Marry Christmas and Happy New Year

our family moved this past summer and rediscovered some long lost memories. karen and i were packing up all our things for the BIG move and we came across her wedding gown. curious to see if she could "still fit in it" she tried it on. wow! she looked great. so, i happened to mention that she should wear her gown in our christmas card this year. out of sure "yeah, what the hell. why not?" the idea was born. we packed up the kids, made a picnic and headed out to the beach. now i have to tell you...taking a christmas card of your own family is a bit challenging, to say the least. so after a few attempts and some impromptu remote camera set-ups... we landed our portrait. the whole event was captured in matter of minutes before katie and joejoe decided that they had enough. now, it was time to PLAY in the ocean. not even 3 minutes after this shot was taken both of them were playing in the water like it was 110 degrees out, bright as day and the water was...well, warm. on the contrary. it was about 47 degrees outside, 15 minutes past sunset and the water was as cold as the antarctic! but, kids being kids, they showed me how to let it all in , enjoy life and the journey we are on... together. so, the individual photos of katie and joe joe are them playing in the ocean...freezing but loving being with their mommie and poppie.

marry christmas is a tribute to family, children and our brides that inspire us throughout the year.

may you and yours truly embrace this time of year and celebrate those closest to you each and every day.

Amigos Calendars Now on Sale for the Holidays!

hot off the presses, 2008 wall calendar features kids photos, you'll want to get your hands on this year's most unique holiday gift! share the spirit of the holidays by giving the 2008 casa pacifica amigos calendar to friends, family, colleagues and corporate partners!

this stunning, full-color wall calendar features photos taken by children who have been participating in the drawing with light program. the children in the program, which is taught by amigo joey carman of joey carman photography, have been transformed by this opportunity to express themselves through the art of photography. these powerful photos are complimented by the poems written by other children from casa pacifica who also found their voices through art.

the amigos calendar also features important dates throughout the year, including: amigos events with the children, amigos poker nights, angels wine & food festival and many more! you'll never miss an event with the amigos calendar!

these beautiful, limited edition calendars are only $22 each! 100% of the proceeds will go to support the amigos in their efforts to bring out the potential of all of the children at casa pacifica! don't forget to send this post to others who might also be interested in the amigos calendar!

Click Here to order your calendars today!

Piconi Family Portrait

Quote of the Month

“Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it।”

-Julia Childs

Sunset in Sedona, AZ

a spur of the moment trip to sedona, az was so needed. took the family on a road trip to spend time with some dear, dear friends of ours for thanksgiving. looking around on the way in and while there, was soooooooooo awesome. i have to say that the images of sedona far exceed any decription i could ever begin to express. you are immediately amongst something far greater than oneself.

a few years ago i took a photograph of, what i thought was a very cool (prettified looking) tree that after developing it discovered a spiritual VORTEX spiraling throughout the branches of the tree. i am not one to proclaim...but i am the first to respect traditions, customs, faiths and spiritual beliefs other than my own. i guess...to honor ones beliefs is to embrace those around you. plus, how cool is it to be apart of more than just my little BIG bad self!


i was told by some locals that people come from all over the world to be "enlightened" by the energy of the land that makes up the beautiful skyline of sedona. so, i woke up one morning and headed out to capture the sunrise and ended up with soooo much more.

took 4 frames and this image was # 3.

Aingworth Children Portrait

the moment that i showed up at our portrait shoot together the aingworth children were poised ready to go.

what nice kids. the big brother was a great help and as you can see looked out for his two younger sisters.

nice to get out and photograph in the park not to mention having the pleasure of spending some time with fun children. aren't children cool?!

Wii Thank You!

1,776,658 is how many images you have viewed on our site. there has been over 3,000 new visitors viewing 627,671 pages spending an average of 15min. hanging out before 91% of you bookmark our site visiting us just under 3x a year.

if this doesn't put a smile on your face, let me be the first one to shake you a bit! :)

joey carman photography has become a love affair with all of you and we are truly grateful. grateful because you have been the catalyst of who we are and who we've become. it is the time that you take to tell karen or i just what moves you, and what doesn't. this is why your comments, good or bad, shape us to be better than yesterday and more passionate about tomorrow because you care today.

you have moved me so deeply with your support and i can not thank you enough from the bottom of my heart. making the decision to step back and take inventory was the best thing i could have ever done. by you embracing our photography is proof that you agree too.

i am humbled by all that you have given to karen and i during and after our time together. the memories and the many "artful moments' make me a rich man. thank you.

in the true spirit of thanksgiving i want to give you thanks and say..."the time we have with you is like spending time with family. you have me from hello." :) i always want you to know that it is my honor to share with you, and your family, moments that we capture together that last forever. moments that bring back vivid memories because we were there with you...bright eyed and full of wonder.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from our family to yours.

