t's a privilege you get as an adult, he said matter-of-factly. JD and I were making dinner after my debacle with suggesting we drink veggie smoothies for dinner (yes, veggie). We bet who could drink it the fastest and we gagged our way through the greenish drink. JD won. Then insisted we make dinner. It's a priviledge you get as an adult, he said matter-of-factly. I embarrassingly stared stared into a kitchen cabinet. It's the kind of cabinet one might use for, oh, say, cups. But what do I use it for? JUNK.
I'm a rather neat person. I prefer organization and cleanliness...and yes, I've cleaned bathroom tile with an old toothbrush to get just the right sparkle. But my junk drawer? Well, that's off limits.
I owned a junk drawer when I was a kid and things never changed. It was the one space in my life where nothing mattered and I gave myself permission to let go. Pens, paper, medicine I'm too lazy to take to my medicine cabinet upstairs, a rubber band, my wedding cake toppers, a expired coupon book. It's all there.
Explaining my embarrassment to JD about the junk drawer is like explaining peace to a hippie; he just gets it. He tells me it's a privilege and insists everyone has a junk drawer. I know this tactic...he uses "everyone" as a way to avoid the chance I'll repent and CLEAN THAT DRAWER AT RIGHT NOW WHO CARES ABOUT DINNER!!
So to "everyone" who's just like me, I feel you.
{Oh, and wait...what is that? CDs?! Matches?! Chapstick?! Whew, that was close...at least y'all know I'm perpetually prepared for a romantic night in. Bow chicka bow wow.}
he first time I met her, I was walking the hallways alone. I hate being by myself--more so in Las Vegas--and I was desperately searching for someone I knew in the sea of people. Out of the blue, she approached me, almost like she appeared from thin air. Katelyn's smile was wide, her red hair was neatly pulled back into a chignon, and she touched my shoulder. Her voice had a light southern twist, almost matching her prim outfit, and I wondered if she was the type of girl who wore pearls.
Katelyn introduced herself, told me it was her first WPPI Conference, and confessed she was slightly overwhelmed. Great, I said, that makes two of us! Little did I know this simple introduction would be the start of something greater. As the years passed, Katelyn stayed in contact and when her long-time boyfriend proposed, she asked me to photograph her Virginia wedding...much to her father's chagrin. Couldn't she find an east coast photographer?! What Daddy James didn't know was Katelyn and I shared a moment in Las Vegas that forever changed our trajectory. We were destined from the start.
This is a photo of us when we first met in Vegas back in 2008. Later, in Sparta, Virginia, Daddy James gave me a big hug. And in that moment, we knew I was supposed to be there. For his daughter and son-in-law. I'm happy The Knot Magazine agreed as well...Katelyn and Michael's wedding was featured and I couldn't be more honored!
I grabbed this image from Katelyn's blog since she was particularly happy her wedding image made the Table of Contents for the entire magazine...
Happy Wednesday!
Laguna Beach Engagement : Mikaela+Shane
06.28.11
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hey sat at a Starbucks, securing two comfy chairs, and placed their drinks on the table. Shane's fruit bar sat untouched as he watched her sip tea. It was their first date and nestled in a cozy coffee shop, they didn't realize it was the start of something big in their lives. Little did they know they were looking at the person with whom they'd share forever. Mikaela didn't tell Shane, but she had been waiting. Waiting for him to come into her life and change her little world.
He's the one who doesn't blink twice if I let my emotions get the best of me and have a breakdown, the one who always takes my hand, who knows to stay out of my way if I'm right in the middle of something and working away, and who encourages me to keep going.
And Shane's encouragement takes many forms, but he's a stickler for details. A little over a week ago, he proposed to Mikaela by recreating the Starbucks where they met...IN THE WOODS. Yes, their Starbucks engagement, was just one way he let her know he's loved her since he first saw her. As part of his proposal, Shane planned their engagement session with me without informing Mikaela. After he popped the question, he called my cell and I wished them congratulations...as well as broke the news that MIkaela was headed to California for engagement photos the following week in Laguna Beach. Okay, and I got teary-eyed. But let's not go there.
