{heather is going GREEN}

Well, I think it is never too late for a new years resolution. So I have decided that it is time, long overdue, to go GREEN! I have been inspired by so many things lately all pointing me in this direction so here we go! I am hoping that blogging about it will keep me on track and also give me a few tips from anyone who reads this and wants to share.

One of the more recent inspirations for doing this was from a friend of mine, Amy Squires. Check out her website, she is an amazing photographer! She is also has an awesome blog and on one of her posts I read about this cool book that I am totally getting as soon as it hits the shelves, here it is:

I thought this post was so cool and really started thinking about doing it too. My lifestyle has always been somewhere along this line anyways but it is so easy to be lazy! For instance, my excuse for using plastic grocery bags is that I do have 2 dogs, who go on lots of walks, and in turn, recycle those bags! But it got to the point that not even my dogs could use all those. So I started thinking about using paper bags instead...but it turns out that those harm the environment far worse than the plastic, go figure. So today, I decided...here we go, Green 2008.

At the grocery store I decided to take it a few steps further and go Green in laundry and dishwasher detergent...don't you just love Trader Joe's?

And, since I love the smell of fresh lavender and hate using all those fabric dryer sheets (so wasteful!) I found these cool pouches that you can use up to 10 times! Did you know that lavender is also a natural bug repellent? This is great news for me considering that bugs love to bite me. Here it is:

So I guess I looked a little crazy when my husband came home to find me snapping pictures of our laundry soap! But hey, he should be used to that by now:)

My next thing I want to learn about is cleaning supplies that don't have chemicals in them. I heard vinegar works miracles...if anyone has a comment or tip for me I would love to hear it!

{engagement shoots}

I love doing engagement shoots. I feel like it really allows me to get to know my clients as a couple, and also how they feel about being in front of the camera! When I have done an engagement shoot before the wedding, the big day goes so much easier because they are already comfortable having their picture taken and are ready to have a little more fun! Also, since they have already seen how great the photos come out, they understand my direction as I shoot a little better which is a big plus.

As far as clothing goes for the shoot, I am not a big fan of the matching outfits but I do like outfits that go together. For instance, if you wear a classy dress and he wears a collared shirt in a similar color or tone. Or if you both wear jeans and he wears a sweater and you wear a cute top. Here is my advice on the clothes: you will have these pictures forever so try to make it timeless. No crazy prints or really trendy cuts of clothes and no logos on shirts...stuff like that. I also think it looks good to stay in either the dark or light end of the color spectrum. It doesn't have to be black or white (although that looks good) but dark or light colors look better than all mid-tones because they look more contrast-y and defined. And of course, I love dresses on girls, it is so fun and feminine. It is also easy to slip into if you want to change your clothes quickly!

I hope that helps, if you have any questions that are more specific, please send me an email or leave a comment here!

{laura and tom}

The wedding season has officially started! On February 17, 2008 I photographed the wedding of Laura and Tom at Cuvier Park in La Jolla. The reception was held at the La Jolla Women's Club and Carol Beradino of Elite Events did an amazing job on the coordination as always:)

A few days before Laura and I did a pre-ceremony bridal shoot at the beach and it was so much fun! I really felt like we got to know each other and I could tell by the time the wedding day came on Sunday, Laura was a pro at the photo shoot. She is such a nice, easy going person and it really showed in the photos. Here are a few of my favorites from the bridal shoot!

The wedding day had some of the most beautiful weather I have ever seen at Cuvier Park, and I have shot there many times! The sky was a clear deep blue with a crisp horizon and the ocean was a turquoise you usually see in the Caribbean. I was so happy that all of Laura and Tom's out of town family got to see California at it's prettiest! Not surprisingly, La Jolla was packed that day and the wedding drew quite a crowd! I was really lucky to work with Laura and Tom, two extremely nice people who deserve tons of happiness in their marriage. Here are some of my favorite wedding photos:)

{angela and mark}

On February 2, 2008 I photographed the wedding luncheon of Angela Chiu and Mark Quin. The luncheon took place at The Four Seasons, Aviara in Carlsbad, CA. Aviara's Geena Urbina handled all the coordination details while Jennifer Cole did an amazing job on all the floral arrangements!

Angela and Mark were already married in Taiwan but hosted the luncheon for Mark's San Diego family who were unable to attend the wedding. It was an afternoon filled with such warmth, laughter, and family closeness, I truly felt honored to have been able to capture the moments for them. My impression of Angela and Mark is that they make a really wonderful couple who have found true love. We went to Ponto Beach after the luncheon and you can really see the happiness on their faces. They were one of the nicest and most generous couples I have worked with in a long time. Here are a couple of my favorite photos from our beach shoot...so genuine!

{my favorite web designers}

I am so excited to be featured this week on the Livebooks website! These guys have designed and put together two websites for me so far and they are AMAZING! I love the functionality and the clean designs. I would really recommend them to not only photographers, but all kinds of other creative professionals who want to show case their work in a convenient and user-friendly space on the web.