-joey

Cimino Family Portrait

one of the my most cherished things about what karen and i do is meeting families and being invited into their home to celebrate their life through our photography. the cimino family were gracious with sharing with me a slice of their home that i could not resist capturing in this photograph for their family portrait. i have learned throughout my "listening" to my clients that ones home could never be replicated in any studio or backdrop. the emotion, comfort and pure familiarity of their environment is priceless. i have developed our location portraits to embody a more natural feel both by orchestrating natural and controlled lighting reminiscences of our studio but from our clients home environment.

Johnson Family Portrait

i can't begin to say how much i enjoy what i do.


photography has afforded me a wonderful way to celebrate soooooooooooo many god given gifts. family is one of them.


our family portrait of the johnson family was really a lot of fun. from the moment GO the boys were ON! climbing trees, running, throwing rocks, playing with sticks in the water...just being KIDS. i love it.


the family tried to keep it "within the lines" but soon they relaized that they were not on just any ol' portrait shoot. soon the families dynamic unveiled itself and rendered some beautiful images that can only happen from an observers viewpoint.

Ferrone Family Portrait

during the year, karen and i donate our photography throughout our community to various community outreach programs, churches, synagogues, schools and fund raisers established to raise awareness for numerous charities and scholarship endowments. but most importantly we reach out to our community to say THANK YOU for...everything. we are blessed being surrounded by wonderful people in and around our community. the ferrone family is just such a family that we meet from our "reaching out" to our community.


by the initial hello they were quite suprised with how much fun a family portrait can be and how very little time it takes to capture moments that are genuine to their family and their family only.

we walked around for a bit and came away with some really fun shots and a moment in time that they will soon not forget.

Brooke and Dan

i can go on and on about the moments that define our photography but to truly see for yourself is proof in anything i could ever say. take for example a photograph that i took during the day of a wedding when a woman unveils herself as a beautiful bride... it was quite powerful and one of life's moments that is breathtaking as a photographer. i was told that the bride's library to her aunt's home was being used temporarily as a "catch all" room and it was one of the only rooms that wasn't suitable to photograph. i have been known to go against conventional requests and see beauty in pretty much everything and anything. so, true to form i escorted the bride to the library to capture an unexpected and unconventional bridal portrait that has a hint of Helmut Newton.

brooke and dan's on-line proofing website

brooke and dan's online wedding album

Quote of the Month

"Good timber does not grow with ease; the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees."

- J. Willard Marriott

O'Connell Family Portrait

re·la·tion·ship (n)
the connection between two or more people or groups and their involvement with each other, especially as regards how they behave and feel toward each other and communicate or cooperate.often i am asked what makes our photography any different from the rest. my response is more than likely revolves around the "relationship" that i have built with our clients. to earn the trust of others and uphold this is very, very special to me.
the o'connell family are personal friends of ours that reached out to us because "taking a family portrait was not one of their favorite things to do." enter, karen and me. after taking in the breath taking views of their property i immediately saw an "old hollywood" feel to their portrait and wanted to celebrate the beauty in the eye of the storm...two fun, energetic and vicarious boys, and a strong, quiet and very, very talented sound re-recording mixer. the idea of having heather wear her "oscar" gown was an unanimous choice and the most perfect choice for her portrait. during our portrait shoot i often learn more of the stories that make up the individual(s) in front of the lens that ultimately help color our portraits. like, finding out that kevin's boyhood love is riding his mini bike and all the photos he recalls riding. this prompted me to invite him to ride the mini with his boys to "hand down the tradition."




wanting to celebrate the "beauty" I asked heather to stand and "look pretty." this put her in a spot light that she wasn't comfortable with but drew out a sincere, child-like innocence that was pure beauty unscripted. sometimes just by paying attention to minor details, like ones shyness, makes a world of difference on film.it is inevitable at times but i find myself firing off the shutter button fast and furiously just to keep up with the moment. hence the b/w collage of the o'connell's pillow fight. the final image is a direct result of the organic process of letting the portrait be captured through uninterrupted movement.
thank you to the o'connell family for giving of themselves to, again, help color our photography to what it is today.

Presentation Day

karen and i presented the "faculty portrait" today and the response was just priceless.


the faculty at saint maximilian kolbe's korner RULE! what a nice reception. taking and presenting the portrait in no way outweighs the hugs and sincere gratitude that we received.


oh, funny thought... i remember while i was photographing the faculty one of the teachers asked what they could do in return for our gift of photographing them and i replied..."just take care of our children."

they do that so effortlessly and without a second thought that this would be easy for them to repay. i knew by their response, a kind chuckle and some award winning smiles, that they knew they were appreciated by us and this portrait was our way of saying THANK YOU!

here is the portrait-

thank you to all the teachers and their unwavering support and guidance of our youth.

