This past weekend I joined many other San Diego photographers in a “Trash the Dress” party. We had a ton of brides (some grooms), a TON of photographers and a ton of fun! :) I haven’t gotten a chance to do a trash the dress shoot yet, since I don’t think many people know about this kind of shoot, or fully understand it. It’s quickly gaining a lot of press, since trashthedress.com has been on the NY Times and etc. A huge misconception with the shoot is that you literally and seriously trash the dress. In most cases, actually, the dress only gets either dirty or wet, and with a good cleaning, is salvageable. And if you don’t want to mess with your own dress, but still want to have fun in this type of shoot, you can always buy a thrift store dress, which I think many of these brides did! Really, the shoot is just an opportunity to have fun with the shoot, without worrying about getting your dress dirty. I’m going to start offering this, so if any of you are interested, please let me know! It’s a chance to have FUN and play around! As well as get amazing images of you and your hubby. :) Or you by yourself if you’d like! :D

Thanks to everyone who participated in this shoot! Also, if it seems like I really only have one couple and one bride in this shoot, we were kind of told to not switch around too much, so I did exactly that. Other photogs may have jumped around, but I pretty much stuck with the same people cause this is what an actual shoot would be like, yes? ;)

Japanese gardens are such beautiful places, and I love photographing them! Winnie and Jason shared their intimate vows at the Early Burns Miller Japanese Gardens at CSU Long Beach. Everything was beautiful, and these two are so adorable! They love each other and you can see it. Congrats you two! :D

first time seeing one another!

feeding the fishes - look how they swarm!!

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I am a So You Think You Can Dance freak, so can I just say, WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING AMERICA?! Jessi and Pasha in the bottom 3? **shakes head** Shauna rocked her solo. Reminded me of Travis from last season ;)

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Mylene and Benzen’s special day! They are such a fun-loving couple I had a blast with them! And of course, can I mention the reception?! I loved it all! Such style and flair! :D They were married at the Mission De Alcala and the reception was held at the very regal Westgate Hotel!

Huge frickin burritos from JV’s Mexican Food! Called the Surf and Turf, and it was DELICIOUS!!

The awesome room!

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Outside of weddings, can I just say how thrilled I am that So You Think You Can Dance is back on?! I’m not calling favorites yet, since it’s too early in the competition, I think, but I can’t wait to see how this progresses. Last season inspired me to dance again and take dance classes again, so that’s what I’m doing, and guess what?! I have a recital performance in August!! So if you want to come and watch me dance, you’re more than welcome to. :D I’ll keep everyone posted when I have ticket info :)

Something that I’ve been trying to do is making my business a more eco-friendly one! Being a very small business, it’s not entirely hard, but there are always things that I can do to reduce my impact as a photographer and a business owner. :) And as a person!

One of the things I’ve been doing is trying to use local products, prints, and services. This reduces shipping, and the energy used for shipping. I’m currently looking into album companies that are more local (Southern California), thus won’t need to ship from really far away!

All my cards, papers, etc will be on recycled paper and using soy or vegetable based inks.

Also, I’m in the process of signing up with an organization to donate a percentage of my profits to an environmental cause of my choice. This is very exciting!

Going green is definitely not easy doing all at once, it’s a gradual process, and there’s SO much I can do that I definitely can’t do it all at once. With the digital age, it’s definitely becoming easier, you don’t need the harmful chemicals and dyes that we used to for film developing. Proofing can done solely online to reduce paper use, among MANY other things!

I’m truly excited for these ideas, I feel like it’s really a step in the right direction, and we can all do our part to help the planet :)

I know Jeri and Jhett had wanted a beautiful sunny waterfront wedding, and unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating, but the wedding was still beautiful! I loved the colors of the light blue and orange - it’s not a common color scheme and I love it! And these two are so in love! Especially Jhett - he couldn’t take his eyes off her! And rightfully so! ;)

They were married at the Harbor Park with the reception at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse. :)

Just before seeing his bride :)

Best man holding the rings

Fun crowd ;)