{laurie and justin}

I love all the new experiences that being a photographer presents to me, there is always something new to learn. When Laurie and Justin told me they would love to do a water shoot for their engagement session, I decided it would be a really fun way to try a whole other category of my profession, water photography. Luckily, after years of working at surf magazines, I had the resources to borrow a water housing to give it a shot. Wow. I really have a whole new point of view now on the amazing skill, timing and endurance it takes to be a water photographer. Especially when there are waves involved! I have surfed for years so I feel I know the ocean pretty well but this was on a whole different level of multi-tasking for me! I was so glad to have tried it and really hope to continue to develop my skill in this area. Laurie and Justin surf together all the time (like me and my husband:) and for them, it is very special and an important part of their time together. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot that started on land and moved to the water!

{christine and tom}

Christine and Tom were married on July 12th 2008 at L'Auberge in Del Mar. L'Auberge has recently undergone a major remodel so I was very excited to work there again and see all the beautiful changes they made, every detail turned out amazing, from the new floors and furnishings to the stunning and modern water features!

Christine and Tom were so sweet together. I was amazed at how similar they were to each other in temperment, like 2 peas in a pod I can see how they are perfect for each other:) The wedding was coordinated by Susanne Duffy of Crown Weddings and as is my usual experience working with her, the event was pulled off with precision and style. There is really nothing more important in wedding planning than having a great coordinator who knows how to put together a good timeline of events.

In addition to this, the flowers and decor were stunning with color pops of blue and natural elements like shells and bamboo. The whole look was put together by Dawn of Embellishmint Floral and Event Design. There really is a difference between hiring a "florist" and an "event designer", one does the flowers only, and the other does the style, look and feel of the whole wedding! Here are a few of my favorite images from the big day:)

{jamie and david}

One of my favorite venues in La Jolla, California is The Darlington House. Once the seasonal home of Mrs. Sybil Darlington, Darlington House still echoes a lifestyle of gracious living, elegant dinner parties and delightful musical concerts. I love the architecture, vintage furniture and style, and I almost got married there myself! I recently shot the wedding of Jamie and David at the DH and it was one of the most beautiful events I have ever seen there. Jamie looked absolutely amazing and hot in her Va Lena Valentina dress. The whole house and garden was perfectly decorated as only Kathy Wright and Co. can do. Really, the flowers and centerpieces were beyond gorgeous. At the reception the music was amazing with a band from Los Angeles playing blues and motown from City Connection Entertainment. The dinner was also delicious, I am always happy when I know TK&A Catering is working at one of my weddings, they are amazing! The whole event was perfectly pulled together by their coordinator Erin from Behind the Bride. It was my first time working with Erin but I hope to do so again soon, she was awesome! When a wedding is so well done with so many amazing elements, it is really hard to choose photos to put on the blog. There are just too many great ones! Here are a few I loved:

{heidi and trevor}

A new trend in weddings seems to be emerging. Not Friday or Sunday weddings but now other days of the week too! Heidi and Trevor were married on a Monday and I was so happy to be there to shoot it! Their wedding was truly one of the more unique ones I have ever seen since they got married in an actual theater! The ceremony took place at The Lambs Players Theater in Coronado. The couple are very artistic people so this fit the perfectly. Heidi's dad helped found The Lamb's Players and Trevor is an awesome musician, check out trevordavismusic.com. So from this unique event, here are a few of my favorites:)

{tilt shift photography} San Francisco

I had such a great time visiting San Francisco and shooting Jennifer and Chris's wedding. On that trip I also decided to rent a tilt-shift lens for an artistic personal project, you will see some of these photos below. Tilt-Shift Photography is also called Miniature Faking. The lens is frequently used in architectural photography to correct distortion, which rather than create sweet spots of focus keeps an entire frame in focus but minimizes the effects of convergence. I loved the effect and can't wait to practice with it more. I think that when art becomes a career, as it has in my life, it is important to do projects that make me happy for the sake of doing them. Hopefully you will also enjoy some of the architectural details I feel compliment this wedding so well!