Carissa and Justin are such an affectionate couple... it's clear that they are crazy about each other! They were so excited when I told them that they could be affectionate and cuddly in their engagement session... and to kiss a lot! Here are a few of my favorites from the day. 
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Every Christmas I reunite with some of my dearest & funniest friends from college. We all went to Azusa Pacific University together and graduated in 2002. One couple married and moved back to San Diego, another couple lives in Temecula (with their two babies), one lives in Padadena, another in Northern California, and I live in Glendora. This year we gathered in Temecula the same night Brandon and I arrived in from Georgia. Although the drive and sunset was beautiful, we needed Starbucks to stay awake after the long flight. And what Christmas drive is complete without Sufjan Stevens Christmas Edition CD. I love his music! We tried to take a few group shots on a timer, but as you can see, it was awkward... especially me since I pushed the timer button and had to jump in the picture! But it was yet another reason to laugh really hard with my friends. I love you guys!
I went with Brandon to Georgia to visit his family and friends before Christmas. His parents' backyard had acres of land with cattle and as you can see... donkeys! We went to a cute little downtown area and ate authentic southern food... even fried green tomatoes and sweet tea. The restaurant was a transformed from an old house with a wrap around porch. It even had rocking chairs. One of the last photos is the security line in the Atlanta airport... it was soooo long! The last photo was a beautiful view to return to... I love LA! My visit to Georgia with Brandon to see his family and friends was so fun!
My mom is a terrific cook. I know I have mentioned that before on my blog and Thanksgiving meals are no exception. She and Daniel (& the rest of us) cooked a fabulous dinner. She made a Southwest Turkey and all the fixins'. Dan is becoming a great cook, too. In one photo of her I caught her in the middle of cooking and moving around the kitchen... a "cooking action shot" if you will. Later on, Brandon and I were goofing around outside for some fun(ny) photos. Yes, Anna, you have "pro-staus" skills with the camera. :) 
Julianne is so adorable! She is almost 10 months old and so active and expressive. Her mom is a fabulous photographer and a friend of mine; so naturally, I am very honored to be her photographer when she is in the photos. Gina also asked me to shoot her maternity photos and Julianne's newborn photos at 6 weeks old. It was such a fun shoot this morning, but as you can tell it really made Julianne tired by the end!
There are six people in my family: my parents (Steve & Carol), my older brother (Sean), my younger sister (Anna), and my younger brother (Daniel). Every year around Thanksgiving we take a family photo. Since I am the official photographer of the family I set up my camera on a tripod, adjust the camera settings, and put it on timer to take our photo. We took our photo last week and it was another funny experience! The first photo is my favorite that we are using for our Christmas card... and the rest are some others that I like... Enjoy! 
Sean & Melissa
Brandon & Me
Daniel
Anna
Mom & Dad
Did I mention that we were also celebrating mine and Sean's birthdays? My Mom makes such a wonderful carrot cake... and she thought she was being funny with the re-lighting candles. Funny, Mom, Funny!!!
When I first got into photography I developed everything on the black and white darkroom. I loved it! It was so enjoyable to be in the silence of the darkroom, swish the tray back and forth, and watch the paper in the developer tray slowly reveal the image I had worked so hard to perfect. I loved the darkroom so much that I set up a make-shift darkroom at my parents' house in the extra bathroom. It has been a long time since I have lived at my parents and I don't have the room to set up a darkroom where I live now. Since my last time in the darkroom I was introduced to my first digital SLR camera. I was a "digital skeptic" and thought that film was the only true artistic form of photography. After using my Canon 20D for only a short time, I fell in love. I always want to shoot digital. I decided that if I ever want to print in the darkroom again I will use a lab at the local photography school. I am saying goodbye to all of my darkroom equipment, taking it out of storage, and selling it. This post is a tribute to how good my darkroom treated me and all of the great photos I developed with this set-up. Thank you! ;)
Tony and Nikki were such a fun couple to photograph... and they were clearly sooo in love! It was really cute. They tied the knot at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu and the beautiful reception was in the same location. Here are a few of my favorite moments from the day (in no particular order).
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I have been creating and designing new marketing pieces for my photography business over the past week. This one is one of my final designs. I really like the bold, vibrant colors. This wedding that is featured on this collage was from a wedding that I shot with Jonathan Marrs back in August. It was a really beautiful wedding at the Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa. What a gorgeous venue! I will be posting some more designs soon, so keep checking back. :)
