{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:)

{caroline and scott}

On April 12th 2008, I photographed the wedding of Caroline and Scott Smith in Rancho Santa Fe, California. It was a beautiful warm day and the entire family cam out from Texas to see the two tie the knot. On my first meeting with Caroline and Scott and their families, I was so impressed by how straight-forward and easy going they were. I knew it would be a fun day and everyone had a great time. Caroline and Scott are one of those couples who really fit together perfectly and you can see it in the way they treat each other and in how close they are with their families.

The reception at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe was beautiful. Trena Lozano was the coordinator and Kathy Wright did the flowers so they really had the dream-team for San Diego weddings. Here are a few of my favorite photos:

{home from costa rica}

I just got home from a wonderful 10 days in Costa Rica with my husband. It was probably one of my favorite trips so far and I can't wait to post pictures...coming soon!

{baby townsend}

Last week I had the honor of photographing baby Townsend, first son of Kelly and Jeremy, who are also good friends of mine. It is so exciting to meet a friend's new baby for the first time. Townsend is so sweet and full of personality. I love all the little faces he makes. It was really easy for me to get adorable photos of him. And, his nursery is so cute and modern! Here are a few of my favorite photos of the morning:

{santa barbara weekend :part 3: couture wedding fashion}

The 3rd day of my trip was something I have been looking forward to for a while. I have always loved the California coastline North of Santa Barbara. From camping at El Capitan, surfing at Jalama, to wine tasting in Los Olivos, it is an incredible place to visit at any time of year. Since I already knew I would be up there (see the previous 2 posts:) I decided to self-produce a bridal fashion shoot. I started my career in photography coordinating editorial fashion shoots so this is familiar territory for me, and something I love to do.

I was luck enough to be able to borrow 3 gorgeous gowns from Chez Bride Moderne, all designed by Valena Valentina....they were amazing!!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot:







Thank you so much to my 3 beautiful models, Lauren of JetSet La Jolla, Sarah, and Melissa of Sleek Models Santa Barbara. You were all wonderful to work with and I look forward to doing it again in the future!

Gowns on loan from Chez Bride Moderne, La Jolla
All gowns designed by Valena Valentina
Hair and make-up by Hanalei Spengler and Jill Hedeler
Geena of Bella Fiori Flowers: Solvang, CA, Phone: (805) 693-1111

{santa barbara weekend :part 2: jose villa workshop}

On day 2 of my trip I attended a workshop in Solvang, CA taught by one of my favorite photographers, Jose Villa. I am so inspired by the natural way he poses people, his eye and understanding of beautiful light, and the business and brand he has built. It is an amazing combination and I have admired his fine art style for a while. I have never been to a workshop before but this one was completely worth it. It turns out that Jose is just as nice as he is talented and also a great teacher. The locations and models were beautiful and I learned so much.....Jose also does week-long workshops around the world and I am extremely tempted to sign up for the one in Mexico!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the day:




Thank you so much to the models, stylist, florist, and Jose!
Shelbie was wearing: Melissa Sweet
Lacie was Wearing: Jenny Lee
Make - up : T.E.A.M
Flowers: Ranae's Bouquet
Jose Villa .. http://www.josevillaworkshops.com .. http://www.josevilla.com .. http://josevilla.bigfolioblog.com

{santa barbara weekend :part 1: justin and mayumi}

This past weekend I headed up to Santa Barbara to visit friends and do a few photo shoots I have been conceptualizing and thinking about for a while. I absolutely love shooting weddings but when it comes down to it, there is always an important schedule to follow. This is what makes it different from a commercial shoot where I can direct the whole thing according to my shots.

Last summer I shot the wedding of Justin and Mayumi in Carpinteria, California. Justin and I already knew each other and I quickly discovered how sweet and perfect for Justin his fiance Mayumi was. The reception was held at their family's home on an avocado grove overlooking the ocean. I was completely amazed by the beauty of the area and since we didn't have time to shoot around the property I already knew I wanted to go back to do another shoot with the couple. Some people call it a "trash the dress shoot"...I am not sure about that name but I absolutely love doing post-wedding photos. These are some of my favorite images from the day!

Destination Wedding Winner .... KATIE AND KOSTA!!!!

Congratulations Katie and Kosta! They will be married on September 12th in Newport, RI!
I am super excited for you! I can't wait to take your wedding photos in Rhode Island:) Thanks for entering and thanks so much to The Wedding Chicks for hosting such a fun contest!

{last day to win a destination wedding!}

That's right! I am actually giving away an amazing destination wedding package! And, today is the last day to enter! All you have to do is got to my favorite wedding news and ideas website, The Wedding Chicks to enter:) Good luck, am so excited to announce the winner!

{beautiful invitations}

Invitations and Save the Dates are such an important part of the wedding. It is the first glimpse all your friends and family will get of the look and feel you have worked so hard to create for your big day. I absolutely love fine stationary and invites. I could look at beautiful papers, textures, colors, fonts, letterpress for hours on end. KenzieKate Invitations is an invitation company I found and just had to share with you because I love the designs. Here are a few of my favorites:

KenzieKate Invitations is located in Brooklyn, NY.

email:
info@kenziekate.com

phone:
1.718.928.3946

{amazing wedding dress sale: chez moderne}

To all my Southern California brides! If you happen to be in the area today or tomorrow please make it a point to get down to Chez Bride Moderne! They are having a sample sale of the most beautiful dresses available. I was just there last night checking out the selection and it truly makes me want to get married again! In fact, this is where I bought my wedding dress for my wedding last August. The whole experience was amazing. The boutique is impeccably decorated and their customer service is totally personal without any "snooty-ness":) They have been named one of the top 10 bridal boutiques in the whole country! If you are still looking for the perfect dress, here is the info you need:

chez bride moderne
5726 la jolla boulevard, suite 105
la jolla, california 92037
858.551.1295
info@chezbridemoderne.com

{save polaroid!}

Save Polaroid. Save the World.

On February 8, 2008, Polaroid Corporation announced that it will discontinue production of all instant film. This site will document the aftermath of this announcement and will serve as a home-base for the effort to convince another company to begin producing the cherished technology that Polaroid has so carelessly abandoned.

This site is not about saving Polaroid, the company, rather the remarkable invention of Edwin Land, the instant film that made Polaroid a household name.

What We’ve Done So Far

Since this announcement, we’ve been assembling articles, links, stories and planning out the best way to create a joint effort to save instant film. We’ve contacted Polaroid, Fuji and Ilford about licensing. We have more in the works and will update this site regularly.

What Can You Do?

1. Join the flickr group. Upload your photo and a description of what Polaroid film means to you.
2. Download the Action Pack. It contains pre-addresed postcards to send to Polaroid, Ilford and Fuji with information about why Polaroid should license manufacturing rights to other companies. It also has flyers and other media to distribute to camera shops, film labs or anywhere else.
3. Write to Ilford and Fuji (or any other potential manufacturer) yourself. Nothing will convince a company to produce something more than the knowledge that there is a large market for it. Here are their addresses.
4. Sign the petitions. There is a list of them in the sidebar of this site.
5. Digg this site. Or blog it. Or add it to any of the bookmarking or social networks out there. It all helps.
6. Contact us with other ideas. If you have an idea, a skill, connections or any other way to help this effort, let us know.