to to join Korey because I couldn't get enough of it...this was JD's angle |
| ...and this was my angle. |
| A blog reader (Hi Brandy!) asked if I could post a wedding party photo and this is one of my favorites. I love the backlighting on everyone and the fact that you can see the venue (which the bride simply adores) in the background. |
| With a few minutes to go before the ceremony, Korey placed her veil.... |
| ...it was actually four minutes and 44 seconds before the start of the ceremony to be precise! :) Korey downloaded the We Did Wedding Countdown application for her iPhone to ensure everything was on time...my kind of girl! :) |
| Korey, I love your laugh! |
| Korey worked hard at creating her wedding details and it totally paid off! :) |
    
I ’ve been dealing with something for the past few days and I can’t shake it. It’s as if I’ve held a mirror to myself and saw someone else staring back at me; someone who looks nothing like me. Or, not the outside of me. You see, the person staring back at me has green skin, a large, crooked nose, and dark circles around her eyes. This person looks nothing like me. At least until I figured out that that’s what I look like on the inside. MEAN.
A few Sundays ago, JD and I celebrated his mother’s birthday. His entire family spent the afternoon together, then headed off to play a game of softball. This may seem totally pleasant and normal, but I have a history with sports. As in, I play like I’m competing for a gold medal. Or the national title. Or a king-size Snickers bar. In fact, the last time I played softball with my in-laws, my behavior (which included heckling pre-pubescent batters and cheering when opposing family members struck out) left JD mortified.
As the family walked to a nearby park, JD slung his arm around my shoulder and smiled. Oh, but don’t be deceived, Internet. It was a smile, but as JD spoke though gritted teeth, I knew what was in store: PLAY NICELY!
With the passing of each inning, I was calm, cool, and collected. My team was killing the other, so I was a happy camper. Until the last inning. When my mother-in-law’s team made a comeback. The game was close, with a runner on first base and my mother-in-law on second. I defended third base. Oooh, do you see where this is going? A hard pop-fly was hit my way, but I.DROPPED.THE.BALL!!! As the other team screams victoriously, I panic. And throw Miss Happy Camper away.
I scramble for the ball and see my mother-in-law running to third. I don’t remember if I slipped, but the next thing I know, I’m crawling like a deranged woman toward third base. Covered in dirt and grass, I tag the base with the ball. Still laying on my belly, I lift the ball in the air and scream, She’s OUT!! I GOT HER OUT!!
Then silence ensued. And nobody moved.
Everyone stared at me with slight bewilderment. I…just…tagged…out…my…mother-in-law…ON HER BIRTHDAY!?!?
Oh, Internet, what’s a mean girl to do? Dust her green skin off, point her crooked nose in the air, and smile in such a way that makes the dark circles around my eyes more obvious, that’s what.
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Natalie and Bill : Day After
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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T hey just returned from a three-week honeymoon in Montecarlo and Cannes, only to find themselves donning their wedding attire once more. Natalie and Bill celebrated their wedding a few weeks ago and though I wasn’t able to be their wedding photographer, I was blessed to shoot a Day After session with them.
I always say I have the best clients ever (ever!), and Bill and Natalie are no exception. They are kind, considerate, and two of the most genuine people I’ve ever encountered. Bill and Natalie fill in each other’s gaps and make their relationship work in unison… and it’s a beautiful thing to watch them love, laugh, and walk hand-in-hand.
I was super stoked to photograph them, but I was even more excited to know I’d be working with an ultra fab team of people to ensure the shoot flowed flawlessly! The amazing Kristin of The Treasured Petal provided the beautiful bouquet, and Nora with Pure Semblance did a wonderful job with Natalie’s makeup! I love these ladies and their fabulous touch added so much to the shoot! Also on board was videographer extraordinaire, Anton with Lorimer Works...he’s awesome! I felt so blessed to have this crew at my side!
Natalie and Bill, you rock. You went above and beyond to ensure this shoot was everything it was intended to be, and I appreciate it! I know your marriage is amazing and beautiful, but I hope these photos forever serve as proof for everyone to see. Love you!! Gratefully yours…J*
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| Kristin with The Treasured Petal really outdid herself with the bouquet...look at the colors and drama! :) |
| A big THANK YOU goes to Classic Party Rentals for the awesome Descanso bench in a few of the following pictures.... |
| To see more of their Day After Session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow! |
T here were a couple days this week when I felt like I was running so fast I left a portion of my body elsewhere. Moments when overdrive seemed like a welcomed break from lightspeed. Yesterday, after spending most of the afternoon in a meeting, I returned to my computer to finish my To-Do List. If it were up to JD, he’d set my List to a stake and dance around the firepit while it burned to ashes. He hates my List and, well, I love it. Perhaps a little too much.
As I was working, JD came up beside me and said I needed to take a break. To get away from my mouse and instead use my finger to point at things—like the sun! the sky! the clouds!—as opposed to navigating a cursor on a large, glowing screen. Nah, I said. Couldn’t he see my List? And all the things on it that were SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED TODAY?
Then he said something that made me laugh so hard. You need to celebrate life. Just like that. His tone was like some Vote Or Die campaign, complete with a somber face and squinted eyes. And when asked just how, exactly, we’d celebrate life, he responded, With Thai food and the last bit of the Dodgers game, of course!
It was over yellow curry and pad thai when I realized JD might have been right. Okay, okay, he was right. Life is about walking away from what I think should be done, and doing what could be done. At lunch, we toasted with our glasses of water and I used my finger to point at things that mattered—like the curry! the tom yum kah! the Joe Torre!—instead of navigating a computer screen.
I’m off to shoot a fun wedding, but here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store next week…
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FAQ : Photoshop Actions, Part II
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S o, you know when you have something planned and things keep on getting in the way, and you can’t seem to get around to actually doing it? This is tough, but what augments the situation is when I announce on my blog that I’m going to do something…and then life gets in the way. My bad. I blogged about my love for Kubota Photoshop Actions a couple weeks ago and said I’d blog about my love for Totally Rad Actions shortly thereafter because I use them both exclusively. But then life got in the way.
It’s a good thing I have blog readers emailing me with reminders! ;)
I actually use a mix of Kubota and TRA Action sets—I love mixing and matching actions to make them unique—but each set is fabulous in its own right. When I was first introduced to Totally Rad Actions, I was blown away with their uniqueness and ability to make all things magical. Doug Boutwell is the mastermind behind the action sets and if I had half his Photoshop brain, I’d be thanking the good, sweet Lord. He makes really awesome tutorial videos, and I blogged about my favorites, so definitely check them out if you’d like to learn more!
Here are a few of my own TRA Recipes, so feel free to check a few images from Carissa and Brian's Wedding…
*Sparta - 15%
*Pool Party - 15%
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*Punchout - 15%
*Clairefy - 36%
*Orange You Glad - 41% |
I really shy away from 100% sepia images, but I LOVE the "Cinnamon Toast" TRA Action...it just rocks my world!
*Saturation - -100
*Sparta - 10%
*Cinnamon Toast - 23%
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*Uber Cross - 10%
*Punch Out - 10%
*Clairefy - 10%
*Big Blue - 37% |
*Cool as a Cucumber - 14%
*Pool Party - 10%
*Not-So-Magic Glasses - 15% |
*Pool Party - 12%
*Punchout - 31%
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*Saturation - -100
*Detroit - 28% |
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