Yvonne and Eric - ventura, california

yvonne and eric on-line proofing website

if you only knew yvonne and eric. typically i post images that are taken somewhat in order as they happen. this time i am stepping outside a bit to show you what i see in a couple.

the months, days, and hours leading up to yvonne and eric's wedding all came together in one image..."bubbly". "you just have to know yvonne and eric" to know that when they reached their limo and the cork popped to their champagne...the laughter that came from the two of them was energetic! if any photo captures their spirit as a couple i would have to say this one's it.



arriving to the church i noticed that the groom and his buddies were in great spirits but also noticed that eric had stopped to reflect on what the day meant to him. if just for a moment. the image was eric's reflection through the church window.




one of the more candid moments occurred just moments after yvonne put on her dress.
the anticipation in yvonne's body language is as evident now as it was then. she couldn't wait any longer.




just before sunset, karen and i snuck yvonne and eric off, just before the reception, to capture a few memorable editorials.





thank you yvonne and eric for inviting us into your lives and making us...LOL!

Michelle and Mark - engagement

michelle and mark on-line proofing website

the first time we met mark he was celebrating jakes bar mitzvah a little over a year ago. karen recalls some of mark's great dance moves. we were re-introduced by our beautiful client natasha aka: tash when the referral came in for their wedding. we met with michelle and mark earlier this year and fell for them right away. during our bridal meeting we brainstormed about their engagement session and what was unique to them and their relationship. mark mentioned that he lived on a boat for three years and was planning to sell it. without hesitation i said "NO WAY"...comon' now. do you really think i said that? really, karen and i said "ABSOLUTELY!" without any hesitation. after hearing of the many stories that came to mind of years past, we knew michelle and mark needed to have this in their story. again, being influenced from others and their stories only make for some amazing images that surprise me even. we took it a step further and really wanted to give an ode not only to the sea legs but to celebrate their relationship, everything nautical with a bit of a ralph lauren flare.













michelle and mark have a LOVE AFFAIR for the sea and are very infectious with their enthusiasm to all that travel in their wake.


after the session we went to one of their favorite italian restaurants in the marina, c&o trattoria. the food was incredible and the company was even better.

thank you michelle and mark for a truly amazing afternoon. AHOY!

amy and dustin - engagement

amy and dustin on-line proofing website

friends first and foremost.

this is how i would describe amy and dustin. the sense of humor of the two combined for a very relaxed and spontaneous engagement session. i have said it before and i'll say it again, i love, love, love doing what i do because of how unique our clients our... especially our brides and grooms! :)


amy and dustin traveled down from the santa clarita mountains to spend some time with each other (with me attached to their hip of course) strolling on the beach of malibu. the crisp and clean air of december (yep, I said it...DECEMBER) made for some pretty BLUE sky and ocean. oh, the swing...it is not an affect. it is real and it looks SO "out of control".



sneaking portraits of amy and dustin was, at first uncomfortable for them (they are not alone) but soon realized that their relationship was more comfortable being themselves and rolling with it. and it showed. with amy's quick wit and dustin's williness to be goofy at a drop of a hat you can just tell they are "friends first and foremost" and they are comfortable sharing it.






can't wait you guys. see you in april!

Got Soup?!

just enough time to do a little holiday shopping and grab a cup of soup and low and behold i ran into nikki six. i haven't seen him and the motley crue gang in what feel like ages and if i told you i would date myself for sure! omg! it was so wonderful to see him. he looked great and he always has the best jackets & nail polish. you can't appreciate the jacket from the front, but it was a hand painted japanese design in gold... beautiful. the soup de jour was broccoli and cheese, go figure! my favorite part was when my 5 year old daughter said, i like mr. six hair. it's crazy! to check out their up coming 2009 saints of los angeles tour and city dates please visit their site motley crue

to quote nikki “be good”... lol. karen

Lauren

lauren's on-line proofing website

lauren is getting married in january but knew she wanted a bridal editorial for just over a year now. she talked about her engagement with her fiance, blake and radiated when she told us how he proposed...at the gardens of the world in thousand oaks, ca.




now, there was never a second thought where she wanted to take her bridal portrait. the very pleasant, considerate and compassionate people at the garden allowed for us to photograph on property...but for 10mins. great things happen when your heart is in your throat and is pumping at 10000000/ps. to date, lauren's bridal portrait has to be one of the easiest, most natural, unscripted, high engery moments in most recent memory. again, we are given opportunities that sometimes are given to us at a moments notice. what we do with those opportunities determines our direction at an even greater speed and altitude.




after the session we made one more stop. something that i noticed a few months back and wanted to photograph. having the good spirit and willingness from lauren made it the ideal portrait setting. one thing thou...the light was changing rapidly and the ideal spot was down a muddy slope into a ravine on a bed of boston ivy.


the result is breathtaking.

Jaime and Scott - engagement

you have to love the fall.


jaime and scott on-line proofing website

colors that just jump right off the page. jaime and scott came down to westlake, from santa barbara, for their engagement session so karen and i treated them with an extra special trip around to our favorite places. by the look on their eyes we could have been anywhere and they would have loved it.



at first jaime and scott said "we are in your hands" but we soon took a back seat to their silliness.


i really like our couples. call me biased, but karen and i have been blessed with some really awesome couples. i am not sure if they have rubbed off on me or visa versa, but all i know is "it takes one to know one!" :)




during our session i usually take full advantage of light, location and the trust that images don't just happen...they are felt. case in point. while looking around to "take it all in" i found myself pondering an image. far enough away from jaime, scott and karen i "wasn't feeling it". no sooner was i thinking that scott looked over at karen and said..."he's not feeling it." karen slapped him (you know what i mean, in an almost OMG moment) and said..."what did you just say? i'm the only one that hears joey say that. wow, that's too weird." sure enough "i wasn't feeling it" and walked a few steps back gathered my thoughts and karen reminded me of the beautiful driveway we past on the way up the road.


yes, i was feeling it. excited for jaime and scott...they get us and we love that!

Alejandra and Noah - studio city, california

i enjoy getting to know our brides and grooms for many reasons, learning about their influences and culture is pretty high up on the list. alejandra and noah are, in every sense of the word, very colorful people. meeting the couple at their home to discuss their wedding day they seemed, at times, very business like... until they started to explain what was "different" about their wedding day from most. they LOVED the throw back days of the 40's so much so they wanted me to capture the heart and soul of that era and everything it represents. right down to the guys wearing the ever so iconic zoot suit, felt hat, calcos (french wing tip black/white shoes) and the swooping watch and chain! i was beside myself and found myself more excited about being apart of their day. more than they expected, i think.

upon arriving at the sportsman's lodge in studio city, ca one is immediately transported back in time. the architecture is anything but simple and oh so 40's lodge with a touch of nouveau decor that any creative could admire with great appreciation. i remember karen and i arriving when alejandra was getting ready and she let out a really big sigh of relief when she saw us. it caught me by surprise but made alejandra that more endearing. shortly afterwards i photographed one of the more poignant moments of the day. i call it the portrait of alejandra's grace.

alejandra and noah's on-line proofing website








one of the more unique shots of the day was taken with all the guys kickn' back in a restaurant just before the ceremony. pretty cool.




this photograph happens to be one of my favorite of the ceremony. didn't foresee the cover of night come upon us so quickly as it did but the kiss turned out to be a still frame right out of a movie.







throughout our time together with alejandra, noah, their family and friends we got a sense that fun was the order of business and taking time to enjoy simpler moments ran a close second.