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Jenny and Andrew : Engagement
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T hey both packed their bags, tucked away their passports, and boarded a plane headed to Rome, Italy. She left California, and he left Virginia, only to meet one night surrounded by a throng of other American students. Jenny and Andrew swapped numbers to their new Italian cell phones, then parted ways.
It wasn’t long before they were walking the past the Spanish Steps together, throwing coins—while standing backward—in Trevi Fountain, and sipping on lattes in small Italian cafes…falling in love with the city and each other. At the end of the semester, they both packed their bags, tucked away their passports, and boarded a plane. One headed to California, one headed to Virginia. They promised to call and write…and make things work. And much like the Italian lattes they sipped together on cold nights, their love remained warm and soothing to the soul.
A few years later, Jenny and Andrew walked briskly through the roaming streets of San Francisco. The trolleys, the fog, the perennially occupied taxis…it’s home. It’s the city where their love has primed, and the place that marked their undying dedication to each other. Andrew proposed to Jenny in the city, so there was no better place to have their engagement photos captured.
I met Jenny and Andrew for the first time for their engagement session…and while it perhaps could have taken a while to get to know each other, it totally didn’t. We immediately feel in step with each other, laughing along the chilly streets together. They were absolutely amazing! Jenny and Andrew chose specific locations for their shoot and had the afternoon mapped out perfectly…and it was SO much fun! They have a beautiful wedding planned at the Westin Pasadena and with the help of uber fabulous Angel Swanson—wedding coordinator extraordinaire—their day should be stunning.
Jenny and Andrew, I can’t wait to see you again and capture your special day. I hope I captured your home for all the beauty it truly possesses. Much Love and Appreciation…J*
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| Andrew has a killer view of the city, so we decided to hang out for a bit and soak in the beauty... |
| The thing I love most about San Francisco is that every wall, every corner is a photograph begging to be taken... |
| We then headed over to Caffe Roma...well, because, it's a little piece of their Italian love right in their backyard... |
| On the go again, Jenny and Andrew got their drinks to-go and we darted off to do a little more exploring... |
| A little action in China Town... |
| At the end of our shoot, we swung by Hotel Triton and shot in its uber cool lobby... |
| To view more of their engagement session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow! |
    
Hahpee Thainsgibbing!
That’s what how my grandmother would greet us at the door to her trailer home. Delicious smells of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce—and the occasional Puerto Rican side dish making a discreet appearance, much to my delight—would flood her tiny dining room. She spoke with an accent thinker than the first slice of turkey, but we all understood what she said…and when we didn’t, she would reprimand us in Spanish. That was grandma. If she didn’t make sense, it was your fault. She’d then press her thin lips to our cheeks and usher us to the dinner table.
Every Thanksgiving spent without her has been particularly hard for me. Even with the 60+ years age difference, I considered her a best friend…someone I’d get my hair done with, someone I’d get pedicures with. However, I find solace knowing a part of her is still here…with me, with us. The turkey recipe is hers, as is the tradition of going around the dinner table saying what we’re thankful for.
For the past several years, my I’m-most-thankful-for has been the same: Being married to a little sliver of Jesus Christ himself (i.e. my husband), my mother’s burgeoning health, and my amazing family and friends. For without whom, I am nothing.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to wish you a very Hahpee Thainsgibbing…and if your grandmother is still around, give her an extra hug for me! ;)
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A s a friendly reminder for all my beautiful 2008 brides, I want to take this opportunity to showcase a recent engagement album fresh off the printing press. Words can’t describe how much I love engagement albums (or in this case, a guest sign-in book) because there’s no better way to display your pictures than in a cool, flushmount album. It’s just so darn hot and classy.
Below you’ll find a few sample spreads from Christine and Nolan’s Engagement Session as designed by Amy at Albumesque. Because this is going to be used as a guest sign-in book, white space was intentionally left for signatures and notes.
