I’ve been doing a lot of researching lately, lots of reading, lots of seeking, listening, learning and (hopefully!) growing. My journey is as most always, twofold: personal and professional. I’ve felt encouraged as I’ve been hit with inspiration left and right. It’s been so motivating!

Personally I’m working to develop my writing skills and working to purge out some of the excess in my life (with the exception of shoes, of course). I want to grow in the right areas, and create clutter free, clean space to do so. I’m working to achieve better balance and working how to manage conflict more effectively.

Professionally I’m focused on fine tuning my craft and figuring out how to better pull out of people who they truly are. I aim to better connect and consequently to achieve more honest and hopefully passionate portraiture. I’m working on a new sect of Lovato Images that will be radically different yet the same at heart.

What an exciting time! If inspiration is contagious, I hope it catches onto you too. Aaand because every post is better with a picture, here’s an image I shot this weekend during Shannon’s senior portraits, using a few new techniques I’ve picked up recently…

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Back in the fall, I got together with 30 fabulous young ladies to create some fun photos for their National Charity League fashion show. If you’re my Facebook buddy, you may or may not have seen my post about wanting to dress like a 16 year old. It was these 16 year olds that did it, folks. I mean c’mon, just look at how fun their outfits are!

I’m hoping to see some of these girls again next year for their senior portraits because it was a blast working with each of them and getting inspired by each of their unique styles. These images are for their charity event photography this weekend at their MADD About Fashion Show. I’m excited to photograph them all done up again and get more ideas for putting things together in my own wardrobe!

 

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It has become popular thing to do a ‘first look‘ before your wedding ceremony begins. This is where the bride and groom see each other for the first time before she walks down the aisle. A seemingly ‘non-traditional’ trend, but there’s jam packed value in this new tradition and I want highlight a few reasons why.

•  First, you can get some amazing wedding photography images of the bride and groom. We always shoot a sequence, so you get the moments before meeting, then the emotions packed into the first sight of the young couple in love on their wedding day. Priceless.

•  It’s a nice little chunk of time carved out for the couple to spend alone. Yes, we’re there with our cameras, but I typically shoot from far away so the couple has their space. Your wedding is a huge day full of details and people and preparation coming together all for you. There’s a lot to it, and it’s nice to have a few minutes alone with your partner before heading into the biggest party of your life.

•  It sets the perfect tone for the timeline of the day. I cannot stress enough the importance of effectively outlining your timeline before your wedding, and this goes far beyond what time the ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner start. Your timeline includes everything, from make up start and end time to flower delivery to freshen up before ceremony time to cake cutting. When you do a first look, it starts your portraits off with perfect time allotment for the rest of the day’s activities. I don’t mean to sound selfish, but scheduling appropriate time for photography is crucial! When we deal with this in advance, and schedule it before the ceremony, everyone’s a happy camper.

So basically, first looks are awesome because it serves for better timeline management, you get some alone time in there, and the moments we capture are paahhhhriiiiceless! I’m so happy that all (but one!) of my couples for 2013 have decided on this awesome tradition. For more bonus features of the first look, read more here, and check out some awesome first look images below. Then, get to mapping out your timelines, yo! 😉

first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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first look wedding photography galleryPINME

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If you liked what you just saw here, sign up for The Picture of the Every Couple of Days. It’s an email I send out every couple of days with one image and a few words. It’s a nice refresher for your inbox, aiming only to keep your interest enthused and your inspiration engaged. Check out the most recent Picture of the Every Couple of Days here.

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I saw a tweet this morning that said ‘Weekstarts didn’t really catch on like weekends,’ and yearning for my second cup of coffee, I couldn’t have agreed more.

Then the newsletter from Life Coach Linda came in and the little tokens of wisdom were just what I needed this Monday. Thought I’d share (my two cents are added in parenthesis at the end of bullets):

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5 Ways to Put More Oomph into Your Day

  1. Create a Kick Start Morning Routine –  Start your day off with powerful practices like meditation, connecting with inspiring or motivational material, or physical exercise (or read for 15 minutes!)
  2. Design Your Day – Review your goals and intentions for the day and create a plan for making them happen.  Make sure your goals and plan are realistic and balanced (goal planning breaks down to To-Do lists, something I create and follow every day).
  3. Monitor and Maximize Your Energy throughout the Day – Support your physical body by giving it the nutrition and exercise it needs.  Take regular breaks and focus on positive self-talk to keep your mind clear and ready (I start with a healthy breakfast smoothie most days, yum and boom!).
  4. Use the Power of Movement and Action – Movement builds energy and increases motivation.  You will feel better and be more effective when you exercise and stretch regularly.   Taking action toward your goals builds mental momentum, confidence, and a feeling of being energized (take a walk, or better, a walk with your dog!).
  5. Close Your Day with Gratitude, Celebration, and Rest – End your day on a positive note and allow plenty of time for connecting with others, fun, and quality rest.  This will give you the best chance of waking up the next morning energized and ready to go (a nice phone chat, another 15-30 minutes deep in a good book and an early enough bed time!).

Your Turn:  How do you keep the oomph in your days?

 (Please feel to comment or respond leaving a comment below.)
Check out Linda’s blog here and subscribe to her newsletter. It’s regular nuggets of awesomeness that often put an OOMPH in your day! As a small business owner and photographer here in Orange that works a lot of hours alone in her office, I know the importance of motivation. Linda’s notes are just another little push to BE THE BEST Version of YOU! Woo! Happy Monday!

If you liked what you just saw here, sign up for The Picture of the Every Couple of Days. It’s an email I send out every couple of days with one image and a few words. It’s a nice refresher for your inbox, aiming only to keep your interest enthused and your inspiration engaged. Check out the most recent Picture of the Every Couple of Days here.

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  • February 25, 2013 - 1:03 pm

    Amy - Great ideas! I usually put together my day the night before. That way when I wake up, I’m ready to go and just have to follow my own instructions. (Night Amy is much more efficient and organized than Morning Amy, she’s a bit of a slacker and needs some extra motivation sometimes!)

Mary and Miguel’s Disneyland engagement portraits were featured on Magical Day Weddings in their Disney engagement section – woot!

Check out the feature here. And then check out how they [started to] live happily ever after here. 🙂

 

Disney weddings and engagement photographersPINME
If you liked what you just saw here, sign up for The Picture of the Every Couple of Days. It’s an email I send out every couple of days with one image and a few words. It’s a nice refresher for your inbox, aiming only to keep your interest enthused and your inspiration engaged. Check out the most recent Picture of the Every Couple of Days here.

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