Last week, I was able to photograph the Edu & Peralta family at Balboa Park. It’s so amazing when you photograph a couple’s wedding, and then you do their family shoots when they have a new addition! Louise & Anthony were married May of 2006, and Annalise came very soon after that! She’s an adorable baby, the whole family is so cute! Including the Peralta family, which is Louise’s side – parents and sisters. Thanks so being such wonderful subjects and trekking around the park with me to look at beautiful locations! We should do it again when Annalise gets older. :)

Of course, she was the star of the whole shoot!

The whole crew

Annalise the turtle! So cute :)

One of the things I miss most are storm clouds. You don’t see them often in San Diego, but I miss them because when alongside the sun, they produce the most beautiful sunsets. This past Saturday was no exception. After my two weddings, I was ready to relax at home when my boyfriend called me during work and insisted that I went to the cliff near our house and take a look. I didn’t feel like walking, plus I didn’t want to miss anything, so I grabbed my camera and jumbled into my car. When I pulled up, I saw a layer of storm clouds, hanging over the horizon, with the golden sun shining through. It’s things like this I missed since moving down.

Looking over, I saw a party of about 30 people, making their way to the edge of the cliff, each holding balloons. I figured they were probably just here to take a look at the sunset, like I and a few others were here to do. I snapped a few pictures, and figured the view would probably be better if I drove to the coast. I hopped back into my car, and proceeded to drive past the crowd, when the sun hit them just right, and I knew it was my duty as a photographer to go back and take that photo I just saw in my head. I literally put my car in reverse, and backed up. I scrambled out of my car, and while I did that, I heard the last notes of “Happy Birthday” being sung. I look up and the next thing I saw was 30 people release 30 balloons, gently into the air. I quickly snapped as many photos as I could. As I was watching this all unfold, it made me wonder who the lucky birthday person was, to have such a beautiful sunset on their day, and to have so many loving family and friends come together for their special day. I immediately thought of my boyfriend’s grandmother, and wondered if the person they were celebrating had passed on as well, because it struck me as such a thing to do for such an occasion. I briefly considered approaching them, but felt it be best that I not intrude. I made my way back to the car and headed to the coast, photographing the rest of the beautiful sunset because well, we need to remember days like this.

The photo I originally backed up for :)

Making my way over the hill

One of my favorite spots to drive – it’s beautiful when the coastline comes into view. And no, I don’t recommend you take pictures while you drive. :)

If you were wondering, the trip went well, it was nice to see family again and spend some time reconnecting. I will be posting some photos soon hopefully.

Last Thursday my boyfriend got a call from his sister – his grandmother had passed away that morning. Over the past few days, I had been thinking a lot about life, and how short and fleeting it is in the grand scheme of the universe. We need to be thankful for everyday that we are blessed with, for every loved one in our lives. It makes me thankful & feel blessed to be doing what I do – capture these fleeting moments for people, in one of the most special days of their lives.

She was 89, and lived a long, full life. I had the pleasure of knowing her, if only briefly. She had a gentle spirit, and a great love for Charlie Brown & the gang. Every corner of her house was filled with figurines and clippings from the comics. I enjoyed her company – she will be missed.

Because of this, we will be out of town from Monday until Wednesday evening. If you need to reach me immediately, please email me or call my cell phone. Otherwise, I will be back on Thursday.

“We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another.”
- Luciano de Crescenzo

P.S. I have also been listening to a lot of Joshua Radin – his voice and music is amazing. I definitely recommend you check him out. :)

09.22.07 // george’s at the cove . la jolla, ca

San Diego is not known for its rain, in fact, I don’t remember the last time we had rain before yesterday! However, rain came (and went!) and Katie & Leif’s day went off beautifully. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place at Calumet park, but since the skies were not clearing, a last minute move to George’s (the reception location) was made. And honestly, you could not tell! The decor at George’s matched Katie & Leif’s theme so perfectly, I think it couldn’t have been better secondary location :)

Also, not the mention aside from the rain there were tornadoes! Scroll down further for the photo and explanation.

