Masami’s Maternity Session – Sneak Peek

Here’s a quick little peek into a sweet session from tonight. More to come soon!

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Summer Fun Contest Winner – Kim Walls (and family!)

Last month, I advertised my Summer Fun Contest on my blog and on Facebook. Part of my reasoning behind having such a contest is due to the fact that August is generally a slow month for my business. I wanted to get out and capture some images of people who were deserving of an amazing session. The other reason behind holding a contest is that I wanted to see what explanations my fans could come up with for needing (or wanting) such a session. I set up a panel of judges, made my announcements, and waited for the entries to roll in!

I want everyone to know how much I (and my judges) enjoyed reading all of the responses. Our original winner was definitely in need – a mother of three boys and two of them had passed away at a young age. However, because of the most recent son’s death, she had to forfeit her session. My judges chose Kimberly Walls as a runner-up in the case that the original winner could not participate in the session. Please note that in this case, the entries were submitted to my panel of judges anonymously, so that there was no chance of bias on their parts.

Here is the winning entry from Kim:
“I think I deserve a session because I deeply love and adore my family and we haven’t gotten family portraits since all the kids have become adults and added a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law. My family is wonderful and close and I’d love to document us as we are…my s-i-l is 7 mo. prego so I’d like them pre babies. My parents just celebrated 24 years and there is lots of love… Plus, my family loved and adored your photos from my wedding, I know you can capture us the way you captured mine and Russ’s special bond.”

I posted a couple shots from Kim’s wedding last year in Maui – wasn’t she a gorgeous bride?! You can see the full post from her wedding here. Kim, thank you for entering the contest. I hope that I have met – and possibly even surpassed – your expectations when it comes to your family session.

Moments before Kim and Russell tied the knot:

The couple directly after their beach ceremony:

And the two at their session with me recently:

Mom and dad, who recently celebrated 24 years together:

I loved having the opportunity to capture a large family photo. Such a good-looking family too!

Kim and Russ getting all smoochy in the yummy evening light:

Kim’s sister-in-law Sara and brother Lucas, who just introduced their son Mason into the world last Saturday:

…Sister Cassi and brother Alex – these two are SO silly sometimes!

It was important to Kim that we get some good shots of all of the siblings together, and I think we accomplished that!

One last shot of Kim and Russ being SOOOOOO cute together:

Thanks for such a great evening, you guys! Enjoy your pictures!

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Lyndsey and Eric – Wine and Roses, Lodi, California – Sneak Peek

Here’s a quick look into Lyndsey and Eric’s beautiful wedding on Saturday. Wine and Roses is always a beautiful venue, but the whole evening was absolutely magical.

Lyndsey was so gorgeous:

And I was IN LOVE with her rhinestone-studded heels:

Have a great honeymoon in Maui, you two!

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Jessie and Reid – Engagement Session Sneak Peek

SO in love with this session! Can’t wait to post them all!

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Jennifer and Michael – Sneak Peek

Here is a little peek into Friday’s fabulous wedding. I LOVED Jennifer’s shoes, so I had to try out this little idea with the glitzy golden goodness:

And the colors were lovely:

These two look so sweet together!

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Behind the Lens, Part I

I get a lot of really funny looks and comments from wedding guests when I’m shooting. Sometimes my job requires me (and my fellow photographer friends) to get into weird positions or use odd techniques to get the shot we are looking for. I decided it would be fun to give my clients and fans a “behind the scenes” look into what this type of positioning can produce. Those of you with a hobby – along with anyone else who loves photography – don’t hesitate to experiment! We didn’t come to the conclusion that these shots would work by having someone tell us. There is a lot of experimenting that goes on in photography, just like any other art form.

Aimee Fredy of White Daisy Photography grabbed this shot of me capturing some bridesmaid getting-ready snacks:

Here is another of Aimee using a fun position in order to get a beautiful shot of the bride getting ready:

At one of Aimee’s weddings, I took this image of her going the extra mile for that amazing wedding dress shot (editing done by Aimee):

Last but not least, here is an image from Jessica Cole, soon to be Jessica B Photography. This is a typical way of shooting a reception in order to get great shots of guests partying:

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