Here are a few favorites from Mikaela and Shane's Orange County engagement session...
Mikaela and Shane stayed in Laguna Beach, so we started the session at their hotel...
One of the best things about Shane and Mikaela is their quickness to laugh and their light heartedness. It's one of their most endearing qualities...
JD came on the shoot with me to carry my bags, but he also photographed a bit during the session and the photo on the right is his...
Mikaela, I'm just going to say what everyone is thinking: You're GORGE!!! Special thanks to Carina of Flawless Faces for doing a wonderful job with hair and makeup! :)
Shane, if there's a guy in California who can roll his pants, it's you. Really.
While I was shooting this picture of Shane...
...JD was shooting this picture of Mikaela. We're kinda like peas and carrots...you don't want to eat us.
After a quick outfit change, we crossed the street and ended their engagement session along the coast in Laguna Beach...
The entire day was overcast and grey, but we made the best of it and capitalized on the pretty, diffused light...loved it!
Of course, what would their engagement session be without a little STARBUCKS?!
This trip was particularly special for Mikaela because it marked the beginning of her wedding planning process and Shane is just as excited to be a part of the process. Well, kind of.
JD captured this picture...
Oh, stop it!
I'll end this post with photo because it embodies exactly how Shane and Mikaela love...with their entire hearts and smiles on their faces.
To see more of their Laguna Beach engagement session, feel free to check out their engagement session here:
The Hobbit
06.27.11
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ell, it's Monday and I'm just gonna come out and say it: I threw my back out last week. Oh, and it was ugly. It happened in public and I stood in the front of my gym class hinged at my waist debating melting into the floor or praying for the Rapture to occur. Right then. I grabbed my gym bag and hobbled (yes, hobbled...I looked like Gollum from Lord of the Rings in stretch pants) out the door. Then I sat in my car and did lamaze-style breathing to alleviate the pain.
After six visits to the chiropractor, I'm scheduling an appointment with a specialist because the hobbit-look isn't so cute. I didn't highlight my back last week because I had an engagement session and a wedding...and I wanted to prove to myself I could get through them. With pain killers. Thankfully, everything went well and JD carried every bit of gear...I could get used to this!
I'm still working and trying to keep my normal pace of life, but sitting at my desk for hours isn't possible so I've been relegated to working on the floor...and Polo seems to love this new arrangement...
Happy Monday, y'all...go give your back a kiss!
A Girl Named Mikaela
06.24.11
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ou know, it's crazy. There's a thousand different ways to approach photography and start a business. There are those who claim they have the answer or can ridiculously deduce a person's success into 15 steps. I'm not one of those people. I'm simply a person who picked up a camera and took whatever I had and made it work. And I'm making it work.
Last March I spoke in Canada and randomly had lunch with a girl named Mikaela. We got along swimmingly well and I adored every ounce of her. I just wrote swimmingly. I sound like I hail from Pilgrim-laden Plymouth Rock. Somebody stop me! Moving on...three months later Mikaela attended my June 2010 Workshop. We got to know each other even better (she desperately wanted to move on from her full time job, but felt stuck) and talked a bit about branding and working hard.
Because, really, that's what it's all about. It simply boils down to one thing: Do The Work. Sure, you can find every reason to think or imagine how lucky someone else is, but the truth of the matter is, simply, she's working hard. Nobody successful is sitting on her booty. The most admired photographers/businessmen/entrepreneurs/doctors/scientists/lawyers are often the hardest working, so please know there is no such thing as luck. I once heard Luck is When Preparation Meets Opportunity. I couldn't agree more.
After the Workshop, Mikaela went home and worked. Hard. Along the way, she met Shane...and they fell in love. Almost a year ago to the date, Mikaela worried she'd never make it. She was overwhelmed with every reason why she couldn't...but she did. She worked hard and is now a successful full-time photographer in Canada.
I had the pleasure of shooting Mikaela and Shane's engagement session in Laguna Beach yesterday and it was a full-cirlcle moment. At the end of the night, we toasted to love, happiness, and hard work. I'm incredibly proud of her and believe everyone is equally capable of her success.
