{anne and andy} laguna beach engagement photos

Engagement shoots are such a great way to get to know a client and for them to get to know how it is to be in front of a camera! Anne and Andy met me in Laguna Beach for their engagement shoot and it was awesome just walking around the downtown area. We found so many great backgrounds in a small area and the beach there is beautiful too. I think it is so cool that the couples I have met actually look like they fit together. I could definitely see it with these two, here are a few of the shots that really stood out to me!

{april and jason} encinitas engagement shoot

There are so many great places to shoot around Encinitas, really any kind of background you could hope for. For April and Jason's photo shoot we walked around the downtown area before heading down to Swami's for the sunset. It was a beautiful day and April and Jason did a wonderful job having fun and looking completely head over heals in love with each other....this came completely natural for them! I am so excited to shoot their wedding! Here are a few of my favorites:

I started to have a little fun with this image....here is the new:

and the old school:

love the grainy quality here:)

{wedding generosity} gift registries give back

I am always so impressed by the generosity and creativity of the brides and grooms I am lucky enough to work with. Recently I have been noticing that many couples are opting for less traditional registries and there are so many great ideas for gifts that go far beyond Tupperware! I would like to share one of these now, with more to come in the future. I hope it can be a source of inspiration for couples looking for a way to share the happiness of their big day with a new kind of gift registry.

Alternative Registry Idea #1: Sponsor a Student in a Poverty-Stricken Country
Lizzy + Tom, February 2009

"Tom and I have decided to have our guests donate to the School of St. Jude in lieu of more traditional wedding gifts. I discovered the School of St. Jude while working in Tanzania. The School of St. Jude is a primary and secondary school that is designed to educate the brightest but poorest students in the Arusha region of northwest Tanzania. Students must test into the school and once they are accepted, their school feeds, room and board are 100% paid for by private sponsors. Education, uniforms, transport to and from school, and room and board for a primary or secondary student at the School of St. Jude costs less than $1,000 per year. The model is both sustainable and personal in that students are financially supported by specific individuals and donors have full transparency into where their donation is going. Powerful relationships between student and donor often form and academic excellence is a cornerstone at the School of St. Jude.

I have supported the School of St. Jude through 3 Peaks 3 Weeks and we visited the school together for the 3 Peaks finally in January 2008. We now sponsor a young student named Salome. We get regular updates on Salome's progress and she hand-writes us beautiful notes. We really feel connected both to the school and to Salmone.

Having lived near the School of St. Jude, worked with their teachers and students, and received Salome's report cards, I'm confident that our donation is driving positive change. Tom and I are excited that our guest generosity will be used to help fund a student's education at the School of St. Jude for one year or more! We think it will be fun for everyone involved in our wedding to collectively jump start a Tanzanian student's education and then watch the student's progress over time. To ensure the student's wellbeing, Tom and I will pick up where our wedding group leaves off by supporting the student through the end of their education. We hope that by introducing our guests to St. Jude as supporting a student as a collective group, we inspire others to support St. Jude in other capacities."

{life is in color} my new book

With so many shoots on the books these days, it gets difficult to stay on top of editing for my portfolio. I have so many new images that I love but not enough time to show them! Last year I made the mistake of putting it all off until the end of the year, Big mistake! I ended up editing through close to 30,000 images, seriously. This year I am staying ahead of the game by compiling favorites after each shoot...or after every few:) Already there are so many that I love and am proud of so I decided to design a quarterly portfolio. Life is in Color is a title I have used before and always loved. It just fits. If you are interested in viewing more just go here. Hint: if you click on 'book preview' there is a glimpse! If you are a coordinator or vendor who would like to have one of these for clients to view, just send me an email and I'll see what I can do;)

{annie and cuong} a pre-wedding shoot

One of my favorite types of shoots, is one where I can completely direct the timeline! I absolutely love the growing popularity of pre and post wedding shoots where the couple gets to dress up again! It is much more of a creative fashion shoot without the constraints of the timeline on the wedding day.....and without the fear of getting a little dirty! Depending on culture, some couples like to do a shoot before the big day, they are okay with seeing each other in what they will be wearing to the nuptials. One such culture is Traditional Vietnamese and in this shoot, Annie and Cuong had 2 different outfits, one Traditional and one Western. It was so much fun to go to different locations and have a completely new look for the second half. While it was very hard to pick favorites out of this shoot, here are a few that I love:)
PS. Gorgeous make-up done by James Overstreet!

Great job Annie and Cuong, I loved working with you!!

{let's go green} ABC

I recently had the pleasure of attending a special "Let's Go Green" event hosted by The Association of Bridal Consultants - this is a group of SoCal wedding professionals from all areas of San Diego County and the meetings always offer continuing education and a great chance to hang out with the talented people we work with on weddings every weekend! The Let's Go Green event was right up my alley because it is something I think is important to make an effort about, and I love to share these cool ideas with my brides:) There were 3 important key points that I wanted to share in green wedding ideas, 1. Location, 2. Catering, and 3. Flowers. Here is some info on the talented vendors who shared a little about their own green efforts!

We met at The San Diego Water Conservation Gardens which is a lovely place to get married in SD if you are focusing on an earth friendly wedding...especially if you live in Southern California! Don't be fooled by those vivid green golf courses everywhere! The Gardens are a prime example of the natural look of Southern California. The Water Conservation Garden has nearly five acres of displays that showcase water conservation through a series of beautiful themed gardens, such as a native plant garden and a vegetable garden, as well as how-to displays such as mulch and irrigation exhibits. We took a little tour of the area and I was really impressed by the beauty and the photo opportunities.

There was a special presentation given by René van Rems floral designer and educator who is originally from Holland. René van Rems is the owner and inspiration behind René van Rems International and author of RENE’S BOUQUETS- A Guide To Euro-Style Hand-Tied Bouquets.

Rene talked about suggestions on how to make weddings more green by using locally grown flowers, not those shipped in from across the world. Flowers from other countries use so much fuel in transport that it really justifies buying organic and local products to your wedding.The arrangements he showed were truly beautiful and creative. I honestly have no talent in this department so I was really impressed. He showed examples of using all different types of containers such as coffee cans, wine, bottles, and even soda cans! I think my favorites were the tea leaf wrapped coffee cans and the sunflower bouquet contained within the trimmed roots of their own stems, beautiful! I also loved his hand-tied bouquets....pretty enough to make your bridesmaids fight over the toss;)

For lunch, we were served a delicious sampling of the dishes offered by the San Diego based company, Eco Caters. It was created by Chef Nicholas Brune and Adam Hiner to bring organic eco-friendly catering to Southern California. It was perfect for me since I am a vegetarian! The food was creative with a great blend of different flavors, and very light and healthy feeling. Eco Caters is dedicated to protecting the earth, the source of the cuisine. They do this through the use of biodegradable products, using only organic foods and buying produce from farms where fair trade practices are used. In addition 2% of the proceeds are donated to organizations supporting renewable energy and a sustainable lifestyle.

There are all kinds of ways to make your wedding more green, the key is just making the effort. You don't have to do everything but a few thoughtful allowances by many people will make a big difference!

{modern bride magazine} real bride, real beauty

Keep your eyes out for the latest issue of Modern Bride Magazine! There is a full page from my wedding in New York last September in the Real Bride, Real Beauty section! If you have seen the New York slideshow on my website or seen my sample albums then you will recognize Maie, she has such a unique style and I am so excited that she could be featured this issue. I am also very excited because this is the first time I have been published in a national magazine! Here is the magazine:

{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:)