Bixby Knolls Wedding Reception: Sharon + Jake

I recently had the chance to photograph my childhood best friend's hometown wedding reception.  It was such a blast to see Sharon and her family after many many years, and meet Sharon's husband Jake.  It was fun to get to know Sharon and Jake, for basically the first time, at the same time.  My favorite thing about them was how they laughed together.  They laughed and played throughout their portraits together, and were truly a pleasure to photograph.  Here are a few of my favorites, followed by a slideshow! :)

Sharon and Jake - Thank you for asking me to photograph your reception.  I truly had a great time being a part of your day!  I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness together! :) 

Serious Face! ;)

Please enjoy the slideshow:

Seal Beach Family Session

I recently met up with Jaime, Pat, and their girls for a fun California Christmas session in Seal Beach.  Jaime created the cutest sand sand-man, although the girls were a little more interested in adding more sand to his body/head than posing with him!  I love to let kids just be kids in their photographs!  We had a blast -- here are some of my favorite images:

Tracy's Tuesday Tip

With the holidays coming up, I decided to start a new feature called Tracy's Tuesday Tip.  Each week's tip will feature a different suggestion for taking great pictures of your family.  You don't need to have a fancy SLR camera to take great pictures.  With a few tips, anyone can capture fun everyday images of their kids or family!

Tracy's Tuesday Tip #1: Get down to eye level

With children and pets, it is important to get down to their level.  When you are down at a child or pet's level, you capture greater detail than you would photographing them from above, and you get a more dynamic feel for the world they experience.  It is much more interactive to be at their level.  I've often been known to get down onto my knees, or even flat on my stomach to capture an image.  Ignore the curious looks you may get from the friends or family around you, because once they see the cute picture you took, they'll want a copy for themselves! ;)

Shoot This!

Last weekend, I got together with photographers from all over Southern California for the second "Shoot This!" event. The event was sponsored by Joelle Leder Photography and the Los Angeles Photography Group. I can't thank Joelle enough for all of the work she put into this event. The fabulous shoot came together with thanks to Joelle and the following:

Location: the fabulous Jody Domingue Studios
Leads: Doug McNamee and Chris Diset
Makeup: Kimberly Bragalone & Shirley Vazquez
Hair: Michelle Cheng (for Sandra Sheng) and Shannon Ely
Models: Megan Bibbo, Kaylie Wilson, Chelsea Ravitch, Lindsey Cloud, Amanda Shaw, David Liggett, Nicholas Navock, Brennan Mejia, & Brian Bose
Flowers: Flour Floral Design Studio
Sponsor: FolioMojo - Web Marketing Mojo for your online portfolio

We took a group shot before we got started:

I had too many favorites for one blog post, so I created a slideshow at the bottom of the post. The models were incredibly talented, and it was a blast being able to shoot in Jody's studio and the surrounding streets!













Enjoy the slideshow:

 

Wilson Creek Winery Wedding: Kelli + Kelley

Kelli and Kelley's met because of their names. It's amazing to see a relationship grow and blossoms from something as simple as a shared name -- Kelli Jo and Kelley Joe -- into a beautiful life together. Their relationship grew together throughout their time at the University of Redlands, their sorority/fraternity functions, and in the life that followed their graduation. Kelli and Kelley's wedding at Wilson Creek Winery was one of the most fun, heart-filled events that I have been to. Everyone rocked it out on the dance floor, singing "Don't Stop Believin'" and Irish step-dancing to Flogging Molly's "Drunken Lullabies." Heart definitely filled the room.

Kelli and Kelley - Thank you for including me in your wedding day. I had such a wonderful time with you both, and wish you a lifetime of happiness together! :)

Kelli and the ladies were all beautified by Jessie Kenney (hair) and Kimberley Woods (makeup) from Rylin Ashlee Salon.
















Please enjoy the slideshow:

Do you know Kelli and Kelley?  Visit www.kelliandkelley.info to check out all of their wedding images.  Until 11/30/2009, receive 15% off website orders of $50+!

Laguna Beach Engagement Session: Julia + Joey

When Julia and I started talking the location for her engagement session, she knew just the spot: the beach where Joey proposed to her. I love doing engagement sessions in sentimental locations. It makes the engagement session even more special when there are loving memories attached to the location.

I met up with Julia, Joey, and their two boys in Laguna Beach for a family-style engagement session. With promises of ice cream (mint chocolate chip for me please!), everyone cooperated and had a great time! Julia & Joey - I had a great time with you and loved getting to know your boys. Can't wait to be your wedding photographer next April! :)