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If you’d like an engagement album to call your own, shoot me an email to get more information and I guarantee you’ll be so happy, you’ll scream! ;)
As a friendly reminder for all my beautiful 2007 brides, let’s get crackin’ on those albums, ladies! Many of you have albums in the works and I can’t wait for you to see the final product…yes, your Leather Craftsmen album will make you swoon! My good friend and fellow photographer, Ray Santana—aka ‘Uncle Ray’—designed the following spreads for Nancy and David’s Wedding. He started his album design service—Digital Oven Design—and it’s been growing by leaps and bounds.
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I want to thank Amy and Ray for helping me produce the types of albums I want my clients to have—sleek, clean, and classy. I’ve never been one for a mish-mash of images or too many photos on a page, so I appreciate their eye and acute sense of my style.
Happy Wednesday!
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I t seems I picked up a bit of a cold while in San Francisco this past weekend. Okay, it’s more than a bit, but I’m trying to stay optimistic here. It’s gotten to a point where if I can remain cough-free for more than 30 seconds, I’m patting myself on the back. You see…that’s what happens when an Orange County girl tries to befriend a new city…she gets sick! Ooooh, I raise an angry fist at you health gods!
Because it hurts to lie down, sit, stand, crouch, crawl, and/or do a jig, I decided to focus my attention on blogging the most popular FAQ as of late:
How Do You Process Your Images? Are there specific actions you use?
This is a multi-layered question, but the short answer is that I try to keep things as simple as possible when processing my images. As I referenced before on my blog, all the bulk images from a wedding are raw-processed, but any image that is blogable or in a slideshow has been pulled into Photoshop for a little extra lovin’.
Keeping things simple is key, so I basically use only two action sets: Kubota Image Tools and Totally Rad Actions. I’ve learned the hard way that creating a style is imperative, so these action sets have made my life—and photography—so much more enjoyable! It took a while for me to understand fully how each action set would work for me, but once I developed a rhythm and flow, I found what worked best.
I also get asked how my images look “crispy” or have a little “pop” to them…I wish I could say it was some secret I possessed—or that I was better than I really am—but Kevin Kubota’s MAGIC SHARP is the most amazing tool. Ever. Every image on my blog has Magic Sharp run on it…I love it and it’s amazing.
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To get a more in depth review on my post-processing, be sure to check out the November issue of Pro Photo Resource. In the article, I discuss the importance of creating a style what specifically I use in Photoshop to achieve certain looks.
The best part of it all is the cool peeps at Totally Rad Actions are offering a $25 discount when you type in STAR as the promo code. Rock on! I’m sure you’ll love working with these actions…Doug Boutwell worked so hard at making them perfect and I’m sure you’ll agree!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to take a shot of DayQuil, have a cup of homeopathic flu tea, and nibble on Saltine crackers…oh the joys of being sick.
**EDIT: For those of you who've emailed me and/or Doug about the discount, the promo is expired...sorry!! If it's renewed again, I'll be sure to create a new post with updated information! Thanks!**
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Carlie and Gabriel : Day After
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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I have very few words that can adequately describe how much I love Carlie and Gabriel. We clicked from the beginning and have formed an amazing friendship since their wedding…so one can just imagine how excited I was to photograph their Day After session! Being ever so creative, they decided to have a theme for the photo shoot: Things You Do After You’re Married. I couldn’t have been happier with their inspiration and I’m honored to be their photographer, but—more importantly—their friend.
Carlie and Gabriel, when I’ve run out of words to say, I hope a simple Thank YOU is enough.
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| To see their fun and fabulous slideshow, CLICK HERE for a slideshow! |
**EDIT: A special thank you to Byron Brydges for informing me that a few of you lovely and amazing blog readers dropped my blog as a fav, and it was listed amongst some other fabulous blogs on Chase Jarvis' Blog...HOLLLLLLA!** |
2013
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2012
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2011
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2010
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2009
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2008
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2007
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