{baby sky}

There are some moments when I am editing photos that actually surprise me and take my breath away. I had a few of these while going through the pictures from my last shoot with baby Sky. Her eyes are amazingly big and round and BLUE! It looks like something I did in Photoshop but this is the way her eyes really look. Sky is the daughter of Elizabeth and Brian who are an amazing couple and great new parents. Elizabeth is one of my longest friends and it is so wonderful that we are still in touch. Since we have known each other since we were kids, I am still blown away that one of us has one:) Here are a few of my favorites of her lovely daughter.

{the wedding chicks} launch party 2008

On Tuesday night I attending the Launch Party for the Wedding Chicks at Arroyo Trabuco! It was so much fun!! I had a great time meeting great vendors from Orange County. It is amazing that although San Diego and Orange County are so close, the wedding industry doesn't mix as much as you would think. I love shooting weddings in new locations so I am really looking forward to branching out in 2009. Here is a shot of a few of the great girls I met!

Platinum Weddings by Kerrie, me!!, JoceyBella Invites, Kiley Walker Events

{polaroid emulsion transfers}

There is something so tangible and unique about doing Polaroid transfers. It is something I have always had fun doing and am now just starting to offer to my wedding clients....at least until they are out of business and the film runs out...so sad. Last week I got together with my friend Jessica Davis to have an art night doing transfers and drinking a little vino:) Here are some of the photos I used from my recent trip to Costa Rica.

I love Land Rovers....and also have a fascination with the grills of cool cars:)

Sunset at the beach in Dominical, playing guitar and enjoying a cerveza.

Doug, carrying my longboard, small waves that day.

The biggest tree I have ever seen, seriously. The other trees are normal-big-tree size!

{making my job worthwhile}

I truly love what I get to do as a career. Photographing weddings is so amazing because I get to be a part of one of the most important moments in a couple's life. It is a milestone, a turning point, and often definitive of what the future will bring. I always remember this and am thankful for the moments I see and am able to capture. Even after shooting weddings for so long, just seeing how special this tradition is makes me get a little teary-eyed sometimes!! That's when I hide my face with the camera and pretend like I am shooting something really interesting!! I thought of all this today when I got such a nice email from one of my newlyweds.

Heather,
You are the the best of the best! We've gone through every one of our photos so many times and EVERY picture is a favorite. You captured so many sweet moments without us even knowing you were around. You really outdid yourself, we couldn't be happier or more honored to have you a part of our wedding day. A sincere thank you from all our family, friends, and from Scott and I for your outstanding talent of photography. We will keep you in our lives for future celebrations!
With love and many, many thanks,
Caroline and Scott Smith

...letters like this really make my job worthwhile and I wanted to share it:)

{cameron and buck *engagement session*}

Maybe I'm a little biased because I got married at Sunset Cliffs but I love, love, love shooting in Point Loma. It is such a naturally beautiful area and Cameron and Buck are lucky enough to live right there! We decided to start the shoot in the downtown area and then moved over to the cliffs for a beautiful sunset. Cameron and Buck were so easy to work with and I think Buck even had fun!! I am so excited to shoot their wedding in October, it will be a wonderful day:)

{ella catherine condon}

During our trip to Costa Rica, we were lucky enough to be able to meet up with some of our friends who live on the Big Island, Hawaii and are from Doug's hometown in New Jersey. It was so nice to stay with them, thanks so much for the hospitality, we had a great time! CJ, Nina, their daughter Ella, and their cousin rented a house in Dominical for a month and a half just to take a little break and spend quality time with their daughter. I think this is such an amazing thing for a young family to do. Those first years with a new baby are some of the most precious and they go by so quickly. The house they rented was up on top of one of the peaks overlooking the Dominical coastline and was surrounded by Costa Rican jungle. It was truly peaceful. Here are a few of the pictures I took of Ella, she is a very sweet and happy baby and I am sure that their upbringing is the reason why.

{costa rica 2008: pavones, dominical, and manuel antonio}

My husband Doug and I love to travel. Surfing together is one of our favorite hobbies and strongest bonds. In the past year or two, we have both become increasingly busy with work obligations so travel has been moved further and further to the back burner. Doug is a surfboard shaper and my career in photography means that we both have the same busy seasons. Sometimes it can be hard to schedule down-time (ha! scheduling down-time!) but it is so important to keeping our attitudes, work, and relationship fresh. A few weeks ago, he spotted a swell moving into one of the surf spots we have always wanted to visit, Pavones, Costa Rica. We booked tickets on Sunday and left on Wednesday. Luckily enough, a few of our friends happened to be renting a house in the area for a few months so we were able to visit them too. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

While we were visiting with our friends and their 1 and 1/2 year old daughter I got to take lots of cute pictures of her...what a great way to grow up! In the next post I will put up a few pics:)