Katie & mom

Playing footsie is encouraged :)

So apparently there were tornadoes off the coast while we were doing the shoot. During the actual shoot, I didn’t even notice – I was so focused on Katie & Leif! But guests were telling us later that they saw a few off the coast. My boyfriend was actually surfing off by Del Mar at the exact same time, and texted me about the tornadoes while I was at the wedding. Once I pulled up the photos, I immediately started looking for the tornadoes in the background, and sure enough, there they were on the left!

This is a closeup of the previous image – from the left side.

I couldn’t pick which ring shot I liked best, so I’m posting both!

During the parent dances

Katie & Leif, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your lovely day! You guys are fabulous, gorgeous and fun, and I wish you two many blessings for years to come.

ceremony/reception/catering . george’s at the cove
wedding coordination . sweet memories by candi
florist . anar florals
officiant . pastor mike

09.21.07 // first united methodist church & admiral baker clubhouse . san diego, ca

What a weekend! And it’s not even over yet! I have a lot of posts to make in the next few days, but I wanted to blog my Friday wedding really quickly, before heading off to bed. First, the images!

Oliver, being goofy :)

He was grinning so much during the shoot! “I can’t help it!” he exclaimed “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time!!”

First dance

Congrats to Oliver and JoAnna, who were married in a beautiful wedding yesterday! You two are beautiful, sweet and awesome! Ollie was grinning so much, and it was adorable how he kept asking people around him “Is this too much??” (referring to how wide he was grinning, while pointing to his grinning mouth). He was marrying the love of his life, he couldn’t be happier of course. :) The day went so smoothly too! There wasn’t a rain cloud in sight, despite all the weather forecasts saying it would rain!

florist . elegant florist
dj . dj guy
officiant . elbert kim
caterer . admiral baker clubhouse
videography . patrick pike

I’ve been nominated for the 10 News A*List for Best Photographer in San Diego! THANK YOU to the person who nominated me, and please, vote for me! You can click on the image to the left or go here, and click on the VOTE icon. Thanks so much for all your support! :D

“Dude! I almost caught this totally gnarly wave the other day!”

It was my boyfriend’s god daughter’s first time at the beach the other day and we had to document the event for her father, who is overseas in Iraq right now. He has dreams for her to be a surf baby!

Her “Paris Hilton look” as her mom calls it ;)

I also recieved something fun in the mail the other day, something I’ve wanted for a while now, a Shootsac! Don’t know what a Shootsac is? Basically, it’s a lens bag, but it’s oh-so-stylish, and I couldn’t resist getting one. I’ve used it once so far, and I can’t wait to use it on my upcoming weddings this weekend. :) I love it!

A self-portrait, something I rarely do!

Stay tuned, I have more photos to post this week :)

crystal cove historic district beach cottages & [seven degrees] . laguna beach, ca

It’s been SUCH a busy weekend and a busier week ahead, with so many photos I want to share, but first my Saturday wedding! You may remember Cathleen & Dexter’s engagement session a few weeks ago, and their wedding has finally come! The day was amazing, it began at Laguna Cliffs Marriott, with the getting readys, and then we headed to the reception site for photos, the uber cool [seven degrees]. This place is a modern dream! Fog was coming and going throughout the day, it was the strange really-sunny-but-super-thick-fog-over-the-water&beach kind, and during the ceremony, it decided to grace us with its presence. By the time we did photos at the beach with Cat & Dex, the fog lifted, but hung over the water, making an amazing sunset.

The day was perfect, and honestly I don’t think it could’ve been any better for these two! And the reception site, can I just gush for a minute? It was amazingly modern and cool, and I had such a blast. :)

Cat & Dex (& little Noah!) You guys are amazing people who are so warm and friendly, easy going and fun. With infectious smiles and being such beautiful people, it’s no wonder you were surrounded by so many wonderful friends & loved ones. I wish you guys the best for years and years to come.