Picture Day was a HIT!

the children came to picture day with ATTITUDE! karen and i had sooooooooooooo much fun. to be a child, better yet, to be around children really gets the funny bone tickeled. not to mention the juices flowing. what a three day rush. the children at saint maximilian kolbe's korner are truly god's greatest gift. i really believe i received more during my three days with them then i could ever give in return. quick story. one boy, in particular, came to us to get his portrait taken and was, let's just say timid. well, realizing that maybe my 6'3" frame looking down at him appeared a bit "overwhelming" i immediately bent down to shake his hand. after a few minutes of being "joey" the boy soon realized that i was a bit on the "goofy grown-up" side and began to give to me a series of images that filled my heart. you can't begin to imagine the joy that overcomes me to be in the presence of a child's laughter. on top of that to be the one making them laugh. So, thank you to all the wonderful children and their wonderful families that make up the community of saint maximilian kolbe.

Ethan's Bar Mitzvah

ethan's outlook on life from the outside in is awesome. one of my favorite things to do is being surrounded with laughter, high energy and pure FUN!


ethan had all these ingredients. when he stood up and announced to everyone that he was ready to declare his responsibility of his faith there wasn't a dry eye in the temple. at the same time he made sure that everyone knew with a little bit of humor even the stern of hearts could break out smiling...with him. his enthusiasm and love of live is and was infectious.


at times it was everything i could do to keep up with him and his family, but the time we had together went by too fast. my hat's off to ethan and his family for making all whom shared in his day very proud and grateful to be present.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe Picture Day

you asked for it... “digital on-line proofing before i buy! ”

now, everything from proofing the image before you order to placing your orders on-line without obligations or any pre-payment requirements.

multiple packages with the option to purchase your child's portrait "a-la-carte".

posting of all images will be at a later date and will require password to access private website.

Quote of the Month

“Man, he is constantly growing and when he is bound by a set of patterns of ideas or way of doing things, that’s when he stops growing”.

-Bruce Lee

Judy and Carl Engagement - santa barbara, ca

i can not say enough about meeting couples and connecting with them on a more personal level. karen and i had sooooooooooooo much fun with judy and carl!


the ocean and location was absolutely beautiful. we arrived a bit early to scope out the digs to get the lay of the land and came up with some really nice images. take a look at carl embracing judy...it is right up against the side of a cliff! WOW!


i can't wait to celebrate their wedding day. funny, i feel i am anticipating their day as much as they are.


it is a tribute to their spirit and embracing karen and i to capture them as friends rather than clients. santa barbara is quickly becoming one of my favorite destinations to photograph and just hang out.

it just keeps on getting better and better each and every time!

Santa Barbara Bridal Expo

a few times a year karen and i introduce ourselves to hundreds of brides that seem to have become more and more unique in their style. we met some very nice brides and grooms that the day seemed to fly by way too fast.


taking the time to speak with us provided an insight into a life in a day that still brings us goose bumps. we met a beautiful "real ranch bride" on her birthday and her soon to be mother-in-law that shared with us her dream wedding. she couldn't stop smiling. our unique bridal boutique and photography attracted as many business partners as it did our brides. we met some great vendors throughout the industry and we are looking forward to establishing a long and lasting relationship with them all.

we were having such a blast in our booth that whitney from the carson daly show came by to give us an impromptu interview with her crew in tow. she asked us "what makes a marriage work?" karen's reply: "always letting him have the last 2 words... 'yes, dear.' "

Quote of the Month

“Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something... hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.”

-Rodger Staubach

Brooke and Dan engagement - santa monica, ca

the engagement session with brooke and dan allowed us to see them as they are and have a bit of fun in the process. funny, when it came to having an ice cream cone on the boardwalk...the couple did not hesitate and were cooling off in no time! sometimes the most spontaneous shots come from just letting the "film roll." dan really flew by me when i asked them to get on their bikes. before i knew it brooke and dan looked like a couple of kids out having fun. you can't see it...but they're about a million people on the beach at sunset. not intentionally, we found ourselves at santa monica pier smack down in the middle of LABOR DAY week-end! never fazed us one bit. so much so that i have to say that we came up with a more unique sunset shot (waikiki inspired) to date.

Lauren and Blake Engagement - malibu, ca

not knowing what to expect and having all your expectations surpassed is always a nice surprise. lauren and blake see themselves as we see them...goofy, fun loving and just wanting to enjoy their lives together. when asked what are you looking forward to the most on your day? the bride replied "getting married!" she can't wait to be married to blake and it shows. taking their portrait was very very difficult. do you detect a bit of sarcasm here? they jumped into the session with both feet running...literally. i enjoy couples who trust what we do fully to the point of giving themselves up to us without reservations. the results are truly one of a kind moments that shine a bit of light into ones lives.

Alami Family Portrait - westlake, ca

at first glance you might swear that we traveled far and wide to find such a beautiful location to photograph the alami's family portrait. we did...their front yard! we had but 5 minutes before the sunset and the result was proof that "when you see it...you see it." more often than not i find beautiful, sometime, down right spectacular locations in the families home, yard or neighborhood. this does a few things. it allows the family to be comfortable in a surrounding that is uniquely their own, eliminates undo stress of traveling to an unfamiliar location and most importantly documents their life in an environment that they will never soon forget. i have to comment on one thing however; i have never protested to be nor have ever been called a "whisperer"...but take a look a the yorkshire terrier. even the family was in awe.