Just wanted to drop in quickly and say hello and that I am still here and alive! Things have just been so busy with the move! :) Lots to do, lots to do!

So, how are all you? Tell me something that you’re thankful for today.. just for fun. :) Me? I’m thankful for the new view I have while working :)

Cathy & Erik, one of my fave couples of all time! They’ve done an engagement session, Cathy a boudoir, their wedding and now their Trash the Dress/Post Wedding session with me (view their teasers). And now I’m sad! We don’t have any more shoots to do, at least not for now :P

We trekked up to the snow for this shoot – we wanted something totally different and something not normal to San Diego – what better than snow?! It was freeeeezing cold (of course, my San Diegan self thought “oh, it’s sunny, it shouldn’t be too bad, right?” WRONG!) but it was totally worth it. We got amazing images, and here they are!

Huge thanks to Cathy & Erik (especially Erik – poor guy would put on Cathy’s coat in between shots that he was in – lol) for being such troopers in the cold!

Plus, a bonus – view their slideshow I made from the session! <3 Enjoy :)

Edit to add:  I totally meant to add this but forgot when I was actually posting – I just wanted to give a plug to Cathy’s fabulous invite business – Love at First Invite! She’s so talented – just check out her work! :)

oh em gee! It’s been a while since I’ve done one, and I just thought I would, because I do miss doing these. :)
(The polaroid above is my boyfriend’s newest gift from me. He loves it. He types in it everyday. :) )

re: moving!
Big news, we will be moving soon! To a larger place, which will be awesome because I will be able to have a designated meeting space, rather than just doing it in our living space. And my own office! So excited! Of course I’ll post a few images when I get the chance. :)

re: my new polaroid project.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, I’ve been taking a polaroid a day and posting them here. I’m not posting everyday, I usually post them in lumps but I do take one everyday :)

re: orla kiely at target.
Have you heard? Orla Kiely has a line at Target! Of course I had to get the apron, place mats, dishtowel and oven mitts. :)

re: her morning elegance.
I love this video in every single way. & his music is great. :)

re: 500 days of summer.
Zooey Deschanel and Joesph Gordon Levitt? Song and dance? Awesome soundtrack? City scapes that turn into drawings? YES please! I can’t wait for this movie!

re: things i am loving.
this color scheme!!
her hairpieces.
danni’s jewelry.
that pink dress is heavenly.
i am head over heels for these bikes (the colors!) – and those bags! i want to get my hands on them.
this new wedding blog. love the style!
the last five images of this home.
DENNIS QUAID WANTS A COFFEE. (this video cracks me up everytime)

re: a quote to leave you by.
“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All of the people in the whole world. I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid worlds. Not just one world, hundreds of them, maybe thousands” – Neil Gaiman

Thanks for being a part of my world, all of you. :)

I cannot WAIT to show the rest of these to you all!

Dear Tilt-Shift, I love you. Sincerley, your fangirl, Susan. :)

More to come as usual :) These are only teasers!

And I just had to post a few of the reception, which made my mouth drop upon entering.

Westminster, Newport Beach, Orange County, CA

More to come!

I’ve been to the Salton Sea several times now, but this was the first time I went without needing to shoot a couple. I went when Samm Blake came to visit San Diego (she’s from Australia), and it was the first time we actually MET, after knowing each other online for many many years (before we even became wedding photographers). I decided to post a few, since it has been a while since I’ve posted anything personal that wasn’t a polaroid.

The backstory of the Salton Sea is that it was created when the Colorado River flooded around the turn of the last century. It was originally touted to be a resort area, with yacht clubs, and boats and water skiing and swimming. But due to many factors (dying fish, high saline content, flooding), it didn’t survive this dream, and now it’s abandoned except for the few people who decided that the Salton Sea is home. Going to the Salton Sea is always a surreal experience, especially at what I think is the most beautiful time to visit it, sunset. The whole place transforms to this serene and abandoned beauty. We stayed well past sunset, as evidenced by some of Samm’s photos on her blog.

What also intrigues me about the place is whenever I see other photographer’s photos of the place – it’s like you can see time pass through it. (For example, we did this shoot a few years ago using that blue chair we found there, and then I found this photo from another photographer of the same chair over a year later. In a different location and totally decayed.) Everytime I see a new photo from a different photographer, you can see how much it decays.

But it is beautiful, and I definitely think worth the 3 hour drive. :)

Enjoy!

P.S. that motel that we shot in is gone! they tore it down :(