I LOVED her bouquet!

Taking it all in before the ceremony

Giving a necklace to Noah

What a cute family!

The coolest thing ever – there were ornaments all over the reception with little tv’s inside that played a slideshow of their engagement photos

First dance

And Noah, fast asleep during the reception ;)

ceremony . crystal cove historic district cottages
reception/catering/flowers/lighting . [seven degrees]
video . robles video
dj . honored occasions
ceremony musicians . MAKENA
day of coordination . perfect planning events

One of my first interactions with Sara was when I was in 6th grade – she sold me “stickers” which were actually images cut out from cute Sanrio/Hello Kitty stationary, and with double stick tape on the back. They were 25 cents each. I think I bought 4.

;)

And now dear Sara and I are both all grown up, both with our own businesses (she provides private music lessons) and she’s getting married! It was a blast shooting their engagement session last weekend – this was the first time I met Jared and the first time I saw Sara in years! It was so good seeing you guys and hanging out, I can’t wait for the wedding! :D

Now this is the Sara I know! ;)

So, on one night on the Perseid meteor shower, I decided to head out east with my boyfriend and try and catch some shooting or “falling” stars. We drove out east on I-8, and went way out where we haven’t been before – past Alpine and all that. We picked a spot that wasn’t scary to be at so late at night, and I couldn’t stop staring out the window when we were driving – I love seeing this many stars!

The image above is pretty much the only image where I caught a shooting star – it’s near the bottom right – by my logo – going downwards. All the other ones didn’t seem bright enough to catch them. I was pretty sad. I wanted to use this meteor shower to prepare for the Aurigids that were only going to happen once in our lifetime. Unfortunately for me, I messed up the dates on the Aurigids, and completely missed them. Yea, you should’ve seen me when I discovered this. I was pretty darn upset. :(

I took other photos of the stars, though, and also got some “time lapse” of the total lunar eclipse that happened a few weeks ago. It’s been quite a few months for astro-activity! I love it though, and can’t wait for other opportunities!

Just look at all those stars!

september 2, 2007 oceanview club . pt loma sub base . old point loma lighthouse

You might remember them from their engagement session. :)

I have so much to say about this wonderful couple, but I’ll save those for last. Their photos speak for themselves.

First time they saw one another

Are they cute, or are they cute? :)

I told Eric to “stand like a MAN.” I think he did a good job, don’t you? :)

It just wouldn’t be an Asian wedding without the cameras ;)

This was taken right after Eric had jumped the gun and leaned over to try and kiss Kristine. A little eager are we? ;)

NOW you may kiss! ;)

And another :)

First dance

The “money train” ;)

Kristine and Eric, you two are the sweetest, most gentle, fun couple in the world. Not to mention ridiculously good-looking! ;D Thank you for blessing me with your grace and spirit, and allowing me to photograph your beautiful day. God seriously couldn’t have made your day more perfect! I wish you two the very best on your journey together, and have fun on the honeymoon! :D

wedding coordination . the best wedding for you . julie schrivener
florist . brian bosch designs
dj . elite british dj – mick schrivener

p.s did you guys notice? the images are now LARGER and juicier. :) enjoy!
p.p.s. does anyone else think that kristine looks like katie holmes, pre-tom cruise? hehe!

So, I use collages.net for my online proofing, and I was notified a while ago that they wanted to use one of my images in their new ad coming out this fall in The Knot Southern California. How exciting for me, because I have yet to put ANY of my images in a magazine (ad or otherwise) so I’m pretty excited about it, even though it’s not really getting published. I just had to share! :) And if you’re at the bookstore/newsstand, check it out! It’s in one of the early pages of the issue.

My image in the upper right hand corner

Also, I hope you all have a great holiday weekend – I’m currently heartbroken that I missed the meteor shower last night – I thought it was tonight and got it mixed up! I’m so sad now. :(