Thai Buddhist Marriage Blessing Ceremony

I was honored to document Amie and Jazmin's marriage blessing ceremony at the Watpadhammachart Temple yesterday morning. There are many traditions and rituals that are upheld in this ceremony. In the temple nine monks blessed the couple and then all of their family blessed them by pouring water blessed by monks over their hands. It was truly amazing to be a part of such a rich heritage and tradition. I lived in Thailand for several months and when I stepped into the temple I truly felt like I had stepped back into Thailand. Amie and Jazmin were so excited and in love... I can hardly wait to shoot their American wedding ceremony next Sunday!

Channel Islands

I went camping this past weekend on the Channel Islands. They are a chain of islands just north of Catalina. Santa Cruz Island, where we camped, is a gorgeous National Park. I couldn't help but think of the show Lost while I was out there... even though the terrain was very different from Hawaii. It was refreshing to get away from citylife and out into the fresh air before the busy-ness of wedding season is in full swing. :) I highly recommend visiting Santa Cruz Island if you like camping, hiking, kayaking, roughing it, and being surrounded by the beauty of nature.


Ventura Harbor at 7:30am when we boarded the boat.


Our first view of the island when we arrived. The cliffs have sea caves beneath them that we kayaked through. Some were like tunnels that you could go through to the other side and others had no other exit.


We came across a California sea lion in one of the sea caves. We were told by the ranger that they can be territorial and aggressive if they have young. Luckily this one just seemed curious to see what we were doing.






Brandon and I right before we left the island.

New Website Gallery Images

I have been working very hard the past few weeks selecting some of my favorite images from the past year. I edited them so they would look their best and updated the galleries on my website. I took a lot of images off my website so it has a fresh, new look. Now I have some new categories in the "galleries" section. I have included a section with "headshots" and combined a few categories into "family life." I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think and keep checking back for some other improvements coming soon. :) MY WEBSITE.

Sandra & Cory

Sandra, Cory, and I met up in Pasadena for their engagement shoot last Sunday. We had a fun time together. We started in Old Town and moved to a place a little greener and quieter. They are so in love and adorable with each other... which makes my job easy! They are getting married in Fallbrook so I am really excited to see them again and shoot their wedding.

Derrick & Jane

I have been wanting to post these images for a while. A few weeks ago I second shot with my friend and an incredible photographer, Rudy Arpia. Jane and Derrick are both doctors and finishing up their residency. So, not only are they a good looking couple, but they are super smart, too! Jane was a gorgeous bride and Derrick was a handsome groom. All day long it was clear that they are so happy together and in love.