Photography serving Orange County and Los Angeles, but available for worldwide travel.
I’ve done so many heashot sessions this month, I want to do a few more!
Oh and, just so you’re warned, it’s 20-30 minutes of nonstop fun:
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High school sweethearts, Justine and Scott had been together for 9 years before they tied the knot. Growing up and what not, the two both pursued their education and careers before a marriage. They never stopped pursuing one another though.
Laid back and loads of fun, the couple threw the best party. Exchanging knowing glances throughout their Catholic ceremony and beaming at one another throughout the day, it was easy to see their love. They told me when we first spoke that the most important part of their wedding was being together with their family and friends. I loved that and loved being a part of their day.
This post is a little late (they were married a few months back), but cheers to you, Justine and Scott! May God grant you many more years together!
Both Justine and Scott separately got ready in their childhood homes. I loved that.
They had their wedding ceremony at St. Norbert’s in Orange. It’s a beautiful parish.
Just look at those stained glass windows!
Then onto the family and friends celebration at the reception at the Yorba Linda Country Club. Love this blue building!
pin to tweet on email toWe got the call on a Friday, inviting us to take part in the Indie Coffee Fest in Shanghai. The following Monday our tickets were purchased, and 12 days later we were on a plane to cross the Pacific. I had to cancel shoots and meetings, lost money and lots of sleep, but I was thrilled and knew that Hunter S. Thompson would have approved.
Originally, we were supposed to arrive Thursday night, work Friday-Sunday, and return home Monday night. We changed our flights right before departing though, to allow an extra day and a half in the ancient city. Our traveling partner, however, stayed on that Monday night flight. So the three of us set out that morning, after three long days slinging coffee and preaching Portola Coffee’s name to the eastern world, to explore.
I just love walking through neighborhoods and alleys and experiencing a new city on foot. There’s so much you see and feel that is missed when on wheels. I loved the way that city smelled, the way it sounded, the way the people went about their day. I didn’t take any incredible photos, no shots of the amazing food or beautiful portraits; I just shot from the hip, while focusing on opening myself to a culture that so deeply differs from my own. That shift in focus was the best thing I could have done that day. It was my favorite part of the trip.
Pan-fried Bun Stuffed with Monopoly Store. The signs in English were amazing. I took more on my cell phone; I should do a post later with just sign photos.
So much food and so little time! I didn’t take any photos of the food in front of me because I was too busy devouring it.
Hand made noodles. This guy was singing as he slapped them through the sieve. We ate them later – to die for!!!
This guy was drying tea leaves and smiling at every potential customer that walked past.
The infrastructure in Shanghai was incredible. And the city was so clean! Very pleasantly surprised there, not that I was expecting it to be filthy, but maybe smelling more like fish? I don’t know. It was nice though, very nice. And VERY safe.
Adam and Kristy wanted to walk through the city as we were in the photos above. I said let’s walk to the river. No one was mad about the few extra blocks.
All I wanted to do was shop. Watermelon, oysters, shoes, calligraphy pens, a broom, whatever! Gimme!
Didn’t eat any cat.
Definitely ate my share of cookies and pastries (and noodles and dumplings and steamed buns and, and, and).
The architecture and design was incredible!
I wonder how her photo turned out…
As the evening fell, we hopped in a cab and took Kristy back to the hotel. Her flight had been delayed til the next morning so we all got to sleep, a little. Jet lag from here to China is intense. Worth every second of fatigue though. I’d do it over again in a heartbeat.
More photos to come.
pin to tweet on email toWhen she told me she wanted to do a maternity photos with her other pregnant friend, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this. That’s Hannah though, dreaming wilder and living freer than most of us could imagine. She’s a passionate woman, and never has it shined brighter than since she’s become a wife and mother. It’s been a joy and honor to witness her love unleash.
I was humbled spending the day with these two mothers. Hannah carrying her second and Emily carrying her third, the two left their littles for some fun photos dressed like the warrior queens they are. If I become a mother someday, I hope to lead with unyielding love and devotion, just like them.
*Photos taken in Davenport, CA.
pin to tweet on email toWow. So beautiful and powerful
I sit here today, listening to the rain tap outside my window, and I find myself swept back to the same sound that accompanied a similar afternoon eight years ago. I love how sound can transport you like that. My heart was heavier then.
That particular March, I had recently returned home from a medical mission in Tanzania. There were 18 of us that went; half were medically trained, another half Orthodox and all of us with the same mission: to help. We went to seven different villages, set up clinics and served over 700 people. What transpired in those twenty days on the other side of the world changed my life forever. It’s a trip I don’t return to often enough in my head or heart, because the lessons I learned and the people I met impacted me more than anything has in the near decade since.
I saw a different way of life. I saw a different way of happy. I saw acceptance and hard work and unconditional love. All from a group of people who have nothing compared to what we have here. They don’t have shiny cars, they don’t have nice property or patent leather shoes; hell, some of them barely have roofs over their heads and some don’t have shoes at all. The people we met in Tanzania live simply yet fully. They are filled with love and Light and joy. Despite the hardships they face, every day they still choose joy.
I’ve been trying to live like them ever since. It’s tough, I must admit, with all the distractions here. It was really hard coming back to this life after living in theirs. But as I sit and listen to the pitter patter of the rain, I focus on what can be changed. What can I let go of, what can be released, to make room for the things that really matter…?
Would you change?
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